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RAOC Gazette - page 147

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Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1978
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Early date 1978
Late date 1978
Transcription isolated station such as ours. She visited the library, thrift
shop, nursery school, guides, brownies, scouts and cubs, all
run by those ladies (and some gentlemen) willing to give their
time to community activities, Mrs Callan's visit culminated
in a buffet lunch with all those lady volunteers involved.
The Commander Rhine Area, Brigadier Moore, conducted
the Unit's ARU on 16th February.
After a very exacting
day, Brigadier Moore said that we were a very fit Unit, and
thanked everyone for their efforts. He presented Long Service
and Good Conduct Medals to RSM A. Clarke, W 2 ' A.
Whitelegge and Corporal C. Wood,
Corporal Dare then
presented Brigadier Moore with a cheque for DM 1500, 3
BAPDs contribution to the Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal Fund.
It should be noted that the iiving-in members of the
Sergeants Mess all had to hold their noses after the ARU
because one of them had had a ' little' accident during the
Fieldcraft Section. He had stumbled across the latrine site
which was used at a rugby festival * some considerable time
agoT He's now known as "Bogs Bunny.'
Let it be known that there is no rugby report this month.
RIP.
3 BAPD soccer team are having a good season, and have
their sights firmly set on winning the DOS Cup. They have
already beaten RAOC Rheindahlen—last year's finalists six zero
in the quarter finals, and go on to meet RAOC Wulfen in the
semi-finals. The team is under the control of trainer W02 Jim
Richardson, and has recently been strengthened by the arrival
of Lance Corporal Smart and Private Crouch. The two elder
statesmen of the team, W02 Andy Shearer and Corporal John
McGonagle, are still showing their heels to a lot of younger
players.
After battling through some very hard games against 27
Field Regiment Royal Artillery and 13 Signals Regiment, the
3 BAPD squash team reached the Major Units BAOR SW
zone final at Dusseldorf. Their opponents were Rheindahlen
Garrison. The Bracht squad of Major Roger Attrill, Sergeant
John Watlis, Corporal Ingham and Lance Corporals Brian
Luxton and Denis Seton, had met their opponents before and
expected a hard game. None were disappointed. The final
score was five zero to Garrison, which at first sight appears a
walkover, However, the Bracht squad fought hard and well,
and a very high standard of squash was achieved.
Postings in: Major Turner, Staff Sergeant Smith (RAPC),
Sergeants Hoareau and Strachan, Corporals Duncalf and
Gavaghan, Lance Corporals Brogdale, Lynch, Ogden and Smart
and Privates Dalby, Morris and Tomkinson.
Postings out: WOl Newman, Staff Sergeant Duffield (RAPC),
Sergeants Davidson and Fox, Corporals Avery, Barnes, Lawton,
Oakley, Steele and Vocetaki, Lance Corporal Loton and Private
Rae,
Promotions: W02 Denholm (Sub) and Sergeant Hoareau.
Congratulations to Lance Corporal and Mrs Low, and to
Private and Mrs Stoker on their recent marriages, and to Staff
Sergeant and Mrs Simpson, Corporal and Mrs Brown and
Private and Mrs McGill on recent additions to their families.
Ordnance Depot Antwerp
THE old adage that " you win some, you lose some " seems to
have been demonstrated this month, because there is only one
departmental contribution to support this newsletter. On the
credit side though, we have heard from our two RAOC
representatives on the staff of Headquarters, British Forces
Antwerp, who assure us that they are alive, and well, and
would appreciate a mention in this column* It has been a
long time since the existence of RAOC on the staff of Head-
quarters BFA has been acknowledged, so take a bow Corporal
Ken Eltis-Rijs and Lance Corporal Paddy Killeen, Staff Clerks
both! Our congratulations too, on you showing the majority
of ODA personnel the way home in the recent BE tests, with
near record times.
The one department which did respond to your corres-
pondents ' cri de coeur * was the Cold Store at Antwerp Docks,
As a maxim, ' To each his own' may be OK, and the unit
regimental staff are a kindly and understanding lot, but was
it really necessary, on the Annual Weapon Classification day,
for Major Percy Smith (OIC) and WOi John Kenwright (Com-
mand Master Butcher) to report to the Firing Point brandish-
ing cleavers, claiming that "these were their personal weapons!".
Most of our remaining news concerns sport and we break
new ground this month by reporting the emergence of judo as a
major force at ODA now. Led by the aforementioned WOl
Kenwright, our newly-formed team of Corporal Ben Gunn,
Privates Chas Potts, and ' Muppet' Worley, took part in the
BAOR championships held at Bielefeld and were placed fourth
in their - pool' of twenty four teams. Although collecting
little, apart from experience of the ' big time * and a lot of
bruises,—they returned undaunted and with a determination to do
better next year.
Mr Kenwright is convinced that the training will stand him
in good stead during his posting in Northern Ireland, due later
this year. Although he was beaten in both his weight and
class division, he took consolation in the fact that he was
eliminated by opponents who became the eventual BAOR
champions in both divisions.
The hockey team report that since their last mention they
have had mixed fortunes. In the league, they have played two
more games, losing one and winning one, the game lost being
against SSD Viersen. This was soon avenged by a four to two
win over the same team in the quarter finals of the Rhine Area
Cup, proving to be one of their most exciting games for some
time. The SSD team were leading two nil with only seventeen
minutes to go. However, the spirit and stamina of our team
payed off with BFA scoring four goals in the space of eleven
minutes.
The semi-final game against 21 Squadron Royal Engineers,
was another thrilling game with BFA coming out on top by
five goals to three. In the final of the Rhine Area Cup, BFA
now meet old rivals VSD Moenchengladbach. BFA were not
so lucky in the major units cup, against 21 Signal Regiment.
After a three all draw in the.first game, we were beaten by
four goals to one In the replay. The team was, however,
weakened in this game because of absences due to leave and
sickness.
OIC football is maintaining a very low profile and it has
been difficult to draw out any details of his team's perform-
ances recently. We learn though that, haying qualified for the
semi-final stage of the Rhine Area Cup by a two to one win
over 102 Provost Company, the competition was re-drawn due
to an ' administrative oversight' by the organising committee.
After successfully negotiating the first round hurdle—again! —
by a four nil win over VSD Moenchengladbach they were
hustled out at the quarter-final stage by 23 Transport and Move-
ment Regiment RCT, the score being four to three. The deciding
goal was conceded by a penalty in the last thirty seconds of
normal time. BFA having beaten 23 Regiment twice previously
this season, made the pill of defeat even more bitter to swallow.
Defeats in the league against CPO and 227 Signal Squadron
(AFCENT) have effectively written-off any chances of BFA
finishing among the honours this season. There have been
some encouraging signs however, the most noticeable being
that, due to postings and an influx of new players, the average
age of the team, since the beginning of this season, has dropped
from thirty two to twenty four. We must hope that the chasten-
ing experience of defeats in recent weeks, gives this younger
side greater resolve to do better next season.
In conclusion, we say farewell to W02 Bill Martin to
Headquarters 19 Brigade, Staff Sergeant John Dadd to CVHQ,
Corporal John Baillie to Ashchurch and Lance Corporal Gordon
Parkin to local release. We welcome Lance Corporal Tom
Luke from Ashchurch, Corporal Steve Smith from Hong Kong
and Private Dave O'Toole from the Petroleum Centre. Lance
Corporal Nigel Chapman deserves our congratulations on
successfully completing a Unit Fire NCOs course as does
Corporal Geoff Williams on obtaining his RPC 1 qualification.
Wulfen Station
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IN soccer the Wulfen Station team lost
two to one in the semi-final of the BAOR
Minor Units Cup at Sennelager on 11th
February against 2 Division Headquarters
and
Signal Squadron. We play SSD Dul-
m e n at
k ° m e in the semi-final of the
,54
FORWARD AMMUNITION DEPOT
THE ARU is now behind us. It is still
not clear how the Chief Clerk, Sergeant
Peter Lee, managed to get away on a * Snow Queen' course at
Sonthofen in Bavaria during the two weeks 28th January to
10th February!
Congratulations to Staff Sergeant and Mrs Wood on the
birth of their daughter, Claire, on 30th January.
Welcome to Sergeant Norman McDonald and family from
66 Plant Squadron Royal Engineers, Staff Sergeant Barry
357 __
Book number R0246a