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RAOC Gazette - page 179

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Publication date 1978
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Transcription to swop his beloved round ball for a misshapen one. Look
out for a full report next month with photographs and bedside
interviews from the Musgrave Hospital. Lieutenant Colonel
Mike Watts has done it again and lifted the Kinnegar Golfing
Society trophy together with a voucher to be redeemed in a
Sports Shop in the Short Strand area of Belfast. Well he
can't win them all, can he?
The ASD now boast the fittest men in the Depot and their
squash ladder has been exhumed with Staff Sergeant Tony
Drake in a precarious lead. They also entered the Northern
Ireland Orienteering Championship held recently in the wilds of
the Mountains of Mourne, After the race Lance Corporal
Geordie Kendall said how much he had enjoyed it and ca^t
watt until the next time, or thafs what we think he said.
Corporal Martin Epton has also been active in flippers and wet
suit cavorting in the freezing water with the local seals only
returning to the shore for an occasional kiss of life.
The VSD are once again taking remedial action to prevent
their pride and joy sinking further and further into the bog.
After a recent Works Service to shore up the storage media
Sergeant Mick Kempster and Lance Corporal Chris Hadley
played chess with the boxed A Vehicle kits achieving check
mate with only minutes to spare before the arrival of Colonel
Cubis.
Arrivals: Staff Sergeant Chapman, Private Anderson.
Departures: Staff Sergeant Matthews, Privates Farren and
Bartram.
United Kingdom Land Forces
ORDNANCE
BRANCH
THE scribe and his Maxi having sustained
the wrath of our local * Belted Earl/ is
happy to be again mobile. We have now
returned to normality after Operation Bur-
berry though it will not last for long. We
say farewell to Major Bill Ford who goes
to 16 Battalion on promotion.
Thanks
Bill for your jovial company and of course
the odd gill that kept us going. To his
successor, Major Allan Pollard, welcome
and congratulations on his promotion. Majors Bill Ford and
Harry Parry have recently been to Headquarters AFCENT for
AMF(L), but the reward of * duty free * made it all worthwhile.
Our Firemaster, Bill Rogers, has also made his annual pilgrim-
age to the Arctic Exercise in Norway. Talking about the
rigours of snow and ice, we were pleased to see the return after
an enforced absence, of those stalwarts Ricky Richardson and
Sam Mulligan who reside in the depths of Wiltshire.
We congratulate Mrs Paula Stark on her recent ' Im-
mediate Class' award at Crafts, for Mary—her two year old
Cavalier King Charles.
HEADQUARTERS
OUR news is restricted to our two branches Headquarters AAC
and ADP Development Team who report.
Headquarters AAC. Major Ken Maunders, DADOS Air,
is now ably assisted by Sergeant Jim McBride and Lance
Corporal Adge Bowser who brought their Blue Berets from
Middle Wallop and Detmold. Sergeant Paul Ladley has packed
his golf bag for an assault on the BAOR golf scene from Det-
niold and Corporal Allen Meigh has joined the CRAOC staff
at Verdun. We wish them every success in their new station.
ADP (UKLF) Development Team. At present the team is
ticking over at a fairly even pace, even with the loss of Sergeant
Mick Ellis who has deserted us to take part in an exercise in the
fieshpots of Germany for three weeks.
Both Sergeant (Errol the winger) Ellis and Corporal Jim
(the Swerve) Wilde have been helping to pull the UKLF football
team through a few tough spots but lately, due to the inclement
weather, their activities have been confined to the squash
courts.
Lieutenant Colonel Hellis has been appointed Deputy PMC
to the Officers Mess, which needless to say keeps him perpetually
motivated five days a week.
DEAD-LINE DATE FOR RECEIPT OF COPY
WILL ALL contributors kindly note that the deadline
date for receipt of copy at THE GAZETTE Office really is
the 29th of the month for publication a month later.
Eastern District
THIS month pride of first place goes to
OSU Thetford,
Although rarely making
the headlines, the OSU is pleased to
announce the presentation of the Imperial
Service Medal to Mr Reginald Ward. He
has completed thirty two and a half years
with the Army Department and this is
believed to be the first such award since
the Depot was opened in 1938 as an And
Aircraft Command Depot.
Lieutenant
Colonel N. R P. Elliott-Bateman made the
presentation.
Mr Tom Windsor (ex-Captain RAOC) of OSU Colchester
deserves mention having completed thirty two years with the
Army. Being a Clerical Officer he is not eligible for the ISM.
The Supply Depot has said a temporary farewell to Lance
Corporal Savage, who has gone to Belize for six months. He
should have arrived at the same time as the signal which notified
the cutting of LOA by nearly fifty per cent. Shame!
19 Airportable Ordnance Field Park
WELL what a busy time we've been having these last two
months. Not even enough time to write last months notes—
Oops! apologies to all.
Brigadier Smith visited us to see all the lads and make
sure all was as it should be. The Unit firing camp was held
from 27th February to 3rd March* Sergeant Dickinson proved
himself to be our shining shot by repeatedly scoring more hits
than he had rounds (he said it had something to do with
snakes). The OC conveniently departed on his Senior Officers
Course just in time to miss the VQMG, Major General
Mangham, the PRE, and the start of Exercise Panthers Tail.
Definitely a piece of superior planning and preparation (good
cry) although he did keep on saying I wish I were with you.
The PRE went very smoothly thanks to all the hard work put
in especially by the REME Bay where Corporals Norton and
Lazenby were slowly going mad, and the MT (Lance Corporal
Goulden is trying hard to claim a mention in dispatches and
we would like to thank Corporal Skingley for changing the
anti-freeze so well—unfair I'm sure).
Exercise Panthers Tail proved to be quite an experience.
Half the unit were taken away as casualties which left the
rest of us rather stretched and cold, I might add for the sake
of those who spent their time lounging in warm hospitals and
flying back to Colchester. The OC appeared for the last day
but made up for his absence by leading the winning Veterans
team in the final phase of the exercise; a four mile run and
assault course. Second Lieutenant Inions back on loan from
the Stores Section, led the winning team. Very well done
to all.
We say goodbye to Lance Corporal Eustace, Privates
Ritchie, Anderson, Ford and Lambert. Also Privates Allen and
Hewson who are now civilians. Welcome to Corporal Dean,
Private Colley, Corporal Foster and Private Otterson.
NB—Special congratulations to Corporal Willis (who says
he has never been mentioned before—all lies)—on passing his
EPC 1, next stop Sergeant.
South East District
A TEMPORARY lull this month en-
abled most members of the Branch to
enjoy some (we think) well deserved leave,
but all is now back to normal! CRAOC
hosted a well attended farewell lunch to
mark the retirement of Majors Derek
Reynolds and Don Catto, and our very
best wishes go with them into civilian life.
The past few weeks have seen a con-
tinuous procession of new faces as we
welcome into the District Lieutenant Colonel David Fifield as
OC ASU at Liphook, Major Gordon Harmer to Accommodation
Services as DADOS, and Mrs Kay Allan, Misses Sue Hall and
Isabel Douthwaite to Ordnance Branch civilian complement
Farewell to Mrs Rhian Woods and the irrepressible Mandy,
and especially to redoubtable Fred Jolliffe, who after thirty years
of Ordnance involvement has opted for quieter pastures in
Aldershot Garrison. Meantime the Supply Depot report that
Major David Hancock is busily building brick walls at No. 2
Resettlement Centre; whilst Sergeant Pat Cox has been replaced
by Sergeant David Van-Spall and Private Phil Standard is work-
ing on his sun-tan in Belize for the next four months.
— 383 —
Book number R0246a