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RAOC Gazette - page 234

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1980
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Early date 1980
Late date 1980
Transcription tatton J?tto£
Ministry of Defence
^ ^
^f
. NOW that the leave period is over it is
^ ^ ^ ^ r%r*& s ^ ^
time for Military Operations to prepare
^^$$J§§!f
for what promises to be a very long
gM^M
hard winter, especially with the extra
o ^*r*P^&^ 9
work load being created by the present
J^^'yflgjWr^y/'
financial climate.
^^%
flggls ^ ^ ^ .
Staff Sergeant Cliff Lee has just
returned from the South of France and
appears to be confirming the suspicions which I raised in last
month's notes. On my return from leave it was reported that
he was still in the office at 22.50 hours. It may be the CR
season, but this is carrying it too far! It was also reported that
the BGS(MO) was also seen around at the same time; could it
be that he completes Part Two?
WOl Sam Johnston has also just returned from two weeks
leave in Canada /US A, after a visit to a long lost sister. He says
he now knows what is meant by jetlag, or at least that is the
excuse he has been giving for his recent incoherence. Others
wonder if it is the exhuberance of his enthusiastic celebration of
the good news—promotion to substantive WOl. Many con-
gratulations.
We also offer our congratulations this month (slightly be-
lated) to Sergeant Barry Humphrey on his award of the BEM
for his services in 86 Supply Depot The photograph shows him
being presented with the medal by the GOC London District.
I am pleased to report that Staff Sergeant Dennis Palmer
has decided to remain in the Army and has just been given a five
year ECR tour with the Army Recruiting Staff at Woolwich.
Corporal Jane Chapman WRAC, one of his clerks in M 2 has
decided to take a leaf out of his book and has withdrawn her
application for PVR. She now looks forward to a cushy posting
overseas.
Staff Sergeant Paul Byron has had his posting changed and is
now off to a Brigade in Northern Ireland in January 1981. Al-
though not confirmed, I believe he volunteered for this posting
as he did not find Military Operations demanding enough! Paul's
replacement is Staff Sergeant Johnson, who joins us from Cyprus.
The presentation of the BEM to Sergeant Barry Humphrey by the
General Officer Commanding London District at Horse Guards.
and quiet of Northern Ireland into the hectic fray of Corps
policy. Captain Neil Dyer is bound for the Staff College, and,
he says, looking forward to the rest!
We welcome too, Private Kathryn Collier WRAC, to Ord la
in replacement of Private Carol Livingston to whom we wish bon
voyage.
Directorate of Land Service Ammunition
OLD Didcot hands will be pleased, to know that efforts going
back to the early seventies are finally coming to fruition. Work
is well underway on a new entrance road to the Barracks—to be
named Vauxhall Way—and a new traffic circuit and perimeter.
All this in preparation for an A43 link road leading from the
Barracks entrance to the Milton Heights interchange. Turmoil
exists at present but all is expected to come right by the end of
the year.
The airborne fraternity has been active again, leaping into
the sea from a great height as part of their 421 EOD Unit train-
ing. The lengths to which some people will go to avoid work is
incredible. The more earthbound members of the Directorate
had hoped the experience would dampen their enthusiasm some-
what and may even lead to us getting some desks occupied for
a while but, regrettably, no such luck.
Next month we hope to report that a re-shuffle of office
accommodation has taken place and a number of people are
settled into different and hopefully, more spacious (or should it
be adequate?) offices. We had hoped to report this move last
month, and this month, but we await the arrival of British
Telecoms to organise the telephones for us—and wait, and
wait
Our wishes for a full and speedy recovery go out to Major
Robin Phillips, Staff Sergeant Bob Davies and Miss Wendy
Stennett, all of whom have undergone surgical operations
recently.
Since our last notes were published we have welcomed
aboard Colonel Peter Forshaw, Major Desmond Fench RA,
Captain Stan Woods, W02 Roy Randall, Staff Sergeant Taff
Cainan and Lance Corporal Michael Charnley. We extend a
warm welcome to all of them and hope that their stay at Didcot
is a happy and rewarding one.
Headquarters Director General of Ordnance Services
SECRETARIAT.
In September life in Andover can be very
pleasant and with everyone safely back from Summer (sic)
Holidays we are now settling down to cope with the rigours of
the coming winter, when it isn't so nice!
Pride of place this month goes to Major Charles Cooke and
SSM Graham Wood who have respectively been selected for
promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and the grant of an SRC, in
1981 ; to them both we offer our wholehearted congratulations.
Major Barry Jones has recently returned from BAOR where,
fully equipped with white coat and six small pebbles, he has
been carrying out the duties of umpire on Crusader 80. He says
that the game was played in the right spirit but he doesn't yet
know the final score!
Miss Debbie Rice is now well and truly ensconced in RMAS
and at'long last we are able to say welcome to Miss ' Pip ' Brown
who replaces her. To Miss Anita Holloway we say thank you
for the very able way in which she held the fort during the interim
period in addition to carrying out her own duties as Clerk to
the Inspector RAOC.
ORD 1. Our news this month is dominated by the imminent
departure of Colonel Gerry Berragan, on promotion to Brigadier.
As Colonel Ord 1 he has spent twenty nine months at the Helm
(literally). Captain Richard Simmonds, having been here /or one
whole month, is deftly moving manpower cover and liabilities
around as if he had been doing it all his life; can't think how we
ever managed before without an Ord le section. Captain Richard
Rook has taken over as S03 in Ord la, jumping from the peace
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185

Book number R0404