Page 72 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
dog would have got us there much faster ’ and so it went on. One team member noted: “Two Working Dog Training Unit was heavily involved and working alongside the Royal Marine Commandos also based at the JWS. Lt Montgomery Royal Marines and Captain Gordon Wilder RAVC, worked in tandem to develop the Combat Tracking Teams. These teams were ten strong and included a team Commander, a 2IC signaller and two Visual Trackers – usually Dayaks – who were native to Borneo. Two RAVC handlers and their Tracker dogs were accompanied by either three infantry soldiers or Royal Marine Commandos to provide protection for the Visual Trackers and dog handlers.”
This was found to be the ideal Tracker and protection team in an environment that didn’t suffer fools gladly and where insurgents had the upper-hand on familiar territory. Threats to life lay on every jungle path.
The Fallen...
The year 1964 brought devastating news as the RAVC faced saying farewell to one of their own. The Corps Journal carried the following obituary:
LCpl John Paschal18 RAVC was killed whilst on active service in the Labis area of Johore on 3rd September 1964. He was working with a patrol of 6 Royal Malay Regiment and engaged in the rounding up male and female Indonesian paratroopers who had landed in the area making it a very dangerous mission. A mission that ultimately cost the handler his life.
LCpl Paschal was born on 11th March 1940 and joined the Royal Engineers on 3rd February 1958. He came to 2 WDTU on probation for transfer to the RAVC in 1961, being accepted into the Corps in August of that year. He passed the Dog Trainer B3 examination in March 1962 and was promoted to acting LCpl on 10th July 1964. LCpl Paschal was an outstanding Tracker dog handler and very keen to be involved in the situation in the South West mainland of Malaya – so much so that he pleaded to be sent on this last deployment, even though it meant postponing his wedding.
As far as his work was concerned, LCpl Paschal’s real understanding of the animals under his care was outstanding. He was desperately keen to take an active part in Operations. Like so many of the Malay ORs, he saw the British handlers go off to the Operational Dog Section in Sarawak and wanted to take his turn there as well. On that fateful night when the call came through for the dogs and handlers to go out, LCpl Paschal was one of two handlers on standby. On the order to get ready to move, he showed both excitement and eagerness
because, at last, his chance had come. He had written to Captain Gordon Wilder RAVC, (the OC of 2 War Dog Training Unit, RAVC), just two days before he was killed and, though it was a brief letter, his keenness to come to grips with the enemy was clearly evident.
LCpl Paschal will always be remembered for his bright and cheerful smile. His happy disposition was infectious and each one of us caught something of his cheerfulness. At each of the Unit’s social functions he made his contribution either by singing or playing his guitar. In addition, he moved around from group to group giving something of his cheery personality and good humour. In a Unit which had New Zealanders, Australians, Gurkhas, British and the four ethnic groups represented among the Malayans, it must be unique to say that he was accepted and appreciated equally well by all of them. His main sporting interest lay in cycle racing. The Unit notes in the Corps Journal nearly always included some mention of his activities. To many of us the sight of LCpl Paschal “exercising the bike” on the Johore Bahru Road will be a very happy memory as we always got a cheerful wave from him.
Lance-Corporal Paschal aged 24, son of Mrs J Loudumary was buried on 5th September 1964, at RC Cemetery, Penang, following a memorial service at St Xavier’s Church. Captain AG Wilder RAVC went on to say we shall all miss LCpl Paschal greatly but each of us who knew him will always carry a memory of a happy and cheerful comrade who gave of his best at all times. Perhaps we can glean some comfort from the knowledge that his death came quickly, without suffering, whilst he was doing his job – the job he wanted so much to do.19
“Time of uneasy peace...”
The Corps Journal of Autumn 1964 lent the editorial to the situation in Indonesia: “Once again in this time of uneasy peace, RAVC men are on active service fighting in the jungle in Borneo. Call it what you like – police action, brush-fire, emergency, rebellion – our men have proved themselves at the ‘sharp end’ many times since the end of the last war. Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus and now Borneo. In each country the RAVC man and his dog have played an important and active part in the fighting.”20
Even at the time of writing this, in 2021, the same could be reported, but with the addition of the words ‘RAVC woman’.
In the spring of 1965, after a long period of waiting and anticipation of moving to a new camp, the Unit was at last resident in Thornhill Camp – located on the right hand side of the road into Kenya Camp from the main Johore Bahru/
18 Some veterans of the conflict believe the correct name is Pascal, however, Corps records seem to indicate Paschal as the correct interpretation.
19 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 35 No2 Autumn 1964. Obituary LCpl J Paschal RAVC KIA 3rd September 1964.
20 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Editorial Volume 35 No 2 Autumn 1964.
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