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RAOC Gazette - page 266

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Publication date 1981
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Early date 1981
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Transcription Petroleum Centre
THE last month in the Petroleum Centre
has been very quiet. Our 10 Ordnance
Support Battalion element and some of
our Potential Pet Ops are in Denmark -
we assume enjoying themselves.
The
School of Petroleum has also been quiet,
having leave and refreshing the minds
ready for the Autumn onslaught of eager
students.
The Commandant and OC School
accompanied the Officers Petroleum Course to BAOR (1 think
the reason given was ' reforming the links that bind the petroleum
world').
Major Lawrence Wood has settled into the OC Depot chair.
In fact he settled into the Commandants too as he was acting
Commandant in his absence. He has already while wearing his
PR I Officer hat notched up a notable success in selling the
units dilapidated and seldom used beach hut.
The Unit football team is now under the guidance and
coaching skills of W 2 Geordie Symons. It is rumoured that
there is no intention of supporting the league in quite the same
manner this year. On the unit shooting side Major Sid Pincher
has a new assistant in the form of W 2 Bill Lindgren and they
continue to coach the unit small bore team.
We welcome to the unit Privates Gallacher T Arnold Fish-
wick, May, Swain, Donaldson and Johnston potential Petroleum
Operators all. Also we welcome Corporal Laundon ACC, We
say farewell to WOl Rooke to BAOR, Corporal Batterham
ACC to BAOR and Corporal Patterson to civilian life. We
congratulate"WOl Alan EJsey on elevation to that rank. We
also welcome back after short illness WOl Mick Dodwell our
Depot Superintendent.
C V D Ashchurch Shooting T e a m .
From left to right: Corporal
K. Hemmings, Lance Corporal D. A . Thompson, Private G. T,
Paddock, Captain J . A . E. Wheeler, Colonel A. D. Sharpe
(Commandant), W 2 J . L. W o o d .
excellent opposition. The team, W 2 Wood (Coach, Army and
Corps Shot), W02 Tex Roberts, Corporal Hemmings and Lance
Corporal McGregor are preparing for the 1982 season and are
trying to drum up more interest.
The Full Bore Team under Captain Wheeler achieved the
following results in the South W 7 est District Sam. Winners LMG
Pairs and SMG Teams (three men). Runners up SMG Team
(four men) and Minor Unit District Championship. In the SLR
Competition we won one of the three matches and were runners
up for Team Snap Shooting.
In the Regular Army Sam all team members achieved
personal bests in competition. We came seventeenth out of forty
two teams. We also achieved second best in South West District
and RAOC Teams. We also won the RAOC Inter-Unit Shoot-
ing Match (inc BAOR Teams). Private Paddock is congratulated
on his fine shooting, and Captain Wheeler for gaining runner up
in the RAOC Non Central Match Individual Rifle Shoot.
Overall this has been a good season for the team although
the loss of the Corp Sam is a blow as the team usually excels at
this meeting.
VEHICLE DEPOT
HILTON
JOAN PLUME has left to join her husband Phil in Kineton
and Peter Bower has left on promotion. Congratulations.
Admin Officer Mike Fogg is now m Yorkshire. In the
absence of any military personnel his departure party was a
quiet affair — I must get Geoff Walters to contribute his
recollections for a later edition.
What a time for farewells! Mrs Davy has gone on retire-
ment Our best wishes to her and all other departures with thanks
for all they have done at Hilton.
Welcome to Mr John Shanley, who takes over from Mrs
Davy as Senior Admin and Personnel Officer.
Central Vehicle Depot
VEHICLE DEPOT
ASHCHURCH
THE winter sports programme is beginning to take shape with
training for football, hockey, rugby, cross country, cycling and
ski-ing. The cross country teams have pledged themselves to a
programme of intense training, whilst the rest train on only two
or three occasions each week. Ski enthusiasts can look forward
to some fun and hard work (so they say) on the local artificial
slope. Corporal Sandland is fighting hard to introduce motor
cycle trials training, and is confident that he can raise and
train a world beating team.
Adventurous training began with Exercise Long Paddle.
This was a four day canoeing trip round the Pembrokeshire
Coast in South Wales.
CSM Tex Roberts writes: Our hardy canoeists have just
returned from Exercise Long Paddle which entailed some hairy
canoeing along the Pembrokeshire Coast
Things did not start off too well, with our Junior Mechanics
trying to convert one of Major Jessops Land Rovers into a ten
feet high mechanical canoe carrying death trap. Sorry Sir!
The paddlers had exciting moments negotiating partly sub-
merged rocks, using their skills against the swell and current
and exploring the numerous caves along the coast. With Private
Nick Stubbs showing off as usual by paddling upside down
and our own Second Lieutenant Alan Crosby affectionately
known as Bins complaining his aching arms would never be the
same again.
My thanks, my!, being CSM Tex Roberts, to all the other
members of the team. Staff Sergeant Roy Childs, Sergeant Fossil
Cradleton, Corporal Chalky White, Privates George Paddock,
Taffy Watkins and our Cook, Tony Morrow.
On the Regimental side we wish the best of luck to the
gallant members of our very own shadow unit, 131 Vehicle
Platoon, currently sunning themselves in Denmark on some
' Package Tour ' called * Amber Express,*
We congratulate Lance Corporal Hemmings on his pro-
motion to Corporal. We also welcome to Ashchurch Corporal
Day, Lance Corporal Billy McGregor on return from Belize,
Lance Corporal Bob Willcocks from ODA, Privates Manley and
Moran on return from Northern Ireland
Welcome also to
Lance Corporal McCafferty who is transferring to the Corps
from RAC.
The Station is losing Privates Rob Alsford and Frog Balough
and Private Shaun Vitols who has disappeared in a cloud of
dust to Northern Ireland.
Shooting has provided us with some successes throughout
the year in various competitions and Sam. In Small Bore Shoot-
ing the team achieved runners up in the District League against

i
VEHICLE DEPOT
LUDGERSHALL
THE Andover Open Day was the highlight of the year for those
who have displayed our vehicles at fetes, carnivals, and RAF
Stations throughout the season. Staff Sergeant Bob Burt and
TTW put a lot of work into providing an interesting display
which comprised a Fox, Sultan, Samaritan, and Samson. The
SAS 'Pink Panther/ provided by Vehicle Depot Ashchurch,
was undoubtedly the star of the show. It drew much Press
comment whilst small boys delighted in the chance of playing
James Bond for a few minutes. Finally Corporal Bill Fagan and
his team provided free rides in our training FV434 and were
kept busy for over four hours trying in vain to reduce a thirty
yard queue to zero.
Lance Corporal James Nuttall and Private Tim Emmott
should have enjoyed their intermediate level canoe course by
this time. The Welsh waters must have run a bit cool for them.
Lance Corporal Steve Jeffers was unable to attend his swim-
ming course as he broke his wrist in a traffic accident but
Private Dave Burns was fit to complete his MHE course at
Bicester.
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Book number R0250