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RAOC Gazette - page 124

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1981
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Early date 1981
Late date 1981
Transcription We hear from the Staff here that they are seeking a Major, or if
pushed a Captain, to replace him. Well done, Staff! It may
relieve you to know that, for purposes of THE GAZETTE Notes, we
shall continue to use the British Army appointments titles since
we all have only just got used to CCRAOC instead of DDOS!
We welcome Major Tony Patrick who has arrived as S02
Combat Supplies and Private Paul Holmes in the Orderly Room
straight from training. Tony brings a studious eye to proceed-
ings here after his tour with the Ordnance Board and Private
Holmes' feet haven't touched yet.
Major Dan Putt's departure became more imminent when
he received the great news that he is to command the Apprentices
College from July. Many congratulations, we hope you will
enjoy being ' Big Daddy.'
With departures in mind, Headquarters RAOC held an
excellent party in a ' local' last week to say farewell to Mr
Frank; Booth (the Corps Adviser) who is going as ' Chief' to
Headquarters UKLF, Major Bob Fitzsimmons who is off as
SATO Cyprus, Major Joe Hastings who goes down the road to
command the Corps Stores Company and Staff Sergeant Barrie
Fisk who comes over all Scottish on his way to 51 Company
(Volunteers) as a PSI. We also said farewell of course to Jessie,
Jackie, Liz and Hazel their wives. W02 George Mathers
organised the excellent occasion for us.
The husband of Brigadier John Skinner's PA, Isabel, is
Conductor George Vickers who works up the corridor. He was
overjoyed at being medically upgraded recently but his face
fell a mile (sorry three miles) when CCRAOC invited him to
join him on their BFT. Life goes on apace and with great en-
joyment.
G3 (STAFF DUTIES) AND Gl (AVIATION
RAF)
AT the moment G Air or G3 (Aviation RAF) as it is now known,
is in the process of a change over between the clerks. Corporal
Rick Kendal has been posted to the Training Battalion at Black-
down and in his place is Corporal Steve Kemp who has just
moved from an office down the corridor. Meanwhile Lance
Corporal Andy Blathenvick is trying to educate himself before
being posted to Headquarters NORTHAG on promotion in
early March. His replacement who is, at present, working in
Headquarters RAOC (or Supply as it is now known) is Lance
Corporal Tony Baillie.
In SD, or G3 (Staff Duties), we have had some changes
over the past six months since our last report. Corporal
Heather Jones has left us for civvy street and is now happily
beavering away in the PRI office. Heather has been replaced
by our current beauty Lance Corporal Jan Tate. It was interest-
ing to see the amount of visitors to SD increase in the period
just after her arrival. However, she is now happily engaged
to Kevin, so lay off chaps. Private Mick O'Hara has also left
us and is now working for Gl, G4 and G5 Plans, good luck
Mick. O'Hara has been replaced by Private Graham White-
house who is by all accounts working well and enjoying SD?
Corporal Mick Hopkins is walking around with an air of self
satisfaction for, not only has he been posted, he is to be pro-
moted. Well done Mick and good luck in your new job. Staff
Sergeant Gerry Trottier, the Chief Clerk is still with us which is
surprising as we did not expect him to survive the change from
single to married life but he seems to be managing quite well so
far. Well we must get back to pushing out the paper to keep the
rest of the Headquarters happy so until our next instalment.
Away from G3 (SD) and G3 (Aviation RAF) we would
like to congratulate W 2 John Thomson and A/Corporal Bob
Shiels on their recent promotions, and Lance Corporals John
Heath and Mark Gore on passing their RPC2 course. We bid
farewell to WOl Frank Linnane to Headquarters Detmold
Garrison, Sergeant Tony O'Doherty to 85 Supply Depot, Corporal
Gary Middleton to sunny Naples and Private Paddy Burnett to
Combat Supplies Battalion. Good luck to you all. Our new
arrivals are Sergeant Dave Forsyth, Privates Geordie Atkinson
and Paul Holmes. Welcome and good luck in Corps Head-
quarters.
A
<®3S§^0^
1st Armoured Division
BRONZED and fit, lean, langlauf-loving,
Major Myles Greenhalgh narrowed his eyes
and gazed into the bitter dusk. " There'll be
snow," he whispered. And there was, since
when like a school boy anxious to escape
lessons, he has fled the office at lunchtime
and end-of-play to emerge almost at once as
a red-topped pixie to float over the snows.
His enthusiasm is in marked contrast to that
of Major Jeremy Baines or our FSO 1, Mr Stan Talbot whose
garages are at the foot of one in three slopes!
In our new NATO-style livery, 1 Armd Div Sup greets the
New Year. Only DOWO and Assistant DOWO have escaped
unscathed—probably because WOl Pete Osborne and W02 Pete
Roberts are so rarely here that no one knew we'd got them.
Morale is pretty high here—all the officers having had the.
postings they wanted—Lieutenant Colonel Clive Pickard to
RARDE, Major Jeremy Baines to Bielefeld, Major Myles
Greenhalgh to Berlin, Captain Tim Cross (last year) to Cyprus
and Major Buz Busby extended for a year. They won't hear a
word said against AG9! Meanwhile, and at near immediate
notice our FS02, Mr Bob Bygrave has left with our very best
wishes, for CAD Longtown.
Somewhere in UK as I write this, Lance Corporal Paul
Ranger has just completed his Bl course and is on leave. He
sent us this discouraging card:
To the Suppliers: PROGRESS:
Completed Course
RESULT:
Passed (Naturally)
WEATHER:
Awful
PRICES:
Expensive
SOCIAL LIFE:
Disastrous
FINANCES:
Bankrupt
PROSPECTS:
Nil
We are also without Corporals Bill Winchester and Jock
Falconer who are on RPC1 course and leave respectively, but
have been pleased to welcome Lance Corporal Dave Cook. In
the Regiment Sergeant Pete Potter has arrived on promotion to
take over from Sergeant Bob Harrison who has gone to the
Transport Regiment. We wish them all the best in their new
appointments. Finally we welcome Fiona West our new typist
and say farewell to Mrs Margaret Green who has departed to
the Homeland.
We wish our S03 Sup(Coord), Captain Wilson Brewer the
best of luck in his staff college exams and look forward to
having him with us in spirit as well as body soon.
LATE PRESS. Congratulations to Captain Wilson and Joan
Brewer on the birth of their daughter Elizabeth.
ORDNANCE
COMPANY
THERE is a rumour that CSM Patchitt has approached the
Winter Olympic Committee to include Snow clearing as a
recognised sport. To this end he has been training a Company
team but is currently having problems with the snow shovels
that are constantly being broken. He has recently developed
a Mark II snow shovel but due to a sudden thaw he must now
wait until the next snow fall before troop trials can begin.
Major Ron Brown was wheeled out of the company in
style on a stores barrow when the company said their fond
farewell. We wish him luck in his new appointment at JDSC.
It was also farewell to Corporal Pearson who joins 48
AMF(L) Company. Corporal Pearson will be sadly missed as
custodian of the Divisions Cleanliness in the Field. His bath
unit made international fame especially with the never for-
gotten mixed bathing of a US Army Unit. We also say farewell
to Lance Corporal Johnston REME.
All members of the Company welcome our new OC Major
Malcolm Gilbertson and his family. Also welcome to other
new arrivals Second Lieutenant Cousins, Staff Sergeant Young
ACC, Lance Corporals Coward, and McGaughy, Privates
Brocklebank, Buckley, Muldoon and Craftsman Mathews
REME. Also Private Wark on attachment.
Belated congratulations to the new OC, Major Malcolm
Gilbertson, on receiving the MBE in the New Year Honours
List.
79 SUPPLY DEPOT
SERGEANT KEITH MARSHALL and Corporal Pete Wadding-
ton have gone off to Bavaria on Exercise Snow Queen where
we also have W02 Gary Divers as an instructor for the next
two months. At the time of going to press we have had no
reports of any broken bones or other misfortunes from our
intrepid skiers.
Our Potted Sports have had to be neglected somewhat,
owing to the weather, but everyone had been building up their
strength awaiting the arrival of the sun. (If the moratorium
allows it).
STORES PLATOON 7 ARMOURED
WORKSHOP
WE finally said a fond farewell to Corporal Jackson RNZAOC
who, on his departure presented the platoon with a quart bottle
of New Zealand beer. Five thousand miles and four months in
a suitcase confirmed our suspicions about New Zealand beer.
We still await the return of our half of the exchange, Lance
Corporal John Mooney. Rumours of his antics at Boogie
Street are still strong.
— 345 —
Book number R0404a