RAOC Gazette - page 325
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 |
ORDNANCE COMPANY ,) \< last report was written in the field during Exercise Certain i; ounter. an American exercise on which 20 Armoured Brigade funned part of Orange Forces, but before we really became in- volved, During the withdrawal phase Commander 20 Brigade was short of infantry and so he asked the logistic elements to provide an infantry role company. This was commanded by our 2lC. Captain Richard Coward, and consisted of two platoons drawn from the Company and a third platoon from 19 Squadron RCT; the RCT platoon had an RAOC platoon sergeant and contained several members of the Combat Supplies Platoon! These platoons were given the task of protecting the Brigades . hdrawal routes over a river obstacle. During this part of the . rcise the Company had soldiers in ten different locations and inched the curious situation that a large part of the Com- pany was making the river an obstacle and defending it while Lance Corporal Nipper Stray's Bath Section was behind the obstacle trying to pump it dry! Unfortunately ENDEX was called before our troops were committed to battle but when Brigadier John Stibbon, Commander 20 Armoured Brigade visited us while we prepared to return to Detmold he said how impressed he had been by our infantry work both on the exercise and during the work up training when we provided all the enemy. During the exercise a small party of Officers and Senior y Os visited 122 Manit Battalion of the US Army and we were h sts to a larger party of all ranks. A certain amount of trading took place between the soldiers—Lance Corporal Mai Young is now the proud owner of a shirt just like the one Elvis wore during his National Service. We had a successful afternoon's sport with Nachschub- kompanie 210, our sister unit of the German Army, in their barracks recently. Bad weather earlier in the week forced them to reduce the planned activities. The main sporting event was a football match for the Patenschaft Cup; an exciting match was : r awn four all, but we retained the cup on penalty kicking. the minor events, the Company won the tug-of-war at five undred and sixty and six hundred and forty kilograms but the rermans pulled us at Catchweight, and in the mile, Private Mark Zanders came second; Privates Jim Atkinson and Steve Hargate also deserve a mention for even taking part* The Company was pleased to see Commander Supply 1 (BR) Corps Brigadier John Skinner during the month. He lunched with the senior ranks and then toured the Company, speaking to most of the soldiers in barracks. The OC assures everyone that he had arranged, for all the subalterns to be away before he '*• lew the Brigadier was coming! Two notable departures this month are Staff Sergeant Rab Pender, sentenced to Colchester (7 Field Force Ordnance Com- pany not MCTC!) and Lance Corporal John Ayris, the longest serving member of the Company and one of the last 20 OFP hands. Both were stalwans of the rugger team and it may have been in honour of their departure that the team won for the first time in many months. They did it in style, too; thirty to four against Bielefeld Crusaders and to show it was not a flash in the pan have been winning regularly since. Other departures are Lance Corporal Paul Mackin, Privates ^een and Scouse Fletcher to Kineton, Antwerp and Bicester spectively. Welcome to Staff Sergeant Pete Salisbury, CorpoTal Alan Buckley, Lance Corporal Mike Elliot and Corporal Clive Anderson, Privates Gary Doran and Philip Stevens, We must also welcome Haylee, son of Lance Corporal Gregory and Pauline Caddick and Christopher, son of Lance Corporal Allan and Barbara Brooks. Finally, old Detmold hands will be interested to hear that Pothofs King George Bar has had a face lift. This has certainly i nip roved the exterior but whether what goes on inside is any -aner is anybody's guess, Stop Press. Since drafting these notes an important sports I.JWS has been made. In the DOS Football Cup we beat RAOC Kallingbostel five one. Our final goal came in the last two minutes, scored by Sergeant Alan Harris ACC from a goal kick! We now hold the DOS and CCRAOC Cups—Well done, all of you including those now posted who contributed in the earlier rounds. Ah work on 1 {BR) Corps Troops Anglo-German project. community One must add that when the Company moved across the Weser (compliments of the REs) all vehicles managed to cross smoothly. Our Golden Blanket prize was a close contest between the CSM and WOIC Stores. Suffice to say stores are still top of the league. The CSM is wandering around in a daze trying to * plan his moves for the next time. With ear defenders clutched in hot little hands the Company held their annual range tests. Despite the weather most of the lads managed to pass. A vote of thanks must go to Sergeants Bradshaw and Mullen who, with the addition of a few more grey hairs, managed to keep everyone pointing in the right direction. The cross country team are still training hard. I just wish they wouldn't run their eight miles and then join the rest of us for our weekly BFT runs, still looking fresh and full of running, If all this was not enough to keep the Company active, a week long Anglo German Community Project was undertaken. This involved a large number of company personnel, laying paths and pipes in and around Gutersloh. We say farewell and good luck to Corporal Cartwright. A warm welcome to Privates Roberts, Broom, Dando, Page and Hendy. CORPS STORES COMPANY UNDOUBTEDLY the biggest event on the sporting front was the Bielefeld Marathon, Ten runners entered under the company banner and all deserve a mention as everyone completed the course, on a particularly wet and cold day. ' Well done's' go to Corporal Fran go s, Pickersgill and Aisbitt. Lance Corporal Johnson, Privates Burgess, Bibby, Haggart, Ferguson, Pollock and Shanks. Private Alby had been disappointed at being unable to enter due to the timing of his Supply Specialist Course at Bicester; but low and behold Bicester held their own marathon on the same day! But jinxed to the last, our athlete, in the best traditions of first class sportsmen, developed a bad knee and was unable to compete. Keep taking the tablets Alby! The Officers Mess challenged the Sergeants Mess to a games night in which the presentation cup was already inscribed with the 1981 winners—the Officers. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Hudson, the officers soon established their superiority in the noble arts of liar dice and electronic hangman, while the resolute direction of WOl Petty brought the sergeants to near victory in Corps Troops the apple dunking, which they claimed as a win to them on the ORDNANCE COMPANY grounds that they were drier! The Adjutant had brought his N'CE more we took to the field, this time in support of the spare suit— from the stables? A very successful evening except aillery Division on Exercise Vengeful Merlin. A muttering for the odd rumblings about closer control of the score board! A as heard that whoever thought of the exercise title must have The unit has been active during the summer supporting all had a word with the man above, as it managed to pour with rain the major exercises, culminating in a very successful Red Clay- for most of the exercise. more. The * Bend the Binner ' award went to Private Tadman for There is a strong rumour that Captain Hutchinson is about his unsuccessful attempt to cross a bridge using only two wheels. to start a PRl shop! 271 — |
| Book number | R0250 |