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RAOC Gazette - page 260

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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 J5rto£ from &broair
Headquarters BAOR
IT is believed by some that this large Head-
quarters is staffed mainly by those with low
PESs. Not so! Jogging, BFTs, cross-country,
allied marches and sport are all predominant
There is a RAOC squash ladder with nearly
forty competitors. The top three rungs currently
support Major Mike Steptoe (a Gunner but a
member of Ordnance Directorate Staff), WOl
Ron Thornton and WOl Roger Crisp,
Major Ken Mullins cracks the whip to
Keep the Garrison cross-country runners on their toes and
RAOC is well represented in all events. A team from the
Headquarters is being entered for the RAOC BAOR cross-
country meeting—Watch out Dulmen!
Headquarters AFCENT
WITH the end of the summer (?) holiday
season here in the Netherlands, the
AFCENT community has returned ' bright
eyed and bushy tailed* to the fold,
By way of a welcome back gesture,
Captain Colin Robinson led a seventeen
man (or more accurately, a sixteen man and
one American lady) joint British/US force
as the enemy on Exercise German Eagle—
a field training exercise of AFCENTs
German L Headquarters Battalion.
Other
Corps baddies' were W02 Colin Bawden,
Staff Sergeants Doug Liddell and Roger
Evans, Sergeants Alan Ward and Paddy
Stan way, Corporals Dave Hampton and
Ian Roe and Lance Corporal John Dickie.
Suitably kitted-out, camouflaged and armed with enough blanks
and thunderflashes to take on the whole German Army, the
force obviously acquitted itself
well, since the German soldiers
4
not only provided a welcome endex' beer but issued invitations
to a beer call a few days later.
The second step in getting rid of the excess summer vigour
was the second running of the annual BFTs. Since the last
tests, the course had been professionally surveyed by a Field
Survey Squadron RE and subsequently lengthened by one
hundred and fifty metres. This apparently affected a couple of
mental stop watches but we hope to announce the usual Corps
one hundred per cent pass rate by the next issue of THE
Sergeant Alec Mitchell, W 2 Kevin Callaghan C M and Sergeant
Van Vamqi after presentation of their Long Service and Good
Conduct Medals by the DOS BAOR Brigadier Crawley.
GAZETTE.
To save space we will feature our gladiators one sport at a
time and this month we kick-off with the rugby club. Although
the AFCENT * Knights * have both American and German
players, the majority are drawn from the three British services
and, in particular, the British Army.
The Corps boasts six players including the captain W02
Colin Bawden, the vice-captain, Sergeant Paddy Stanway, and
the club secretary Sergeant Phil Jeffery.
Helping to put
seme weight behind the pack are Corporals Pete Marley, Paul
Newton and Lance Corporal Ian Balfour.
The * Knights ' play against military and civilian teams from,
many countries but are particularly well known in Holland
for their typically British style of play. They are often called
upon to give demonstration games at sports festivals through-
out the Netherlands. They have started this season well r scoring
one hundred and thirty six points in their last three games with
only six points scored against them.
Congratulations to Staff Sergeant Roger Evans and his wife
Fit on the birth of their daughter Amanda, to Lance Corporal
*^n Balfour and his wife Car on on the birth of their son Ian,
and finally to Lance Corporal Kevin Smith and his wife Carole
on the birth of their son Kevin. Welcome to Corporal Neil Cox
on joining the Unit

213
W 2 Colin Bawden, centre, w i t h his w i f e Maureen, after he
had been presented w i t h the Long Service and Good Conduct
Medal by Brigadier J . M. Palmer, right, Commander of AFCENTs
British Army Element.
Ammunition Inspectorate BAOR
HERFORD.
The 'hallowed halls' are still relatively
deserted, even though our contributions to the Divisional Dump
Companies of 2nd and 3rd Armoured Divisions have returned
from their respective exercises; both parties insisting that theirs

Book number R0247