RAOC Gazette - page 281
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 |
the Tela Theatre and even longer hours at his own desk and the School shredding machine steadily devouring savaged scripts! All will eventually be well. Congratulations are due to A/Sergeant Webster and Corporal Ward, both provisionally selected for substantive promotion in 1978- We couldn't be more pleased unless we were all being considered. EMPLOYMENT TRAINING SCHOOL THE highlight of the month was the visit by Air Chief Marshal Sir Ruthven Wade on 13th October, The distinguished visitor made such an impression on Sergeant Ced Warnes in the print- ing departrvsnt, that Ced forgot to pose the question he had spent all week rehearsing. Tie Commandant, Lieutenant Colonel John Janes celebrates one }«ar at the School on the Uth November and does not look a day older but is, I am glad to say, much fitter. Arrivals, departures and promotions have also figured pro- minently this month. Captain Mike Harris assumed the duties of Administration Officer, and takes over as Unit scribe from next month. Staff Sergeant Archibald has replaced Staff Sergeant Dave Lamb in Textile Refitters and Sergeant Moira Cupstone has taken over from Sergeant Rose Foey in Class 3 Clerical Training. REME Storeman Training have said fare- well to Sergeant Danny Cullen. We offer our congratulations to Captain Pat Graham on his promotion, W02 Colin LongstafFs feats on the golf course have been rewarded with his promotion and finally, Staff Sergeant Dave Barraclough has also moved one step up the ladder (followers of these notes will recall he successfully guided General Callan's son on a driving course). Our civilian complement has also been increased with the arrival of Miss Debbie Benson. TRAINING BATTALION AND DEPOT THE last weekend in September saw Training Company in the throes of mobilisation. It was the Commanders Mobilisa- tion weekend and we demonstrated our mob task of forming the Drafting Company of the Reinforcement Drafting Unit as well as attending an informative and interesting briefing in the Tela Theatre given by the Chief Constable of Surrey and the civil authorities. On the 14th October Malta Platoon passed out. The in- spection was carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Tony Sharpe, our Commanding Officer. Medals were awarded to Privates Coward, Holloway, Otterson and Ashworth, and music was provided by the Staff Band under the baton of Captain Tom Griffiths. The Band's selection of music on this occasion was very popular—especially with the Platoon Commander of the Passing Out Platoon. Exercise Tigers Teeth I ended the month on a high note. This was a live post strike mobilisation exercise with the Com- pany engaged in its reserve role. We deployed to guard key points and three platoons under Lieutenants Jon Campbell, Nigel Smellie and Bill Wiseman were fielded. Lieutenant Mark Wickham was our Intelligence Officer, not surprising as his ears are closer to the ground than almost anyanes! Our OC» Major Tony Rees, demonstrated some most unusual voice pro- cedure in averting a head on collision between our convoy moving at five miles per hour without lights and a TAVR Unit which shall be nameless, moving at twenty five to thirty miles per hour using full headlights along the same narrow track! Bill Wiseman and his men (in week four of basic training), showed the mettle of RAOC soldiers by capturing five Royal Marines acting as enemy—we don't know who was the more surprised! Lieutenant Nigel Smellie discovered it is good policy not to ' stand down * until ordered, and Lieutenant Jon Camp- bell found himself and his platoon working to a time zone two hours different from everyone else (Bravo time), which earned him the nickname ' Time Lord,* All in all it was a very success- ful exercise and the key points remained secure. It would not be fair to close the notes for this month with- out mentioning our departures and arrivals. Sergeant Norman Cheyne our Chief Clerk has left us and his place has been taken by Sergeant Bob Simpson. Sergeant Harry Jagger has arrived from Cyprus just in time for the winter. Corporal Paddy Shanahan has left to be a civilian; he will leave a peculiar shaped gap in the Company and will be missed by all who worked with and for him. That's all for this month, except perhaps to enjoy reading once again the best * critics notice' we have had in years on page 145 of the October GAZETTE—it makes the effort all worth- while. APPRENTICES COLLEGE IN the next few months Ihe College GAZETTE Notes will be 1 sponsored' by the various departments of the College in turn, Firstly, it is the turn of A Company. The College Winter Term commenced on 9th September with most returning from their rain sodden holiday resorts, tails up and raring to go. Recruit intake day was 13th Septem- ber when two hundred and twenty tired, weary, long haired youngsters descended on Dettingen Barracks from all parts of the United Kingdom to be greeted by the mysteries of initial documentation, drawing up kit and visiting the barbers shop. Our depleted swimming team put up a fine performance in the Corps Swimming Championships coming third overall with forty six points. The best result was in the medley relay when A/Private Younger, A/Lance Corporals Hutton, Robson and Percivai came first in a new Corps record time of 2 minutes 55.5 seconds. The prizes were kindly presented by Mrs N. S. Bruce, wife of our Commanding Officer. Our golfing duet of A/Privates Buchanan and Storey com- pleted a fine golfing season with their performances in the RAOC Golfing Society Meeting held in mid September. They came second in the Stableford Doubles with twenty nine points and Storey was presented with the Brownlee putter for the best overall performance by a soldier, On 1st October after weeks of secret training, the College cross country run took place. It was an excellent day for A Company who took first three places with A/Privates Younger, Cliffe and Balch. TRAINING SYSTEMS ADVISORY BRANCH SERGEANT PETE SMITH has scaled even greater heights in his rugby career by being selected to play for the Hampshire county side. Even more pleasing was the fact that they beat Hertfordshire 13-6. After calling in the local RAMC Hygiene team, to find the root cause of the smell emanating from Sergeant Pat Colbeck's office, one dead mouse was coaxed from the woodwork and the room assumed its usual air of sophistication. We welcome to the Branch, Staff Sergeant Elmslie, Miss Hazel Cheale and Mrs Davina Bradley, but unfortunately say goodbye to Staff Sergeant Lewis Bowker—to BAOR, Mrs Nora Cross to the School of Ordnance and Lance Corporal Linda Sartin to Mechanical Documentation. United Kingdom Land Forces ORDNANCE BRANCH OUR * quiet period' reported in last month's notes, appears to have come to an abrupt end—ask Major Bill Ford and Major Brian Allen who both have met for the first time for months in their shared office. Lieu- tenant Colonel Bill Stark and Fire Officer Bill Rodgers escaped the drag-net for workers and slipped off to Belize for the former and Kenya for the latter. We say farewell to Mr George White- head who has been selected to fill a Clerical Officer post in G Training and welcome in his place Mrs Jean Morgan. Which incidentally brings our strength of females up to five so Ordnance Branch is no longer a centre of male domination. Not only is our transfer-in, Corporal Ned Kelly to take the RAOC vows, he also takes the marriage vows t the splicing date was 19th November, we wish him all the best in his connubial bliss, and let's hope we can organise a settled posting for him after his turbulent stint with the Paras. Chief Clerk, W02 Allan Braithwaite, is claiming there's a conspiracy afoot, on returning from leave he was informed by the grinning pair, W02 Dick Ho are and Corporal Kelly, that he was to attend a Field Force Familiarization Course (it so transpires that he is)—perhaps that will teach him not to waffle on about his nine years with an infantry battalion before transferring. The festive season will soon be upon us and social calendars are beginning to fill up, and in some cases overflow. In addi- tion to the usual Mess Functions, Ordnance Branch are lined up for a couple of early parties in the form of an RAOC Associa- tion Knees-Op and the Branch Christmas Party on 8th Decem- ber. We'll class them as a ' couple of warmers into the bank/ before crashing on with the other assorted events planned in our Messes and Clubs and we would like to take this oppor- tunity of wishing all our friends and associates a Merry Christ- mas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. # — 212 — |
| Book number | R0246 |