RAOC Gazette - page 28
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1977 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1977 |
| Late date | 1977 |
| Transcription |
Slough area in direct opposition to Securicor. We all wish him every success in the future. We welcome this month CSM Ken McCormick. Corporals Steve Warren, Alf Scott and Lance Corporal Pal Hillsdon. This month we feature the Regimental and Administrative Wings which should be interesting—we often wonder what they do. Regimental Wing: Never have so many owed so much to so few, A small elite band that beaver non stop to feed, clothe, house, pay, train and amuse the tradesmen of the Depot. Corporal Peter Wilson our Documentation Clerk appears from time to time from under his paper covered desk to stand-in as Unit photographer, one of the few that can request Senior Officers to stand still. Not so Corporal Taffy Thomas the Unit Quartermaster who prefers visitors to his stores to keep moving. Since acquiring the qualification of Master Coach he is now busy teaching a second very involved language. While attending a variety of courses his stand in, Corporal Ricky Martin, goes out of his way to improve the system. His time is taken up with the many problems presented by rations, including collection. It was said that someone once saw him in uniform, this has never been confirmed but he did change his plimsoles. We have been without a CSM for a month, but the clerk who remarked that it is almost like civilisation, will be meeting CSM McCormick from the boat on Sunday. To keep the Unit on their feet we have our Master Chefs, Sergeant Reg Browne, ACC To support him we have Lance Corporal Jock Byrne who shortly takes his sixteen stone of muscle to BAOR. Captain Ian Johnstone co-ordinates this team from one physical training session to another or the Hockey pitch t Administration: Unit representatives brave the journey along the shore road avoiding flying spray and the odd mackerel before beating a hasty retreat over the OIC Planning's new pet sleeping policeman, In the Depot Headquarters, Mr Mac Blair and Staff Sergeant Bruce Atkin control the never ending flow of paper and ever ringing telephones. Private Farren, our newly qualified HGV1 driver, non- chalantly pilots forty foot containers around the Depot. Mean- while, down in the yard, Sergeant Gorman and Corporal Matthews wrestle with the intricacies of the A-in-U and TOE and, of course, it's raining again. The * drone' of this hive of activity. Captain John Humphreys, is at present on a self imposed Voga Course, it helps him see the bright side* of life, HEADQUARTERS 39 INFANTRY BRIGADE ONCE again the Headquarters has had a busy period since the last contribution, with postings, courses, detachments, sport and of course, the odd operational commitment to Belfast. Since January we have said goodbye to Lance Corporal Andy Day, Corporals Barney Browell and Tom McCallion and Lance Corporal Dave Burkill REME to Headquarters South West District—oh REME Records! Still with us in the Head- quarters with stars in their eyes and posting orders in their hand are Lance Corporal Kevin Smith and Private Jos Warner. However, the clerk with the best posting order is the Superinten- dent Clerk, Dolly Gray, who is planning his route across Europe for his posting to Naples. For those who have to soldier on in Lisburn life remains no less hectic. Several of the clerks have recently attended courses and are now allowed out of barracks with an SLR! Corporals Bernie Andrews and Alec Brocklehurst enjoyed the course so much they volunteered to spend some time down town with one of our infantry battalions. They both say they en- joyed patrolling the streets even more. It's nice to know the RAOC has soldiers, as well as tradesmen, amongst its ranks. On the sporting scene we have had two clerks slipping across to the mainland to compete in sport Private Dave Hogg recently represented Wiltshire in the All England Basketball championships and came back with a splendid runners-up trophy. Sergeant Frank (I never get any time off) Greaney went to Surbiton to partake in the Army ten-pin bowling cham- pionships, and came a creditable ninth out of one hundred and fourteen. Still on sport? Physical fitness training time is here again and most of the clerks have been seen going dizzy running around the athletics track. To date we have quite a favourable average of passes. We welcome to the Headquarters Lance Corporal Jock Leitch and Lance Corporal Mai Foster REME. Last, but certainly not least, we offer our congratulations to WOl Paddy Leonard on his selection to Conductor. United Kingdom Land Forces .^ ORDNANCE BRANCH •^~^-, WITH Wintex 77 t n e behind us we had hoped lo see most i5ff kb^SSs. °f familiar faces of the i y f J U A V2\\ Branch once more in situ. However, this i f l M i i i V w a s n o t l o k e ' If ^MBK* /F Major Bill Ford only returned in April a ter t n r e e wce s VC*K JFJFJI ^ ^ away at the Training VjE JfBf Centre as a student on the Formation V^Mtf*^^ Representatives and Unit C o m m a n d e r s "i- Course. 1 At this time he achieved a 'hole in one by passing influenza on to just about every member of 10 Ordnance Support Battalion whom he visited. In the sporting world, Major Brian Allen is very busy preparing the Tri-Service Golf Meeting, while Major John Cogley becomes thinner each moment after successive trips to the squash court, Bill Ford is also about to dash off to AFCENT for two weeks on a very important exercise, or so it is said. I wonder what exercises are taking place in the Safari Park at Tuddern, or at Monschau, the Rursee and on the Meuse/Maas at this time if year \ Mover of this month is undoubtedly Mr Bill Rogers our Fire Chief. No sooner did he arrive, having taken over from Bill Crawshaw, than he was off to Norway on three separate exercises. Clockwork, Hardfall and Cold Winter in his capacity as Chief Fire Officer HQ UKLF. He visited Bardufoss for the first exercise, then the Voss Training Area for the second, and the Narvik Training Area for the third over a period of two weeks. He went a long way inside the Arctic Circle and saw the Northern Lights which is by any standard quite a spectacle to behold. He is now officially entitled to be called a * Blue Nose,' and is an expert in ' dousing * ice-bergs that have caught fire! Shortly, we are to say farewell to Lieutenant Colonel Jack LongstafT on final retirement after a life of service to the Corps, both as a serving officer and then as a retired officer, We would wish him well and many happy hours, days, and years commuting from Poole Harbour to Cherbourg with his hand firmly on the 'helm/ Mr Rimmer, our Chief Clerk, leaves us as well and his swan song will take place at the RAOC Association Evening and Annual General Meeting where he will hand over to his successor the task of Treasurer of the Salisbury Branch. We wish him all success in his new job at HQ NORWDIST as Superintendent Clerk where in his last posting before retire- ment, we are certain he will be very happy, his home town being only eighteen miles away at Southport Good for you, John Rimmer! A few days ago, we were happy to see Mr Bill Crawshaw, our former Fire Chief who has now recovered from his spell of hospitalisation after returning from Belize. We wish him all the very best in his new post at HQ DGOS, HEADQUARTERS BY the time you read these notes W02 Pete Morris and his merry band will have relinquished the duties incumbent upon the entertainments committee for this last quarter and will be reverting to their more customary somnolent selves (with a couple of notable exceptions). Tribute was recently paid to the outgoing PEC for his remarkable ability to put on so much and yet leave the Mess bills so small. Staff Sergeant Derek Shipley has commenced the long hard road of resettlement and leave prior to his returning to civilian life. He has not yet left us so we must not be too premature with the farewells, Congratulations to Sergeants Sid Bell and Mike Cartwright on their substantive promotion. South East District 1T is our unhappy task to report the death of Major Bernard Chandler (Retd) on the 23rd April after a short illness in the Cambridge Military Hospital, Our deepest sympathy goes to his widow Etta, his family and parents. Bernard will be sadly missed in HQ South East District where he has worked as a RO since November 1973. A large number of relatives and friends attended the funeral at St Oswald's RC Church in Deepcut on 29th April Interment took place in the adjoining military cemetery follow- # |
| Book number | R0246 |