After public outrage concerning the death of Army horses. Prior to this date, the management and care of army horses had been left to each individual regiment's Quartermaster, who (using government-contracted farriers) inspected animals on the march and saw to shoeing, stabling and other routine matters. Individual cavalry officers were expected to acquire a knowledge of 'the diseases which horses are subject to, and the medicines proper to be applied'.
In 1898, veterinary provision for most sick and injured animals was transferred to the same depots as the Army's Remount Service. Formed in 1887, the Remount Service was responsible for supplying replacement horses and mules.
This change was carried out against the advice of many Army vets. It soon led to a rapid spread of animal disease during
the Boer War (1899-1902) and further public outcry. In 1903, a separate Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) of non-commissioned officers and other ranks was set up. Three years later, the Army Veterinary Department was merged into it.
During the First World War (1914-18), the AVC tripled its officers, and the number of other ranks grew forty-fold. By 1918, nearly half of all veterinary surgeons in Britain were serving in the corps. Engaged on the Western Front, at Gallipoli, Salonika, Mesopotamia and Palestine, it treated sick and wounded cavalry, transport and artillery animals.
It also diversified, dealing with horses that had been gassed, setting up four farriery schools, and even treating camels in the Middle East. Around 80 per cent of the animals it treated were returned to duty. Following the Armistice in 1918, it was granted the 'Royal' prefix in recognition of its service.
The mechanisation of the Army meant that fewer men were needed to care for the declining number of horses. The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) was reduced in size in the 1920s and the Army Veterinary School, established at Aldershot in 1880, was closed.
However, horses and mules were still needed in the roughest terrain, where vehicles could not cope. And the Army continued to need vets to care for them in areas like the North-West Frontier of India in the 1930s.
During the Second World War (1939-45), members of the corps served in Palestine, Syria, East Africa, Greece, Italy and Burma. The animals they cared for ranged from horses and mules, in Europe and the Middle East, to elephants and bullocks, in the Far East.
The Remount Service was merged with the RAVC in 1942. That same year, the corps was put in charge of managing the Army's dogs.
Since 1945, staff numbers have not dropped dramatically. The use of Military Working Dogs (MWD) in such varied locations as Malaya (1948-60), Northern Ireland (1969-2007), Bosnia (1992-95) and most recently in Iraq (2003-11) and Afghanistan (2001-14) has seen the care of these animals become an increasing priority and a force multiplier.
ADU NI (under the Royal Army Veterinary Corps) was formed on 1 May 1973 to provide highly specialised MWDs and handlers to support security forces across high-threat environments during the troubles. Operating extensively throughout Operation BANNER.
Handlers were volunteers recruited from various regiments and corps across the British Army, wearing their own regimental cap badges alongside unit insignia. Dogs and handlers provided critical search capabilities for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), patrolled base perimeters, located weapon and explosives caches, and supported public order operations.
The unit is famously associated with the "Red Paw"—a tiny enamel beret badge and shoulder flash featuring a red paw print, in 2010 the Red Paw emblem was adopted by the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment upon formation.
The unit was disbanded in 2007 when operations in Northern Ireland concluded.
The RAVC provides, trains and cares for mainly dogs and horses, but also tends to the various regimental mascots in the army, which range from goats to an antelope. Personnel include veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses providing medical and surgical care to animals, and handlers who train dogs and deploy with them on operational service.
MWDs are used extensively in the theatre of war, and are organised within the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment. Horses are used primarily for ceremonial purposes, although the Corps continues to rehearse procedures for the operational deployment of horses. This is explained in these terms:
"Although there is unlikely ever be a significantly large requirement for equines in future military operations, there are scenarios where ground conditions, (in situations where stealth is required or helicopters are not available for example), could make pack transport a vital solution to the need."
