RAOC Gazette - page 68
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 |
Sergeants Cole and Frater, The 2IC and AO continue to win the best raffle prizes. Major General Vickers, the new General Officer Command- ing of 4 Armoured Division visited the Unit for the first time on 15th December. The place looked very clean and tidy and he appreciated why we did not wish to move to the other Barracks in Detmold. On the 16th December, Detmold Garrison said goodbye to the last Commander of 20 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier Dennis. As a cavalry man he left the garrison the only way possible, astride the barrel of a centurion tank. Last but not least Mrs Petre, wife of Corporal Jock Petre, gave birth to a girl on 16th November. They named her Elizabeth Jane. Corporal Petre has celebrated every Wednesday since the happy event. STORES PLATOON 4 FIELD WORKSHOP A TWO week military training camp followed our post Operation Banner tour leave where the Stores Platoon did very well, especially on the sports field, despite being outnumbered by our REME colleagues. The weather was awful, but everyone came back fitter, and more knowledgeable. We all enjoyed it too, though few will admit it! Between Summer Camp and our Christmas leave, we were involved in two Movement and Deployment exercises with our parent Workshop. Everything was hectic, but all went well, the 4 cam' would have shamed Kew Gardens, and the trenches were speedily and deeply dug. Overtime was the order when one day the Officer Com- manding breathed " Technical Inspection." Everything was filed, issued, receipted or painted. Alas, much to our dismay the In- spection was postponed! The increase in our establishment caused by the restructuring of 4th Division has brought about several promotions: Lance Corporals Kwasiuk and Rothwell to Corporal, and Privates Heddon, Mansfield, White and O'Shea to Lance Corporal. Many old faces have left us; Sergeant Webb to Bramley, Corporal Mills to 48 AMF (L) Company, Lance Corporal Krishnarajah to Bicester, Lance Corporal Colhoun and Private Entwistle to Donnington, Privates Gargate and Jones to Bracht. In their places we welcome: Sergeant Salisbury, Corporal Da vies, Lance Corporal Brooks, Privates Brickstock, Appleton, Hickman, Powell, Lovell, Shellum, Reid and Law. STORES SECTION 5 FIELD WORKSHOP " GET off my back" looks like being the saying in Soest, for we have had Captain Rollason, Corporals Gransden and Smith all with back injuries. The things people do to get out of Exercises. The Exercise season is in fact in full swing and with the section now supplying two main repair Groups everything has to be split in two. The clerical aspects of this have been com- pleted and with fifty per cent of the stores moved we hope to be finished by the end of December, Congratulations to Private Cordon on his marriage to Fiona and to Corporal Fairclough and Lance Corporal Oliver on their promotion. Privates Roche, Wade, Phillips and Verril have been upgraded to B2. We welcome the return of Privates Miller and Wade after a weeks survival course in the German Mountains. We say farewell to Captain Rollason who departs for an ATO course and to Private Grant who is posted to Kineton, We welcome Captain Bowen, Lance Corporal Duncan and Privates Marshall and Soeliner. Finally we must bid farewell to the 4th Division with thanks for all they have done for us and we look forward to serving as part of 3rd Division. STORES SECTION 39 FIELD REGIMENT SINCE our last notes appeared we have said farewell to Con- ductor John Glazier and Sergeant Benny Gorbould on pro- motion. His antics with the paint brush will surely be missed. We have welcomed to the Section, SSM John Witter from Tidworth, Sergeant Sean Moore from Cyprus, Privates Ron Holden from Wulfen and Keith Howes from Colchester. In August we made our bi-annual pilgrimage to the Soltau Training Area to support the Regiment on their firing camp. All the vehicles arrived safely without any dents even though two of the Bedfords were being piloted by Staff Sergeant John Sexton and Corporal Graham Seymour who qualified HGV 3 a week prior to camp. Congratulations to them both. The Technical Inspection has been and gone and we seemed to have survived it alright although we had lost four of our members who are preparing for an Operation Banner tour with the Regiment. Lance Corporal 'Nick* Carter was wandering around the Storehouse muttering " If they ask for this, where did I put it" and other such strange sayings, Congratulations to Corporal Graham Seymour and his wife Linda on the birth of their baby daughter Nicola. Also to Private Jimmy McDonald on qualifying Driver Bl and Private Keith Howes on gaining Technical Clerk B2. Finally, Corporal Roy Skyrme has recently returned from Blackdown after attending a FATSO Sergeants course. He is now eagerly awaiting his course results. STORES SECTION 4 ARMOURED DIVISION 'ENGINEER REGIMENT FOR the regular reader the Unit was redesignated on the 1st December from 35 Engineer Regiment. W02 Fred Dippnall and Private Ian Mellor arrived in November in plenty of time for the FFR and Technical Inspection. The discussion on the procurement of the Stores Section flag is keeping Lance Corporal Dave Horan busy. In the interests of peace, Officer Commanding Workshop has promised to erect a flag pole. Sergeant Mick Clitheroe and Lance Corporal CliYe Walker are off on Operation Banner tours with the Regiment. On the sporting scene Lance Corporal Clive Walker plays for the very successful Workshop Football team, which is through to the quarter finals of the Craftsman Cup. Departures: W02 Roy Grant and family to Bicester. We wish them well for the future. STORES SECTION 26 ENGINEER REGIMENT AS I write it is the festive season and all of us are looking forward to it. We all feel we have earned a well deserved break from the additionally high workload that has been placed on us lately. Congratulations to Lance Corporal Jones on his recent ( promotion—well done. We say farewell to Robo * Robinson . and good luck on his posting to the RCT in the new rank of Sergeant—and once again the delights of Combat Supplies. Welcome to Lance Corporal Mick Lowrie. To end we would like to wish a Happy New Year to all our friends and associates in the Corps, the last from 26 Engineer Regiment as we redesignate in the New Year as 3 Armoured Division Engineer Regiment. STORES SECTION 57 STATION WORKSHOP BEING a small Unit, manned mainly by civilians and a military strength of two, life is not meant to be or is seldom exciting. But restructuring seems to find its way into every hole. Some months ago, because of restructuring, it was decided that the Unit would have to lose storage space. To compensate for this, space saving methods of racking had to be devised, Sometime later a large container rolled up full of the space saving gift. The problem now was the erecting, dismantling and natural reorganisation. Without sufficient manpower this can be a problem, so it was necessary to pay a visit to the RSM, Queens Royal Irish Hussars, who again showered us with gifts—five Troopers. The Officer Commanding Workshop was heard to remark that ** Hickey" had captured five soldiers. Things began to take shape and in no time the fruits of our labour began to show. Our labour was shortly to be rewarded when our Technical Inspection was carried out by Brigadier Macdonald, DDOS 1 (BR) Corps. The inspection nearly got off to a disastrous start as the Officer Commanding Workshops and the WOIC were at the wrong place at the right time. None the less, the inspection went well. Mrs Bartz has recently returned after a spell in hospital and is looking much fitter and trimmer. Sergeant Armour has recently completed his EPC ad- vanced course and in the near future is off to Blackdown to attend the provision course. This will be our final correspondence as a 4th Division Unit as we are soon to become part of 3rd Division. Combat Supplies Battalion LIFE goes on as usual in Combat Supplies Battalion. On the odd occasion something happens to ensure a full turn out in Barker Barracks, This month it was Exercise Active Edge which fell on us. Everything seemed to run smoothly, the Commanding Officer visited 43 Company at Pombsen and the RSM and Chief Clerk made tracks for Depot 90, complete with kit, There were a few worried looking officers and SNCOs walking around that particular day. However, Major Knipe was eventually persuaded that 44 Company officers and SNCOs 294 — |
| Book number | R0246a |