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RAOC Gazette - page 117

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Corps RAOC
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Publication date 1981
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Early date 1981
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Transcription (Motley crew!) were close runners-up in the inter unit sailing
competition.
The Bicester Officers Mess won the Base Depot Inter
Officers Mess Cricket Competition thanks mainly to DSCS who
fielded eight out of the eleven players. Despite the efforts of
Captain Roger Atkey (five dropped catches). Major Richard
Shore and Major John Elphinston RAAOC, forgot the Ashes
and combined forces to a devastating bowling display. Credit
for the organisation must go to another DSCS member Lieu-
tenant Colonel David Evans.
Recent arrivals here included Colonel David Man from
SHAPE, Lieutenant Colonel David Humphrey from Hong Kong,
Lieutenant Colonel David Evans from COD Bicester (David
would appear to be a fairly common christian name!). Major
John Neville from BAOR, Captain Pauline Woods WRAC
from Northern Ireland and W02 Mike Townend RCT. We say
farewell to Colonel Bob Herdman, Captain Harry O'Hare (School
of Ammunition) and Captain Tom Briggs (ICP Viersen).
Training
Centre
SCHOOL OF
ORDNANCE
-rTfr";^X^"—Th-i THERE have been a few unfortunate
- ^ • * - ^ZZ
accidents at the School recently.
Mr
^*-^ ^
^.
Jack Worthington has returned to work
^ *,*»•% ^
after suffering a heart attack. He has lost
L ^—si-——-M
one and a half stones and consequently
|L
A-
I looks extremely fit. He suffered the attack
the day that Major Ray Turner joined him
in the Health and Safety Branch, but Ray does not hold it
against him.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Goodwin (Retd) has also recently
suffered the same fate and is now recovering quickly in Reading
Hospital. He plans to return to the School at the beginning of
August in time for the August break. His misfortune benefits
others because the road between Pangbourne and Deepcut is
now a safe place for other commuters.
Mrs Paddy Clark, whilst driving to work, had an un-
fortunate meeting with the Commandants staff car. Luckily
the Colonel was not a passenger in his car at the time. Paddy
is now driving a somewhat modified Princess and is forced to
climb in and out through the passenger door.
Major Ray Ansel is the new RAOC golf champion. He
won the Spring Meeting held at Blackmoor and would like it
known that he won the tournament off scratch but we didn't even
know he had an infection. Major Frank Warren has been
representing the Corps (not only because he is the Corps
Golf Secretary) and has actually beaten someone in the Pay
Corps. In fact Frank has been educating the Civil Service in
Inventory Management to enable them to inspect various
establishments. With one Senior Principal and two SEOs on the
course Frank admitted having difficulty keeping up with them.
Major Malcolm Bryant, the Team Manager of the Army
Athletics Team, has been announcer at all the recent athletics
meetings. This is partly due to his position of Team Manager
and partly due to the fact that the public address system in the
Aldershot stadium has broken down. Sergeant Mick Binks came
third in the Army fifteen hundred metres although he hasn't
broken the magical four minute barrier yet.
The I of E team has been fought ofT for another few years.
It is. rumoured that only two posts have been threatened, one
being the Management Branch and the other being the Logistics
Branch.
The School Mess has featured in the news recently. We
have had a very successful Dinner Night with the Common-
wealth and Foreign Officers Course and an equally successful
June Lunch. Luckily for the PMC, Mr Vice and the Band it
was decided that some fifteen national anthems would be too
much after dinner, hence the UN Hymn * Ode to Joy * was
played instead. The request by Lieutenant Colonel Ian Bradley
that the CFOOs should sing was declined! The June Lunch
with Pimms on the lawn followed by a Frank Batchelor ' special *
was also extremely well received, the weather again being very
kind to us on the day.
We say farewell to Major Stephen Roberts, Corporal Phil
Longland and Mrs Joan Lungley. Stephen Roberts has taken his
slide library to SOEST where he hopes to exchange it for an
Ordnance Company. Phil Longland has gone to pester the
Army Air Corps again at Wallop and Joan Lungley has moved
on promotion all the way to the Apprentices College.
We welcome Major Tom Cowan from Dulmen and Corporal
Ian Gray from Bracht. I would be surprised if Major Ray
Ansel is the RAOC Champion next year—scratch or no
scratch!
EMPLOYMENT
TRAINING
SCHOOL
l
VEHICLE SPEC IA LIST BRANCH. W02 Whippet * McNaught
once again lead the Vehicle Specialists on the BFT, with Sergeant
Bob Law in the middle holding up the opposition and Sergeant
Geoff Williams bringing up the rear to make sure no one
dropped out. Needless to say all passed. BFT is not a problem
Q s v SHORT 1 runs are. lb Hurry up Sandy, Bob and Geoff."
The guest appearance of W 2 Bill Heap in the class rooms
still occur.
PRINTER BRANCH.
At the end of May the Printing Branch
said farewell to their leader WOl Cliff Poison on his way to
a life on Bondi Beach, we wish Cliff, Pat and family a sunny
future. We welcome Cliff's replacement WOl Brian Longridge
and his family on arrival from Donnington whose first problem
is to find us some more potential printers.
Sergeant Len Salisbury, No. I in the Headquarters Sergeants
Mess snooker scheme is hoping to repeat last years successful
celebrity snooker evening by booking Steve Davies for the 1st
October in the Tela Theatre.
He has also been involved in snooker tours of BAOR and
Gibraltar while at the same time holding weekly teach-ins for
dependants.
ADVANCED CLERKS BRANCH.
W02 Ron McCaffrey is
again on his annual pilgrimage to Greenham Common where
he is the Quartermaster for the RAF International Air Tattoo
1981 which is held there. He tells us it is part of his Resettle-
ment Course!
SUPPLY SPECIALISTS BRANCH.
Some changes in the
Branch have been made this month. Sergeant ' Gon2o T Bee has
left to take up the post of Provost Sergeant and was last seen
and heard sliding down the camp hill in his highly studded and
highly polished 'Gravel Crunchers'—Look out Recruits!
APPRENTICES
COLLEGE
HEADQUARTERS COMPANY has settled down again after the
College Summer Camp at Penally. The camp proved to be a
great success but the activities were hampered by the poor
weather.
Credit to Sergeant Bill (Little Willy) Gibson and
Corporal Steve Jenkins who both managed to keep smiling whilst
they were under canvas and coping with knee-deep mud. Their
contribution to the three day exercise in the Prescilly Hills was
tremendous.
Our stand-in Training Officer, Captain Phil Freegard (Fire-
guard), managed to cope extremely well at Summer Camp. The
only thing he needs to learn now is how to play volley ball.
Captain Freegard was standing in for Captain Ted Walcroft,
since promoted and posted to the land of LOA. We wish him
and his family all the best in BAOR.
Our congratulations to Corporal and Mrs Nan Langton on
the birth of their son James, the first of many no doubt.
We welcome Captain John Inman, our new College Train-
ing Officer, who has joined us from Viersen; Corporal Dick
Rainey into our training wing and Lance Corporals Jock van
Nuil and Norman Pilkington.
Sadly we say farewell to Sergeant Trevor Watson and
Corporal Steve Jenkins who have not only left Headquarters
Company, but deserted to our enemies in 4 A* Company. Good
luck lads with the recruits.
'A' COMPANY.
With the departure of last term's Arnhem and
Ardennes Platoons and Alamein away on trade training the Com-
pany office should have taken on a quieter air, this was not to be
with the return of Sergeant Gatley and the drill practise of
Sergeant Bradley (preparing for the artificer's course).
The
summer sports and EMAs are quickly into gear, all we need now
is some good weather,
On the sporting scene the first activity was the Bari Cup
where Captain Eccles, Lieutenant Goldie, Apprentices Walker
and Tyrrell represented the Company achieving good results
reaching the quarter finals.
The next event was the Bruce Seven's Cup where Sergeant
Tarr and Lieutenant Goldie turned out excellent results. While
we are on rugby it should be noted that Sergeant Tarr was
presented with his Combined Services colours.
In preparation for the Inter-Company Athletics an athletics
standards competition was held. Each apprentice had to at-
tempt each of the eight events. Even the bad weather could not
dampen the enthusiasm of the participants and good results were
achieved. Corporal Purcell won the competition with nineteen
points with James, W. Martin and Pearson a close second.
The Company were heavily involved in the Training Centre
athletics at Bracknell. In a two part competition; Inter Ap-
prentice Company and a three-way competition between Train-
Book number R0250