RAOC Gazette - page 55
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 |
EXERCISE ROCK DIVE A REPORT ON THE BICESTER GARRISON SUB AQUA CLUB EXPEDITION TO GIBRALTAR By MAJOR DAVID MARKS IT is hoped that this article will be of particular interest and benefit to those Units which have Sub-Aqua Clubs. Among the glossy pages which feature at this time of year in Defence Council Instructions one can peruse at ones leisure the multifarious advertisements for the coming seasons' winter and summer holidays. Following a seductive description of a ski-ing holiday in the Drill Hall at Kingussie and usually pro- ceeding the " It Is Important That You Read This " tear out supplement you may notice reference to an underwater package tour of sunny Gibraltar; we did, and we seized upon it like a Moray Eel after compo cheese! The facilities offered are an expedition planner's dream; equipment, accommodation, air, rations, transport, all laid on all we had to do was fix up the finance and the flights. These minor arrangements were completed with the ease to which all expedition leaders have become accustomed (?) and before we knew where we were we were packed and ready to go. Those taking part in the exercise were Major David Marks, Captains John Hopkinson, Clive Beaumont, Jim McGrellis, Corporal Jock Reid, Privates Les Amoah and Mick Johnson, Marine Taf Churchill, PC Richard Murray and to add a touch of glamour, Helen Beaumont. The Helen Beaumont takes a - breather. The prospect of assembling this motley crew at the Bicester clubhouse in time to catch a 9 am flight out of Gatwick was so daunting that it was decided to stage overnight at RAF Hendon and in the event it was a most fortunate decision. Our arrival at Hendon heralded the only near tragedy of the trip. Absolutely no one had heard of us. Despite umpteen letters and signals generated during the previous weeks not a single name vaguely resembling that of a sub-aquatic appeared either on the flight manifast or the hotel register. What to do? Should we go back to Bicester, (many years of Army training had taught us not to release the coach until take-off was assured), or should we all surrepticiously go on a fortnights home leave and reassemble back at base to fabricate our fishy tales? The decision was taken out of our hands when I was fortunately able to produce copies of all the aforementioned correspondence and no less a personage than the Station ^Com- mander authorised our inclusion on the manifest. upside down world of Richard Murray. A 5 am call ensured that we got to Gatwick well in time to hear the first announcement of the hour delay of flight DA 2740 to Gibraltar. Not to worry, at the prices we were paying we could afford to laugh off such a minor inconvenience. The announcement of a further hours delay was greeted with slightly less enthusiasm and certain of our.number were to be seen sidling along to the bar. No sooner had the lemonade touched my lips than that Daalek voice announced the im- minent departure of DA 2740 and would passengers go im- mediately to Gate twenty two. Somebody must have found the keys. We were off! We left England's sunny shores in fine spirits, enjoyed the flight tremendously, and touched down in a torrential down- pour. Welcome to the Sunny Med! Our tour operator met us at Gibraltar Inter Galactic Air- port in the style of all good package tour operators . . . standing out from the crowd by waving a work ticket,and keys over his head. This is where the ' packagedness' of the whole deal came into its own for we immediately took over the transport, a very nifty British Racing Green, fully convertible, three and a half litre Bedford. John Hopkinson was our only HGV Driver and he underwent his baptism of fire on that first trip from the airport. Those who know Gib with its miniscule streets, acute angled bends and precipitous hills will well appreciate the difficulties of driving there. Let it be known that we all dis- played our faith in our driver on this his first detail by almost setting a world record for the number of people you can cram into a Land Rover—as we all volunteered to ride in the accom- panying vehicle. Next stop was the accommodation, a perfectly adequate converted barrack room with an all electric kitchen, showers, drying room and two bunks. In fact the only disadvantage is its location . . . adjacent to the Municipal tip and a rather long walk from the delights of Main Street Then on to the actual diving centre at Coaling Island, some fifteen minutes drive from the ' h o t e l ' and round the other side of the Rock. Here we took over the equipment and boat which is all good stuff and in first class nick. T'was at this point that the latent Captain Bligh—like qualities of our Diving Officer, John Hopkinson, began to emerge. Whereas we air breathing, land orientated beings, — 274 — |
| Book number | R0403a |