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RAOC Gazette - page 178

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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
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Transcription ajl reports from the Staff speak of a job well done and for the
tenons it's now the Autumn Exercise Bold Guard,
Arrivals; Staff Sepgeant Eddie Collins, Sergeants Ron
j-{ i :^cs and Len Moore, Corporals Jim Watson, John Mc-
^tuiien, Brian Tomlin and Bob Freeman. Lance Corporals
Wig^y Wignall, James Littlejohn and Larry Hallmark. Privates
Tony Foulds, Bob Green, OHy Olley and Mac McAleese.
The Manning and Record Office
THE military start of the RAOC Manning and Record Office
have decided to come in from the cold and shake off their
cfoak of anonymity. At the helm we have Colonel Carruthers,
he has a very able No. 2 in Lieutenant Colonel Barn The after-
girird consists of Major Embley, Major Flear, Major Walker
anu Captain Walsh. Also resident in the wardroom are our
two retired officers late of the Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Prater
and Major Molcher,
Covering below decks we have the
Documentation Team consisting of WOl Fear, Staff Sergeant
Maughan and Sergeant Leach. As you can see we are only a
small crew but we all pull together and have a full and varied life.
About January this year we discovered that in 1878 Deputy
Commissary (Captain) William Henry Chambers was appointed
to maintain the newly centralised records of the Ordnance
Store Branch and so became the very first OIC Records. One
hundred years and thirty five Officers in Charge later, it was
considered appropriate to hold a little celebration.
This celebration took the form of a visit to Leicester by
the RAOC Staff Band who beat retreat on the evening of 21st
September at the Manning and Record Office. This ceremony
was preceded by a reception at which the principal guests invited
were the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, The Chairman of
Leicestershire County Council, the Mayor of Oadby and Wig-
ston, The Director of Manning (Army), The Director General of
Ordnance Services, the General Officer Commanding Eastern
District and the Representative Colonel Commandant RAOC.
W> also invited three of the Corps pensioners, Mr (Ex SQMS)
A H. Meaden aged eighty seven from North London and
Pensioners W. Nicholls and J. Thelwell of the Royal Hospital
Chelsea together with Sergeant R. B. Allan of the RAPC Centre
Worthy Down, the longest serving RAOC soldier in UK and two
recruit apprentices in training at Blackdown, In all about three
hundred guests enjoyed the celebrations*
Major Stephen Robert's Volkswaggen minibus has been
put into forced retirement not so much by old age and its
strong wish to return to its natural metallic state, ferrous oxide,
but the result of a rear shunt
The CO Lieutenant Colonel Peter Underhill is obviously
fascinated by rail travel, having just spent five days on BR
travelling to Wick and back for the fun of it.
At a luncheon in the Officers Mess recently we said fare-
well to Captain Rod Ling, Lieutenant Chris Beard RN, FSO
Ted Johnson and Mr Alex Thow.
Captain Rod Ling leaves the UK and the British Army on
1st September and sails for New Zealand and a commission in the
NZ RAOC.
Lieutenant Chris Beard RN, who works with CDA RAF in
our compound, is going back to sea on a fishery protection
vessel based at Rosyth—summer cruises for next year have
already been booked.
Mr Ted Johnson leaves government service after thirty
nine years and is going into semi retirement—so he says.
Mr Alex Thow the Admin Officer has left us to join a
management accounting course at Worthy Down before joining
Log Exercise at the end of the year.
We welcome Mrs Pamela Holden as our new Admin
Officer and Mr Colin Sykes from CAD Bramley as our new
Fire Chief.
Stores Platoon
16 Air Defence Regiment Workshop
THE date escapes me since the last contribution was made to
THE GAZETTE so I feel that it is time to put the Platoon on the
map. We are located at Kirton in Lindsey near Gainsborough.
The Regimental Exercise was held recently both on Stam-
ford and Otterburn Training Areas. A survey, carried out during
the Exercise, confirmed the award of the * Golden Blanket' to
Staff Sergeant Ken Blackwell and Lance Corporal Bill Morris
for their considerable hours spent in bed The night deploy-
ments proved to be of great interest to 32 Battery Section, who
ended up with modifications to their Bedfords, the final score
being Trees four—Bedfords nil.
*,
Now that the reorganisation on the shop floor is about
finished we have commenced the Inter Platoon Sports
Com-
fc
petition, rugby, football, hockey etc. Lance Corporal Gums'
Morgan has been banned from the rugby field for biting the
OC. Sergeant Roy Carr is now the official referee for all
games—as he has broken a toe, (he blames * Gums*). The
final score in the football match must qualify for the Guinness
Book of Records—Supply Specs four—Clerks two, (sent off
three, injured two and collapsed nine).
During the month the Regiment held an Open Day for
the public, who were invited to a display of equipment and spend
their money on the side shows—The Platoon contribution was
a bottle breaking stall, using catapults, which proved to be a
great crowd puller—although one senior visiting officer was
heard to say "Bit Dangerous isn't it?" Happy to say no
casualties reported.
Postings in: Sergeant Stokes, Corporal Gill, Privates Barker,
Price, Angliss and Tillotson,
TAVR
Stores Section 102 (Ulster and Scottish)
Air Defence Regiment (V)
OUR PSI, Sergeant Ron Markley has created something of a
record. Because of a shortfall of RA soldiers, he took part in
the firing of two 21 Gun Royal Salutes at Stormont Castle.
His first salute was on 2nd June 1978 when he carried out the
duties of a Gun No. 3 on the occasion of the Anniversary of the
Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen. The second salute
was on 3rd June 1978 being the occasion of the Official Birth-
day of Her Majesty The Queen when Sergeant Markley carried
out the duty of Timekeeper.
We feel that this is something quite unique for an RAOC
soldier to have to his credit and our congratulations go to Ron
for carrying out his duties in a most efficient manner.
We went to Redesdale Camp in the Otterburn Training
Area for Annual Camp where we kept the Regiment in action
for the last time with the 40/70 gun. Now we have the task
of backloading our 40/70 spares, so if any Unit needs any
40/70 kit just let us know!
The military staff and civilian officers of RAOC Manning and
Record Office. Rear row from left to right: Staff Sergeant J. B.
N^'jughan, Mrs S. M . Tailby, Mr C. H. Kennerley, Mrs M . R. A.
Tebbutt, Captain H. T. Hayward, Mrs C. McLoone, Mr R. A,
McPhail, W O l (SSM) C. E. Fear. Front row from left to right:
Major A. Flear, Lieutenant Colonel D. H. Prater (Retd), Lieutenant
Colonel A. S. Barr» Colonel R. M . Carruthers, Major R. Embley*
Major C. F. Molcher (Retd), Major K. C. Walker.
Regional Depot Thatcham
THE summer season is well underway and with depot activity
a; its highest and manning at its lowest due to vacations,
t.\a pace is brisk.
Management Services Team have just returned from three
weeks block leave all looking quite pale—such is the glorious
summer we have had so far.
47

Book number R0247