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Description
Royal Army Veterinary Corps Cap Badge
This Sale is for the Cap Badge as worn by the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC).
Formed in 1903, the Army Veterinary Corps had as its Badge the White metal monogram 'AVC' inside a Brass Wreath with King's Crown above. In 1918 they received the 'Royal' title and recourse was again had to that storehouse of ideas and precedents, Greek mythology. The result was the White metal figure of Chiron, a Centaur (half-horse, half-man), within a Brass Laurel Wreath with full title below and a King's Crown above.
The Queen's Crown Badge was issued about 1957.
Brand new and unissued Staybrite anodised Cap Badge in a Gold and Silver finish, approx. 43mm high, and complete with it's mounted Slider.
Guaranteed brand new and in mint condition.
Brief Corps History
Convalescent horses at the RAVC hospital at Tidworth Barracks, in the Second World War.
Origins
The original Army Veterinary Service ( Veterinary Corps) within the Army Medical Department was founded in 1796 by public outrage concerning the death of Army Horses. John Shipp was the first Veterinary Surgeon to be commissioned into the British Army when he joined the 11th Light Dragoons on 25 June, 1796. This date is recognised as RAVC's foundation day (aka John Shipp Day).
The main location for the RAVC is the Defence Animal Centre based at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire although Staff are spread throughout the Army. They are also responsible for Explosives and Drug sniffer Dogs.
In late March 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that Fitz Wygram House, one of the Corps' sites, was one of ten that would sold in order to reduce the size of the Defence estate.
Colonel in Chief
The Honorary Colonel-in-Chief is the Princess Royal who has visited RAVC Dog-handling units serving in Afghanistan.
Structure
The main location for the RAVC is the Defence Animal Centre (due to rename in 2015 to Defence Animal Training Regiment) based at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, although staff are spread throughout the Army. They are also responsible for explosives and drug search dogs. It's only subsidiary regiment is the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment.
Honours
Sadie, a black Labrador Retriever belonging to 102 MWDSU and cared for by handler Lance Corporal Karen Yardley, won the PDSA Dickin Medal ("the animal VC") in 2007.
On Thursday 24 July, 2008, Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe of the RAVC and attached to 2nd Battalion,The Parachute Regiment was killed along with his Search Dog, Sasha, during a contact with the Taliban in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was the 112th British service member to lose their life in that country.
In February 2010, Treo, a black Labrador-Spaniel crossbreed, was awarded the Dickin Medal for services in Afghanistan.
In 2011 LCpl Liam Tasker of 104 MWD SQN was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches. His Arms Explosive Search Dog, Theo, died shortly afterwards. Theo was postumously awarded the Dickin Medal on 25 October 2012.
Memorial
A memorial to the RAVC and its predecessors was unveiled at the National Arboretum on 2 May 2014 by the Princess Royal.
Seven Memorial stones in Remembrance of the five dog handlers who lost their lives while serving in Northern Ireland and the two Dog Handlers who were killed while on operations in Afghanistan have been placed at their base in North Luffenham.
Notable personnel
Royal Army Veterinary Corps Officers
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Arnold Spencer Leese (1878–1956) was a British Fascist Politician and Veterinarian. Leese was initially prominent for his veterinary work and was noted for his study of Camels. Known for his virulent anti-Semitism, Leese led his own Fascist movement and was a prolific author and publisher of polemic both before and after the Second World War.
Leese was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England and educated at Giggleswick School. An only child, his childhood was characterised by loneliness.
After qualifying as a Veterinary Surgeon, he accepted a post in India, where he became an expert on the Camel. He had previously worked in the East End of London. He worked in India for six years before becoming Camel Specialist for the East Africa Protectorate of the British Empire. He published articles on the Camel and its maladies, the first appearing in The Journal of Tropical Veterinary Science in 1909. He was recognised as a leading authority on the Camel. A Camel parasite, Thelazia leesei was named after him.
He was commissioned in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in 1914, serving on the Western Front and in the Middle East. Captain Leese returned to England where he continued his practice, publishing A Treatise on the One-Humped Camel in Health and in Disease (1927), which would remain a standard work in India for fifty years. He settled in Stamford, Lincolnshire, practising as a Vet until retirement in 1927. †
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Walter Plowright CMG FRS FRCVS (1923–2010) was an English Veterinary Scientist who devoted his career to the eradication of the cattle plague rinderpest. Plowright received the 1999 World Food Prize for his development of tissue culture rinderpest vaccine (TCRV), the key element in the quest to eliminate rinderpest. Rinderpest became the first animal disease to be eliminated worldwide.
The second son of Jonathan and Mahala Plowright. He attended Moulton Grammar School which transferred to Spalding Grammar School in 1939. He graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1944 and was commissioned into the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
The research and application techniques that brought Plowright success in fighting rinderpest were later replicated by his colleagues to vaccinate against sheep pox and lumpy skin disease.
He chaired the Royal Veterinary College’s Microbiology and Parasitology department from 1971 to 1978. He was Head of Microbiology at the Institute for Animal Health in Compton, Berkshire from 1978 to 1983. In addition to rinderpest, Plowright also contributed to the study of such viral animal diseases as African swine fever, malignant catarrhal fever, poxviruses, and herpesviruses.
He was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society of London and received the Order of St Michael and St George. He also received the World Organisation for Animal Health's Gold Medal and the Animal Health Trust’s Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award. †
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Wallace Brian Vaughan Sinclair (1915-1988), universally known as Brian, was a British Veterinary Surgeon who worked for a time with his elder brother Donald and Alf Wight. Wight wrote a series of semi-autobiographical books under the name James Herriot, with Brian and Donald Sinclair appearing in fictionalised form as brothers Tristan and Siegfried Farnon.
Brian worked as a Student Vet employed by his brother, until graduating from the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College in Edinburgh in 1943, subsequently joining the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in India. On demobilisation, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture's Sterility Advisory unit, rising to become head of the Veterinary Investigation Centre in Leeds.
He was the model for the character 'Tristan Farnon' in Wight's semi-autobiographical novels, which were later adapted to the big screen in two films, and television under the name All Creatures Great and Small. The fictional Tristan was portrayed as a charming rogue who was still studying veterinary medicine in the early books, constantly having to re-take examinations because of his lack of application, often to be found in the pub, and subject to tirades from his bombastic elder brother Siegfried.
Unlike his elder brother Donald, who for some time saw the books as a great trial of his friendship with Wight, Brian made no objections to Wight's ne'er-do-well portrayal of him, and in fact seemed rather to enjoy the celebrity, appearing on television and lecturing at Veterinary Schools all over the UK and elsewhere.
According to Every Living Thing, both he and Donald were married. †
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Hicks Withers-Lancashire (1829-1909), also known as Hicks Withers, was a British Veterinary Surgeon.
He was born in Ham Green in Somerset (now part of Bristol) to Samuel Withers, a Veterinary Surgeon and Martha Lancashire.
Hicks joined the Army as a Vet with the Royal Horse Artillery. He was involved in the Crimean War and was present at the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Alma, Sebastapol, Balaklava and Inkerman. Later, in the Indian Mutiny, he was at the relief of the Siege of Lucknow.
In the 1890s, he became the Lord of the Manor of Stockbridge in Hampshire until 1902 when it was sold to Mr. R. P. Attenborough †
Royal Army Veterinary Corps Soldiers
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Stephen George "Steve" Benbow (1931-2006), was a British Folk Guitar player, singer and music director, who was influential in the English Folk Music revival of the 1960s. His obituary in The Times described him as "a seminal influence on a whole generation of guitarists".
He was born in Tooting, Surrey and educated at Reigate Grammar School. On leaving school, despite an aptitude for languages, he took a job on a farm in Axminster, Devon. He did his National Service in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, and was stationed in the Middle East. There, he learnt the guitar and quickly gained popularity entertaining the Troops, including appearances on Forces Radio where he reportedly sang songs in eight languages.
After completing his stint in the Army, he returned to farming but also began working as a part-time musician. He played trad jazz with Dave Kier's jazz band and began accompanying some of the emerging British folk singers such as Ewan MacColl and A. L. Lloyd.
His solo recording began in 1957 when he recorded two albums: Steve Benbow Sings English Folk Songs and Steve Benbow sings American Folk Songs. He went on to record over 20 albums. The last, Don't Monkey with My Gun was recorded in 2003.
He was a successful Broadcaster, especially during the 1950s, appearing on "Guitar Club", "Saturday Skiffle Club" and "Easy Beat". He also hosted a show on Radio Luxembourg in the 1960s.
He collaborated with Spike Milligan on a West End stage show and a television series Muses with Milligan.
He worked as a producer with Dominic Behan and Christy Moore: he was, for example, credited as arranger and musical director of Moore's 1969 album Paddy on the Road. Throughout his career he worked with a wide range of musicians, including Alan Lomax, Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor, Pete and Peggy Seeger, Denny Wright, Alex Campbell, Martin Carthy, Cy Grant, Michael Holliday, Rolf Harris, Long John Baldry and Don Partridge. He is credited with being an early influence on Davey Graham.
In later years, he worked as a London cabbie, but continued to appear at folk clubs. He also retained his affinity with domestic animals, keeping goats and a donkey at his home in Hanwell. He maintained a traditional London trolley and was often seen navigating suburban streets in this donkey-drawn cart. Steve Benbow was still playing in pubs around Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow until the Friday before his death.
He was married twice, having a son and a daughter by his first marriage.†
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Kate and Gin are a Musical canine freestyle act consisting of Kate Nicholas, from Norbury, Cheshire and her dancing Border Collie, Gin. The two achieved fame following their 2008 appearances on the second series of ITV1 talent show Britain's Got Talent.
Since the show, the duo have appeared publicly and in pantomimes, as well as publishing a book, Kate and Gin, about dog training. In 2013, Nicholas joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, training dogs for the British Military.
Nicholas joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in the Puppy development section, based at the Defence Animal Centre. Nicholas trains new Puppies in basic obedience, using the same techniques she used with Gin, saying "you go down the same route, you use the same positive reinforcement techniques, lots of praise, lots of toys". She said that she "joined the Army because [she] wanted to use [her] skills in a practical sense, rather than performing up and down the country". Gin retired from performing to live in the family home. - James Carl Newhook (1915–1997) was a New Zealand Veterinary Scientist, university lecturer and writer. †
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Peter John Randall MBE GM (1930-2007), was an English recipient of the George Medal, and the RSPCA's Margaret Wheatley Cross, for his action on 8 October 1954 where he saved the life of a fellow soldier and a military dog from a burning truck.
Peter Randall was born on 20 August 1930. His father had served with the Royal Navy in World War I and would go on to serve in World War II, receiving a US President's medal for rescuing American airmen while at sea. Peter left school at the age of 14, trying various jobs before joining the British Army at 16.He was first assigned to the Royal Sussex Regiment as a Clarinet Bandsman. He switched to the 4th Queen's Own Hussars before moving to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps following his marriage. While based at Hemel Hempstead with the Veterinary Corps, he aided in training the Horses for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Peter was posted to British East Africa (now Kenya) as a Corporal in charge of a Dog Unit during the Mau Mau Uprising. On 8 October 1954, while en route to Thompson Falls (now Nyahururu) in a truck with ten men of the King's African Rifles, the vehicle hit a pothole in the road and flipped over. Sitting upfront, both Randall and the driver were covered in fuel and set alight. The soldiers in the back of the truck managed to scramble free, but Randall on leaving the cab saw that the driver was unconscious and re-entered the front of the truck to drag him to safety. Once the driver came around, Peter realized that a dog was chained up inside the burning truck. Removing his clothes, he went back into the truck once again and released the animal.
He was taken to a British Military hospital in Nairobi, where he underwent several operations. Plastic boots were placed on his burned feet and steel pins inserted through his knees so that they could be supported by scaffolding placed around his bed. Once he was flown back to Britain, and still bedridden, he received a letter from General Sir George Erskine awarding him the George Medal for rescuing the truck driver. The following month, he was notified by the RSPCA were to present him with the Margaret Wheatley Cross for rescuing the dog from the burning truck. The investiture of the George Medal with Queen Elizabeth II took place on 6 December 1955, he was the only member of Royal Army Veterinary Corps to receive the medal since it was implemented in 1940.
As his injuries prevented him from being posted to hot countries, he left the Army in 1959.
He first worked as a Gamekeeper in Lincolnshire, before returning to Melton Mowbray as a Shop Manager. He became a School Governor and Chairman of the local Chamber of Trade. As a Security Officer, he moved to the Isle of Wight before retiring to Groby, Leicestershire. For his work with the Mentally Handicapped, he was appointed MBE in 2000.
In 2004, he attended a meeting of the Malaya and Borneo Veterans' Association in Penang, Malaysia. At the time he was Chairman of the Gallantry Medallists League and of the Leicester branch of the Malaya and Borneo Veterans’ Association. He was in a traffic accident, being hit by a car. He went into a coma, and was transferred back to Britain. He never awoke from his coma and died on 23 April 2007.
His wife Rose died in 2006. They had a daughter and a son. †
Order of Precedence
| Preceded by Adjutant General's Corps |
Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Small Arms School Corps |
|
| Royal Army Veterinary Corps | |
|---|---|
 Cap Badge and Colours of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps
|
|
| Active | 1796 - present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  British Army |
| Branch | Veterinary medicine and animal handling |
| Role | Animal Healthcare |
| Garrison/HQ | Defence Animal Centre, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire |
| Nickname | |
| March | Quick: Drink Puppy Drink / A Hunting We Will Go Slow: Golden Spurs |
| Equipment | Dogs, horses |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Princess Royal |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |
 |
| Abbreviation |
RAVC
|
MILITARY - BRITISH ARMY
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