Back to Library Journals

RAOC Gazette - page 106

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 Clje
®t
tatton J?eto£
omt
The Directorate of Supply
We all enjoyed the Silver Jubilee, However, the only medal
we got was ihe Long Service and Good Conduct presented to
Lieutenant Roy Curtis by the Commandant COD Donnington.
Never mind it is only twenty five years to the next one.
Management
HEADQUARTERS
S MAN
1.
Our congratulations
this month go to our Chief Clerk
W 2 Ralph McKee, He joined us
from 3 Division in February and
returned on 2nd June to be presen-
ted with the Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal by Major General
Walsh, GOC 3 Division. The presentation took place in the
Sergeants Mess Headquarters 3 Division and a large gathering
of his friends and Mess Members helped him celebrate the
occasion.
We were somewhat puzzled the other day when Major
Mike Rose was seen shaking hands with many of his brother
officers in the corridors of First Avenue House. Had he just
had a big win? No, we were later to learn that it was his
twin brother, John Rose on an official visit from Cyprus, being
greeted by many of his friends.
At last the branch has been united with S Man la r who
have been located in the Old War Office Building since our
formation, having taken up residence alongside S Man lb in
First Avenue House. We are due to move to Andover in
November.
S MAN 2. Episode 5. The month of June failed to burst out
all over!
Apart from an epidemic of ' British Warms * very little has
happened apart from the usual * x * number of crises per hour.
Our main item of news for this month is to offer our
congratulations to Lieutenant Colonels Ted Andrews and Roy
Feltham on their award of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal
I hasten to add that contrary to rumour neither received the
previous Jubilee Medal!.
DSM(A) CONTROL DIVISION BICESTER
IN our last contribution it was found necessary to record the
many arrivals and departures occurring within the Division,
only one occurrence of this nature must be included this
month and that is farewell to Colonel L. V, Baguley and wel-
come to our new Colonel Control Division Colonel E, G.
Shephard.
While I write I see a further occurrence which
must be reported and that is a farewell presentation to Len
Mason who retires today from Direct Procurement Section
after some fourteen years in the Civil Service and prior to
that twenty nine years in the RAF. We wish him all the best
in his retirement
VEHICLE DIVISION CHILWELL
AN absentee that we welcome back to the fold is Sergeant
Gerald Terriza (Taff for short) who, having spent the winter
chasing a rugby ball with typical Welsh fervour, then promptly
disappeared to chase his EPC (Advanced), The results are still
awaited and we wish him every success.
We had hoped to include a picture of Major David
Williams leading his very senior tennis team to their victory over
a somewhat more junior team from 224 Signal Unit in the
Eastern District Cup, Unfortunately, Colonel Vehicle Division
issued a D notice withdrawing the picture, stating that it rather
resembled the line up for the Old Soldiers race on St Barbara's
weekend and, in any case, other Base Organisation Tennis con-
testants should not have the advantage of a preview of the
Chilwell team. Having seen the photograph, we tend to agree
with him, although Private O'Shea, our versatile Kiwi, has
distinctive Wimbledon features—at least we can see his knees!
For those members of his staff who are under the im-
pression that Captain Andrew Dexter has one leg shorter than
the other, we have irrefutable evidence from his, (and our)
tailors that this is not so. The present malaise, a small limp, is
due solely to his attendance on two ' Dog and Stick' walks,
which almost entitles him to a 'Hill Walker of the Year*
badge.
Other members of the Division have also attended
these walks and we now possess a wealth of expertise on the
variety/quality of brews in the Derbyshire Dales. (Not all
reports have been favourable, despite prior reconnaissance).
Turning to cricket we are amazed at the wealth of talent
that we possess in such a small military grouping. In addition
to the solid spectacle presented to the bowler when Sergeant
Brian Booth occupies the wicket, we also have the enthusiastic
but currently less successful Lance Corporal Watson, Despite
having received advice from none other than May himself (we
mean, of course, Lieutenant Colonel Tony May), his walk to
the wicket with customary panache has unfortunately been un-
productive on the last two occasions. Nevertheless we have
great hopes for him in the future,
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENTS DIVISION
DONNINGTON
THOSE who are ecologists or Friends of the Earth will be
pleased to note that bicycles are now the in thing here. This
is in spite of the well known local geographic phenomena that
irrespective of which point of the compass you set off towards
at Donnington, the wind is always against you. It must be
something to do with thermals! As with everything else in
DSM these are early days yet and our cycling procedures and
techniques have not yet become uniform. Our ' seats * vary
from the Kostoff crouch to the Macewan meander or the
Stobie stagger but time and twice weekly early morning PT
are rapidly putting this right.
We congratulate Staff Quartermaster Sergeant Phil Simmons,
Staff Sergeant Mel Hamilton and Sergeant Steve Swales on their
well deserved acting promotions to these ranks. In the case of
Staff Quartermaster Sergeant Simmons this unfortunately means
a move to Bicester. Surely this propect is not the reason for
his recent departure to hospital for a short stay?
We welcome Major Graham Browning and his family.
His posting to Engineer Branch means a loss of BAOR LOA
and command autonomy, but we are sure he will enjoy his
stay in spite of this. It must be male chauvinism and not
poverty that makes him ride a ladies bicycle of uncertain
vintage.
— 76
ARMY CATALOGUING
AUTHORITY,
WOOLWICH
WHEN we were asked by DSM(A) for contributions to the
Corps magazine, our Director, Colonel J. W. Hanlon, hit on
the brilliant idea of making the already overworked Administa-
tive Officer the official * correspondent.' There may well have
been sadistic undertones in so doing because both of us are
ex-Gunners!
Briefly, for the unenlightened, we NATO codify and cata-
logue anything from a pair of socks to a complete tank, and are
responsible for compilation, editing, amending and printing of
Catalogues of Ordnance Stores and Ammunition and various
Illustrated Parts Catalogues. ACA has a host of other com-
mitments and covers a lot of other technical ground, but to
mention them all would fill this magazine,
Headquarters is still going strong in the old Duke of
Wellington's Headquarters in Building 37, Royal Arsenal, Wool-
wich—in fact with our present accommodation problems there
are times when We wish he'd kept it!
Our authorised complement numbers some five military and
four hundred and one civilians, the latter figure being fairly
evenly split between technical staff on the one hand, and ad-
ministrative, clerical and typing grades on the other, plus a
small printing room staff.
We are now part of the new DSM(A) set up and initially
waited with baited breath for an avalanche of new instructions
and other bric-a-bac which normally follow such a change.
To be fair, however, they've been pretty reasonable in this
respect and trust this situation will continue!
The comings and goings of staff are too numerous to men-
tion, but it would not come amiss to record that, with regret,
we'll be saying ' Bon Voyage' to our present Director who
retires in early November 77, Our new Director will be Colonel
A, W. E, Pain.
Book number R0246