RAOC Gazette - page 86
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 |
m %mtx& to « tyt Cbitor A FEW WORDS OF PRAISE From Mr R. Sullivan, St Matthias Road, Nottingham Dear Sir,—I'm sure I speak for most of the civil population when I say that a big vote of thanks is due to the members of HM Forces, especially the ' Green Goddesses' during the recent Firemen's strike. Troops are often called upon to perform un- pleasant duties, not the least of which must be trying to fight a raging inferno knowing that possibly lives are at stake. To those men, therefore, who fought the fires or stood 1( ready in case the call came, Thank you for a job well done. 1 ' R. Sullivan. DRESS AND THE CHECKER From Lieutenant Colonel D, J. jtornwell RAOC Dear Sir,—For some years now, a considerable effort has been devoted to present to the Army and to the outside world, the image of a vital, fit, combatant and competitive Royal Army Ordnance Corps capable of carrying out its role in support of the other Arms and Services. To this end, it was decided to wear the beret (and later epaulette sleeve) in con- formity with current trends in the Field Army, Whatever the personal views of The Checker may be, the promulgation of rules for dress of officers constitutes an order and not a basis for subsequent discussion. Further, it is an order received with some considerable satisfaction and pride by the Field Force element of the Corps. I would point out that this same Field Force element of the Corps has a considerable pride in its task and achieve- ments, and does not need to impress anybody—its record of service, efficiency and vitality is widely known, and the record stands proudly enough in its own right. It is my view (and that of many others) that neither the Side Hat nor for that matter the SD Hat, are in keeping with the image that the Corps should be portraying to the Army. Neither is practical in a working sense, and the former, apart from being almost effeminate, was never intended for working dress in any case. If we do pride ourselves on doing a good job of work, then why all this fuss? The same argument applies to sleeves, though we would all willingly settle for an embroidered variety with the Corps shown on it as well as rank insignia. Finally, I can assure you that there is nothing at all dull about our life in the Field Force—quite the reverse, but we are practical and proud of it. Perhaps the Checker would like to pay us a visit some time if he has the right sort of kit and can find us! David Cornwell. * * * MAJOR GENERAL HORNE From ex-Conductor D. J. Cooper Dear Sir,—Until I left the Corps last June 1 wore the Sam Browne worn by my father, Captain Reginald Baliantine, up to the time of his death in Tripoli in 1953, which was given to him by Major General Home when he was commissioned in Naples in 1944, (557 BOD). I remember as a boy, my father speaking highly of the General and proudly pointing" out that he held the singular honour of having been the General's bat- man, RQMS and Captain QM. •The Sam Browne I still have and also a silver shield removed from a billiard cue (so the General informed me some years ago when I wrote to him of it) and engraved Lieutenant G, T, W. Home. Derek Cooper. (An Obituary Notice on General Horne is on page 306.) ^ t &&<&€ gsftottatton gfamtal Binmr an& Reunion (There has been correspondence in similar vein from other than Field Force and while it is opportune to exercise the right to reply, I endorse the point quite rightly made in the second paragraph of this letter, ft is therefore time to bring further dis- cussion of this particular subject to a close both in correspon- dence and in newsletters,—Editor.) * * THE ANNUAL DINNER is to be held at St George's Barracks, Bicester, on Saturday, 22nd April, 1978. It will be followed by activities extending into Sunday, 23rd April. Limited overnight accommodation will be available to those members who travel from a distance. * The Programme for the weekend will be: DISBANDMENT OF 9 ARMY YOUTH TEAM RAOC Saturday 22nd April Annual General Meeting Annual Dinner From Sergeant P. McGrath Sir,—It is not very often that AYTs feature in the Corps GAZETTE, but we feel it our duty to write to you before the official disbandment of the AYTs in April 1978. The sad news of our disbandment came as a great shock to all schools and youth clubs in our district. During their existence, 9 AYT have always maintained a very close and relaxed relationship with their respective organisations, and yet have always achieved the highest standard from their pupils. At present the team consists of Lieutenant John Hopkinson, who is our Officer Commanding, Corporal Alan Debenham, Lance Corporal Chris Ward and last but not least, myself. It would require pages of THE GAZETTE to mention just a few of our events in 1977, but one that is very memorable to the team is the visit of Her Majesty The Queen to the Great Yorkshire Show Harrogate, when we assisted in the 'Adventure in the Army 1 display, We would like to take this opportunity to wish all past members of 9 AYT good luck in the future. Paul McGrath. 6.00 pm 7.30 pm Sunday 23rd April Breakfast 8.00 am to 9.00 am Items of Corps Interest ; 9.15 am to 11.00 am Morning Coffee 11.15 am Church service and parade 11.35 am Lunch 12,30pm The Dress for dinner will be lounge suit. Dinner tickets will cost £3.00, tickets for breakfast 40p and for lunch 60p. They may be obtained from Branch Secretaries or direct from the RAOC Secretariat, Deepcut, Camberley, Surrey. Telephone: Brookwood 4511 extension 650. Applications to be submitted by 15th March 1978. All cheques/postal orders should be made payable to " The RAOC Association/' 10 — |
| Book number | R0246a |