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RAOC Gazette - page 239

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1977
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Early date 1977
Late date 1977
Transcription Bill Ford is in Holland. John Evans is Paris bound—Mais Oui!
and Brian Allen (whose last visit was to Ripon in February) has
managed to get himself a 'duly free' trip to AFCENT at last.
I'm not mentioning Bennf Lynch's trip on the QE2 as
he paid for that himself.
Back to reality—we welcome Corporal l Ned* Kelly who
is with us from the Paras for three months prior to transferring
to the Corps and wish him well for the
future,
l
One of the branch stalwarts Mr Topper' Brown retires in
November. Topper joined the branch in 1972 when Head-
quarters UKLF was formed and has worked for the S02
Mobilisation since then. We all join in wishing him the very
best of good luck and a happy retirement. Who will run the
* pools ' now! \
On the sporting side W02 Allan Braithwaite and Corporal
Ned Kelly have been active on the Squash Court and along with
WOl Tony O'Shaughnessy's rebels from Public Relations section,
have offered to take on the soccer might of the Headquarters in
a form of a seven-a-side game. We've even managed to persuade
our stalwart Technical Clerk W02 Dick Hoare to turn out.
Our WRAC representative Private Mairead Cassidy, not to be
left out of the sporting scene, has finally decided to brave the
towering might of the Cairngorms and show her mettle by
applying for a vacancy on Exercise Knees Bend, the RAOC
Ski Association adventure training/ski-ing exercise for 1978,
Hope she doesn't break a leg—who'll do the typing?
South East District
^^^B^fc^
j£jfl4\SL
THE nerve centre of Ordnance Branch,
Materiel Cell (yes, S03 Mat writes
/JCMJ^MJQV
titer notes) suffered a slight set-back this
r^pHHRflLm
month. For some time now the heat
' y » T ( i » l
rising from our industrious staff must
[l^^mS^tSm
^ave ^ e e n w e a ^ e n m S t n e plaster on the
L « P ^ V #
office ceiling. That is the theory behind
\^W&fj^*f
the sudden collapse which engulfed, in
^^^^*\^^r
approximately one hundred weight of
^^*^^^
plaster, Mr Fred JolUffe one of our
clerical officers and thickly covered our other clerks in dust.
Fortunately no one was hurt and with some temporary
reorganisation of offices, * Materiel * is operating again with a
newly polished line in excuses for all contingencies.
Lieutenant Colonel Keith Holtby, our DADOS Administra-
tion/Organisation, is getting mud on his boots on exercise in
Denmark. He should have plenty of interesting warlike tales
for us on his return.
WOl Bill Watson-Varney, our DOWO, seems to have been
absent for ages. He has been on a management course, padded
out by some leave. Must admit to worrying about all this
management study and whether or not it's good for him. After
all who is he going to practice on? Time will tell.
We welcome Major Bill Wniteley (Retd) from Employment
Training School who has taken over the post of S03 Mob. We
also welcome Staff Sergeant Brian Smith to the Headquarters
from BDLS Canberra. Farewells go to Lieutenant Colonel
Bertie Ortiger who has now retired and taken up an R02 ap-
pointment at MOD.
We wish them all the very best in their new appointments.
the
Headquarters 6th Field Force
ti
AUGUST, being the traditional month for
V
block leave in this formation, saw all the
^bt
Headquarters staff departing to most parts
>2savS^ t
°* t n e British Isles and some even to the
m f l ^ .
Continent. However, it was touch and go
J k H r
at one stage whether or not two members
^3^^^B£*^
of our most industrious branch could make
mBft^^Si ft* a s tf* 6 following conversation overheard
J U ^
in the corridor just prior to block leave
M
will show: "Welt sir, leave starts this
**
weekend, looking forward to it!
I certainly was
but now due to pressure of work
wonder if we can afford to be away for even a few days.
Come, come, sir, everyone is entitled to a couple of weeks
a year and us more than anyone.
Yes, I will be the first one to agree with you there, but you
know as well as I do how much we have on our plates"
Pause as
thinks. " I've got it sir, I am taking my
family to
on a camping holiday, how about you and
your family going too? We could aim for the same site and take
most of our work with us. This way we will not only have a
holiday but will also keep abreast with the paper war.
What an excellent idea. Oh, bur wait, one problem. /
dont have camping equipment,
A minor problem, sir, just leave it to mc I will fix all."
Happy Hols.
And so he did and off they went and had a most enjoyable
working holiday.
(Note; names have been omitted in the
interests of the writer).
Block leave over, preparations then got under way for
Exercise Arrow Express, a NATO exercise which was held in
the Zealand area of Denmark.
September also saw our FOWO, WOl Bob Manners,
presented with the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in
the Headquarter Officers Mess by the Mayor of Rushmoor,
Councillor Farthing,
W O l Bob Manners is presented with his Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal by the Mayor of Rushmoor.
In the centre is
the Force Commander, Brigadier Cray.
Last, but certainly not least, congratulations to the Head-
quarters and Signal Squadron athletics team in winning the
Army Minor Units Athletics Championship held at the Alder-
shot Military Stadium. Out of the team of ten there were three
RAOC members, namely, Sergeant Bob Boughen, Corporal
Gary Sumner, Lance Corporal Cyril Wright and also WOl Bob
Manners, the coach, who kept them at it in training and knocked
them into shape. Well done to all the team.
Farewells: Lance Corporal Steve Slater, photographer, to
22 Special Air Service,
Arrivals: Lance Corporal Pat Carter, photographer, from
Headquarters Northern Ireland, Private Steve Findlater from
Depot and Training Battalion to join G Branch.
6 FIELD FORCE ORDNANCE
COMPANY
AVID readers of our contribution to THE GAZETTE will have
noticed (with undoubted sorrow) that there was no entry last
month owing to the fact that virtually the complete Unit was on
leave during the whole of August.
Book number R0246