RAOC Gazette - page 32
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1981 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1981 |
| Late date | 1981 |
| Transcription |
•h sore throats from shouting for other learns. Private Debbie ( ippell was picked for Ihe Inter Service Table Tennis Charnpion- Thanks to the hard work of r p s held at HMS Portsmouth. t. trporal Cath Wilson, Lance Corporal Jan Bird and all service- vu>men of ' D ' Company, we have had a very successful 1980 winter sports league. (// is regretted that the copy arrived after the deadline and too tote to have blocks made so the photographs could not be included.—Editor). 45 Commando Croup 3 ASSAULT ORDNANCE DETACHMENT THE detachment, in 1981, has completed a routine which has •en part of a way of life for the Group for around fourteen vuars. It happens more or less in three phases, we pack up everything and sail to Norway, complete our Arctic Training of three months duration, pack up and sail home. Norway has indeed become a second home to 45 Commando Group and RAOC Soldiers having the privilege to serve with such a unique unit, can expect a far from routine life. Once deployed to Norway the main emphasis is on the training of novices and continuation training for the veterans in the skills and techniques of how to work, live and fight in an environment which can host temperatures well in excess of minus .wenty degrees celsius. Despite the ever present threat of cold weather injuries the Arctic Training is enjoyable, culminating in a twenty killometre ski race to test how well you have mastered your skis, known affectionately as ' Pussers Planks,' Privates Laight, Carrasco and Lyons completed their novice training, Staff Sergeant Bennetts, Corporals Reeby and Roff and Lance Corporal Doherty completed their continuation train- ing, but as it usually happens, by the time the whole detach- ment is trained the winds of change are blowing. Staff Sergeant Bennetts, Corporal Roff and Private Laight are returning to the Commando Ordnance Squadron in Plymouth. Private Lyons is at present completing a PTIs course and hopes to take up a post in that role. Corporal Reeby is posted to BAOR for a quieter life. We welcome in Sergeant Dona], Corporals Olejnik and Dickie. The remainder of the year for the Group is very busy with a tour of West Belfast starting in July. The detachment during the tour will be represented by Corporal Olejnik and Private Carrasco. For ourselves we look forward to three weeks at the Royal Tournament where we will be maintaining a stance from which any interested professional types can glean information about volunteering for Commando Forces. Royal Military College of Science Shrivenham THE 1981 ATO course, not daunted by the weight of academic instruction thrust upon them, continues to gather momentum. In fact the course are now halfway through the Shrivenham phase and are wondering what has happened to the last ten weeks. Some practical application of the course know- ledge was witnessed recently when they spent a morning on the range firing a variety of small arms weapons. The climax was a_ shoot out between Lieutenant Tom IwMoacwaciiitcwHii (Machine Gun) Mount on a heavy Machine Gun and Lieutenant Colonel David Hourahane on a Bren Gun. After the allotted, time the shots appeared equal showing DS Ammo 2 was still a force to be reckoned with, Two social evenings were held recently at the Royal Oak skittle alley. The first was a course games evening where the course. DS and wives were invited to play as many games as possible during the evening. Not so for our RAAOC member Joe Attard who took two and a half hours to play one game of chess and he lost! The RAOC members on the petroleum course gate crashed (in a friendly way) towards the latter part of the evening. The second occasion was in. recognition of our canny Scot Graeme Morrison being promoted to Captain he even managed to get Lieutenant Gary O'Sullivan to pay for the drinks! Congratulations must go to Captain Steve CI arks on and his wife Elizabeth on the birth of their daughter recently, in line tradition Steve treated the course to a champagne coffee break. One other addition is Lieutenant Tan Bid die's- Boxer dog which according to some members of the course shows more aptitude than Ian! Our overseas members on the course are finding life at Shrivenham much to their liking and join in on every occasion and often set the pace. They are, from. Canada Captain Bill Lavin, Captain Jim Goodman and Captain J, C. Vienneau, from Australia Flight Lieutenant A. L, Hind, Cap- tain Joe Attard all with their respective families and from Malaysia Second Lieutenants Rashid and Megat. The DGOS recently visited RMCS for a guest night The General along with eighteen other RAOC officers from various courses and members of the DS made up the largest cap badge contingent to sit down to dinner. Afterwards the General met all the RAOC officers. Members of the ATO, petroleum and degree courses would like to thank DS Ammo 1, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Goad, for the cocktail party he threw in their honour, what was in the punch we shall never know, but PT wasn't the same the next day. Our commiserations must go to Captain Bill Banfield, who trying to impress the younger members of the ATO course during PT (murder ball) managed to break two ribs. It only hurts when I breathe says Bill, there's hope yet that he will have to stop puffing his pipe. Also commisera- tions to Captain Mike Watkins who managed to fall off his hang glider and had to parachute to earth—I thought hang meant being suspended Still he did treat all the lads and lassies of Wroughton to free drinks. Centra! Ammunition Depot Kineton THE main event of this period for Kine- ton was the staging of the RAOC Associa- tion Annual Re-union. By the time this newsletter appears in print the event will have been reported on but I would just like to add to the congratulatory com- ments already made by the Commandant here in the CAD to all those Station personnel who worked extremely hard in making the weekend such a success. 9th April saw—and heard—the first shots fired in anger in the new fullbore shooting competition year. ^ A very successful Inter-Company match was held at Whittington * Ranges and in glorious weather the prizes were fairly evenly distributed with 'A* Company running out eventual winners of the Company Trophy. Individual winners were Major John Fox—SLR—Staff Sergeant John Hooper—SMG—Captain Bryden Ritchie—Pistol and LMG pairs winners—Staff Sergeant Dennis and Sergeant Craig. The Falling Plates Match was won by * C ' Company. Notable absentee from the prizewinners was our RSM Jim Chalmers who again failed dismally to win his first ever shooting prize! Even mutterings about " w h a t a way to spend a birthday " couldn't sway the eventual winners into feel- ing sorry for him. Captain Phil Martel came in for some ' stick ' for slight mishaps when switch pulling on the ETR and his pleas of " B u t it's not my fault" fell onto deaf ears. The outcome of the meeting was an opportunity to 'suss out* the talent in the Station for the team to compete in the Western District SAM. The * Walkers ' have been at it agaia under the auspices of Sergeant Paddy Cullen and this time they walked the Fosseway— some two hundred plus miles for charity. I hope to report more fully—with photos—in the next issue. OC 'D' Company, Captain Yvonne Harding is now a member of The Noble Order of Hying Pigs having jumped out of an aeroplane at Long Mars ton Airfield (with parachute) landing safely. This was her first parachute jump. Well done. All members of * D ' Company are now looking forward to Summer Camp—Exercise Bathing Belle—more news on this next time. In soccer we continue to be sucessful in the Banbury Sunday League and with only two games remaining against the bottom two teams who we have previously beaten, we have high hopes now of winning the league. In the West Midlands Wednesday League, some good away victories have moved us up the table. The Inter-Company League is reaching an exciting climax and looks like a fight to the finish between the * Giantkillers* of Headquarters Company and 522 Company RPC. To close our successful season, we have a Fund raising match arranged against an Aston Villa side to gain funds to buy computer equipment for a handicapped school. One of the children at the school, Richard Hitchcock is the son of an MOD Police Sergeant here at Kineton and it is through Sergeant Hitchcock that the match has been arranged. 'A* COMPANY, This month we won the Inter Company Shooting Competition. Staff Sergeant John Hooper gave a |
| Book number | R0250 |