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RAOC Gazette - page 23

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Corps RAOC
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Transcription STATION
AT H€/UE
The Regimental Depot RAOC
THIS month has seen the practical promotion exam in which
all our candidates passed! Congratulations to Capt. Walton (what
would have been said if the Adjutant had failed!) and to Lt.
Watson and 2/Lt. Inshaw on their success too. All candidates
owe much to the indefatigable Major Chilcott who did so
much of the pre-exam training.
Our other big effort was the Home Defence exercise—a
pleasant fantasy with light relief in the clobbering of Junior
Leaders who had the temerity to ' loot' the NAAFI.
DEPOT COMPANY:
We are sorry to have to report this
month that Sgt. Godwin has gone the way of many good RD
men and started a CQMS course. We feel that with him and
SgL Grimes nothing will get posted by the drafting office with-
out being signed for. The Company is delighted to record the
return of Capt. Lungley: we did not realise that he was on our
posted strength until the end of his last batch of leave!
We were quite worried in the middle of the month when
Capt. Wilson persisted in carrying on about a gentleman called
* Barry' and his cup, whilst we all understood he was away
running some hockey. However, it appears that all went well.
CSlVt Stephen is making his mark on drafting office yet again;
nasty stuff this plaster-of-paris!
The Company took part in W'mtex lll t the Training Centre
Civil Defence exercise. The day was an education in itself when,
apart from lectures, the Company learned a lot from practical
training and Training Company's sideshows,
COURSES COMPANY': ts in a state of perpetual oneupmanship.
Whatever exercise is held the unit they serve is not involved.
"All arms courses, old chap—can't stop them." So the Com-
pany placidly beavers away trying to deal with dozens of course
personnel who arrive here.
Capt. Bates joins, and Capt. Duff goes on the OOs course.
TRAINING
COMPANY:
After operating on a shoestring
(Clerkwise) during the first half of this month, the Coy has
returned from the Easter training break with a full complement
of staff in the Coy office. Welcome to Cpl, Allen who has
arrived from the Officers Records Section to take over as Chief
Clerk of the Company. L/Cpl. Norton, much to his relief,
has now been relieved of his responsibility after doing a splendid
job before the break in sifting through some 180 leave passes.
He is now waiting to go to the Persian Gulf.
Recruiting is still poor, but there is hope of some im-
provement in the summer months. But this eases the burden of
the PI Comds and gives them a chance to catch up on their
many extraneous duties.
Congratulations to our phantom 2IC, Capt. D. Baughan, on
gaining a place at Staff College. I say phantom because he
spends most of his time sitting in as acting Adjt. Rumour has
it that he has run away as the Corps shoot is now rearing its
ugly head!
Cross Country: The only event of note to report is the
RAOC Championships held at Kineton at the end of March.
The Training Centre was positioned 5th—quite a commendable
result, which might have been bettered had some other regular
runners been available. Those who ran for the Training Centre
included Lt. W. Forshaw (RAEC), 2/Lt. D. Kime, SSI Freeman
(who is to be congratulated on his individual performance), CpL
Bradley and L/Cpl. Hamilton.
Rugby: Another season has drawn to a close marked, as
usual, by the end-of-season dinner and sing-song; this naturally
was greatly enjoyed by all. A feature of this year's event was
that everyone was still standing at the finish and that the land-
lord has agreed to have us back next year.
Unfortunately we did not distinguish ourselves at anything
this season. We have readymade excuses for every defeat, of
course, but we cannot bore you with them now.
This will be the last mention of rugby in the newsletter for
some time, so we will bid farewell to our skipper, Sgt. ' Taffy'
Edwards, who is leaving soon for BAOR, where we wish him
luck for next season.
NEWS
Junior Leaders* Battalion RAOC
THE spring term ended on 11th April, when forty-six young
men graduated from the Battalion. The salute at the passing-
out parade was taken by Brigadier P. H. Girling, Comd REME
Training Centre. Arhorfield.
With the winter months now behind us, we all look forward
to the summer term with its promise of long days and balmy
evenings and the thrill of summer camp-, to be spent at Tregantle
Fort in Cornwall.
The sporting highlight of the month was almost certainly
on 1st April when the Battalion rugby XV met Chilwell in the
final of the Hill Cup. The detail* of this hard fought contest
are to be read elsewhere in T H E GAZETTE. However, although
victory was not ours, we felt proud to be in the final and con-
gratulate the better team on their decisive win.
The close of the rugby season was marked by a successful
seven-a-side competition held on 8th April. Parsons Platoon
won the day, thus confirming B Coy as the overall winners of
the Battalion rugby competition.
The culmination of the sailing club activities for J/RSM
Bate was two weeks * before the m a s t ' aboard the Sail Training
Association's ship, Winston Churchill.
Bob Bates's comment
was: " I enjoyed my days at sea very much, but I am glad I
joined the Army." Regretfully, this term we must say goodbye
to him on his graduation to man service, and we all wish him
well when he leaves for his first tour in Germany,
Here we continue our sailing notes with the follow-up
story of our all-too-short * affair' with Monique Marie.
A
slightly edited extract from Jim Watson's diary tells the story,
" In the last edition I gave an account of our first offshore
weekend aboard Monique Marie. The next weakened, the last
in March, we headed for Marcham. hoping that the weather
would be more kind to us.
" W e boarded Monique Marie ;it 4 pm. stowed kit and food
and by 5 pm were heading down creek for Poole Harbour.
Within fifteen minutes the crew very efficiently hoisted main
and foresail and. with a Junior Leader at the helm, we success-
fully negotiated the tricky channels. By 6.30 pm had tied up
for the night in a very snug berth in Poole Harbour,
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