RAOC Gazette - page 31
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
Planning and Workstudy Unit 3 Base Ammunition Depot AT the time of writing, we arc rushing around BFT Courses and banging away at figure ll's in an endeavour to convince the Deputy Commander, Rhine Area, of our fitness and so obtain an outstanding ARU. At the time of reading these notes, we shall have undoubtedly ' achieved the aim.' We all continue to strive manfully to put up with the sequence of cuts in our pay packets viz fuel bills have gone up, LOA has gone down, petrol coupons have gone up, concessional newspapers have ceased, NAAFI charges us DM4.14 for every £l's worth of goods,' while we continue to be paid at DM3.95. Things are really bad—especially when Captain Ian Quarrier returns from an annual ski-ing holiday and convinces everyone that he is now Impoverished! SSM Dave Haugh and Conductor John Alford visited Paris at Easter. One couldn't afford the metro fare so drove daily into the city; the other couldn't afford the petrol or parking fees so he used the metro daily! Deducing who did which is the subject of a study later this year. SSM McLarty's family has arrived and we welcome them to the fold. The event has not gone unnoticed however; almost everyone has been involved in helping him conclude his ' personal administration,' and who knows—by the time these notes are printed, he may be back at work! By the usual method of knowing the system and the right people, we have a new typist, Mrs Angela Krigcr. At the moment, both the Officer Commanding and Sccond-in-Com- mand are experiencing great difficulty in keeping up with her output, but we all hope she has a pleasant stay with us. PRIDE of place this month goes to the Bracht rugby team, who became the first RAOC Unit ever to win the Army Rugby Challenge Cup in nail biting final. We congratulate the team on their splendid achievement. (See page 6). It was a fitting end to the season, which sees the departure of the Team Coach and ' BuIly-in-Chicf' Major Jock Williamson. He leaves us on promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and takes up the appointment as CRAOC North East District. One consolation to the team is that they will not have to suffer the big stick treatment any more. Units in North East District arc to be on their lookout, as he was presented with a new one before he left. Major Price our SATO has left us, to be replaced by Major Marshall and Major Grant arrived as the new SASO, only to be given the additional temporary task of SPO. An- other notable departure was that of WOl ' Thank God it's twelve o'clock' Chisholm. He has left us for some obscure Unit north of the Thames, after completing three years of absolute hell here in Bracht. He must be thanked for his work as Presiding Senior Member of the Sergeants Mess. We wish him well in his new job and his forthcoming retirement. A peculiar white rash has descended on certain members of the Unit. Started I think by THE GAZETTE Correspondent, it has found its way to Corporals Dave Floyd, Taff Pascoe, Dick Travcrs, Lance Corporal Jock Lynch, Private Geordie Winters and Mrs Shirley Horeau (who I must add, broke a bone in her arm, but not as a result of her husband Joe's driving). AH of which have been plastered since the beginning of the new year. The RSM led a team from Bracht to the BAOR Fencing Competition consisting of Sergeant Robin Fairclough of Army Smoking fame (Foil), Corporal Chalkie White (Foil and Sabre) and Private Taff Bartlett (Epec). They returned without any spoils of victory, but learned a great deal from their en- counters. Unfortunately, fencing is a minority sport in Rhine Area, so competition is hard to find. But nevertheless, the RSM is on the lookout for any potential ' thrusters' for the next season. Our squash team ended their season with a return match against Basle Squash Club, from Switzerland. This time it was played on home territory and under Bracht rules. They lost! Our teams consisted of Sergeants Andy Vinnicombe, Nick Brown, Corporals Danny Daniel, Dave Gelling, Lance Corporals Frank Gardiner, Karl Dagnall, Mrs Angela O'Brien, and two lady teachers loaned from Bruggen Middle School. Basle also lost their match against Krefeld Squash Club, so this made up for our failures earlier on in the season, when we played stronger sides from Basle, Zurich and Geneva. Hockey also features this month. I have been assured that we have won some matches, but also lost some. This is to be expected, as it is the first season for some time that Bracht has fielded a team. Injuries have been rife. _ Lance Corporal Scouse Cannell spending most of his time unconscious in the D. Lance Corporals Taff Golden, Bill Hill with ailing limbs, and Corporal Jock McKinnon who refuses to allow the swell- ing in his ankles to disappear by continuing to stop the ball with his feet! But still, if we progress more next season there should be no reason why we can't notch up a few more wins or even win something. We would like to congratulate Corporals Griffiths, Duncalf, Lance Corporal Anderson, Private McCarter and their wives' on their new arrivals. Congratulations also go t o : Sergeants Brown, Latta, Pritchard, Salt, Tarr, Watton, Corporals Gelling, Gray, Lister, Simkiss, White, Lance Corporals Brown, Crawford, Lloyd, Powell and Rae on their recent promotions. We welcome to the Unit: Major Grant, Major Marshall, WOl Neale, Sergeant Drummond, Lance Corporals Parsons, Town, Privates Barter (from detachment BATUS), Beat (from detachment Northern Ireland), Garraty, Mart, Mclntyre and Singfield. Ordnance Depot Antwerp HAVING been away on a course for the last three months (guess the author!) it is surprising to see so many new faces around the Depot. More surprising is the speed with which PSA have started to re-fence the guardroom at Emblem Camp. People are wondering if it is to fence the guard in rather than to keep intruders out. It is a constant problem in a small Unit to balance the number of sports fixtures entered into against the work which must be done. While we only accept a proportion of sporting invitations, we don't do too badly. To highlight this point, two different teams recently left the Depot to compete in com- petitions in Germany on the same day. The hockey team travelled to Munster to compete in the DOS Cup and the rugby players travelled to Viersen to compete in a seven-a-side competition. For all the hockey team's lack of regular competition during the season, the team put up a creditable performance. After mixed fortunes on the first day, only a draw was necessary to qualify for the semi-finals. Unfortunately a late goal by Dulmen was enough to thwart any hopes of success. To cap it all, Lance Corporal Fred Stonelake after taking the picturesque route out of Wulfen, broke down in the team's mini bus out- side Eindhoven! The rugby team managed to reach the final of the plate in their competition. Sergeant Mick Woolham has begged me not to mention it, but somehow they reached this final without winning a game! The cricket season has started and Staff Sergeant Paul Fyzool has been seen, girded in plaster, hobbling into the CO's office to discuss tactics for the coming season. Already Lance Corporal Neil Flesher has been withdrawn from other sports, in order that he can be ready to repeat last season's bowling figures! The RSM, while masterminding the Unit's success in being runners-up in the RAOC small bore competition, has also successfully co-ordinated and supervised the children's holiday activities for the Garrison's five to eleven year olds. The children were fully occupied with road safety, fishing, ice skating, sport, and visits to local places of interest. To end it all a disco and buffet was held in the gymnasium. I am told by- the RSM that the children were well behaved, but another story circulating around headquarters states that when Private Toby Ives phoned the indoor range a well known lady's voice' answered 'Bedlam.' 'Bedlam who?' Toby furthered. To put names to the new faces: Captain Richard Byrne, Corporals Bob Freeman and Mick Lowrie, Lance Corporal Alex Gurmin and Private Kev Johnson. Congratulations to Lance Corporal ' Ginge' Billing on his marriage while on detachment at BATUS. 4 Petroleum Depot HEADLINE of the month is the arrival for the second time round of our ' N e w ' Depot Superintendent. Yes folks, WOl Mick (Daimler) McCabe is back. Obviously he prefers ' u s ' to them. Still England can't be too bad because surely 4.2 litre Daimlers don't grow on trees, or do they?. Joking aside, glad to see you back. We give a fond farewell to the long departed Depot ' Soup' WOl Bert Maltas who by now has handed in his khaki for whatever civvy colour suits him. — 22 — |
| Book number | R0404 |