RAOC Gazette - page 221
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 |
the first member of the RAOC to win the Army Champion- ship, a feat which he repeated in 1980 with a resounding triumph over a fellow international. Staff Sergeant Robinson has won many international com- petitions in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, as well as in Great Britain. His first major international success came in 1979 when he won the South American Silver Racket Com- petition against high ranking players from Pakistan, Egypt, Australia and South Africa. His latest achievement was in March 1980 when he won a full England Cap, being selected to play in the European Team Championships at Helsinki. He justified his selection by winning both his matches for his country. Staff Sergeant Robinson's personal success has been a source of pride to us all in RAOC, as well as an inspiration to players within the Corps and the Army as a whole. He is a modest, un- assuming young man whose success has not affected his gentle- manly behaviour both on and off court. Always willing to en- courage younger players he has, over the years, devoted many hours to individual coaching on the courts, especially during RAOC team squash tours. He is undoubtedly the best squash player the Corps and the British Army have ever produced and his individual, outstanding ability, has greatly enhanced the reputation of the RAOC in sporting circles. Jfor tjje lUtorti AWARDS FOR ACHIEVEMENT THE Colonels Commandant have decided that the 1980 RAOC Awards for Achievement should be made to the following: — MAJOR J. H. CRANMER MAJOR J. H. CRANMER is recognised in Army Sailing circles as an outstanding offshore sailor. As Corps Rear Commodore (Offshore) RAOC Sailing Association, he has been deeply involved in arranging courses for Regular and TA Soldiers of the Corps and the increased interest and standard in Corps offshore sailing owes much to his personal efforts. On a more persona] basis he has, during the past two years, skippered his own vessel in two Solent Points series, being highly placed on both occasions. He has also won the Army Sailing Association Offshore Regatta and The Royal Artillery 1979 Offshore Regatta, events which attracted a high level of competitor. Major Cranmer's most outstanding achievement during last year arose out of the entry of the Corps yacht, under his command, in the ill fated Fastnet Race. The race proved to be the most hazardous in the series of acknowledged arduous offshore sailing events. Following a violent storm in the area, entrants were exposed to hitherto almost unknown sea conditions of extreme danger which placed a considerable test on their seamanship. Major Cranmer exercised such judgement with his relatively inexperienced crew that, despite being knocked flat on one occasion in a mountainous sea, he brought the crew and the vessel safely back to Falmouth without recourse to outside assistance, a remarkable achievement by any standard. A FAMILY AFFAIR APPRENTICE Private Alex McShane, Staff Clerk being wel- comed into the Corps by Brigadier Skinner who was also the attesting officer. The proud father, Staff Sergeant McShane (left) is at present serving in 1 (BR) Corps Vehicle Company. The attestation took place in Brigadier Skinners' office and was witnessed by Lieutenant Colonel Hellis CRAOC Corps Troops and Major Lawson OC 1 (BR) Corps Vehicle Company. "i MAJOR G. MACDONALD MAJOR G. MACDONALD has been actively involved in Inter- national Judo since 1956, when he won the Kure Hiroshima Championship and was awarded the Second Dan Black Belt. He is a founder member of the Army Judo Association and Technical Panel, and has been involved since 1962 in the organisation and development of the sport from Unit to Com- bined Services level. In 1969 he refereed the Italian Open Judo Championship, and was awarded an International Referee Licence. Since then he has attended International Referee Congresses as a United Kingdom representative in Austria, France, Austria, Switzer- land, Belgium, Switzerland, Jugoslavia and Italy. He became a German national referee in 1971, and in the last two years has refereed thirty four matches within Germany at National or International level in his spare time and at weekends. He was selected to referee the prestige matches in 1978 and 1979 of Japan vs. Germany, and both the European Championships and Dutch Open International Championships in 1979. The German Judo Association have made special comment on the good relations fostered by this officer through his involvement in the sport. Welcome to the Corps. WHAT IS A SOLDIER'S WIFE ? SHE is mostly girl, although there are times when her husband is away and she is stoking the boiler, mending the car or replacing fuzes, that she begins to suspect that she is also a boy. She usually comes in three sizes—petite, plump or pregnant. During the early years of her marriage it is often hard to deter- mine which is her normal one. She has her babies all over the world, and she measures time in terms of places; as other women do in years. " It was at Blackdown that we all had mumps " "At Bracht Joe was promoted and in Hong Kong that Harry was born." At least one of her babies is bom, or one move is accom- plished, while she is alone, causing her to suspect a secret pact between her husband and Records Office, which provides for a man to be abroad or on detachment at these times. An Army wife is international; she may be a Yorkshire factory lass, a German fraulein, a sunny Cypriot or a former QARANC. When discussing their Army problems they all speak the same language. She can be a great actress. Watching her children's heart- break at posting time she gives an Academy Award performance: ' Hong Kong is going to be such fun, there are boats, and moun- STAFF SERGEANT R. R O B I N S O N STAFF SERGEANT R. ROBINSON enlisted in the Junior Leaders Battalion RAOC in August 1967 and it was there that he was first introduced to squash. His progress with the game was rapid and his first major success was in 1971 when he won the Army Under 19 Championship. He represented the Corps whilst still a junior soldier and became RAOC Champion for the first time in 1972. Whilst serving in Germany he was BAOR Champion in 1974, 1975 and 1976 before moving to MOD where he quickly became the Middlesex County first 'string.' He has represented both the Army and the Combined Services every season since the mid-1970s, in recent years as No. 1. In 1979 he became 174 |
| Book number | R0404 |