RAOC Gazette - page 56
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 |
ORDNANCE SERVICES BERLIN RECEIVE THE FREEDOM OF SPANDAU -T exactly eleven o'clock on Friday 8lh of May 1981 a black Daimler carrying the Director General of Ordnance Services, vlajor General Brown and the Mayor of Spandau, Herr Werner ialomon, drove onto the Parade Ground in Alexander Barracks Jpandau—the ' h o m e ' of Ordnance Services Berlin. They were rreeted by a memorable spectacle. Bright spring sunshine— cnown locally as 4 Kaisers* weather—highlighted all the colours n the uniforms of the parade; the finery of the hundreds of ;pectators; the white tentage, bright bunting and the many lags which had been used to decorate the parade ground. The DGOS and the Mayor mounted the dais and the Parade Com- nander, Lieutenant Colonel Colin van. Orton the Commander Supplies, ordered a General Salute which signalled the official ;tart of the celebrations to mark the award of the Freedom of Spandau to Ordnance Services Berlin. Photo Spandau Valksblatt* W O l (Conductor) Jack Redfern BEM, Senior Warrant Officer in Ordnance Services, holds the Freedom Scroll with DCOS and the Mayor of Spandau in the background. Photo Spandau Valksblatt. DCOS and the Mayor of Spandau inspecting the Ordnance Services contingent on the Freedom Parade. On parade were three RAOC contingents. One, com- manded by Captain Jonathan Rollason was provided by the majority of the military personnel of Ordnance Services Berlin. The second came entirely from the Corps of Drums of the RAOC Apprentices College, resplendent in their new scarlet tunics and commanded on parade by Captain Ken Murchison. The third was manned by the balance of the Corps of Drums of the Apprentices College together with their Berlin Platoon under Lieutenant Jeremy Redwood. Major Alan Clouter GM and SSM Alan Freemantle were respectively the parade 2IC and Warrant Officer and music was provided by the Staff Band of the RAOC, on parade under their Director of Music Captain Rodney Parker, The high point of the morning was of course the ceremony actually conferring the Freedom of Spandau. Before the event though, the DGOS and the Mayor inspected the troops on parade and were then introduced to twenty seven civilian members of the unit who had each served in it for twenty five or more years. Their involvement had been deliberately planned to emphasise the strong residential links with Spandau and the tradition of long service of the units civilian employees —one hundred and two of whom have served for twenty five or more years in the unit's thirty six years in Spandau. The Mayor of Spandau, after making a fine speech in German and English handed the scroll, conferring the Free- dom of Spandau, to the DGOS on the unit's behalf. In his response the DGOS showed his mastery of German and asked the Mayor to accept a splendid silver cigar box 'for the officials and people of Spandau.' He then called on the unit's senior Warrant Officer, Conductor Jack Redfem BEM, to take the Freedom Scroll into his safekeeping. The DGOS concluded his speech by again referring to the days traditional associations: " It is appropriate thai, the scroll bearer should hold the historic rank of Conductor, which traces its origins back to 1327, and is an appointment, found only in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps." The unit then symbolically exercised its b Freedom Rights * by marching off parade with bayonets fixed and with their own Corps Band playing the strains of ( T h e Village Blacksmith' and ' Berliner Luft.' The last man off parade was Conductor Redfem—proudly bearing the Freedom Scroll. The spectators at the parade included the DOS BAOR Brigadier Whalley accompanied by his wife and the key British military figures in Berlin—the G O Q Major General Mostyn, Brigade Commander Brigadier J, Evans, the British Minister, and other senior staff officers and unit commanders. Also present were all the civilian staff of the unit, the wives and families of all unit members together with all other RAOC Berlin personnel and representatives of each of the parties in the Spandau govern- ing council. In addition, however, there were some very special VIPs for the day. First there were three of the former RAOC commanders of the unit, who had returned with their wives to be part of this historic day—Lieutenant Colonel John Fitz- simmons (1978—1981), Colonel Peter Istead (1975—1977) and Colonel Bob Allen (Retd) (1968—1970) who came all the way from Black down to participate. Secondly an ex-RAOC Chelsea Pensioner had been invited to the parade and the bearing and in- domitable spirit of seventy nine year old Sergeant Bill Nicholls, who first enlisted in the RAOC in 1921, reminded all those present of the debts they owe to their military forebears. Finally an ex-RAOC Yeoman Warder of the Guard had been invited to emphasise the RAOC links with the Tower, where much of our earlier Corps history was centred. Warrant Officer D'Arcy, accompanied by his wife, attended the celebrations and wearing the uniform designed in Queen Victoria's reign proudly represented the traditions of both the Tower and the RAOC. After the parade the participants and spectators split into two groups. Two hundred people attended a reception given by the Mayor of Spandau held in York House Officers Mess where a section of the RAOC Staff Band entertained them. The large |
| Book number | R0250 |