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RAOC Gazette - page 283

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Publication date 1977
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Early date 1977
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Transcription With regret we report the death of two ex-Corps men in
the District. Mr Pat Marshall, CO (ex-SQMS) who after a short
illness passed away in hospital. Pat was employed up to the
time of his illness in the District Secretariat and was always
a cheerful helpful man and, since retiring from the Corps at
the end of the war, had always kept in touch. We extend to
his widow and family our sincere condolences.
Mr George Williams (ex WOl) and Clerical Officer with
York until his retirement in July 1976 has also passed away,
suddenly in hospital. p George, for forty seven years, served the
Corps loyally and a Jer retirement, took a very active interest in
all Corps functions, his sad loss is a great blow to the Corps
and in particular to the local York Branch of the Association.
To his widow and family we offer our sincere condolences.
Eastern District'
THE highlight of the month, indeed of the
Ordnance year here, has been the two day
informal visit in mid October by Major
General and Mrs Callan.
In addition to a tour round most Ord-
nance Units in the District, with CRAOC
Lieutenant Colonel David Venning as
guide, the DGOS was welcomed by the
GOC, Major General Watson; the Garrison
Commander, Brigadier Harvey and the Com-
mander 19 Brigade, Brigadier Vincent. In
fact General and Mrs Watson attended a buffet supper in the
beautiful Headquarters Mess given in honour of our visitors,
About thirty RAOC officers and their wives met the DGOS
and Mrs Callan and shared an enjoyably relaxed evening. The
visit was much appreciated by us all at Colchester.
Major Len Fullilove, who left the Branch and the Service
recently, put in a farewell appearance at the Garrison Barbecue
together with his wife Barbara. Len will soon be on his way
to Saudi Arabia where a key post in containerisation is waiting,
We all wish Len well as an importer/exporter but advise
keeping out of the sun at midday if possible.
It will not surprise the constant reader to learn that Cap-
tain Bob Stafford-Curtis, Officer Commanding the Supply
Depot, is hoping to sandwich a trip to Belize for sub aqua
training between his promotion exam and handover. We shall
report on all of these and more in due course.
W02 Bob Hubbard, our ROWO, is sporting a new hairdo
and should soon have a mark two physique to display also if
the sessions with his * Bull-worker * work out. Some of our
younger (?) officers, with fit to fight training in the offing, may
be following this lead.
South West District
WHAT a busy month. The branch is very
busy although CRAOC, Major Lawson and
Major Beaumont have had time to get a little
sailing in before the end of the season.
The CRAOC Conference took place on
the 23rd September. A few wistful souls
were heard to be calculating the average age
of those present.
At the time of writing the Chief Clerks
of Ordnance Branch are changing over. We
say farewell to W02 Gardner and wish him
every success amongst the helicopters at JATE. We welcome
in his place W02 Read.
It was with gTeat pleasure that we managed to get the
GOC South West District, Major General Bob Lyon, to present
Mr Dennis Bell, our Barrack Accountant in Little Rissington
with the Commander-in-Chiefs Certificate. The presentation
took place at the Taunton MQES in the presence of the CRAOC,
Lieutenant Colonel Roy Carruthers, Mrs Bell and Officers and
Colleagues, It was a well deserved award for the very hard
work put in by Mr Bell in helping the Royal Irish Rangers
on their move from Warminster.
We welcome Fred Pearce and congratulate him on his
promotion to CABO and hope he enjoys his sojourn at Barrack
Services—Plymouth.
Barrack Services are now beginning to lose some of their
most experienced staff. Mrs Horah Kays, the typist, to the
Light Infantry Office, Ron Towler, the Fuel and Light expert,
to RPO Taunton and Ann Padden to Hydrographic Depart-
ment.
We wish them all every success in their new jobs and thank
them most sincerely for all their hard work whilst amongst us.
Ordnance Officers South West District at the CRAOC's conference.
South East District
CRAOC continues to visit District Units
far and wide, and Lieutenant Colonel
Keith Holtby, returned from Zealand, is
now preparing his sleeping bag for Salis-
bury Plain. Major Tom Paterson and
Captain Bob Lawson have both recently
participated on Exercise Tigers Teeth II;
the remainder of the Branch meanwhile
continue with the annual round of in-
spections, visits et ah
We welcome W02 Chris Kenyon to 9 Field Workshop
Stores Section, in place of WOl Dave Auger who now moves
to OSU Liphook pending retirement. A belated welcome goes
to Private Dick Walker, of G Branch, sole junior rank representa-
tive of the Corps within the Headquarters.
6th Field Force
HEADQUARTERS
OCTOBER was a relatively quiet month
with, in the main, the Headquarters recover-
ing from Exercise Arrow Express and
preparing for our next major exercise,
Exercise Avon Express which took place
on Salisbury Plain.
Our Chief Clerk 'AQ' Staff Sergeant
4
George' Willerton got wind that the DA A
and QMG was writing his Confidential
Report, hence the reason for the continuous
coffee shuttle service between the DQ's office and the AQ
clerks and for burning of much midnight oil.
We said farewell to Lance Corporal * Cyril' Wright on
posting to Headquarters Paderborn Garrison. As a farewell
gesture the Superintending Clerk even let him win his final
game of squash just so that once during his three and a half
years in the Headquarters he could say he had made it to the
top rung of the Squash Ladder.
Four members of the Headquarters, WOl Bob Manners,
Staff Sergeants George Willerton and Tom Flanagan, Intelligence
Corps, and Sergeant Bob Boughen, took part in the * Masters
and Maidens * Guildford Marathon. This was a gruelling road
race over a distance of just over twenty six miles, and it was a
very creditable achievement that all finished
the course. Well
done. Our other sports ' super-star v Corporal Gary Sumner
had to withdraw at the last minute.
We have also bid farewell to Lance Corporal 'Steve*
Kemp, one of the Headquarters' last few remaining Airborne
Warriors, on posting to Headquarters Hohne Garrison. The
maidens of Aldershot will never be the same again.
At the end of the month our Chief Clerk AQ saw and
signed his ACR, stopped making coffee, and immediately went
on leave.
Welcome to Private Harris lo work in Ordnance Branch.
ORDNANCE
BRANCH
I HAVE just received a note from the Officer Commanding,
Major Dan Putt, to extract my quill pen a n d s tart to write THE
214 —
Book number R0246