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RAOC Gazette - page 28

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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1978
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Early date 1978
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Transcription promotion, posting and one of the first recipients of the RAOC
Award For Achievement. Well done Tim on all of ihem and
we wish you and Maddy all success for ihe future.
In his
place we welcome Captain Mike Noblett who comes on com-
missioning from BAOR. Finally we say farewell to Mr Erroi
Williams who has been promoted to HEO and has moved up-
stairs to REME. One understands that he is now 'managing'
PTOs if that were possible!
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENTS
DIVISION
LANCE CORPORAL GYPO WALTERS had a very enjoyable
and successful two weeks on his second visit to the snows this
year. He attended the ASA Winter Meeting at Aviemore and
won the Gratwick Cup for the best RAOC novice.
Our Lieutenant Colonels seem to be very busy at the
moment, we hope the trend continues. Lieutenant Colonel Tony
Camfield is burning the midnight oil and the candle at both
ends at the Henley Stan* College: four weeks of fourteen hour
days and only one weekend free.
Lieutenant Colonel John
KostofT is doing a Cooks tour of BAOR and we are all worried
that he will come back imbued with the spirit of real soldiering.
Lieutenant Colonel John Gentle in the meantime has been
standing in not only for the other two Lieutenant Colonels but
also for Colonel Davies who has been trying desperately to use
up his balance of leave,
Stat! Sergeant Les Dalton and his team are busily looking
for some high boiling point brake fluid for the Donnington
rally car because it goes so fast the normaj fluid boils. After
one or two hairy incidents they came twenty eighth out of one
hundred and twenty starters in the Craven Motor Club Rally
from Reading.
We had two teams in the Donnington Scramble as well as
one or two runners scrambling for the Hash Veterans. Although
our team came sixth Corporal Willie Baxter managed a very
creditable ninth overall. We don't like to talk too much about it
but Staff Sergeant Mel Hamilton came twenty seventh out of the
fifty four running in the ladies event He should have come in
the first ten but on the second lap he was delayed in the sticks:
but he won't say why.
Some of us hope that even though the cricket season will
be upon us soon we will still be playing hockey. To keep the
flag flying our hockey players Sergeant Steve Swales, Corporal
Willie Baxter, Private John Babbage and Major Graham Brown-
ing spent a Sunday playing at the LI Depot six-a-side festival.
No trophies were brought back this time but the full day's
hockey was enjoyed by all.
Communications Branch have suffered a sixty per cent
change over in their military officers since we last wrote.
Majors Mike Roberts and Tom Moffat have left. Mike was
unable to sell anyone his new telephone number at Stanmore
in spite of hawking it around and looking expectant and thirsty
at the bar. Tom has left us for the rigours and uncertainties of
civilian life and we wish him and Anne his wife every success
and happiness. Captain Brian Nimick has gone to the School
to impart his wealth of experience and knowledge to the gullible
officers on the OOs' courses. We welcome in their stead Majors
David Simmons and Chris Morton and Captain Brian Roberts.
We also welcome Staff Sergeant Hartley.
VEHICLE DIVISION
THAT Inspector of Establishments ' Captain Hatchet' is coming
to poke his nose into the goings on in Vehicle Division—I hope
he has a good sense of humour—or can move quickly, as any-
body standing still in Chilwell (as you all know) is either just
leaving or has just arrived. But frivolities aside for a second,
much time and labour has been spent pouring through pro-
cedures, job specifications and descriptions in updating and re-
writing. At least we now know what we are meant to be
doing. I wonder if it can be considered a coincidence that
Colonel Paddy Groves has left to Colonel S Man 2, Lieutenant
Colonel Mike Watts has gone to Northern Ireland to be followed
by Captain Andrew Dexter. ' Rati exeunt etc? .*
Captain Andrew Harrison (Retd) joined us for his last six
weeks of service during which time he delved into the bilges of
MTSP looking for details of spares that have been around for so
long that they are being packed for sale at Sothebys. The
results were quite startling or so it appears as Andrew is now
counting flies in the Oman Desert!
Those stalwarts of Chilwell sport in MTSP have been raising
the flag on the playing fields of Eton (or was it Nottingham
Co-operative Dairy).
The Chilwell Garrison football team,
under the spirited guidance of Sergeant Bryan Booth, have
just knocked 6th Field Force Ordnance Company into a large
cocked hat by beating them six nil in the semi-final of the
Richards Cup (Chilwell did not pursue the follow-on).
On the local front the Chilwell team are involved in the
Nottingham * Thursday League* making their way to the final
of the ' Bull Cup.' Without catling the nominal roll of the
football team we have indeed some excellent players who have
played in a commendable season. Such names as Staff Sergeant
Larry Emberly, Privates Bomber Wells and Nick Marshall have
had a good season knocking them in, while Davy Cox at the
other end of the field keeping goal has had an equally good
season knocking them out.
Vehicle Division are having true representation in the
Chilwell Garrison Players as the production of ' Not Now
Darling ' enters the final month of rehearsals. Sandra Whittlesey,
that well known extrovert in Provision Group, is to play the
stripper (sorry, tickets are all sold) who causes the trouble and
is the centre of the plot. Ms Janet Cook from MTSP and Ms
Maureen Miles from UCSM also feature in less startling, but
nonetheless, important roles. It's all to be seen at Chilwell! We
used to say " It's all go '*!
Those now marked absent on parade are Colonel Paddy
Groves, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Watts, Captains Dexter and
Harrison also Private Towers on discharge and Private Hoarea
on detachment to Cyprus (I hope you get sunstroke!). A very
warm welcome must be extended to Lieutenant Colonel Alan
Kennedy who has taken up the wheel in Vehicle Branch and to
Captain Paddy O'Connell having arrived back again to take up
the item history sheets in MTSP. May your stay in Chilwell
be long and memorable.
Directorate of Land Service Ammunition
ONE advantage of saying goodbye is that you can always mark
the occasion by uncorking a bottle. The phased withdrawal of
DBD and DSCS from Didcot Station provided numerous excuses
and occasions to maintain the flow. Our Director, Brigadier
Denzil Cowdry, celebrated his fiftieth birthday on 2nd March to
the sound of popping champagne corks. There was more bubbly
to be had at the farewell party for Captain Mick Pritchard on
29th March. Like many eminent predecessors he has joined
the ranks of sand worshippers in Saudi Arabia, presumably to
run the ladies keep fit classes in Riyadh,
After the farewell came the DLSA Re-Shuffle. This dance
has really caught on. It is a variation on musical chairs but the
music never stops and you carry your own chair (desk, type-
writer, riling cabinets
) Sensible branch heads go on
leave and the camp staff are going sick*
Next we expect The Arrival, Already there is a cloud of
dust on the northern horizon; incantations in a strange tongue
are borne to us on the wind; the lost tribe of Ammunition In-
ventory Branch cometh forth frorn Bicester, Once they have
joined us we hope the shuffling will stop and we can all get
down to some serious tennis. We know we are good at sport
because we retained the Bari Cup Plate award and the sailors
are training hard already for the DLSA Nassau-Belize leg of a
future cruise!
Training Centre
HEADQUARTERS
THE last month has been very hectic as far as sports are
concerned. The football team played 10 Ordnance Support
Battalion in the Quarter final of the Richards Cup and were
worthy winners by five goals to two in a very entertaining
match, we also took part in the South East District six-a-side
competition and put on a very good show coming third in our
league, it was a very enjoyable day.
The rugby team beat 10 Ordnance Support Battalion in the
final of the Hill Cup in front of a good crowd,
Major Cooke our DAA and QMG, is walking around with a
permanent smile on his face. He has just received his posting
order to Oman as OC SAF Ordnance Depot We also welcome
Major Stock (Retd) as Staff Captain *A,' Lieutenant Colonel
Wells (Retd) moves from Staff Captain 'A' and takes over the
reign of PLO from Brigadier Haddon (Retd) who has now
retired.
Private Simpson our WRAC girl, has just returned from a
short PTIs course and she did so well that she has been selectee
for the six months course, we wish her well.
SCHOOL OF ORDNANCE
THREE arrivals to report this month, Major Bob Maclagan frorr
LE(A), Captain Brian Nimick from DSM(A) and Staff Sergean
Esslemont from Bramley. We hope they have a happy anc
fruitful stay with us. Captain Scott Allin has left us, after r
very short stay, for the joys and salary of civilian life. We wist
Tricia and he every success,
Book number R0247