RAOC Gazette - page 14
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1978 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1978 |
| Late date | 1978 |
| Transcription |
Snape. Our two typists are Mrs Tsobel MacLeod and Mrs Daphne Boorman, our two messengers Mrs Meta Percy and v| rs Betty Coptey, and last but not least our cleaner Mrs Angela fear, AH has been very hectic since the firemen's strike started and now we have an Operations Room working a twenty four hour day. All this and a hundred per cent pass in the BFTs. Congratulations to WOl Johnston on his substantive rank and welcome to W02 Mailett. CENTRAL VOLUNTEER HEADQUARTERS THE last time the RSM, WOl Hendry, asked for a 'Green Goddess * in the bar of the Training Centre Sergeants Mess, his request was met with stony silence. Our readers will appreciate that at the time our scribe is putting pen to paper, CVHQ RAOC like every other department in Blackdown is providing personnel for fire fighting duties. Our first team of intrepid fire fighters to be trained were W02 Handysides, our pay wizard, and yes again, two members of W02 Powell's * team impossible,' Sergeant Benson and Lance Corporal Jones. Panic ensued recently, when the two S03 Training, Cap- tains Rowland and Burrow were asked who was the S03 (A) and who was the S03 (B)! We are now quite sure that Captain Rowland is the S03 (B) and Captain Burrow is S03 (A); more next week as to what it all means! Sergeant Benson had a narrow escape the other week when travelling on the motorway to Altcar, a bag of starch fell off a lorry, a cloud of white dust enveloping his BMW, ^ and the paper from the bag wrapped itself around the car manifold and caught fire. Although Sergeant Benson managed to keep a stiff upper lip, it did not prevent another car ' glancing * the back of his car. We are happy to say the incident ended happily, and Sergeant Benson continued his journey with a smartly starched but rather creased BMW. The Commander's driver^ Driver McNeil RCT caused a stir recently when he was seen pacing up and down the corridors of power wielding a poker, and we were all convinced this was yet another diabolical way of his intimidating us into either buying a lottery ticket or doing his crossword. Not a bit, Driver McNeil assures us he was only flexing his muscles prior to taking the PT test, and that the poker was required by a higher authority! The WOIC Pay, W02 Handysides has asked the RQMS for a little black box to carry his papers in, the authority for issue he tells us, with rather a bland look on his face, is that he is attending Farnborough Technical College, studying accoun- tancy. W02 Powell thinks that he has only a ten per cent chance of getting one! Sergeant Wilcox, another member of our pay staff, has now ceased running around in ever decreasing circles. Con- gratulations Mrs Wilcox on the birth of a charming baby girl. Major Notley the Paymaster is proudly signing all his letters with PPTT after his name, we know it really means 'Passed Physical Training Test,' and make little comment, as we know that there are quite a few of us who have yet to break the eleven minute mile and a half. We will soon be saying farewell to Staff Sergeant Mac- Donald who is leaving us shortly for Kineton, make sure any duty rosters you compile Staff, do not include unsocial hours. Finally a word is perhaps due for a truly dedicated member of the staff, our Mr Winter, he leads a truly ' Jekyl and Hyde' existence—by day he is the Clerical Officer Courses and by night and at weekends he is Private Winter RAOC of 154 Supply Platoon RAOCTAVR. Keep it up Mister—er—Private Winter. Defence role against disguised members of Brunei Platoon. The first day of October saw us all cross the start line in the College Cross Country run which somehow or other we let A Company win. Honours were made even however, a few days later, when the Company for the second year running, gained the Inter Company Boxing Cup with particularly fine displays by Apprentice Lance Corporal Webb, Apprentice Privates Rubie and Clark of Berlin Platoon. It is doubtful if any reader has ever had to defend Ash Range No. 3 against members of the Royal Marines but that was the Company's task during late October on Exercise Tigers Teeth. Apart from a shyness by some to decorate their faces in the approved manner with ' cam * cream the Company were reasonably successful winning two to one against the enemy. In early November Brunei Platoon took off for ELT training at Capel Curig, North Wales, where, sad to relate, Apprentice Corporal No me, Apprentice Lance Corporal Mc- Clean and Apprentice Private Mitchell lost their storm tent in a force nine offshore gale and subsequently found themselves being treated by the nurses at Bangor Hospital for exposure! The term is now half done and there are only two more exercises, one RSMs Cadre, the College Swimming Gala, and a host of other events to consider before the start of another new year. EMPLOYMENT TRAINING SCHOOL NOVEMBER will be remembered as the Fire Training Month in the Employment Training School. However, in spite of the requirement to train one hundred firemen a day life has pro- gressed in a fairly normal manner, the training has had an affect on all members of the School in one form or another, but the CQMS Staff have suffered more than most Staff Sergeant Brian Smtthurst took delivery of a complete set of dentures, and promptly found himself departing for Swansea with Training Company. Corporal Alex Cumming has been seen masquerading as a SSAFA representative around the camp with vast amounts of tea and boxes of chips for our trainee firemen. A separate article on the situation has been submitted for publication. Congratulations are in order to Major Brian Parratt, W02 Paddy Starrer*, Staff Sergeant Chris Mabbott and Sergeant Dave Sumner on their promotion. TRAINING SYSTEMS ADVISORY BRANCH THE initial rush of BFT Tests have come and gone leaving some with smiles on their faces and others with furrowed brows, furiously thinking up devious methods of knocking those extra seconds, or in some cases extra minutes, off their times. Overall, the Branch results were most pleasing. Pat Colbeck is now receiving individual running tuition, and hopes to pass before he moves into the thirty five to thirty nine year group and receives an extra thirty seconds. Sergeant ' P e t e ' Smith was again selected to represent Hampshire in the County Rugby Competition (next hurdle an England trial?). We welcome two new additions to our happy band of warriors, in the form of W 2 * Bob' Busa, and straight from training, W/Private 'Tiger 5 Grant- United Kingdom Land Forces # APPRENTICES COLLEGE CONTINUING our Department by Department trip around the College, this month's notes come from B Company. B Company withstood the sudden invasion on 12th Sep- tember of one hundred and eight eager and willing new Ap- prentice arrivals who have subsequently grasped their individual platoon identities and are now part of the * Bee * happy family. The permanent staff picture changed as much at the same time with the arrival of Captain Mike Parsons and Lieutenants Logie Kelman and Mark Wise. Captain Parsons has taken up the mantle of Company Second in Command and has also be- come the Diving Officer for the Deepcut Divers SAC. It is perhaps a reflection of the busy tempo of College life that as Diving Officer he saw the bottom of Horsey Lake, Ports- mouth, before viewing Company lines. Senior B Platoon, within a few days of the start of term, were acting as enemy on Exercise Last Straw for the benefit of RMA Sandhurst. Within hours of returning to College they found themselves defending the Tela Theatre in a Home HEADQUARTERS EVENT of the month was the presentation of Long Service and Good Conduct Medals to WOl Bill Woodhouse, of the Army Management Services Group Work Study Team, WOl Pete Morris, GSD and Sergeant Frank Stephenson, PR Branch. Sergeant Mick Cartwright of A Branch was officially presented with his Mention in Despatches. We welcome W02 Ivor Cooke who has succeeded WOl Pete Morris in GSD. The Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess Regimental Dinner, an 11th November, was well attended by RAOC Senior Ranks; an excellent evening, although there is some doubt over the final result of the Mess Rugby game in which the RAOC senior ranks took on the rest! ORDNANCE BRANCH THE main event in the Ordnance Branch this month has been the RAOC commitment to the task of fire-fighting. Bill 243 ing' Rogers ably now make — with supported some use the of Green good Fire in future by Chief contacts Goddesses, his whenever was colleague at in the stand-pipes, his they Home Mr element are Dave Office, short tenders 'wheeling Wink. of which kit. and They and they pumps, deal- have can |
| Book number | R0246a |