RAOC Gazette - page 216
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 |
After the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal presentations by the Vice Quarter-Master-General* We hope both they and their families settle into the Bicester area, and that their stay with us will be happy. 16 BATTALION BATTALION HEADQUARTERS. At long last our Part Two Order Clerk Private Phyliss Hylton has returned to the fold from her athletic exploits, and our many congratulations to her on achieving second place in the long jump and third in the two hundred metres in the Inter-Services competition, first place in the two hundred metres and relay events in the Army Athletics finals. Our congratulations also go to our new Documents Clerk Private Gill Souter in obtaining an 'A' Grade on the Documenta- tion Course at RAOC Records. Private Andy Warham is back after successfully passing his RPC2 Course. We have said our farewells to W02 John Andrews and Lance Corporal Linda Monk and welcome in their place Staff Sergeant Paul Payne, our new Chief Clerk, and Private Jeens. Although we suffered with the weather, the Corps Individual Regatta held at Calvert Lake went off very well indeed. The Camp Admin was left to the Company and Captain Fagg and Sergeant Sansome managed to keep all happy. A successful week was had by all. The Inter Company cricket competition has still to be decided with Headquarter Company and 4 A 1 Company to meet again, after a hard fought draw, to determine a winner. We hope WOl King's leg injury heals in time for 'the replay.' Perhaps England could learn a thing or two! I Congratulations go to our pay Corporal, Corporal Whelton on the recent addition to his family, a baby boy, and to Privates Hillman and Emery on their recent marriages. all (no discrimination for the weaker sex!). Whilst on the exercise Lance Corporal ' Geordie ' Parkins got into the strange habit of trying to catch a helicopter. He would throw bread trying lo lure them into his trap. Private ' Jock ' Mudie was up to his usual tricks again, skirmishing through an enemy position, he got carried away and fell breaking his ankle consequently he is now hobbling around on crutches, The Company slaft" had one week to recuperate before once again disappearing into the wilderness of Salisbury Plain. It was, of course, this time to exercise 3 C Sups Company in its shadow role. This was primarily a teaching exercise followed by a forty eight hour survival exercise. When the Company arrived in their position they were rather shocked to find several hundred cadets from Norfolk and Suffolk ACF roaming around. Nevertheless this worked out quite well later on as our final attack was put in at dawn against a cadet defensive position, The exercise ended with twenty nine weary bodies returning to St George's Barracks for a hot bath and a good night's sleep. Even with these heroic efforts on the battlefields 4 B ' Com- pany still managed to fit in several social occasions. An all ranks Bar-B-Q was held which proved to be very successful, with a disco in the Cannons Club and a Steel Band on the parade square. The Bar-B-Q was closely followed by the Garrison Fete which proved to be a huge success. A total amount of £1,087 was raised for local and service charities. The Otmoor Challenge team were invited to Enghourne Lodge School for a day lo meet some oi" the children they had raised money for. The Company played a football match against the children but CSM Alan ' P a n d y ' Smith chose the team, consequently the Company lost two one to the children. (Will Captain Bill 'Alison * Tweddle ever forgive him?). Finally we must say congratulations and good luck to Corporal James Paton, Lance Corporal Ron Frayne and Private James Chynoweth who recently married. Farewell to Corporal Tagoe, Lance Corporal Murray and Staff Sergeant Lamb and welcome to Lance Corporal Mc- Gregor, Sergeant Daws on, Staff Sergeant Scribbons, Sergeant Moore and Private Hawker; we hope you enjoy your stay in Bicester. ' D ' COMPANY. The Army (W) Inter Unit Swimming Cham- pionships were held at RMA Sandhurst and * D ' Company 16 Battalion represented South East District, having won the Dis- trict Championships a month previously. ' D * Company was one of seven teams competing in the competition, but this number was reduced to six when the team representing Germany were disqualified for not complying with the competition rules. The competition was delayed for thirty minutes due to poor weather conditions and finally started at 1430 hours. The women's events commenced with the 66^ yards breaststroke, Private Jessie Barks, probably our most experienced swimmer, was representing ' D * Company in this event. She led the race from the start and achieved first position with a score of six points. Corporal Bev Worth was our next competitor and an- other strong swimmer, but being a little unnerved by a warning from the starter and getting away on, a very poor start, she was unable to recover her position and came sixth in the backstroke. This only gave us one point, but each point makes a vital contribution in any competition. Private Kath Morgan was swimming in the 6 6 | yards free- style. Having put in a lot of hard training whilst working as an attendant at Ambrosden swimming pool, there had been a marked improvement in her swimming and a first placing in this event would certainly have boosted our score and put us in a strong position. Unfortunately, competition in this event was strong and with two Army swimmers to contend with, Private Morgan achieved a commendable fourth placing. At this stage in the Championships, Northern Ireland were commanding a strong lead. ' D ' Company however were fight- ing hard to retain a second placing, closely followed by COD Donnington and Training Battalion RAOC. With only two events left four by one length freestyle relay and three by one length medley relay, everything depended on them. The freestyle relay was the first of the two events, with the following servicewomen representing *D* Company: Privates Bates, Feeney, Nelhams and Todd, We achieved third place whilst Northern Ireland came first. It was now impossible to win the overall competition, but the fight for second place was still fierce. The final event three by one length medley relay would decide the other placings. In this event we had placed our three strongest swimmers: Corporal Worth* Privates Barks and Morgan. Yet again we won third place with a total of twenty *A* COMPANY. This month's activities included Exercise Angels Patrol II. using our local training area and Exercise Golden Harvest II on Salisbury Plain. As 4th Armoured Division C 1 Sups Company (the lean and mean of 'A Company) will not visit BAOR this year, the Salisbury Plain epic was the culmina- tion of technical training for 198L Platoon and section battle drills were revised as well as map reading, radio procedure, Eager Beaver driving and helicopter load handling. As is usual in 'A* Company, turnover of members has been considerable. Lieutenant Miller and CSM Rowers have left and Private Pankhurst has by now arrived at Dulmen. We welcome CSM McLean, Sergeants Taylor and Wells, Lance Corporal HaUiwell and Privates Brimmicombe, Palmer, Walker, Kilcoyne, Peake and Kenyon. Congratulations to Corporal Brogdale on his recent pro- motion and Lance Corporal Lynch on his marriage to Private Smith WRAC. ' B * COMPANY. The compulsive reader of * B ' Company's notes of recent months will have noted that we are developing the spirit of adventure. After the Admin Officers sortie into the Lake District (see last month's notes) he felt confident enough to lead a party on a weekend exercise to Old Dean Common training at RMA Sandhurst. Exercise Camberley Canter was designed to teach our soldiers basic infantry skills and survival. The party left Bicester in a jovial mood accompanied by Second Lieutenant Gillian Haddon WRAC and five WRAC girls o f D ' Company. The girls joined in the exercise as infantrymen, digging in and t — ISO |
| Book number | R0250 |