RAOC Gazette - page 165
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 |
our guests recently as part of the DGOS visit to RAOC units in the Kent area. A number of serving and retired RAOC officers from the area attended a lunch in Headquarters In- telligence Corps Officers Mess amongst whom were Colonel Tom Hatton who lives in Ashford and Major Alan Robertson who has joined the enemy (FHWS) in Shomcliffe. STORES SECTION 44 COMMAND WORKSHOP. The DGOS on his recent inspection of units in the South East visited Ashford, and on checking our records it would appear to be the first time that this unit has been visited by a DGOS. Our congratulations to Mrs Colette Jeffrey, Clerical Officer, on being awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, which was presented to her at Buckingham Palace, Mrs Jeffrey gained her award for community service and teaching illiterate children. South West District THE silly season is upon us. Officers and the staff are constantly coming from and going on leave. We have had one member in the Italian Alps complete with his AFG1098 yodelling kit, another landed the biggest fish ever off Cornwall, one is off to Tunisia but some of us must stay at home attending to the paintwork or garden. Our Deputy Commander, Brigadier Joe Starling has retired prematurely to take up an appointment as Secretary to the Western Wessex TAVRA. We were very sad to see him go as he was a great friend to Ordnance. His 'Joe Grams * written in heli- copters with the torch between his teeth following his visits, were something to be seen to be believed. By the time his PA had interpreted them we in RAOC were able to do our best to solve the Unit's problems. Brigadier Joe was also the Chair- man of the Army Parachute Association and those of us in the 'Airborne Machine* will remember him well. We were delighted to be told that the play ' Trap for a lonely Man' produced by our Chief Clerk (W02 Jim Bond) and starring as the leading man our SO3 (S Man) (Captain Lawrence Wood) won the 1981 UK Section of the Army Drama Festival. We stand by for bigger and better productions. Finally we welcome Captain Stephen Monk from BAOR as our next S03 (S Man) and also Mrs Kathie Rand wife of our ADACC as a Clerical Officer in the Branch. To both we wish happy tours. SUPPLY DEPOT BULFORD. Mrs Joan Blakemore and staff in the Indents Office have had a very busy time recently with the influx of exercise units training in the local area. Our POL Accountant, Mrs Daphne Donald, escaped the rigours of the Plain and found the sun in Tunisia. On the military side Sergeant Frank Batty got away to the bright lights of London on an attachment at the Royal Tournament, whilst Lieutenant Barry Lear had to do with two weeks at Blackdown on the Unit Safety Officers Course. Our Master Butcher Sergeant Brian Taylor visited his home town Cleethorpes and proved his initiative by talking his local council into providing him with a council house a short distance from the beach. Visitors during the period included Captain John Hands, RAAOC, who spent two days at the Depot studying Supply procedures in a UK Supply Depot, the auditors who spent a week with us and Major Michael Cutchey, the OS designate, who made a short visit whilst on leave from BAOR. Finally we welcomed Lance Corporal Royston Tillman who returned after one year in Belize as a transitee, pending his posting to Hong Kong. STORES PLATOON 10 FIELD WORKSHOP SINCE the last report this Platoon has had the pleasure of taking part in Exercise Lion Sun I in Cyprus. The OC and Staff Sergeant Steen became the Exercise QM and CQMS respectively whilst Lance Corporals Barraclough l and Horn and Privates Wright and Tierney were exercised.' The Battlecraft stage took place on the unrelenting terrain of Episkopi which we felt was hard but worthwhile. Watermanship Training took place in Akrotiri and Episkopi and was enjoyed by all. Leadership Training was carried out in the Troodos Mountains where the DS managed to arrange ' hailstones' to make things more realistic. Finally the Range day was organised at Dhekelia with much imagination. In spite of all this the soldiers managed one rest day per week which was spent touring the various cities and their taverns. Perhaps next year WOI Forde, Sergeant Munn and CorDo^i Smith will have the opportunity to go and sample the dehVW of Cyprus. "sau We said farewell to two of our civilian ladies, Gladys Field and Ruth Cotteril, who had been with the Army Departme for many years. Gladys had served a total of forty one yea and Ruth slightly less. We still see Gladys* smiling face arouS Tidworth. We wish them both a happy retirement. We wet come Mrs Ann Morris and Mr Jewell and hope they will have a successful tour with the Unit. 8 Field Force ^^^ Hife^^ I M ^ AFTER our last notes on our return from Exercise Lion Sun. we took part in Exercis* ^ Pegasus Trail a FTX held in the area of I I S B I ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Macrihanish in Scotland. The weather was ^^^^^^^^ rather unkind to us and the parachute drcm ^^^^ planned for 3 Para, the unit exercising witf I us, was called off. They were instead, along with us ' craphats,* air landed onto Macn- hanish airfield and from there the exercise commenced. Towards the end of the exercise a group of the Headquarters personnel, amongst them three of my trusty staff clerks, namely Corporal Geoff Parker, Lance Corporal Dave Hood, and Private Dave Howarth were asked to d own pens and form a section to act as enemy against 3 Para. Fortunately, and I still can't decide for whom, the 3 Para section sent out to capture our brave band didn't make contact. The following morning when our battle hardened clerks returned to base soaked to the skin and look* ing very dejected> it was nice to hear from Corporal Parker what would have been in store for the Paras if they had found his section. (I hope this doesn't get into the hands of 3 Para as wc are exercising with them again shortly). We are obviously reaping the benefit of our morning runs, On two BFTs done by the Headquarters staff recently we achieved a one hundred per cent pass on both days. Our BM was so amazed by this achievement that he had the course distance checked before he would accept it. Oh these non- believers! Private Dave Howarth, the G Trg Clk made his name known very early on after joining the Headquarters, He had been sent out on a driving detail by the G3 Trg and on his return to the Headquarters decided that he could fit his Land Rover quite comfortably between two parked cars. He realised he had erred when he heard metal against metal and guess whose car it was, that's right, the G3 Trg. His comments "Well } needed a respray anyway." % By the time these notes appear in print, we will have said farewell to Sergeant Malcolm Lawrence and his wife Kath who leave us for Headquarters South West District and pro- motion. Good luck to you both. 7 Field Force Ordnance Company IT is almost two years since this Unit was approached by the local Turner Village Hospital to provide helpers to assist in the construction and development of a leisure centre for their mentally handicapped patients. The scheme was designated as ' Project Horizon,' and attracted immediate voluntary support—which prompted the E cynics to label the venture as a nine day wonder.' Nothing could have been further from the truth, and it k pleasing to be able to report that the support has not only been maintained throughout this period, but has increased, together with the range of tasks tackled, which have now been extended to include an element of direct social and personal assistance to the patients. Erecting a large marquee for the hospital's Grande Summer Fete was a recent weekend project for five Unit volunteers, and Lance Corporal Wurzel Hudson with Privates Scouse Burke, Brum Goucher, Shep Sheppard and Andy Morton stepped forward. With the job completed, they then involved them- selves with the various activities, including the running of the Hoopla and Coconut stalls. , % The Permanent Staff completed an It's a Knockout competition, which included a mini assault course, built, su Pf£ vised and judged by Lance Corporal Hudson and the lads. AH 136 |
| Book number | R0250 |