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RAOC Gazette - page 271

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Corps RAOC
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Publication date 1978
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Transcription ams started on the return leg at the crack of dawn but,
r 'rnbHed with the after effects of day one and again the
Jj ;ili jams
soon started to drop by the wayside. The final
wer e
. uiat twenty six complete teams and forty three
s /auV--"*
l^vMuats, who on route had made up composite teams
finished both stages,
[t was good to see our ex-Superintending Clerk, Lieutenant
Jim Burden, competing as a member of the Training Systems
and Advisory Branch, Blackdown, team. As one ' wag * put it
.'We tried to persuade him to compete in the All Island Ludo
Championship while he was serving here, but he said it was
However, all joking aside, considering
m uch too strenuous."
(rie team did not have much time to acclimatise and get to know
,he ground, they did exceptionally well by not only completing
the first stage to Troodos but also by not throwing in the
-nve; until the third checkpoint on the second day.
Our sole Headquarters Ordnance representative was Corporal
Tom McCallion who was a member of the Eptskopi Garrison
team. Unfortunately, while still going strong he became ill and
had to retire. This was disappointing, especially after all the
hard work and training the team had put in,
The winners were again 3 Royal Anglian Regiment in a
lime of five hours forty three minutes nine seconds for day one
and six hours forty nine minutes fifty one seconds on day two
making a total of twelve hours thirty three minutes. This win
makes it three in a row for the team.
On the sporting scene congratulations to Staff Sergeant
Sill Gordon and the Headquarters cricket team on winning the
WSBA knockout competition and to Sergeant Frank Greaney
and his hockey team on beating a strong RAF Akrotiri team
in the first league game of the season. On the football front
the least said the better. The Garrison team in the minor
Units league, which is mainly comprised of Headquarters LFC
personnel, is going through a bad patch. With our old man
Superintending Clerk WOl Wilf Wright being called out of
retirement, W02 John Andrews being asked to exchange his
whistle for the goalkeepers jersey, and Sergeant Frank Greaney's
services being requested, things can only get
worse!
Congratulations are in order to Corporals Tom McCallion
and Keith Cammack on being provisionally selected for pro-
motion to substantive rank by the No. 2 Soldiers Promotion
Board and to Lance Corporal Don Bennett on also being
selected for promotion to Corporal.
British Forces Hong Kong
COMPOSITE
ORDNANCE DEPOT
THE main activity at the
moment is the preparation
for Corps week and, in
particular, for the RAOC
fete, an annual event of stu-
pendous proportions which,
like the harvests of pre-
history, requires a sacrificial
Corn King to ensure success. Our victim/coordinator this
year is Major M. E. Newman.' We expect the angle to be
strongly biased in favour of the younger generation—Noddy
trains, pony rides and all the magic of pretend wonderland.
This speculation is reinforced by the inadvertent, but now widely
publicised discovery, that Major Newman's book, overdue from
the library, is entitled * Paddington Bear's Blue Book ';—yau caa
tell a lot about a man from what he reads. Further to celebrate
Corps Week, a Corps shoot has been arranged to take place on
Stonecutters Island.
The DPO, Captain Terry Ewers has been busy as usual,
A large hole was found behind the Depot. He is looking into i t
It was third time lucky for the Stonecutters Youth Club
boat trip. Staff Sergeant Ray Evans eventually got things under-
way, tropical storms notwithstanding. The tug Clare was not
able to negotiate the shallow waters around Lamma
Island so
1
Ray and Major Robin Phillips resorted to rowing the children,
parents, food, drink and barbecue equipment ashore. It is
reported that the two scullers will not be appearing at Henley
next year.
Your scribe regretfully takes his leave this month of the
unspoiled factories of San Po Kong, the soaring heights of
concrete dwellings and the bracing atmosphere of petro-
chemicals, open drainage and carbon monoxide, A new pencil
will then hold sway.
Welcome however, to W02 Dave Hurren RE ME, W02
Pete Coull, Sergeants Joe Addis, Pat Teegan and Lance Corporal
John Allinson.
&&©€ glib Gorier?
British Forces Belize
A LITTLE FABLE entitled * In remembrance of a good meal or
how to overfeed a Liverpool Docker' written by Sergeant Pete
Ferguson of marathon running fame.
It came to pass in June 78 that the RNSTS (Victualling)
Stores, Portsmouth decided the troops in Belize needed to be
fed yet again and in all their wisdom, sent manna from Ports-
mouth, (compo to the uninitiated). They proceeded hastily to
issue 5,200 rations of the twenty four hours variety via Canada
Dock, Liverpool.
At last the great day dawned and this manna from Portsmouth
finally arrived at the Compo Store in Belize, three months late
and four hundred and fifty short! There was much conster-
~auon and woe when it was found that not all the manna had
arrived and much shaking of heads and curses were heaped
upon the local Dockers of Belize, who no doubt were feeding
the local population.
To everyone's surprise and shame there was then found a
small note from one of the holiest of holies, a Liverpool sup-
porter, who had taken the mundane occupation as a security
warden, between prayers at the temple on Saturdays. The
message read:
We are terribly sorry for what the Dockers have done,
Keep up the good work.
From the Wardens.
We then realised, much to our shame, that the perpetrators
were in fact Liverpool Dockers, not only rich but now overfed.
The moral to this story is simple for those who complain
about petty DR action, remember us, we now eat ours.
During September we said farewell to W02 Mike McLean,
Staff Sergeant David Towers-Clark, Corporals John Longfield
and John Hoi] ins, Privates Keith Edmunds and Paddy Cook, and
said hello to Corporal Geordie Jones, Sergeant Malcolm Boyce,
Lance Corporal Charlie Fraser and Sergeant Barry Stevens!
A special welcome was arranged for Sergeant Malcolm Boyce!
W *hin twenty four hours of arriving in Belize he received a
tr:^ndly tap on the head from a local and overwhelmed by
juch an open gesture of friendship, Sergeant Boyce felt that the
least
he could do in return was to give him all the cash he had
a
t the time.
THE Committee of Management of the RAOC Aid Society
acknowledge with sincere thanks the following donations totalling
£1,030.88 received during the quarter ended 30ti September
1978. These donations do not include the personal subscriptions
of serving and retired officers and soldiers.
Staff Sergeants London and Stephen, Sergeant Carr, Lieu-
tenant Colonel A. T. Hatfield, Major D. I. Manley, Sergeants
Mess Chilwell, COD Bicester, 3 Infantry Brigade, Headquarters
Hannover Station, 28 Amphibious Engineer Regiment Workshop
REME, Headquarters Training Company RAOC, RAOC Associa-
tion Wulfen and from the Royal Tournament 1978.
The Committee also wish to announce that during the same
quarter, ninety one grants were made totalling £3,976.63.
Clje Cbttor'ss jaottte*
Editor: COLONEL E. RIDGEWAY, OBE (Retd.)»
Treasurer: LIEUTENANT COLONEL H. A. MILLER, (Retd.).
SUBSCRIPTION HATES—HOME AND ABROAD
30p per copy, or £3.60 per annum, post free.
Orders for monthly sales should reach this office by 9th day of
the months accompanied by remittance for previous month.
Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to
" Treasurer RAOC Gazette" and should oe crossed.
DEAD-LINE DATE FOR RECEIPT OF COPY.
The "Gazette" is published monthly about the 29th of each
month, and all articles, Station News Letters, etc., should reach the
Editor by the 29th of the month for publication a month Utter.
" Letters to the Editor" and short news items will, however, be
accepted tip to the 7th of the month. Copy should be typed, if
possible, and double spaced,
EDITORIAL OFFICE; RAOC SECRETARIAT, DEEPCUT, CAMHERLEY, SURREY.
(Telephone: Brookwood 4511, Ext. 516.)
223 —
Book number R0247