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RAOC Gazette - page 177

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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 SATO EAST. It's the Corporal ATs of the EOD Report Centre
who are getting all the * jollies.' There's Corporal Jack Kelly,
now renamed Ned, because he's off to Orstrylia on Exercise
Long Look, and Corporal Colin Beyer to Belize. Corporal
Barry Taylor hasn't got it quite so good, he's only going on a
short ferry trip to another place for four months. Corporals
Nick Nicholases and Dave Oakley are due off on a six weeks
exercise in Germany with their parent Unit No. 1 Bulk Stores
Platoon.
Private
and' Mrs
Gil!man with Colonel
presentation.
Berresford
after
the
ATO HOVNSLOW.
We welcome Staff Sergeant Graeme
Creighton back from Northern Ireland even though he is
banished to the detachment at Ashford to replace Staff Sergeant
Rick Warner who is shortly bound for Hong Kong.
Congratulations must go to Sergeant Geordie Richardson
on passing his Commando Selection Course, if we were able
to get him down from his Green Cloud Nine, we could give
him his posting order.
As regards Captain Wharmby, the ATO, it's a case of l Have
Badge—Will Travel,' what with a week in Malta visiting the
AT, Staff Sergeant Ian Moore, and this shortly followed by
ten days out in the Atlantic deep sea dumping rolls of Jungle
Tape, hammers, and the odd 1,000-lb aircraft bomb.
The detachment once again provided 'Technical Assistance'
behind the scenes at this year's Royal Tournament We have
just returned from Lydd where we spent several days grabbing
NRSA, sorry I mean undertaking large scale demolitions, Those
few days certainly went with a bang.
Just joining the RAOCs version of 'International Rescue'
is Sergeant Mick Warden who is coming to us from 3 BAPD.
We haven't told him that the Outer London Allowance is not
quite as large as LOA in Germany, anyway, greetings to him
and his family.
the West Midland Singles and in pairing up with Lieutenant
Colonel Bhabutta RADC, also won the doubles. In canoeing
the CAD is showing great success in WOl Mick Haslam
representing Great Britain in the world canoeing championships
in Yugoslavia and W02 David Young being selected for the
Combined Services team.
At present the Companies are
training up their swimming teams for the Unit gala from
which a team to compete in the Corps Championship will be
selected. No doubt come October, Kinetan will have won the
championships yet again!
Finally we must say farewell to Lieutenant Colonel Thome
(Retd) our MO who is leaving us for Long Marston and semi-
retirement. We wish him all the very best,
ATO COLCHESTER. It's Ian Rimmel who gets all the men-
tions. First of all he had a daughter, Justine Louise, born to
him and his wife on 19th June, then he was promoted Sergeant
in July (backdated to April). Congratulations on both
happenings.
1 Ammunition Inspection and Disposal Unit
ATO
OLD SARUM.
Staff Sergeant Tony Pearce has been
1
poached' by ATO Hereford and will be greatly missed by
South West District Transport Claims Commission. FMT3s can
now be removed from g our vehicles. Corporal * H* Stenner is
welcomed back from Op Banner,' congratulated on his pro-
motion and posting to BAOR. The movements of our ATO,
Captain Phil Hanion, are somewhat vague as he helps local
cricket teams lose their matches.
For this heinous crime
SATO (W) has sentenced him to a week in Kenya. The rest
of us are practicing suitable grovelling techniques in the hope
SATO (W) will send us to slightly more sunny climes than
Dartmoor.
HEADQUARTERS
WE continue to keep ourselves fully stretched with outward
bound courses in Norway (twice), boat handling, dinghy and off-
shore sailing courses, free-fall parachuting and expeditions in
pursuit of the sea-urchin!
Captain Bill Pearson " stood-in' for Captain Frank Hodge
during the latter's indisposition and he and the Second-in-Com-
mand have devised a fiendish and somewhat energetic 'Sum-
mer* Camp for the whole Unit (no exception) on Dartmoor
during the pleasant month 5 of October.
Our CQMS 'Geordi has finally homed back to the North
of England (not quite far enough), and has been replaced by
Staff Sergeant Alan Proudlove straight from the AMF(L) Ord-
nance Company with many tales of oppression and duty free!
SATO NORTH. This month we start THE GAZETTE Notes by
congratulating Sergeant Mel Lack on his promotion to Sub-
stantive Sergeant.
SATO North welcomes to the establishment Staff Sergeants
John Knight and Rod (Fluff) Roberts to ATO Liverpool and
farewell to Staff Sergeant Alex Calvert from ATO Liverpool.
The whole Catterick detachment has been very involved in
the recent Catterick Army Display at which we provided a static
display of UXOs and IED equipment. Also an arena display of
a mock bomb disposal incident featuring 'Action Man,' Sergeant
Dave Thornley. (See the September GAZETTE), Another event
worthy of note was the Annual 1 Ammo IDU SAT Conference
which was held in Catterick. All concerned agreed that the
conference
went down very well, as did copious amounts of the
l
local Old Peculiar * brew afterwards. SATO North warmly
congratulated WOl John Mills and Staff Sergeant Mick Morrison
on successfully completing a course at the Army School of PT
until he found out it was a golfing course; he can now be heard
at the nineteenth hole muttering about people who have unfair
advantage.
ATO ALDERSHOT.
The detachment organised an arena dis-
play of Wheelbarrow for the 197S Aldershot Army Display.
Assistance was given by Corporals AT from the EOD Report
Centre. The detachment said farewell to Sergeant Dave
Bretherick who went out to the big outside world and welcomed
Sergeant Jim Fleming from Wulfen.
The detachment wel-
come Ford Escort 05GX53 and mourned the sad departure of
Land Rover 07GF18. Lance Corporal Chris Marsden returned
to the fold from a successful tour with 321 EOD Unit in
Northern Ireland,
Central Vehicle Depot- UK
VEHICLE DEPOT LUDGERSHALL
WB have seen the final farewell of Major David Humphrey as
Officer Commanding; he was phased out in fine style, a grand
tour of the Depot, carried on the Christmas float towed by a
tractor and was given a rousing send-off by military and civilian
staff alike. We welcome our new OC, Major Richard Hall.
Our Summer Ball has been held. It was difficult to realise
that while dancing and swaying in a draped and decorated
'Arabian nights' style pavilion, we were in fact in a tank
hangar. All thanks to Sergeant Ambridge and his hard work-
ing entertainments committee. Music by the Chris Hamilton
Show Band.
Our two shadow Units were deployed on Exercise Forward
Pass in the Barnard Castle area. The sections were led by
Corporals Wally Williamson and Bob Freeman respectively-
Their last problem before leaving the Depot was to recover
their camouflage nets from the previous evenings Summer Ball
decorations. The sections were kept busy moving ammunition
pallets with their Eager Beavers, standing to at all the usual
inconvenient times and even repulsing the occasional attack.
46 —
Book number R0247