RAOC Gazette - page 59
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 |
in good time to Captain Mike Knight. We welcome Mike and Heather and family to Colchester. Mike does not snorkel, it seems. The DFA, Mr Bill Crawshaw has just about recovered from his recent cartilage operation and is now back to some- thing like his best form, particularly at week-ends when he instructs on fire fighting round the parish, It is sad to have to report the recent death of Mr Oswald Carney, CABO at Colchester. * Ossie * had served Barrack Services for many years in Northern Ireland, Chilwell and Colchester. He will be much missed. 19 Airportable Ordnance Field Park A WELL deserved mention must first go to our fire fighting teams, Sergeant Abu McGeorge, Corporals Douglas Andy, Tom Lindsey and Dave O'Neill, Lance Corporals Jeff Short, John Ryan and Jim Brown, Privates John Hewson, Andy Geddes, Chas Sloan, Brett Couling, Dave Doughty, Brian Goldsworthy, Dave Kelly, Chris Rhodes, Geff Rugg, Kev Wick, Don Francis and Corporal Cliff Skingley, who are doing a grand job righting fires with the antiquated equipment they have at their disposal. Our " WARMEST" wishes to them and to all the other teams throughout the UK. On the sporting scene, apart from our illustrious Chief Clerk Staff Sergeant Dougie Boshier who went off to BAOR on the RAOC Hockey Tour and managed to score an 4 own T goal, all other sport has been postponed until the firemen decide to go back to work. Lance Corporal Mick Eustace and Private Paul Jackson were able to go away on a swimming coaches course for a couple of weeks and both came back with excellent reports. In the New Year, the Assistant Training Officer Second Lieu- tenant Allan Inions who has just completed a unit fitness training officers course, will introduce a new fitness programme, which will include the employment of one of the swimming coaches to teach our non-swimmers the strokes. We welcome to the unit Corporal Brian Lazenby REME, who replaces Corporal Eddie Crabtree in the RE ME Bay, and Privates Dave Hawksby, Andy Reid and Barry Lukehurst Farewell to Sergeant Doug Pike, Lance Corporal Mick Ogden, and Privates * Robo * Robertson, Rick Adkins, Kev Wick and Mark Stainthorp. Lance Corporal John Gillies now equals Mr Gillies. Finally congratulations to Corporal Bramwell on promotion to Sergeant. 6 Field Force Ordnance Company I was peacefully minding my own business (counting the number of paperclips in my desk pen tray) when in walked the Admini- strative Officer, Captain Reg Granger who is a master of the Machiavellian art. When he left me I found I had somehow volun- teered to write these notes. Well, what happened in November? What happened in November? My God what did happen? Ah, there was the infamous Exercise Avon Express which involved one gallant band of heroes under Lieutenant "West African Veteran" Ian Turner and Staff Sergeant "The Old Man" Peter Mudway, turning themselves into a Stores Platoon to support a TAVR REME Workshop. An- other band, with the assistance of attachments from 10 Ordnance Support Battalion and Petroleum Depot turned themselves into a kind of Combat Supplies Platoon under command of 7 Squadron RCT. The leaders were Second Lieutenant " Sleeping Sickness" Kevin Marshall and Staff Sergeant "Joe 9 " Mick Elsey. The exercise itself lasted from 20th to 25th November during which the weather was very cold and damp resulting in Lance Corporal " Max" Massiah of Combat Supplies Platoon being despatched to Bulford to get twelve gallons of Rum which was distributed around the units on the exercise, but due to the fog of battle, no sniffers were given to the Combat Supplies Platoon. The Stores Platoon supporting the TAVR Workshop found it hard to get any food out of the Workshop, as for any vouchers, well, no more need be said. Lieutenant Turner must have got pretty desperate and ate some contaminated grass as, on completion of the exercise, he went down with food poisoning. Other notable achievements were Second Lieutenant Marshall gaining the Unit 'gonking* champion- ship, Staff Sergeant Elsey not catching exercise ' flu/ Lance Corporal Paddy Lyons taking on the Combat Supplies Platoon paraffin heater, losing the fight but winning the 6 Field Ambulance Commanding Officer's camp bed for the night, and lastly Lance Corporal Ford fielding smoke grenades in the POL issue point during a night attack. What other news. Well, the lads preparing for their Northern Ireland tour are all away training hard and Private Marc Rafferty has rejoined us after his stay in hospital, not quite fit but then who would who went into hospital with head injuries and ended up having an operation on his feet! Congratulations are due to Corporal George Roockley and his wife Jennifer on the birth of a daughter Tammy and to Private Joe Neal on his marriage to Edie, not forgetting Lance Corporal Tony Gardiner and wife Cathie on the birth of their daughter on 30th November. Congratulations also to the newly promoted Lance Corporals Pete Biggs and David MacDonald and to Private David Joseph on successfully passing his HGV 1. Newcomers to the unit are W02 Pete O'Hara and Lance Corporal John Chapman from BAOR, and Private Andy Hart from Northern Ireland. We have said goodbye to Sergeant Tom Kelly on posting to BAOR and Private Lloyd on transfer to the RAPC. Private Dave Harris we have temporarily lost following his detachment to Headquarters 6 Field Force. Central Ordnance Depot Chilwell A BUSY month for visitors, the most notable of which was the Quarter-Master- General, General Sir Patrick Howard- Dobson who paid his first visit to Chil- well on 24th November. He was closely followed by the Commander Base Orga- nisation who sadly was paying his fare- i « j> Ji well visit. The Commander toured the ^\ ^^JJ JJ Depot, during which he renewed acquain- ^VA~?feA^ tance with many old friends on the staff. ^^^^^T The traditional visit to the Sergeants Mess ^^•^^ included the presentation of Long Service and Good Conduct Medals to ASM Pretty and AQMS Ewens both of REME ACA, and the morning ended with a Regimental Luncheon in the Officers Mess, In the evening General and Mrs Minogue attended a social evening in the Officers Mess to mark their final farewell. We wish them both a long and happy retirement. The Mess seasonal festivities got off to a great start on 15th December with the Officers holding their Annual Ladies Dinner Night—a decorative occasion with the ladies adding glamour to a very enjoyable evening. This was followed by the Sergeants Mess Draw organised by WOl Brian Stanmore—an- other resounding success, particularly for those members seen staggering away under the weight of their Draw prizes (that was their excuse anyway!)- The social round continued with the Officers entertaining the Civilian Officers and the Sergeants Mess to lunchtime drinks. On both occasions the Commandant, Briga- dier Iain Macdonald, thanked everyone for their efforts over the past year, particularly in light of the Fair Value decision, and he hoped the spirit of co-operation would continue through 1978. On 13th December two teams of mixed civilian and military FLT Operators entered for the Fork Lift Truck Driver of the Year Competition at MHTU, Bicester. Our teams and in- dividuals did very well, winning the Hyster Challenge Cup for a team of four Operators on four thousand pound Diesel FLT, Mr Toseland won the Hyster Individual Cup and Private Spicer won the Lansing Bagnail Individual Cup, by the remark- able achievement of incurring only four penalty points through- out the whole competition. Another five points and we would have achieved a grand slam by winning the Lansing Bagnall Challenge Cup, but unfortunately B ram ley beat us by a whisker. A splendid performance by both our teams who were, in addi- tion to the two named already, Mr M. B. Hill, Mr J. Swift, Mr C. Beresford, Mr D. Fairbrother, Mrs B. Meredith and Lance Corporal Aubrey. The reserves were Miss Adams and Private Bun-ill, the teams coaches were Mrs Shephard and Sergeant Gaughran and the Manager was Mr McNeill, OIC Depot Transport. A number of our soldiers are firefighting and they have been getting plenty of action—perhaps the most spectacular occasions were fires at two bus stations in Nottingham. It now looks like a prolonged task so we are making sure that they get — 285 — |
| Book number | R0246a |