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RAOC Gazette - page 144

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Corps RAOC
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1978
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Early date 1978
Late date 1978
Transcription Photo The Ormskirk
Advertiser.
COO, UKLF, Brigadier Smith, presents the Imperial Service Medal
to Mr Tom Baker who had served at Burscough for twenty six
years. Afso present in the picture are the OC Major Frank Raine
and the CRAOC North West District Lieutenant Colonel Bob Bogan.
Scotland. Our best wishes to you Jim. Mr Dennis Shotton as
the SSO at Burscough is our continuity man in the Depot.
Our list of personalities ends with our man in Liverpool:
braving the concrete jungle and speaking scouse is Major Bert
Gracie who commands the Stores Section of 42 Command
Workshop. He likes it so much that he has just asked for an
extension.
Living as we do in the wet and woolly north we seldom see
many visitors. However, COO UKLF Brigadier Smith visited us
recently and made a lightning tour of the District. In the space
of a few hours he managed to find the time to present medals
to three REME NCOs at Deysbrook and one to a member of
the civilian staff at Burscough.
STORES SECTION 70 AIRCRAFT WORKSHOP
CORPORAL GREEN'S strength is not what it was, having
lost two stone in weight. For those wanting to know how
he did il so they can do the same, Corporal Green's weight
went down by having appendicitis in Belize and an operation/
convalescence in Miami. Perhaps a diet would have been
easier, especially as we have just received his hospital bill for
£1,500 for ten days stay! Corporal Owen Yearwood is in
Canada with 656 Squadron A AC, Corporal Bob Craister has
returned from Sardinia having exercised with the Royal
Marines or 'booties' as he tells us nearly every day. Lance
Corporal Terry Jeffries is back from a BAOR exercise with
bottles and packets of instant popularity.
For a small Stores Section our social life is excellent, in
fact, our social life seems to attract honorary members of the
Stores Section from other Units in Middle Wallop, Staff
Sergeant Jim Penny is our local Lew Grade, having organised
outings to London in March, Hampton Court and Chessington
in May and Weymouth in June. The next trip is to Brighton.
A games evening was organised by Staff Sergeant Penny
against the ACC here at Middle Wallop. Thanks to Corporal
McKimm's sober mathematics, we won. Until Corporal Mc-
Kimm's intervention, the score at the end of an excellent
evening seemed to be the result of democratic power sharing
rather than mathematically exact.
A few weeks previously the Stores Section held a disco
dance to say farewell to WOsl Alan Dickson and Brian
Maynard. New arrivals are WOl Beaton, W02 Green, Staff
Sergeant Kelly, Sergeants Wallis and Coelho and Corporals
Jory and Eustace. We congratulate Corporal Jory on his
BAOR Corps Colours for rugby. On the sporting side, Sergeant
Wallis is playing for the AAC Centre at squash, Lance
Corporal Eustace, hockey, and Private Vaissiere, tennis.
Commando Ordnance Squadron
Commando Logistic Regiment
A LONG time since we made a contri-
bution to TUE GAZETTE but there has
been so much activity, that it is only now
(July) that the Commando's ability to do
'joined up writing' can be tested. (It
certainly isn't in the syllabus at CTCRM
Lympstone). To catch up, albeit briefly,
the following notes are in chronological
order and are based on fact.
March, Early in the year rugby claimed the spare time of
several Squadron members. Lance Corporal Cooper and Private
Phelps both played for the Regiment and Devonport Services
Rugby Club. Private Phelps was also selected for the Corps team.
To cap it all the inimitable WO 1 " Tug ' Wilson played for the
Army, captained the Corps side, and was a member of Devon-
port Services rugby club selection committee. Not bad for an
old man!
April. The first three weeks of April were tremendous;
we all went on ' block' leave. Lieutenant Colonel Ellis, the
Deputy Inspector carried out our Technical Inspection. Not
that we were dreading it, but living down here at the ' end
of the civilized world' we rarely get RAOC official visitors,
especially technical ones (ie people who definitely can do joined
up writing) so we were slightly apprehensive.
In the event the visit was enjoyable. The Deputy Inspector
did not say anything too detrimental and his criticisms were
constructive. Second Lieutenant Bridges, WOl Wilson and
Private Phelps played in the Regimental team which won the
Royal Marines Easterbrook Bowl seven-a-side competition
(Interesting to note that ' Tug' Wilson had ' retired * from play-
ing rugby three weeks previously.)
May. The Regimental Training session was extremely
successful for the Squadron's point of view; the supreme
accolade was that an RAOC section won the inter-squadron
* best section * shoot.
During the _ Regimental swimming contest we discovered
that our swimming prowess is not what it used to be, though
the OC did win the Veterans Race and Captain Roy
Southworth smashed all opposition in the two hundred metre
free style. Private Fleming won everything he could enter.
Overall, Workshop Squadron were too strong for us and we
finished second.
June. Once again we won the Regimental Athletics with
an almost embarrassing number of * firsts,' particularly in the
track group events. (We do actually issue stores as well!)
Sadly we were unable to send a full team to Travers Clarke
this year, but we did send Private Phillips who won the two
Eastern District
OUR congratulations to Captain Don Young
on being selected for the Corps Tennis Team
and on winning. Meanwhile back in the
office Mr Spence has handed over to Mr
John Manning, who is our new OIC Office
Management in the ASU.
Mr Brian Bastick, one of our men in
the North, is in hospital, but it is very
pleasant to be able to report that his
operation was successful and that he is
well on the way to recovery.
W02 Swann arrived in the Headquarters in July and has
taken up his appointment of ROWO, complete with travel claim
forms. We hope that he enjoys his stay here. We would also
like to extend a very warm welcome to Lieutenant Colonel
Ellis who has taken over as CRAOC. To Lieutenant Colonel
Venning and WOl Benton and their families we offer our very
best wishes for a happy and prosperous future as civilians. Mr
Benton stays in Colchester as a Stores Manager with Texas
(The Big One) Warehouses. The CRAOC after a visit to Guild-
hall to become a Freeman of the City of London, has been
appointed Bursar of the City of London Boys School, with an
office overlooking the Thames. Finally congratulations to WOl
Hubbard on his promotion and a posting to Belgium,
Army Air Corps
HQ DAAC ORD (AIR) BRANCH
A NUMBER of changes have taken place
since our last contribution to THE
GAZETTE.
Appointments have changed
and the present incumbents are as
follows: SOI ORD (Air) Lieutenant
Colonel J. Marsden, S02 ORD (Air)
Major M, Lacy, Major N. H. De Foubert
and Major Bill Rattray (Retd), WOl ORD
(Air) Conductor Hugh Penman, WO
Progression W02 Ray Candlin and
Corporal Jeannie Hogan WRAC in the
Admin Office.
t
114
Book number R0247