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RAOC Gazette - page 187

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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 Many Apprentices learned that it is possible to upright a
What more appropriate than that his final departure
capsized canoe in raging ice-cold sea water before the shock
should be in a golf buggy driven by two of our pretty girls.
permanently halts breathing—but only just. Others learned that
(Need we add that the leg display came in for some ungentle-
a pea-soup fog can take you by surprise on Exmoor, that driving
manly comments!).
rain chills you to the bone and that the compass doesn't lie.
We feel that the occasion was somewhat unique in that
Others still learned that Exmoor ponies can sum up novice
Colonel Logan for once in his career did as he was instructed.
riders at a glance and place them in two categories—those who
We wish him well for the future and can only hope that his
arc going to ride home and those who will walk.
handicap, the golf one, gets reduced as a result of his being
able to spend more (?) time on the golf course.
The map reading, shooting, assault course and orienteering
We welcome Colonel Bryan Hopkinson from Northern
activities were run as an infer-platoon competition. In a close
Ireland and offer our congratulations on his promotion. We
finish, Burma Platoon took the Inter-Platoon Challenge Shield.
can only hope that he finds Blackdown a little more peaceful
A/Lance Corporal Skinner and A/Privates Mock, Pib-
and relaxing than Lisburn. We shall no doubt, at a suitable
worth, Eveleigh, Haywood and Rigby left camp early in order
time, be inculcated into the meanings of the raising and lower-
to take part in a forty mile cross-country navigation exercise.
ing of his MCC and black ties.
It is to their great credit that the first three completed twenty
five miles and the second three thirty eight miles before retiring
Captain Peter Claughton recently captained the Corps
through exhaustion—especially as out of seventy three teams
rugby side which beat REME in the Palestine Cup for the first
starting, only twenty eight managed to finish.
time in fifteen years.
Captain Brian Mobley, the team captain of the Training
On return from camp the Company was equally successful
Centre ski team, and W02 Stuart Madden have been in Avie-
in taking the honours at the College skill-at-arms competition.
more training for and competing in the Army Ski Champion-
Brunei Platoon took the SLR cup and Burma Platoon the SMG
ships. After braving the elements and obtaining a disgusting
cup. A/Private Davcy (Brunei) took the individual SLR prize
tan they returned with a pot of silver having been part of the
and A/Private Rabbidge (Burma) the individual SMG prize.
team which won the RAOC Inter-Unit Downhill Champion- , The standard of shooting was laudable considering the appalling
ship. Captain Brian Mobley and W02 Stuart Madden came
weather.
third and sixth respectively in the RAOC Individual Cham-
Not satisfied with these successes, the Company went on
pionship and also obtained high individual and team placings in
to win the basketball competition (Balaclava Platoon first team)
the Army.
and the College Orienteering Competition (Bruneval Platoon).
Our golf team has been strengthened by the arrival of
All in all a highly successful month and this in spite of
Major Henry Lucas from Bracht and our squash and tennis
keen competition from our greatest adversaries—'A' Company
teams by the arrival of Major John Woodliffe from Ashchurch.
and the weather.
Sergeant Cerqua has arrived on attachment from the Royal
Anglians prior to transfer to the Corps and Lance Corporal
TRAINING BATTALION AND DEPOT
Edwards has joined us from Viersen.
TRAINING COMPANY is in the news this month. Readers
may have heard that recruiting is on the up and up. This is
APPRENTICES
COLLEGE
good news from a Corps point of view and Units, we know,
HEADQUARTERS.
This term has been the term for the
will be looking forward to seeing these newly joined soldiers
College shooting competition. It was a very wet and snowy
to boost up their currently low strength and spread the work-
three days on Ash Ranges, but the standards achieved were
load a bit. Platoons pass out from us every three weeks:
high. The only problem that we encountered was deciding
there are five platoons in training at the moment, totalling close
whether or not a one hundred and sixty pound tent would fit a
to two hundred recruits. These will be on their svay to you in
part of the centre section of a marquee!
(due course but, in order to train them up to the standard you
Now to the sunny side of things, we would like to con-
want, we must have good MTIs. What's an MTI do I hear
gratulate first of all Corporal Jim Ward on his promotion to
Sergeant and also on his three month tour to Rhodesia. Con-
gratulations also to Lance Corporal Don Constable on his
promotion to Corporal.
Welcome to the College Corporal Bill Gibson and Corporal
Nobby Clarke.
'A' COMPANY.
The highlight has been our annual Spring
Camp at Fremington near Barnstable, Devon.
During our
week's stay various adventurous activities with a military
flavour were practised, including parascending, rock climbing,
surf canoeing and practical map reading exercises. The all im-
portant factor, the weather, was initially kind to us and some
of our number even managed to catch the sun while out
cliff-walking, while the surf canoeists were too immersed to
even notice the cloudless skies.
On the sporting front, our College football team, which is
well represented both in players and trainers from 'A' Com-
pany, played in the semi-final of the South East District Junior
football cup against the ACC Apprentices College, Aldershot. In
a match full of excitement and good football, the score at the
end of ordinary time was three all, after extra time four all
and, in a finale of penalties we eventually lost, but what a
game and one which neither side deserved to lose. A week later
as if to take revenge on the ball, we blasted thirteen goals past
' D ' Company AAC Arborfield, with A/Lance Corporal Parker
of Aden Platoon top scorer with four goals to his credit.
Captain Doug Matheson REME, unfortunately wrote off
his car on the return from half term leave, but we are pleased
to report that he is relatively unscathed. He is however, not
lost for wheels and has resorted to his second line transport,
a Humber Pig, which is perhaps a more appropriate mode of
conveyance in the present state of alert.
Finally, congratulations to Lieutenant Graham Moore
REME. Our sincere best wishes to you Graham and to your
fiancee.
' B ' COMPANY. Our highlight was also the Company Camp at
Fremington in North Devon. The weather ranged from the
sublime to the ' cor blimey,' but adventure training continued
throughout.
W ALTER
BARGERY
LTD

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