RAOC Gazette - page 127
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 |
month. At cricket. CSM Gumbs and Lance Corporal Gallagher :r - both played for the RAOC I Division team. We should -1 record that Private Fishwick successfully completed his •; t : i"aH Parachute Course. Planning for the formation of 1 Armoured Division Ord- nance Company is now well in hand and hence we do not expect any new arrivals. However, there are a trickle of departures which this month include Corporals Cuthbert and Apps and Private Pritchard, 2 Armoured Division {••HH E^^^^By^H •K j ^ ^ ^ L ^ S fi^^Bo<^^yH ^H^^^^^^^^H ^^3T^^^^^^B IflBfc^^YflAI ^ V ^ K I U I^Hfl^B^iH HEADQUARTERS WE may be missing the UK Jubilee celebrations and the Centenary Tests but we do have compensations; all the ' patches* in Lubbecke held street parties with barbecues much in evidence and dancing in the streets, and we still have the Royal Review at Sennelager to come. ^ s ^ o r c r ' c ^ c ^ Captain Alan Butter- worth and Sergeant Dick Baker represen- ted the Headquarters in a fine win for RAOC 2 Armoured Division over 3 BAPD at Bracht—eat your heart out David Ceiling! The Headquarters has been honoured with the award of three Jubilee Medals, to our CRAOC Lieutenant Colonel John, our DADOS Materiel Major Barry Jones and our DO WO SSM Frank Kirkton. Congratulations to all three, especially to Frank Kirkton who is also the proud father of a Jubilee baby, Victoria (all her nappies are red, white and blue), During the wettest week for months we held CRAOC's exercise, Iron Band V. The exercise gave our own Divisional Ordnance Company and 5 Field Force Ordnance Company ample opportunity to test their vehicle windscreen wipers and discover a requirement to have them fitted to respirators. HQ RAOC took to the field under the capable management of Sergeant Baker (fortunately as it was a wet week, rain had stopped play), but somehow the promise of idyllic * schloss T locations did not materialise and the Headquarters ended up occupying a chain of pig farms. Next year's recce officer has plenty of scope to do better. Captain Derek Lance from the School of Ordnance joined us for the exercise complete with certificate from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) which allowed him to drink Pils whilst out of the UK, which he did. He also took the odd metre of video film to show the rest of the Corps what life is like at the sh^rp end, though we gather most of it has been washed out by the rain, or was it the Pils? A quick mention for two new members of the Division. Captain Tim Murray and Sergeant John Jackson are the first arrivals to the Transport Regiment's ' new' Combat Supplies Cadre. Plus ca change plus e'est la meme chose! Finally we said goodbye (last month) to W02 Stan John- son our chief clerk on his posting to the Stores Section attached to 26 Field Regiment Workshop. In his place we have the new improved Sergeant Chris Kelly who has thrown off the technical mantle and donned an administrative cloak. One highlight during the exercise was our Woodland Olympics. Packed waged war on each other in such exotic sports as tossing the pit prop; throwing the pole and putting the shackle. The inter-packet volley ball match, played on a one in three slope, rounded off the day and ensured that full justice prepared by our duff merchants Corporal Ian Spencer (due his third tape). Lance Corporal Pete Berry and Private Jock McDonald (due his first stripe). Whilst pats on the back are being given, special mention must be made to Craftsman Paul Rope who spent eighteen hours a day repairing vehicles and used the other six for cabbying around in the wrecker. Well done and thank you. Records seem to have forgotten us of late with only two arrivals, Privates Paul Glen and Bill Elkins, and the departure of Private Minnie Caldwell to contend with. 87 SUPPLY DEPOT VERY welcome guests were soldiers from 154 Supply Platoon TAVR. At a particularly busy time their cheerful approach to their work and the efficient way they carried it out was a great asset to us. Could CVHQ please note that TAVR Units are always welcome at Winterbourne Barracks—we like their style! Staff Sergeant Tug Wilson our local friendly Rubber Duck CQMS and Sergeant Geordie Harker the Master Butcher are wearing uncertain smiles these days. They have been nominated for a Storeman's course at Dulmen. Locally it's reckoned to be the biggest conversion job since St Paul! Congratulations to W02 Eddie Hillan and Sergeant Bill Lindgren on making the starters list in the promotion stakes and to Sergeant Dave Baker on his appointment as Secretary of the Area Football Referees. Units arriving late for issues will be shown the red card and Storekeepers who balance physical stock with the paperwork are now allowed a lap of honour round the shed. STORES SECTION 27 FIELD REGIMENT WORKSHOP HAVING not submitted an article for some considerable time, due mainly to the fact that nothing really exciting has taken place, we have at last a good reason for putting pen to paper. The highlight has been the awarding of the Queens Silver Jubilee Medal to Sergeant Alf Hill. The presentations were 5 FIELD FORCE ORDNANCE COMPANY " NEVER RAINS WHEN TM ON EXERCISE " came the con- fident statement from the OC, Major David Watt. So, off we all went, equipped with swimming costumes and sun oil, to partake in CRAOCs Exercise Iron Band. Now Fm not one to disagree with the Boss—but he Was Wrong! It did rain, persis- tently as we flogged alternatively East and West to meet the threat! A threat I might add which came, not from those old Omrades the Fantasians, but from CRAOC and his bunch of rij:f:ans from Headquarters 2 Armoured Division. It is also true to say they were not the only enemy. Our friends from psnabruck also tried to disrupt our enjoyment of laying around m damp woods. In a fiercely competitive action we tried to gain as much information about their layout etc as we could. They captured Sergeant John Matthews, really a cunning ploy on our part. Let them be demoralised by his chuntering rather than us. It was not too successful as the CRAOC returned him jo us just after we captured Lieutenant Lamb and Sergeant Scnbbins. Come to think of it we never did show the pair of them our camp—they arrived and departed wearing face veils ?v->- their eyes! Enough of this mockery—suffice it to say that v °! ^ay six the CRAOC sent us all back to camp. Whether it was because he was, pleased with the way we moved around or be- cause he was f&d up trying to find us remains a closely guarded secret. Sergeant Alf Hill, accompanied by his wife Carol receiving his Queens Silver Jubilee Medal from Lieutenant Colonel Denton. made by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Denton, and were of course suitably 'wetted' in his office. Con- gratulations Alf, from us all. Other notable events have included our re-structuring. We are well represented in the Regiment for the Operation Banner Tour, fifty per cent of our personnel being employed in diverse tasks with one of the Batteries and as members of a strange body of men known as 'The Gate Troop.* We wish them well in the forthcoming tour and are confident that they will aquit themselves well and uphold the good name of the Corps that prevails throughout the Regiment. Since our last contribution we have had many changes in personalities, welcoming Corporal Trevor Hallett and Privates Andy Hull, Phil Plowman, Gary Shipley and Phil Keating. 95 — |
| Book number | R0246 |