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RAOC Gazette - page 198

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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 EMPLOYMENT TRAINING
SCHOOL
BASIC CLERKS WING. The Basic Clerks Training Wing con-
tinues to flourish with extra courses added this year to cope
with the ever increasing numbers of students from all arms.
Since our last notes we say goodbye to Sergeant Jane Morrison
WRAC and welcome to her replacement Sergeant Judy Leggot
WRAC. Congratulations to Sergeant Alan Cooper on the
award of his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
VEHICLE SPECIALIST WING. All the Vehicle Specialist in-
structors having passed their BFTs with W02 (Whippet) Mc-
Naught leading the way, and now back to oils, greases and
baffling students with the receipts and issues procedure. Staff
Sergeant Chris Keelor has arrived from Ludgershall as a replace-
ment instructor (' temporary' as he keeps reminding everyone)
whilst W02 Bill Heap is away on a beer pulling course prior to
taking over a ' pub ' on leaving the service (address to be made
public in Headquarters Vehicle Depot Bulletins when known).
Mrs
Brown visits the
Didcot
Playschool.
quarters in the Barracks have now been let to Council tenants,
we are waiting for them to join us. It certainly makes a
difference with local civilians in such local proximity. One of
our Field Officers in No. 2 Dress was confused with the post-
man!
By the time these notes are read, we will have said farewell
to ' o u r ' Australians Major Tony and loan Molloy. They added
a lot to the community and we will miss them, especially the
Thermals. In their place we welcome Major Hugo and family.
We wish them a happy posting and hope they bring lots of sun
with them.
Training Centre
TRAINING BATTALION AND DEPOT
PLANS for Lieutenant Colonel Mike Marshall to hand over com-
mand to Lieutenant Colonel Peter Matthews are now in an
advanced state. Life for the outgoing CO will certainly be
less hectic in a ' Snout' at No. 1 Sub-Depot Bicester. Major
Tony Schranz is now' firmly installed as 2IC and feels he can now
tackle the forthcoming I of E whilst having a spare time job
as PMC Headquarters RAOC Officers Mess. We have said
farewell to RSM Jim Stephen on retirement and wish him and
his family a happy future in Aberdeen. Welcome to RSM
Brian Lambert as Station RSM and also welcome to Lance
Corporal Alan Biddulph on transfer from Para to the Orderly
Room Staff.
TRAINING COMPANY.
The Company is going through a
relatively quiet period except for the occasional suicidal attempt
by the instructors making a dash for freedom to escape from
Gibraltar (Kamakazi) Platoon.
Captain Gordon Coombs recently completed a ' Middle'
Management Course' which we thought was designed by the
MO for the rotund. He says it was useful to observe the
painfully obvious in great depth and he now approaches all
management problems in the fresh, commonsense and en-
lightened manner which he employed before attending the course.
We have had visitations from the press at national and local
level. One photographer covering the civil/military interface
in Alder-shot—' Home of the British Army'—was heard to com-
ment as he was taking shots of Borneo Platoon Passing Out
Parade Rehearsals on a cold and misty morning, ' this is great—
it's so bleak and desolate.' Fortunately, he was changing films
when one recruit fainted. For the remainder of the parade he
drifted around miserably, camera at the high port, hoping for
another fainting recruit but without success. Farewell to Sergeant
Parker on posting to 154 FAD and to Corporal Anson on
posting to Belize as A/Sergeant.
Welcome to Second Lieutenant Bob Ling, Sergeant Kneft,
Lance Corporal Gibson and Sergeant Wolfe who has come in
out of the cold of civvy street!
Congratulations to Sergeant Lonnen, Corporal Thomas (the
Welsh one) and Corporal Gibson on recent promotions.
Stop Press. Private Turner (Cyprus Platoon) made a citizen's
arrest of a suspected shoplifter at Marks & Sparks in Aldershot,
good for community relations and the award of a gift voucher
to Private Turner was appreciated.
— 405
TAILOR TRAINING.
At the present time the seventeen and a
half year old son of Mr Joe Wade (Ex Master tailor of the
RAOC) has enlisted in the Corps as an Ammunition Technician
and Staff Clerk. He is at present undergoing basic training at
Blackdown.
For the second year running we have had an 'A' grading on
the Highland dress course, Lance Corporal Don, Black Watch,
who is only the second Student to attain this grading, the
previous student being Corporal Hern, who transferred to the
Gordons when tailoring ceased to be a trade with the Corps.
APPRENTICES
COLLEGE
HEADQUARTERS COMPANY says farewell to Captain Ted
Walcroft who leaves ' sunny' Deepcut for the land of the LOA,
on promotion. Before leaving however he has had time to fit
in the South East District Orienteering Championship where the
team took first prize.
Our ELT Wing has been doing their thing in Scotland and
Fremington and Sergeant Ruscoe, recently promoted, is still
trying to get warm after the surf canoeing.
The Weapon Training staff has had a couple of new in-
structors ie Sergeant Mullen and Corporal James. Staff Sergeant
Rook, their boss, is definitely getting more grey hair as a result.
Corporal Steve Jenkins and his wife Helen are now the
proud parents of a bouncing baby boy.
Our gruesome twosome has been split up—Trevor Watson
has gone to 'A' Company on promotion to Sergeant and Corporal
Nobby Clark is teaching the apprentices the noble art of vehicle
manoeuvring through Camberley.
In our muscle department, the College Gym, Corporal
Woollaston has just got married to Jill, Corporal Langton has
passed his RPC2 and QMSI Mather has had to work very hard
supervising Lance Corporal John who has done all the lessons.
'B' COMPANY.
Parade state for ' B ' Company on the day
of writing reads: Balaclava and Berlin Platoons—Battle Camp,
Burma Platoon—France, Brunei and Benghazi—London.
This sums up just what a month in ' B ' Company is like.
Immediately after half term the Company attended Spring
Camp at Fremington and it would be an understatement to say
that we were lucky regarding weather conditions, as, on
departure from Fremington the heavens opened and rained
persistently for the complete week of 'A' Company's Camp. It
could not have happened to a nicer Company! I think it is fair
to say that the highlight of our week was the inter-Platoon com-
petition run with the activities in the programme. The winners,
Balaclava Platoon, are to be congratulated on the high standard
they set the remainder of the Company to chase.
Hot off the press, the End of Term Awards have just been
announced and we are pleased to see that A/Sergeant Sullivan of
Burma Platoon, won the Maule Cup, which is awarded to the
most proficient soldier, A/Private Wilson of Berlin Platoon won
the West Shield Cup, which is awarded for Citizenship.
A/Private Norman of Berlin Platoon, who won the Best Sports-
man Award, A/Private Mactaggart of Berlin Platoon, who won
the Robinson Shield as the individual cross country champion
and, finally, A/Private Thompson of Burma Platoon, who won
the Radley Cup as the individual orienteering champion. Our
hearty congratulations to them all. It is pleasing to see that all
their efforts have paid dividends.
Benghazi Platoon has just returned from Exercise Cold
Venture, a ski-ing exercise in Aviemore, Scotland. This was an
excellent opportunity for the Platoon to learn the arts and by the
results obtained, it was all worthwhile.
' B ' Company was involved recently in the White Lodge,
Book number R0404a