Civil service employment history - include dates?

[SquishySquirmy]

Hi,
hoping someone can help me.
Currently filling in an application form, one section is "Employment History".

I was planning to list my job roles in reverse chronological order and was thinking I would keep it fairly brief as there is another section for "skills and experience".

I have to remove all identifying details, so for each position I was going to say something along the lines of "cat herder at major uk cat farm from May 2007 to Sept 2010" and then list key achievements and responsibilities underneath. So not naming the cat farm specifically but giving a clear idea of my role and industry.

But should I remove the dates as well? Because of course these give a clear indication of my age, especially as I want to include a job I held at university (demonstrates relevant skills).
It also includes a 2 year career break. I can explain the career break and in other versions of my cv I briefly summarise some of the things I accomplished during the break (online study, volunteering etc). However explaining the break instantly identifies me as a parent!

But if I leave the dates out, there is no indication of how long I spent in each role and I think it is harder to follow...

civil servant of 11 years here. To be honest don't stress too much about it. The likelihood is that unless it's a role you need particular qualifications for (eg scientist and engineering etc) it's unlikely they'll give much more than a cursory glance to your employment history. You are meant to be marked on the "behaviours" alone. I've seen people put the dates in and others not. It really depends on your preference.

Personally I'd put it in chronological order etc like in a CV but like i said it really doesn't matter too much.