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RAOC Gazette - page 189

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Corps RAOC
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 The Unit has recently trialled an equipment manufactured
by JCB. The JCB 520, a telescopic handler, is capable of lifting
pallets on its own forks and depositing them some distance
away. The equipment achieved all that was required of it,
including an impressive display of lifting and depositing a full
pod of dieso from the back of a vehicle.
The recent outloading trial using six ton trailers was also
a success. Allowing for certain adjustments to be made in
the system, the trailers appear to be the answer to many
current problems.
The fencing team recently took part in the 2 Armoured
Division Championships at Sennelager They did not expect
any success as there is a fair amount of talent in 2 Division,
including two army fencers, one Combined Services champion
and an Army Junior champion. To their surprise, a man was
placed in the final pools of all three weapons. Private Gavin
Lucas was fifth in the epee, Lance Corporal Kevin Adams took
fourth place in the foil and Private ' Leapy' Lee came third in
the sabre. Private Lee now goes forward to the BAOR Cham-
pionships. Congratulations go to these three young fencers who
are all in their first season of competition.
The Unit football team ended their league programme
with a two nil win over 227 Signal Squadron, and so ensured
second place in their league. Throughout the season, they lost
only one game in the league, and this was to the eventual
league champions, 21 Signal Regiment. They drew in three
other games. It is interesting to note that the only other
defeats during the season were from other Signal Regiments—
28 Signal Regiment in the Army Cup and 16 Signal Regiment
in the Rhine Area Cup.
Only two days after their last league match the team travelled
to Dulmen for the final of the DOS (BAOR) Cup. Their op-
ponents were RAOC 4 Division whom they beat convincingly
four nil. It is hoped to provide a photograph of the winning
team for next month's GAZETTE. Goal scorers were Private Ian
Crouch (three) and Major Roger Attrill (one). Leading goal-
scorer over the season was Private Ian Crawford with twenty
one goals, closely followed by Ian Crouch with eighteen in only
five games! Apart from the undoubted encouragement of their
coach, W02 Jimmy Richardson, the success of the team in
the final stages of the season has been helped considerably by
the influx of new players, notably Corporal Alan Simkiss, Lance
Corporal Bert Smart and Privates Ian Crouch and Stan Ross.
Lance Corporal Ricky Scott has also successfully switched over
from rugby to soccer and has already made his mark. Royal
Signals had better look out next season.
The rugby squad now have the consolation of knowing
they were knocked out in the quarter finals of the Army Cup
Competition by its eventual winners, the Duke of Wellington's
Regiment. Bad weather has hampered fixtures to a very large
extent recently, but we have continued to make steady, successful
progress in the largely RAF orientated Double Diamond Com-
petition, in which we are the current leaders, despite losing a
match to RAF Wildenrath recently. We are pleased to report
that four of our players were in the BAOR team to play West
Germany at Frankfurt and thereby earned a BAOR colour,
They were Captain Peter Claughton, Corporal Oily Oliphant,
and Lance Corporals Chris Christopher and Ricky Scott, whom
we congratulate.
The Unit has been in the news in table tennis recently.
Three teams were entered for the Rhine Area Major Units* Team
Competition, held at Diisseldorf. Seventeen teams entered and
the Bracht first team of Corporal Alan Simkiss and Privates
Taff Sansome and Jim Peppard reached the semi-finals of the
main competition. Here they were beaten by the eventual
winners from Rheindahlen, all three of whom are BAOR players.
The Bracht second and third teams both reached the semi-
finals of the Plate Competition. The third team of Lance
Corporal Dave Gelling, Private Dave Cronin and Lance Corporal
Andy Anderson, were beaten at this stage, but the second team
of Sergeant Kenny Finch, Private Martin Ratcliffe and W02
Graham Du-Prat, went on to win the final from 14 Topo-
graphical Squadron RE. The first team members, Simkiss, San-
some and Peppard have been considered for the Division team
and have been invited to train with the BAOR squad. These
three players, plus Ratcliffe and Gelling, have been entered
.for the BAOR Individual Championships, and it is hoped to have
a report of this in the next issue of THE GAZETTE.
Congratulations this month go to the following on their
promotions: Captain Lever, WOsI Kearney and Lewis, and to
A/Lance Corporals Brogdale and Smart.
Welcome to: WD2 Cairns, Corporal Hall, Privates Bartram,
Bond, Clark, Dixon, Fletcher, Ritchie, Tumelty, Williams and
Wish art
Farewell to: Sergeant Wallis, Corporal Hay and Lance
Corporals Arnold and Knight;
Wulfen Station
WELCOME to Wulfen L i e u t e n a n t
Colonel Bernard and Mrs Verna Lane. We
hope your stay here as our new Station
Commander will be a very happy one,
Snow Queen which as a great many
RAOC soldiers will know is the oppor-
tunity of becoming a *Jean Calude Kilty*
of this world was attended by quite a few
station soldiers.
Amongst them was
Lance Corporal Mel Short, Private Dave
Smith, Sergeant Peter Lee, Lance Corporal
Roy Hodgins, Privates Ian Cheshire and Robert Williams, and
Staff Sergeant Stew Veazey. Some soldiers are already booking
for next year.
The Station now has a Theatrical Society and the first
play " My Three Angels * a comedy in three acts, is due to be
performed shortly. David Pettigrew, the producer and Deputy
Head of the Station Primary School, picked his cast and we
have since been rehearsing twice a week. The guinea pigs
are Sergeant Peter Lee, Staff Sergeant Bob Monday, Captain
Brian Crawley, Private Richard Hampson, Staff Sergeant Jim
Goodman, WOl Tony Regan, W02 Jacques Desfontaines,
Mrs Debbie Skidmore and Mrs Margaret Byrne. Back stage
assistance is being given by the very young Staff Sergeant Noddy
Nagle, Private Jef Whitley, and Corporal Jim Fleming.
The Station Wives Club continues to meet monthly. At the
last meeting the ladies enjoyed an excellent cookery demonstra-
tion by Mrs Audrey Watson wife of Lance Corporal Bruce
Watson of the Corps Vehicle Company.
The Cubs and Brownies Thinking Day Service was held
recently and was well attended. Cub leaders Sergeant Pat
Bradley, Private John Lovage, Corporal and Mrs Lofty Ailwood
and Brownie Leaders Mrs Doreen Lovage, and Mrs Anna
Wrotchford worked hard to make it a most successful event.
The Station annual fete has now been planned. The aim will
be to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund and other
charities.
The Youth Club programme makes us envious. Some of
the activities organised by the leaders, Staff Sergeant John
Simpson and Private Steve Skidmore, include ,22 shooting, an
outing to Arnhem and a wild life park.
The sport scene brings me first to squash and the recent
visit of the Corps UK team. We spent a very pleasant after-
noon playing but mostly learning what the game was all about.
Only Sergeant Peter Lee won when he played magnificently to
beat Major Lance Brett three to two. We would like to thank
Major John Woodliffe and Major Brett for their excellent
coaching the next morning.
The hockey league is due to end soon and our last two
games were against RAF Laarbruch and Command Pay Office.
We lost three to two to Laarbruch and won one nil to CPO.
We were the finalist in the Rhine Area Soccer Minor Units Cup
played at Rheindahlen against 227 Signals AFC. This excellent
game went into extra time and the station side lost on a sudden
death penalty kicks system.
1 {BR) Corps Vehicle Company. At the time of writing the
whole Unit is working hard in preparation for the move to
Bielefeld later in the year. Our advance force of Staff Sergeant
Springett and Sergeant Wick are now holding the fort in our
new camp at Oldentrup.
In addition to the amount of vehicles etc to be moved
there is the usual paper war going on and the rattle of type-
writers from the Orderly Room can be heard way along the
Hannover Autobahn.
154 FAD. Several members of the Unit enjoyed a week away
from Wulfen on Exercise Fast Buck at Rheindahlen.
We congratulate Corporal Peter Lynch and Miss Gerda
Semon on their marriage and wish them the best of luck on
their move to Bicester. We also say farewell to the following:
Staff Sergeant Colin Hague-Moody, wife Hilly and children
to CAD Kineton. Corporal Nigel Hedley, wife Norma and
boys to Catterick Garrison. Lance Corporal Louis Knight,
wife Sandy and son Carl to Herford. Lance Corporal John
Sim, wife Margaret and troop to 1 Field Workshop. We also
say farewell to Mrs Margaret Colmer (wife of Sergeant Colmer
1 (BR) CVC) who worked in the Orderly Room as a typist during
the past two years.
391

Book number R0246a