Page 472 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
CHAPTER 28
Celebration of the RAVC Centenary in 2018: 100 Years of Service
The RAVC was founded by public demand fol- lowing the heavy losses that the Army had in- curred in wars, post the Crimean War, when more horses died through poor husbandry than as a re- sult of military action.
Parliamentary debate and media attention forced the Committee of General Officers to agree to the formation of the Army Veterinary Service.
A Principal, Professor Edward Coleman, was appointed and graduates from the London Veterinary School, of which Professor Coleman was the Head, began to recruit veterinary surgeons for the Cavalry regiments.
John Shipp was the first veterinary surgeon to be commissioned in the Army. He joined on 25th June 1796 and ever since that day has been deemed the Founder ’s Day for the Corps - Known as John Shipp Day.
This was a time when the veterinary profession was, itself, in its infancy.
Throughout the years, the RAVC has been in every campaign often giving distinguished service, but not always receiving the deserved publicity.
The formation of a Veterinary Department in 1880 placed most of the vets under one professional direction, and in 1890 Colonel James Lambert was appointed as our first Director General.
In 1903 the Army Veterinary Corps was formed to unite all Veterinary Officers, except those with the Cavalry, under one badge and also to provide a soldier resource trained to assist and support the veterinary surgeons in their duties.
At the outbreak of World War One there was a cadre 180 officers and 208 rank and file, which expanded to 1,700 Officers and 28,000 men before the end of the First World War in 1918.
Due to their commendable success in the war, King George V accorded the Corps its Royal Assent, when it became the Royal Army Veterinary Corps on 27th November 1918.
It was decided by the RAVC Council that the Corps should celebrate the centenary of its Royal Warrant, and so, throughout the whole of 2018, the celebrations continued with various events. The first event in the celebration calendar was a centenary dinner at St James’s Palace on 9th May 2018, with HRH The Princess Royal, the RAVC Colonel in Chief, as the principal guest. At the dinner, which was open to RAVC Officers, Seniors and partners, Her Royal Highness unveiled a Corps centenary piece in the form of a bronze bust in her likeness.
Another major event followed on 27th July 2018 when the Corps exercised its right to the Freedom of Melton with a parade. This was a huge public event with marching troops, a military band, military working dogs, riders on horseback, a contingent from the Royal British Legion and local Cadet units. The Colonel Commandant, Major General Roly Walker DSO, the Lord Lieutenant of Leicester, Mr Mike Kapur OBE and the Mayor of Melton Mowbray took the salute.
A special event followed and was hosted at the Defence Animal Training Regiment in Melton Mowbray. Three hundred serving personnel, a
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