Page 422 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
had forty-five fruitless meetings and eventually demanded to see the Emir, as he explained: “I told the Emir that my General was furious at the delays and a diplomatic incident could well ensue. This did the trick, and I eventually had enough water to supply the Division’s Forward Maintenance Area (FMA) including 32 Fd Hospital and 22 Fd Ambulance and the US PoW Camp.”
Naturally, there was considerable concern raised over the possibility of Iraqis or terrorists poisoning the hard won and secured water supplies. Working consistently under pressure to produce water as quickly as possible as soon as the Division moved, included testing for poison. Fortunately, the resourceful Major had some very expensive, and portable, ‘Microtox®’ equipment with him which enabled a test for poison to be completed within an hour. He recalls at one site, during the testing, an RAF Wing Commander drinking half the contents of the sample bottle before anyone could stop him! After hovering around until the rest of the tests were completed, he discovered, to his visible relief that the water supply was, as hoped, poison-free.
The ground war progressed at an unprece- dented rate. For much of this period, Major Ogilv- ie-Graham was allocated a Lynx Helicopter with Tube launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles in order to keep up with the Division, and to help recce the potential water sites that he had previously identified from SF or geographical reports, from Iraq and Kuwait.
Alongside his RE SSgt, he recced various well sites in Kuwait City – many were full of Unexploded Devices (UXDs) and were later declared to be ‘live’ minefields – as was the military airfield. On one occasion, they came under fire while in an open-topped Land Rover and since, in Major O-G’s opinion, discretion is the better part of valour, the pair drove on... rapidly!
It was taking over 48 hours to bring water from Hafar Al-Batin in the DROPS water tankers, a delay which necessitated speeding up the search for water sources. Eventually a site was chosen at the docks in Kuwait City and, once that was established the other sites could be phased out in line with the withdrawal of troops. As the one pressure eased it became possible to concentrate, 24-hours a day, on the production of water from the sea, a supply that supported British Troops, the British and other Embassies, various hospitals and Kuwait Zoo.
Working the new equipment continuously, day and night, to meet demands inevitably led to diffi-
culties, but that did not stop Tom Ogilvie-Graham making time to attend the zoo and various equine studs to help treat the few remaining animals. The Iraqis had starved, eaten, or shot most of the animals at the zoo. The remaining ones provided an interesting challenge. With the help of the International Society for the Protection of Wildlife, Major O-G and his team were able to arrange to feed and treat the animals using various veterinary drugs that he had wisely brought with him, coupled with anything remaining in the zoo’s pharmacy.
Major Ogilvie-Graham’s experience in dealing with the horses injured in the 1982 IRA bombing from Knightsbridge came in more than useful when treating injured zoo animals in Iraq. One of his patients was an elephant with an AK 47 round in its shoulder – the round was located using a metal detector. Also, there was a monkey with a 9mm round in its leg – Major Ogilvie-Graham later operated on the tiny patient in an American Field Hospital. Some animals, including a Himalayan bear, had to be recaptured from outside the zoo. Helpfully, from a publicity point of view, the international press took great interest in this RAVC vet, his diligence and his care for animals who had been left in such a terrible condition as casualties of the war. Major Ogilvie-Graham was interviewed by worldwide news outlets such CBS, BBC’s Newsround, Good Morning Britain, the New York Times, The Times and the Sunday Express.
Soldier Magazine carried the following report in March 1991:
“Vet was key link”
The man who actually returned the Desert Rat pennant to Brigadier Cordingley was Major (Retd) Harry Gauntlett’s son in law, Major Tom Ogilv- ie-Graham RAVC, the only vet in the Gulf.
But Major Ogilvie-Graham isn’t there to take things out of camel’s hooves. He is attached to Command Royal Engineers Works Middle East as their water purifi- cation expert.
Before leaving for the Gulf, he was the 2IC at the RAVC Centre at Melton Mowbray, and his next posting was to be the VO at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London.4 Major Tom Ogilvie-Graham was the only RAVC person to deploy on Op GRANBY and received an MBE for his efforts in the Operational Honours List in the following year.
Major Tom Ogilvie-Graham was proud of his association with 7 Armd Bde and recalled how he presented Brigadier Cordingley with the original
4 Soldier Magazine dated March 1991.
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