RAOC Gazette - page 181
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 |
Congratulations to W 2 Ron Moore on being presented with the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal by Brigadier Geoifrey Kutton, Deputy Commander North Hast District, Welcome to Captain Mike Hart taking over the Supply Section. WOl John O'Connor spending his last months with the Headquarters prior to retirement, W02 Dick Speirs who has taken over the duties of ROWO, Miss Carol Bellerby CO and Mrs Sylvia Dicks CA who have joined the Headquarters staff. Farewell to W 2 Ron Moore who has left us for Ord- nance Services Berlin, and FSOII Eric Smith who takes up an appointment with the Fire Training School, Congratulations to FSOU Phil Shepherd on his recent pro- motion and appointment. With regret we have to report the death of Mr Jock Crawford MBE who* prior to his illness, served as Civilian Assistant Barrack Officer North East District for ten years, Our condolences go to his wife and daughters, Central Ordnance Depot Bicester PLANNING for Her Majesty's visit to Bicester on 16th May is gathering momentum. Those responsible for various aspects of the visit are starting to hover ever so slightly off the ground. However, all seems to be going well so far with only minor set- backs (anyone wishing to buy 3,000 x 84-p stamps should contact the Chief Planning Officer). The congratulations of everyone in Bicester Garrison goes to Corporal Jim Potter on the award of the BEM in Her Majesty's New Year Honours List. 16 BATTALION. Sheer idleness on the part of everyone in St George's Barracks, allows me the opportunity to devote Bat- talion's entire space to the ladies of D Company WRAC so here goes: Since our last notes D Company has been a hive of activity. The Company Orderly Room has seen many changes in a very short space of time. Lance Corporal Kertland the Chief Clerk, had just enough time for a speedy handover of her duties to Private Parker who arrived newly trained in clerical expertise from Blackdown. Lance Corporal Kertland was then admitted to CMH Aldershot in February from where all her colleagues and friends wish her a speedy return. A new clerk was posted in from Blackdown to assist Private Parker in the troubled times of pre-ARU inspections etc, but decided, after only two weeks with us, that the sound of wedding bells were infinitely preferable to the noise of typewriter, and in this we all wish her well. On 7th March yet another new clerk arrived from Blackdown, one Private Canby, who assures us she does not intend to leave for any reason, at least not within the next few days, On the sporting front Corporal Lennox, our new PTI since 8th January, set the example by representing South East Dis- trict in the Zone Badminton Championships. She and her three fellow team members (from Aldershot) won the Cham- pionships beating teams from all the UK Districts and BAOR, Corporal now Sergeant Skippen, just before she was posted to the QARANC Depot at Aldershot, joined Sergeant Willoughby and Lance Corporal Sharkey in winning the South East District Table Tennis League Championships. Home and away tourna- ments with the QARANC Depot resulted in D Company winning at netball by fifteen goals to eleven and forty three goals to five, and also beating them at badminton and table tennis. Corporal Williams found time to be a member of the Army Rifle Shooting Team in the Inter-Services shoot in addition to passing a Bl Drivers Course which was interrupted by fire fighting duties; while Corporal Hughes and Private Herbertson joined the ranks of those who for some unknown reason are compelled to leap out of perfectly serviceable air- craft in mid-flight by attending a parachuting course at Weston- on-the-Green. Corporal Hughes is soon to undergo an Ad- vanced Parachutists course after which she may well be begging the Battalion Quartermaster for a red beret and para wings. Seven members of D Company led by the intrepid Second Lieutenant Paxton are currently suffering from over-indulgence in compo whilst on Exercise Snow Plough in the Cairngorms and the next edition of these notes will give STTREPS and battle casualty details on this event The latest Junior NCOs PT Course at Aldershot was attended by Lance Corporal Sharkey, Private Dawson and Corporal McHale who for some unknown reason, did not want to come back at the end of the course. In the immediate future a high percentage of the Com- pany will be cramming in the last minute leave before the new leave year and the whole of the Company will soon be ex- periencing the gas chamber and BFT Tests, which become * legal' for WRAC on 1st April 1978. 1 SUB-DEPOT. Congratulations are due to Mr Ted Jackson on his promotion of SOG B and we wish him well in his new role of Depot Packaging Officer. Congratulations also to Lance Corporals William Smith and Peter Watson who both achieved A passes at recent upgrading courses at TTW COD Bicester. We offer a welcome to Mr George Attwood SOG C who has joined us from Headquarters COD where he was Assistant Depot Packaging Officer and to Sergeant D. H. Williams from 20 Ordnance Field Park. We have said farewell to Mr D, N. Ralston, medically retired after eleven years service and to Mr A. W. Culley retired after thirteen years service, 2 SUB-DEPOT. Major Ian Sharp, our Second-in-Command, disappeared on what he fully expected to be a quiet, peaceful week end at his 'Country Seat 1 in Dorset. However, in spite of valiant efforts, which would surely have put Scott of The Antarctic to shame, all attempts to return to us that week from his, first snowbound and then waterlogged, homeland were thwarted. SSM Dave Carpen returned to us after a short spell in hospital and we wish him a speedy return to good health. Our congratulations to Mrs Bobbie Smith, our Administration Clerical Officer, on passing the EO Board; we wish her every success in her future appointment. In the absence of Major Tom Bassett, who is on leave trying to improve his newly acquired house, Mr Albert Beaman is in the hot seat looking after tyres, wheels and tubes and making space, 3 SUB-DEPOT, We welcome our newly arrived Officer-in- Charge, Mr Emery, who comes to us on promotion from COD Donnington. Centra! Ordnance Depot Chilwell THE main event this month was the visit of the GOC Eastern District, Major General Watson, to carry out our annual F F R i n s p e c t i o n . W h i t e visiting the Sergeants Mess he presented Long Service and Good Conduct Medals to W 2 B. R Archer, Queen's Regiment and to Sergeant I. Irvine R A O C Word has it that we received a good * chit,' but the cham- pagne corks won't pop until we see it in print—cautious lot, we Chilwellians. Our second important visitor was the Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor F. N. Rudder. He and Mrs Rudder toured the depot and the Garrison area, after which they were entertained to lunch in the Officers Mess. A Regimental Dinner was held in the Officers Mess at which Colonel Paddy Groves and Second Lieutenant Peter Stamps were dined out before leaving us, the one to join the gathering clans at Andover and the other to discover the wonderful world of infantry soldiering with 2 RIR. Another guest at the dinner was Air Commodore Swiney, the son of Major General Sir Neville Swiney, who will be remembered by many older RAOC personnel (in service, not age, we hasten to add for our more sensitive brethren of mature years). There has been a happy event in the Macdonald household —Freda (that well known Bassett Hound of ' That's Life' fame) has produced eleven pups. As a former SSO commented, " You'll soon have more Bassett Hounds than item headings! !" Marvellous how clear the line is from BAOR these days. Our soccer players unfortunately narrowly failed in their bid to beat Depot Queen's Division in the semi-finals of the Yorks and Lanes Cup/Eastern District Minor Units Cup com- petition. They were a goal down in the first thirty seconds of the match and despite heroic effort couldn't quite find the back of the Queen's net But full marks for a great display of good sportsmanlike football. Incidentally, Peter Stamps has since lost the distinction of being the only Second Lieutenant in the Garrison—he wondered whether the second pip was worth it when the reckoning came and the Mess Steward produced a briefcase to carry away his bar chits! 385 — |
| Book number | R0246a |