Page 54 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
there was always a high probability of a water shortage in the summer. The postings were always attractive, but on Gibraltar the Corps decided that it was: “...positively our last territorial demand in the Mediterranean.”
Advertisements for sunny holidays in Malta were popular in the Sunday newspapers and were always a source of amusement to the men of the Corps as they sat around a paraffin stove to fend off the effects of the cold, wet and windy out of season weather. Sgt ‘Jock’ Hepburn was expecting to go from Benghazi and travel 300 miles west to establish an Army Dog Section in the RAF stronghold of El Adem. SSgt Padley had renewed his acquaintance with Benghazi making a couple of trips there but as the escort for six dogs travelling on the last LST bound for Malta, he accepted that he would be on the island there for the finale.
The uncertainty that was circulating did not stop the movement of personnel and this was captured in the Journal of 1968. Sgt John Worne merited mention in the notes though his location, Gibraltar, came under UK direction23 and special mention was made of the joint Service flavour at El Adem which had two dog user units – the Ordnance depot and an Armoured Car Squadron, and 25 miles south of the Tobruk/Derna coast road, was the desert training area’s Administrative Base Unit (ABU) where three Guard dogs were employed protecting this isolated outpost. They at least celebrated one capture – a hungry soldier raiding the ration store!
Rough and smooth
The less attractive challenges faced by colleagues posted overseas are commonly those where life and death are the only options.
On 9th December 1967 Air Dog 6536 “Rebel” presented with disturbing symptoms – at a time when considerable concern was being felt regarding Leishmaniasis.24 Rebel, a three year old Alsatian stationed at RAF Luqa, Malta was immediately put into isolation. Eleven days later he was euthansed due to the risk to humans and other dogs in the Section. A further five cases were reported in the first five months of 1968, and four were based in Service kennels. A civilian dog, a Pointer, that had been bred locally, had to be destroyed due to renal failure as a result of the disease. It was a warning call to everyone in the community and almost overnight Malta was in the grip of a series of control measures.
There were three approaches, the first being controlling the fly population by regular routine spraying of the kennels and the surrounding area. Detection of dogs harbouring the parasite by Formol-Gel testing every three-months, and also the routine dipping of dogs with a ‘dip’ that rendered the dog less attractive to the flies. The approach was decisive: “It is considered that clinically suspicious cases showing a positive reaction to the Formol-Gel test should be destroyed as soon as possible. Canine Leishma- niasis presents a risk to human health. In addition, animals harbouring the parasite act as a reservoir of infection to the other dogs in the kennels.”25
The versatility of the RAVC personnel in Malta was consistently put to the test. The very serious business of containing a dangerous disease could often be offset by the opportunity to spend time, usually Sundays, wiling away the hours alongside the tourists on the beaches.
In the summer of 1971, the RAVC received the news that it had been expecting for some time. It was with regret that we had to withdraw the Army Dogs from Malta and say goodbye at rather short notice. A toe-hold was maintained on the island through the RAF dogs at Luqu, a factor that maintained the link with the veterinary officers who were still able to visit the site. The vets also regularly visited Bahrain and were aboard minesweepers, accompanied with an Arms Recovery Dog. The Navy were impressed with the dog’s work which, although somewhat exper- imental, was by all accounts effective.
The Unit reported more trips to the Gulf region – to Salallah, the Island of Gan and to Masirah (Masirah Island, also referred to as Mazeira Island and Wilayat Masirah, an island off the East coast of mainland Oman in the Arabian Sea, and the largest island of the country). All these trips were made on various aircraft such as the VC 10, Britannia, Argosys and the Hercules.
As Anglo-Maltese defence talks reached a deadlock, the British Services prepared to leave the George Cross Island – after a stay of 170 years.
On 16th January 1972, the LSL Sir Geraint (L3027) left for Southampton with seventeen polo ponies belonging to the Army Saddle Club. On Saturday 25th March, with less than a week to go before the last British Serviceman left Malta, the Island’s Premier flew to London to sign a Defence Agreement which ensured the British presence in Malta for another seven years! Sadly, by then,
23 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 39 No 1 Spring 1968.
24 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 39 No 2 Summer 1968.
25 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 39 No 2 Summer 1968 ‘Leishmanissis in Air Dog Stationed in Malta.’
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