RAOC Gazette - page 117
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1978 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1978 |
| Late date | 1978 |
| Transcription |
2nd Armoured Division HEADQUARTERS RAOC ALTHOUGH as we write the DDOS is still in post, we are in time in this issue, to record our farewell to him which was a little early in view of his very full list of engagements before leaving. The fare- well took the form of a cocktail party at which all but a handful of RAOC Officers in the Division, and their wives, gathered to wish Brigadier Macdonald success in his new career and with his new home. Advantage was also taken of the occasion for DDOS to present Major John Launch- bury, OC ASU Munster, with the Clasp to his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. As the citation recorded, he joined as a trumpeter at the age of fourteen in 1940. (The first of 4 the few*!). The Headquarters is now at the peak of the exercise period, and though hard work, one or two exercises have not been without their lighter moments. During the very hot weather which blessed Exercise Queens Crown II, Sergeant Pete Wade decided to wash his hair. Unfortunately, he momentarily forgot the electric fence just above his head, and upon standing up, was given a first class lesson in its deterrence value. However, he sustained no lasting injury, and his vigorous pursuit of personal cleanliness did not diminish noticeably during the rest of the exercise. The exercise also saw the Adjutant's personal triumph over the intricacies of the German map; he didn't lose us once! This amazing feat was equalled only by his ability to sleep six whole hours in his NBC suit, in the blazing sun. On Exercise Iron Band VI, which was CRAOCs own exercise laid on for the benefit of 2 Armoured Division Ord- nance Company and 5 Field Force Ordnance Company, the Headquarters staff excelled themselves in their efforts to provide entertainment for their brethren. The Adjutant was first to score with his rapid exit from the door of the operations room box body, straight into a large cow pat (selectors of exercise areas seem to have no sense of smell). He was followed very closely by the ladder which caused bruising of tender parts, colourful language, and a limp that lasted three days. The highlight came during an extremely sharp and heavy thunder- storm, which occurred after a move, and before some of the tents had been properly guyed. Privates Phil Harriott and Tony Oliver, realised that the amount of water collecting on the roof of their tent was threatening, in the absence of guy ropes, to collapse it. Their solution was to carry it bodily from the inside to the relative safety of a nearby barn. Those of us already in the barn were first amazed, and then delighted by the sight of a tent, its flaps tightly closed, lurching quite aimlessly across the countryside. Mirth turned to convulsion as it crashed into a lorry which had arrived since the occupants of the tent had begun their novel journey. The encounter caused the collapse of the tent, and the dis- orientation of the occupants who then admitted defeat They completed the task using more conventional methods, getting wetter in the process than they would have done had they stayed put to begin with. We say farewell to Lance Corporal Ray Prince who leaves us on posting to Liveoak, and we congratulate W 2 Wally Upton, Staff Sergeants Pete Turrell and George Willerton on being selected for promotion. Congratulations too, to Shaun Gavin for his recent promotion to Lance Corporal. We wel- come Private Mick Placzek to the Headquarters and Corporal Steve Evans, recently returned from his wedding in the UK. ORDNANCE COMPANY EXERCISE IRON BAND followed very closely by ARU took our undivided attention for this month. The Unit paraded at ISOO-hrs on Sunday 4th June for Exercise Iron Band, our annual excursion under the control of CRAOC, Lieutenant Colonel M. John. A busy few hours followed with final touches to vehicles and loads, checking maps, drawing weapons, OCs final briefing, packet commanders briefing. The Unit then left barracks by packets commencing at 0100 on Monday 5th June for our first location some five hours drive away in the Paderborn area. The next five days and nights were spent in practising the arts of Unit moves at night, camouflage, NBC, map reading (with varying degrees of success), issue, receipt in the field, defence, ambush drills. As always it was sleep when you can and tough if you don't The sharp end was undoubtedly our superb REME detachment commanded by Corporal Donovan in the absence of Sergeant Czeschel. No task proved too great but some of our ageing vehicles tried very hard to reduce them to tears. Private Jock Frame nearly succeeded by sliding his fou r tonner into a ditch and only a friendly tree saved it going right over. It was just after 0130-hrs when the REME found it and spent the rest of the night lifting it out. This made towing vehicles out of three foot of mud and keeping the Company on the road look easy, The Harbour Party under CSM Dave Taylor proved too good for most locations and the attacking forces. With circuits marked and manned the packets on arrival were speedily put to bed in the dark. Time spent on ambush drills proved well worthwhile as prisoners were taken at frequent intervals with no losses. The exercise culminated with a stand down evening in a village location, no drinking but we managed a couple of World Cup Matches on local TVs. Final crash out at dawn with an NBC alert Needless to say the sun shone all morn- ing and those of us with surplus weight found the ideal way to shed a few pounds. A full decontamination programme of vehicles and men took place before moving to the side of a wood for a camouflage competition. The award of the Silver Cam Net going to Admin Packet who were accused of not being on location when the judging took place! ! I! Before leaving for the long run home the CRAOC con- gratulated the Company on their performance and pro- fessionalism, The next ten days were spent preparing for the ARU which was opened with the Garrison Staff arriving complete with PTls. Half an hour later the Company were dispersed on BE Tests, ranges and driver training. The OC then accom- panied Brigadier Hopkinson, the Garrison Commander on a tour of the Unit All appears to have gone well as we have been promised the afternoon off if the Chief Clerk gets back from the BE Tests before lunch. Our farewells this month go to Staff Sergeant (W02) Wes Braithwaite (passed his last subject to EPC(A) didn't he!) to the School of Ordnance and W 2 Bob Hanbidge to his second consecutive overseas posting (Benbecula). Congratulations are in order to Corporals Tom Avery, Mark Walden on sub Corporal, and Budgie Rawson on sub Lance Corporal. Not forgetting the Actings; Corporal Gaz Brown, Geo Tomkinson and Alan Jenkinson. We say welcome to W 2 Jim McGowan, Staff Sergeant Dave Lewis, Lance Corporal Bramwell and Privates Black and Scouse Mainwaring. STORES PLATOON 12 ARMOURED WORKSHOP DEAR MUM, Firstly I must apologise for not fulfilling my original intention of writing to you once a month, but, they keep me so busy here, I hardly have time to think. Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote, I'll let you know them all but they might not be in order We were out on exercise for a week not so long ago, nothing startling happened but it was quite amusing to see our OC Captain Mike Roycroft who is six foot four inch trying to sleep in the back of a short wheel base Land Rover. Some of our intrepid lads ventured on the ' Bramche Marches" namely, Sergeants Norman Davison, Ken Franklin and Dave Reece, Corporal Bob Wardlaw, Privates John Edwards, Mof Moffat, Dave Tressler, Terry Lord and Bob Cochrane. Every- one completed the march with only a few blisters. We have all been away at summer camp, trying our hand at sailing, canoeing, absailing, swimming, paddling assault boaU and cross country marching. Everyone enjoyed themselves right up to the last day when a certain W 2 who shall remain nameless let the handbrake off an M K to roll forward and promptly ran down a hill at speed. H e was shocked to find no foot brake but just managed to stop the vehicle three yards from the OCs tent. He now knows you need to run ar MK engine until the whistling stops to get brakes. There has been a spate of marriages just recently. W<- shower our congratulations on Private Billy and Mrs Netr Williamson, Private John and Mrs Kim Logan and Lane. Corporal Cliff and Mrs Anne Paton. Our new arrivals ar; Private Tiff and Mrs Christeen Tiffany and Private Mai Mclaughlan joins our detachment in Munster. KEEP IN TOUCH W I T H THE CORPS THROUGH THE RAOC ASSOCIATION |
| Book number | R0247 |