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RAOC Gazette - page 34

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Corps RAOC
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1980
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Early date 1980
Late date 1980
Transcription narrowly five one to FRG despite a brave fight. Later in the
week against even stiffer opposition we lost eight to one
to Production Company. In true fighting form however the
lads came back in a fine hard match to beat 16 Tank Transporter
Squadron RCT six goals to three. Great to see that our
spirits weren't too badly hit by our earlier defeats.
On the individual front Sergeant Walsh continues to do
well in the Workshop Cross Country matches and actually
seems to enjoy the sport! Private Knight has just gone to UK
to take part in the Army White Water Championship at Rich-
mond. Let's hope we have a repetition of his performance at
the BAOR competition when he brought home three trophies
including the BAOR Novice Trophy and the BAOR Individual
runner-up. Devotees of this column will recall that our canoe-
ing pair consisted of Lance Corporal Dirk Wilson as well as
Private Knight. Sadly Dirk decided to swallow something very
unsavoury produced by an extremely insanitary rodent while
training, and has been in hospital for three weeks now. This
knocked him out of both competitions. However, when last
seen he was recovering fast.
We welcome back from Canada Privates Mark Elkington
and Rosco Tanner. The ' Elk ' has enjoyed a six month stint
on the prairie and seems to have thoroughly enjoyed him-
self. Private Tanner's stay was a shorter one of one month
on Medicine Man and he also seems to have had a good time,
although he expounded much of his energy in growing his
hair. The Officer Commanding and Second-in-Command could
not stand the competition and so he's now sporting a very
fetching short back and sides once more.
We would like to welcome Sergeant Mick Sorrenson to
the Mechanised Transport to keep the Drivers under control,
Corporal Frank Byrne and his family and Private Jed Gosney
who has just arrived ' shiny and fresh-faced' from training.
We hope all of you will enjoy your stay here.
2 n d Armoured Division
CORPORAL BRUMMY THYNNE now
has his family with him in Lubbecke and
this reflects in his work as he sings and
whistles happily preparing maps for the
next year's exercises! ! With the im-
pending departure of Sergeant Dave
Dupree to other pastures, Sergeant Fred
Pittman has now taken over the position
of being the branch ten pin bowler.
We have two new civilian members
to the branch. Mrs Jackie Tickell our typist and Mrs Belinda
Cotton our new Administration Clerk. We hope they have an
enjoyable stay with us.
Departures: Major Lawton, Major McDermott and Lance
Corporal Harnott.
Arrivals: Major Stacey and Captain Southworth.
OD
G BRANCH. We wish to congratulate Private Mick Harvey on
successfully completing his B2 also wish good luck to Corporal
Keith Davis and Lance Corporal Shaun Gavin who are shortly
going on an 'All Arms Clerical Upgrading B2-B1 ' and RAPC 2
respectively.
Hear no evil—see no evil—speak no evil. Private Pasola, Corporal
Green and Private Bellamy. I don't believe it!
A hearty welcome to Lance Corporal Roy Richards who
has joined us on attachment from 3 Para pending transfer
to the Corps as a Staff Clerk (sensible chap).
ORDNANCE
COMPANY
HEAR no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, a typical pose during
Exercise Keystone.
The exercise was a great success from both the technical
and tactical sides of operations.
Feedback from the Units
supplied by the company was like music to W02 McGowan's
ears.
There were some strange sights around with Lance Corporal
Benson wearing his tin hat to meals and steering clear of flying
jam cans and the CSM.
The film crew visited complete with ' Michael,' ' Dug ' and
the now famous Sun Guns. The Second-in-Command hasn't
recovered yet, and surprisingly most of the budding Steve Mc-
Queens disappeared.
' Our Mum' Sergeant Taylor detached on Combat Supplies
was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a birthday cake
in the shape of a ' T ' kindly supplied by the Chief Catering
Advisor.
All in all a good exercise but even Corporal Crowshaw
('Pathfinder' to his packet) was pleased to eventually return
to the comparative comfort of barracks.
The Unit football team who are competing in the DOS
cup, BAOR Minor Units cup and 2nd Division Minor Units
cup have been prolificly scoring goals with one of our new
arrivals Lance Corporal Sutcliffe scoring a hat-trick against
BMH Munster with the final score six two in our favour.
The following week saw RAOC Bielefeld defeated six three and
with score lines like those, there can be no doubt about the
entertainment value and enthusiasm put into the games that
have been played.
Congratulations to Private Leach and his wife on their new
born daughter, and finally welcome to Private Long who
joins us from Kineton.
3rd Armoured Division
ORDNANCE DEPOT
THIS month the Company offers to you
an uncensored account of a day in the
life of a Supply Specialist in the Field.
This article is dedicated to those hard
working Supply Specialists who through
all weathers moan and think that their lot
is unarguably the worst.
Late one afternoon Ken Todd, a
scientific genius now working for a highly classified, totally
insecure, government body known as the R and I was perched
alongside the Operations Wagon which was safely camouflaged,
blending into the background of the German Hinterland. Ken
was contemplating his next mission.
He was to carry out a daylight raid on 7R, a seemingly
impregnable fortress.
He glanced at his manilla envelope,
which contained all the information with which to successfully
complete his mission.
Two hours later, with the speed of a cat he glided through
the village keeping his elf like physique well and truly hidden
in the shadows. He reached the final RV alongside his ob-
jective, he immediately went to ground and carefully scanned
the surrounding area. A quick dash and he reached the corner
of the vehicle. A bead of sweat began to trickle down his
face, the face of an experienced man of iron. He leapt for the
tail board, missed and found himself sprawling uncharacteristic-
ally in the mud. A fleeting moment of panic passed through
him—but this was immediately dismissed. Equally as quickly
he remembered the tough physical training he had received from
Marine Povey—within a few seconds Ken Todd had managed
to achieve his objective. Proudly he stood on the edge of the
tail board, two and a half feet off the ground.
Toddy was too good a Supply Specialist to let success go
to his head. He quickly located the 6434 Battery which was
his goal for the mission tonight Storeman Todd decided he
would begin his return route to the Operations Wagon in two
minutes.
During this time he busied himself wiping the
steam from the triple lenses of his glasses. He leapt off the
tailboard, forgetting that he had already discovered the deep
muddy puddle below.
He uttered an oath, and inwardly
cursed himself for'so doing. He headed for the gap in the
camouflage, couldn't find it and his SLR foresight was the
first thing to get caught in the net, then the sleeve buttons, then
his webbing itself—he remained calm—well as calm as a
Supply Specialist could be expected to remain when the perpetual
— 259 —
Book number R0403a