RAOC Gazette - page 27
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
but failed to mention the muddy beach, the ditches, tunnels and walls. Rumour has it that the Officcr-in-Command Regimental Wing got lost on the run but if the truth were known he decided the run wasn't long enough and added on a bit more!! The first day being Sunday was induction day and much time was spent on the basics of map reading, first aid and an introduction to radio voice procedure. Individuals were also given the route for the following Thursdays navigation exercise over Exmoor. Many a long face was seen afterwards. Mondays and Tuesdays were spent on the range and luckily the weather was good but we were plagued with a very strong wind. Lance Corporal McEwan denied shooting at his neigh- bours target by saying how he took up about the fourth point of aim! The three main competitions were the March and Shoot, the Falling Plate and the Individual shoots at five hundred metres. The first weeks students rue the inclusion of the Colonial Captain. They reckoned he had an unfair shooting advantage seeing as how he has a ' long look' or something. Congratulations are due to Captain Peter Cunningham RNAOC for gaining the highest individual score over the two periods. Lance Corporal McEwan (who was shooting next in line) reckons he was firing on the same target of course. Wednesdays were pure enjoyment with the boys either pony trekking or deep sea fishing. Tonto Garbutt demon- strated the best way of getting your leg over but his filly had too many hands and he lost concentration. In fact many poten- tial Lester Piggotts met their come-uppance. Even Black Spot Ballinger thought he was in the Pony Express. At least he had to keep changing his pony—I wonder why. Apparently he managed to get a seventeen hand home but still his feet dragged on the ground! The fishermen enjoyed themselves spending over eight hours on a small boat sharing the same bucket. The first weeks party were unlucky with the weather and the catch or so they would have us believe: ' The one that fell off the gaff was nearly two feet between the eyes.' The second weeks party fared much better—a sunny day and in two boats which im- mediately fostered competition between them. One boat was disqualified as Private Hamblin was ground baiting after only a few moments at sea. The total catches were huge with tope, skate and dogfish totalling some four hundred pounds. All in all, both weeks were great fun and several people are con- templating a return at their own expense next year. The big dogs arrived and everyone was driven to the start point for the long trek across Exmoor. Parties were sent off at intervals and started with a long steady climb; once on top the visibility remained good so the bogs and marshes were readily identifiable—apart from the Q from Ti'W. He thought that all streams over eighteen inches in width were for fording. Perhaps the worst part of the whole circuit was the final quarter of a mile, it incorporated a hill that would make Sean Connery envious. There were more heart failures on this leg than on any of the previous miles. Each week was finalised with a small party and barbecue with those wondering WRAC girls from Kineton. Messrs Freeman, Stott and Coyle send their regards and say that they have just received postings to a small island in the Indian Ocean. The two weeks were extremely worthwhile, everyone en- joying themselves tremendously. Well done! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as the permanent staff. Management Services Unit THE season of ' goodbyes' is upon us and this month we say thank you and cheerio to Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stark, Con- ductor John Wood and Mr Bruce McNab. First of all we wish all the very best to the ' boss' who has held the very exacting post of SOI (Mat) UKLF for some three years, during which he played a large part in the creation of MSU. We in our turn hope we have repaid his trust and belief in us and wish him a happy tour at the Employment Training School. For his part John Wood is about to be commissioned and posted to Chilwell where doubtless hewill quickly assume the mantles of Officer-in-Command golf, cricket and hockey. The Planning Branch are warned! However, prior to posting he is to at- tend his commissioning course at the School of Ordnance where he will be able to supply liberal supplies of ale to the OC who will be attending a Management Development Course at the same time. Finally we bade fond farewells to Bruce Mc- Nab and congratulate him upon his recent promotion. As he is only posted ' below stairs' to the Regional Depot doubtless we will see much more of him. SSM Eddie Bullock is upset that he did not receive a mention in the last edition. However, as he spends most of his time in hotels between Plymouth, Folkestone and Oakington what else can he expect. His drinking partner, SSM Dick Checsman, has had to play a lone hand with the Sappers at Hermitage but rather this than a period of abstinence! Congratulations to the Sccond-in-Command, Captain Ken Lawton, on realising a life's ambition by becoming the proud owner of a BMW lOOOcc motorcycle. We gather his pride is tempered by the regular expenditure on flowers to appease his charming lady. RAOC ASSOCIATION BIRMINGHAM BRANCH OUR Branch Dinner held in October was another successful event The principal guest was Brigadier J. A. M. Macdonald. He will by now have retired from the Corps, and we were able to wish him a long and happy retirement, although we understand he will not be exactly idle. How could he be? We were encouraged by the visit of a large party of our friends of the Shropshire Branch. This year we decided to support the Birmingham and Midlands Limbless Ex-service Association. The hat was passed around, and the magnificent sum of £50 was collected. Our thanks to everybody for their generosity. Some of the proceeds of our Christmas draw will help swell the total for this charity. Congratulations, may be a little belated but quite sincere, to our friend Bill Roberts now stationed at Donnington on his promotion to the rank of Major. On Remembrance Sunday, Arthur Vick laid the wreath on behalf of the Branch at the Birmingham Hall of Memory. May the year of nineteen-eighty be a happy one for all the readers of THE GAZETTE. * NOTES * ON * FOREIGN * ORDNANCE MOUNTAIN GUN WITH TWO BARRELS A gun constructed for Czechoslovakia by the Skoda factory has two barrels easily interchangeable; one is a 75 mm gun barrel, the other is a 90 mm howitzer barrel. With the former, a 6.3 kg shot has a maximum range of 8.9 km; with the latter, an 8.5 kg shell can be delivered to a maximum distance of 7.4 km. AIR MINES In Japan, experiments have been carried out to produce air mines with fuses. The mine was 60 cm long and 5 cm in diameter; propulsive force was supplied by a liquid carburant and the mine was directed by sound or electric waves at a motion speed of 200 km per hour. THE ' INOVAY ' FACE SHIELD A Hungarian, Dr Inovay, has designed a shield to protect the faces of infantry riflemen. The shield is fixed on the rifle a little in front of the backsight at the height of which it has a little window; its weight with fittings is about twenty three ounces. The shield is a ' V ' shaped steel plate, nearly nine inch . wide, six and a half inch high, and 3 mm thick. i A NEW GERMAN MORTAR | An accessory piece of Ordnance, recently constructed for the German Army, is a 75 mm mortar designed for horse traction and adapted for attacking armoured cars. Weight of , shell is 6 kg; initial velocity 170—200 m per second; maximum j range 3,500 m ; and weight of the piece 375 kg. ELECTRON BOMBS Experiments carried out in Russia with electron bombs have shown that this type has a very powerful effect. The bombs released a heat up to 3,400 degrees CentigTade and burnt for three to four minutes. A 1.5 kg bomb penetrated a concrete slab 2 cm thick, and it was calculated that a 25 kg bomb could pass through a concrete roof 30 cm thick, then pierce the house from top to bottom. — 254 — (From THE GAZETTE of April 1935.) ; ; ' ; j ! |
| Book number | R0403a |