Page 3 - Chiron Autumn 2018

Chiron Calling
Editor:
Lt Col Abby DuBaree Regimental Secretary RAVC
RHQ AMS
Robertson House
Slim Road, Camberley, GU15 4NP Tel (01276) 412749
Fax (01276) 412793
regtsecravc@hotmail.co.uk or abby.dubaree623@mod.gov.uk
Editorial team:
WO1 (RSM) David Blackmore, WO2 Craig Woodall, Corps RSM Gregg Cunningham and Lt Col Chris Ham MBE
Left: Front Row: Melton Town Warden, High Sherriff of Leicestershire,Dep Chief Exec Melton, Chief Supt Leicestershire Police. Rear Row: Comd 8 Engineering Brigade, Surgeon General, Mayor of Melton,Lord Lieutenant of Leicester, Colonel Commandant RAVC.
Middle: Centenary Parade. Photos by Geoff Marston
Right: The Colonel in Chief RAVC arriving for the Centenary Dinner at St James’s Palace. Photo by Perry Tatman.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Corps and the Publisher. Any opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise of the MoD, Army or Corps.
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Published on behalf of the Corps by Crest Publications, 12 Brooklands Court, Kettering Venture Park, Kettering, Northants NN15 6FD. Telephone: 01536 317000 jayne@crestpublications.com www.crestpublications.com
We have had a very busy but exciting last few months celebrating the centenary of the Royal prefix being awarded to the RAVC. The year of celebration commenced on Wednesday 9 May 18 when 120 serving, retired members along with spouses and guests attended a dinner at St James’s Palace in the company of our Colonel in Chief, HRH The Princess Royal. This was a most successful event when HRH also unveiled the Bronze Bust of herself which the RAVC Council had commissioned as the Centenary piece for the Corps.
The Centenary parade through the town of Melton Mowbray, on Friday 27 July 2018 was another most successful day for the Corps. This event was watched by around 10,000 spectators who lined the streets of Melton on a very hot Summer’s day. Much of the credit for this day goes to the RSMs and troops at the Defence Animal Training Regiment RAVC and 1st Military Working Dog Regiment for all the work involved in organising this huge event. Among the dignitaries who attended were the Surgeon General, Lt Gen Martin Bricknell, the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, the Mayor of Melton Mowbray , the High Sheriff of Leicestershire and Commander 8 Engineer Brigade. The Band of the Royal Signals and the Army Medical Services played as the parade was lead by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Colonel Neil Smith as the principal rider. The salute was taken by Maj Gen Roly Walker, the Colonel Commandant for the RAVC, the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor, as the horses and riders, the troops, military working dogs, RAVC Association and Royal British Legion members marched past through the town’s market place.
There is also an article in this edition by Colonel Simon Miller who is well known by many as the Colonel in charge of Army Medical Services Recruiting. The article is about Captain Frank Steadman, his grandfather who was a Medical Officer during WW1 and who had a great affinity for horses. Capt Steadman ended up as a
show jumping champion after the war. An enjoyable read indeed.
At last, the base at the Defence Animal Training Regiment in Melton Mowbray has been given a suitable name. The RAVC Colonel Commandant announced on 27 July 2018 that this site was to be known as Remount Barracks.
We are very pleased to announce that we have made contact with the descendants of John Shipp who was the first trained Veterinary Surgeon to join the Army Veterinary Corps on 25 June 1796. We met his great great grandsons, Geoff and John Shipp at the Centenary Parade at Melton Mowbray on 27 July 18 and there is more about John Shipp senior and a short genealogy in this edition.
Finally, as we now have an electronic version of Chiron Calling on line, we continue our exercise to reduce the cost of postage and packing which has more than doubled in the last 6 years. If you do not receive your hard copy of the magazine in future, you will still be able to read the latest and some recent versions on line by visiting the RAVC Association website. See: ravc-association.org
EDITORIAL
Chief Veterinary Officer’s Foreword .......................... 2
Obituary – Fire IE3D 22 Feb 2008 – 2 Jun 2018 ...... 2
John Shipp – a brief genealogy................................ 3
Centenary Dinner at St James’s Palace ................... 6
Osteoarthritis (OA) in the dog................................... 7
Reservist Veterinary Surgeon takes part in RAVC Centenary Parade.................................................... 9
Vehicle Search Handlers Course .............................. 9
EXERCISE GREEN DRAGON ............................... 11
RAVC Centenary Charity Event .............................. 12
My MREP Experience – 101 Reserve Squadron ... 13
Redwing, Diana and Queenie – three military horses in the First World War ............................................ 14
RAVC Reserve Recruiting with Military Mascots in Melton Mowbray.................................................... 18
101 MWD Sqn Reservists at the Seat of Power – Armed Forces National Flagship Event................... 18
New RAVC In Pensioner ........................................ 20 Registered Veterinary Nurse Training...................... 20 Horse Clinic in Dalby.............................................. 21 Parachuting Foundation Training in Cyprus ............ 21 Spay & Neuter Clinic, Goa, September 2018 ......... 22
Netherlands Deployment – Force by Horse............ 24 DATR Adventure Training in Cornwall – August 2018...................................................................... 25 The Not Forgotten Association Garden Party – Buckingham Palace............................................... 25 1 MWD Regt (RAVC) Football On The Move .......... 26 A Reserve Soldier Dog Handler’s Sailing Tale with
Tail ........................................................................ 27 Guernsey Liberation Celebrations .......................... 28 Mr Brian Ward – RAVC Association Melton Branch 30 Annual RAVC Morning Service at the Royal Hospital Chelsea ................................................................. 30 Reg Carter............................................................. 31 Blue Cross Awards in Australia and New Zealand .. 32 Nigel Allsop – President of the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation at Ascot ............................. 33 New poppy pin design with red and purple poppy . 33 Letter to the Editor................................................. 34 RAVC Reunion on Sat 28 July 2018 ...................... 35 OBITUARIES ......................................................... 36 What’s in a name – Remount Barracks .................. 37 Double Damned: English Tuberculosis Complex .... 37 NOTICES............................................................... 38
CONTENTS
CHIRON CALLING 1
Chiron Calling
The Magazine of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps
Autumn 2018