Page 51 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
been seen in the wilds of Nanyuki, on the occasion of the Nanyuki Horse Show. Another RASC SNCO had done well in the Hunter Trials and show jumping. To swell the numbers entering the show, the VO also volunteered to enter, however, luckily for him his horse became lame the day before and he had to pull out. Remarkably, the recovery of the horse was complete the day after the show! The Army Horse Show, held in July 1962 in Nairobi, was a great success and the Corps was able to contribute by providing the duty VO, a parade of the Nanyuki foxhounds and a mobile forge which was in great demand.
Polo was reported to be a flourishing activity most weekends and many weekdays too with the VO holding the position of Secretary of the Polo Club. However, it wasn’t only sporting activities that kept the men busy.
In July 1962 most of the Troop took part in the 70 Infantry Brigade Exercise ROYAL CHARTER using ponies sent by train to Kitale where the long trek began. Overall, they marched 70 miles in four days, mainly over mountainous terrain to transport water, food, ammunition, mortar and WT equipment for KAR battalion. The weather was against them most of the time and in the torrential rain and hail more than one of the ponies lost their footing on the trail and had to be rescued. Miraculously they survived pretty much unscathed, as did the three ponies who were pitched over an escarpment in a three tonne truck on the way back to the barracks.
It was noted that the VO, rather optimistically, took a riding whip on the Exercise when a walking stick and some plasters for blisters would no doubt have been more useful. There was also a query in the Journal regarding why the VO had spent four days foot slogging while a SNCO sat in base camp. That was something the VO took time to work out. He had other plans for next time.15
The EAAW continued to flourish with the help and guidance from the Corps. There was always considered to be room for improvement but despite funding issues, the kennels were improved and with that came a raised standard of work. Four arrests took place in in early 1963 and the demand for dogs and handlers outstripped their availability leading to the arrival of eight more dogs from Melton Mowbray.
Downtime for Corps members in Nanuyuki was not always about equestrian events, it also included hunting and in Kenya that included the
hunting of big game and in particular buffalo. The Journal recorded that the VO had taken part in a hunt and afterwards said that he had never been so scared in his life. Nevertheless, the suitably embellished story of his first buffalo hunt made a good dinner party story for many years. And that wasn’t the only tale to emerge from the African bush.
The RASC Sgt experienced a different sort of hunting on a trip to the coast when he accompanied a game warden on a rhino shoot – with bows and arrows! It must be added that the arrow tips were not poisoned as the object of the exercise was to drug the animals so they could be safely picked up and transported to a game park. Unsurprisingly, the chase in specially reinforced Land Rovers was the most exciting part of the mission for the team who had to keep a close eye on their quarry. After all, after the arrow struck home, if they lost the rhino it would just wander off for a quiet nap somewhere in the bush and miss its relocation to safety. Many who served in Africa regarded soldiering on the equator to have some distinct compensations, as one Corps member wrote on his departure: “... and with the sun glistening on the snow of Mt Kenya, we say goodbye from the land of perpetual summer.”16
By the autumn of 1963, half of the RAVC had left the heat of East Africa for not so sunny Melton Mowbray. It was a matter of cost that some would not return but be replaced by the African farmers that they had trained. The VO, Captain Abraham, was replaced by Captain Scott Moffatt in Nanyuki, leaving the local Nanyuki Hunt to find someone else to hunt with them. Equestrian events and shows continued with a Major General riding one of the horses from 67 Animal Troop and during a visit from the Corps Director the men took the opportunity to show off the capabilities of the ponies and the dogs. The Director witnessed first-hand how the Pack ponies carried a sectional wooden hut 15,000 feet up Mt Kilimanjaro for the Outward Bound School. And the dog detachments were also treated to a visit to Kahawa, about 10 miles north of Nairobi and Gilgil. This was a secondary base 80 miles up country where the Director was shown the improvements made since taking over the dog training for the East African Army Wardens.17
British Land Forces Kenya and Middle East Command had only a small number of Corps members assigned to them but the skills they offered were unique and invaluable to the
15 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 33 No 2 Autumn 1962.
16 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 34 No 1 Spring 1963.
17 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 34 No 2 Summer 1963.
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