Page 455 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Operations anywhere in the world. Personnel from 1 MWD Regt continue to support Military and Civil Authorities with Explosive Search Dog capability at graduated notice, to move with teams on standby in the UK... should requests for support be made. 1 MWD Regt has been heavily involved in the provision of SME personnel taking part in a range of Short-Term Training Team Activity. Such activity helps support other nations in the development of their MWDs, their handler training and Veterinary skills. STTT action has taken place in many different countries – the Regiment taking an active role in Defence Engagement (DE) with other national- ities. This activity is key to understanding how other nations operate their MWDs and veterinary capability which allows for an exchange of ideas to help build inter-operability links. 1 MWD Regt has been involved in DE activity in countries including Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, Estonia, France, Belgium, and Slovenia.
The close working relationship between the MWDs and the ‘Bomb Squad’ was acknowledged in an article for Defence Focus, in August 2010:
“Bomb Squad”
Men, machines, and animals are working together to beat the threat to troops in Afghanistan.
Search teams and bomb disposal experts combined forces in the struggle to defeat one of the Taliban’s weapons of choice – crude but deadly improvised explosive devices (IED). They work alongside the infantry soldiers in Helmand’s most dangerous areas, writes Sharon Kean:
“Searchers have hand-held detectors, but their main tools are their eyes,” says Lieutenant Paul Lucy, a Royal Engineers Officer leading a search team that spent a six-month winter deployment in Helmand, Afghanistan. “The hand-held detector is a great piece of kit, but the key thing is to keep your eyes and ears open as well.” Lt Lucy is a Royal Engineer Search Advisor heading a team which includes a Commander, a second-in-command and a number of sappers who carry out the searches. “My role is to assess the threat, which can change minute-by-minute,” said the Officer. “Searches are usually at a slow and safe pace, but it depends what’s going on around the soldiers.”
When IEDs are found, the team’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operatives will be called out to dispose of them. That fact that two such men were each awarded the George Cross earlier this year, speaks volumes about the importance of their role. “A search team wouldn’t go anywhere
without EOD operatives, because there’s no point in finding something if it can’t be dealt with,” says Lieutenant Lucy. His team was deployed with Royal Welsh infantry during Operation MOSHTARAK, a combined effort with the Afghan National Army to break into their Babaji area of Helmand earlier this year. “We found two or three bomb factories and at least 10 devices,” he says.
Counter IED teams are likely to become familiar with every corner of Helmand over the course of a six-month tour. Some missions will be more stressful than others. “You might find a team in Sangin is going on planned Operations every day, while others are not so busy,” says Captain Gareth Bateman, second-in-command of the Joint Force EOD Group: “We rotate teams to maintain momentum among the battle groups and to keep the teams fresh as well. As you can imagine the concentration levels these guys require is very high.”
In the same issue of Defence Focus the arrival of 1st MWD Regt (RAVC) was highlighted alongside an introduction to a few of the canine personal- ities on the team:
Now the bomb squads are benefiting from new colleagues – Belgian Shepherds. Sleek and powerfully built, the dogs have a proven ability to cope with heat and a good nose for ‘sniffing’ out IEDs.
In the training area, the dogs work closely with their handlers: “If a dog finds something, it indicates this and the search team takes over. The dogs provide the early warning protection,” explains Staff Sergeant Wes Quigley, the dogs’ Chief Trainer. ‘Chocolat’, is a dog who has already seen frontline action, including an unplanned ride in a Chinook helicopter when he was evacuated as a medical emergency. But it wasn’t an IED that saw the dog land in Bastion’s field hospital for treatment; rather it was an unfortunate encounter with some barbed wire. “Team medics are trained to resuscitate dogs and to put intravenous lines into them,” says Captain Bateman.
Chocolat has since recovered and is running rings around his handler who takes him out for PT: “They’re very fit animals indeed,” says Quigley. “After a PT session they’ll have a drink then look at us as if to say: ‘let’s do it again’!”18
The summer of 2010 was not only a busy time for the new Regiment, but their families too, as reported in Chiron Calling later that year:
John Shipp Day 101 MWD Sqn – 25th June 2011. With the stands, inflatables and the food and drinks set up, the sun started to shine as the families arrived. First up was a mad scramble by the kids to the bouncy castle, bungee run, and gladiator podiums. Once everyone had arrived –
18 Defence Focus, Issue #243, dated August 2010.
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