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RAOC Gazette - page 252

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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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 United Kingdom Land Forces
Photo PR 3 Royal Anglian.
W O l (Cdf) John Kenwright is presented with his Lang Service
and Good Conduct Medal by the Commanding Officer Lieutenant
Colonel Mike Watts.
Fund. The Fire Brigade had thoughtfully plugged into the hot
water system! and ensured that the group were given a warm
welcome back after their efforts, which collected a sum of £40.
After a recent fashion show outing the wives club in
Kinnegar have decided to take advantage of our rapidly
expanding gym. The girls have re-named it 'Cas's Health
Studio' and now gyrate to the latest pop music under the
watchful eye of Sergeant Cas Castillo who, in turn, is carefully
watched by his wife Susan. Not to be outdone the wives at
the ASD in Ballykinlar have joined Corporals Colin Thompson
and John Ridley on expeditions across the Mourne Mountains
leaving their forlorn husbands literally holding the babies.
The Supplies SD has a new sound breaking the deathly
silence as the ghostly helmeted and gauntleted figure of Private
Mark Riley creeps around the Depot on his sparkling new motor
bike. Why creep you may well ask? Alas, between the time of
him leaving the Depot to collect his bike and returning in
triumph PSA had installed a ' sleeping policeman ' and poor
Mark gave an involuntary but passable imitation of Evil
Knevel during his lap of honour
Captain Mike Pether wants the Corps to know that he
has shaved off his moustache. This action was timely in that
Mavis Kirke had just started a petition to have the offending
stubble removed.
On the keep fit front the Supply Depot have presented the
' Slimmer of the Month' award to Staff Sergeant John Bishop
and Private Eric Beattie who are shedding their former rotund
silhouettes under the watchful eye of former Olympic Gold
Medallist Mary Peters. Lance Corporal 'Piggy' Horsman has
taken the cheaper option at Kinnegar where under the threat
of no promotion and the whipping and shouting of Sergeant
Castillo he has achieved the impossible. He passed his BFT.
Lieutenant Tony Brown thought we should have a com-
mercial spot and like most things there is the good news and
the bad news. First of all the bad news. The results of the
current review of working hours shows that we each average
over eighty hours a week with some actually recording a stagger-
ing one hundred and twenty one hours a week. The good news
is that having to work all those hours means that we save
money, did superbly well in the recent promotion lists and leave
on posting to the most exotic places in the world. If you are
bored in your present job and want to feel you are doing some-
thing worthwhile do come and join us!
The mystery of the month was definitely the missing twenty
four hours of Miss Chaddy Beatty our Work Study Practitioner
who on a British Airways flight ended up in Paris instead of
London. She is now trying to claim one day's FSA to com-
pensate for the fact that they would not let her into the duty
free lounge because her ticket only said Belfast to London.
We branched out into show business during the month
putting on a CSE show in the VSD. Staff Sergeant Jeff Vincent
transformed a vehicle shed into a theatre where an impressionist,
comedian and three gorgeous girls provided some splendid
entertainment for all.
Welcome to Lance Corporals Lamb and Taylor, Privates
Sparkes and Russell.
ORD BRANCH
MOST of the action this month is with the
Chief Ordnance Officer. He is in Canada
at present with the Ordnance Company j a
the British Army Training Unit Suffield.
With hardly time to take off his Arctic
Parka and snow boots he will take off for
the sweaty jungles of Belize. These are not
exactly jolly little 'swans' as in each case,
due to the stringent controls on visits, he is
required to undertake both the annual
Technical Inspection and the Annual Ammunition Inspection,
It's a very hard and exacting way to get a look at Units over-
seas and to see the RAOC personnel in them.
The Lieutenant Colonel Ops and Plans, Don O'Hare, has
returned from a prolonged tour in BAOR on Exercise Bold
Guard and may well have tales of hardship and endurance to
stir the hearts of men—but not in this issue.
The Chief Clerk W02 Braithwaite will spend much time
between now and April 1979 preparing for what must be one
of the most exciting and desirable of appointments still open to
RAOC personnel—that of Staff Clerk Brunei. That and pro-
motion too. His relief comes from Washington USA, That
cannot have been too bad a tour of duty either. W02 Clemow
will be with the branch in January.
Major John Hawkins arrived from BAOR and we hope he
will enjoy his tour of duty, he should, a benevolent MOD have
also posted his wife to the Headquarters for a similar tour of
duty.
Headquarters Scotland
IT has once again been a period of in-
tense activity here in Scotland. No sooner
had the Tattoo ended than we were
launched into what can only be described
as * Exercise Whisky Galore/ controlled
most ably by Major Reg Frisby on behalf
of SS A FA. Having obtained from various
distilleries several enormous bottles of
whisky, very generously
donated we hasten
to add, he launched s Whisky Galore' on
the unsuspecting RAOC Units throughout
Scotland. The resulting raffles raised over
£400 for the SSAFA Christmas Fair. (Beat
that if you can!) Our thanks must go to everyone who parti-
cipated. Incidentally the second prize, a wee bottle of whisky,
was won by—yes it had to happen—the controller! The Chief
Clerk is still waiting for his nip?
Photo Major Roynon Jones.
Winner of the big bottle in the SSAFA Christmas Fair Draw*
Sergeant Bunn RAMC, with the organiser Major Frisby and the
CRAOC Lieutenant Colonel Connolly* The raffles raised over £400-
Launched into the annual CPX, which this year took
place in a renovated wartime bunker, most of the Ord Branch
Staff have been absent from their usual desks given up in aid of
— 206
Book number R0247