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RAOC Gazette - page 197

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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 Following on foot were Chris Robins, Rick Stevens and Tony
Cliffe. Dressed in butsize top hats which were well received,
unfortunately, they disintegrated half way round the parade
route. (The hats—not the followers.)
By the end of the carnival everyone had had a great time
and was looking forward to repeating it all next year.
Lance Corporals Parr and Bentley have attended courses
on Exercise Snow Queen. However it has to be said that Lance
Corporal Parr's enthusiasm for ski-ing was rather dented
when he tried to bury his head in the snow travelling at a
horizontal speed of fifteen miles per hour and a vertical speed
of twenty miles per hour. Not a healthy occupation!
Welcome to Sergeant Price and Private Cliffe.
Congratulations to Sergeant Gaskill and Corporal Ford
on passing their driving tests.
15 Ordnance Group
ORDNANCE DEPOT VIERSEN
ENGLISHMEN seldom celebrate their Patron Saint's day,
and even those who know what day it falls on, are fairly
phlegmatic about it. But St David's Day to the Welshman is
something special, particularly to expatriots. Our Command-
ing Officer felt this year that it would be a good idea to gather
his compatriots together for a dinner in honour of the occasion.
It was not a Unit nor even a Corps function, and it was of no
account whether those attending were military or civilian as
long as they were Welsh. But it was held in the Unit and by
all accounts, a splendid affair it was too, with an excellent
dinner, lyrical Welsh speeches and of course the singing for
which the Welsh are famous.
A welcome to our new arrivals this month: WOl Leonard
from the Depot y and Training Battalion, WOsl Quinney and
Kingston, both from Donnington, W02 Nesbitt from Nepal,
Staff Sergeant Reid and Corporal Leefarr from Belize. We
say farewell to those who are leaving u s : WOl Brocklebank
to Shape, W 2 Westcott to Logistic Executive (Army) and
Sergeant Matthews to Donnington. Congratulations to Staff
Sergeant Headon on promotion to Acting W02.
And finally, on a bitter sweet note, we congratulate Sergeant
Groom ACC, our chief cook, on his marriage one morning in
February, but our sympathies go out to the newly-weds, because
he played rugby for the Unit the same afternoon and finished
up that night in hospital with a broken leg!'
89 SUPPLY DEPOT
OUR new OC is Major Charles McGuigan (formerly our Second-
in-Command). At the present time Major McGuigan is busy
getting in the know for the main event in BAOR for 1980—
Exercise Crusader. He delights in scaring us all with tales of
things to come—and go, in the not too distant future.
There is a rumour going the rounds that the OC is going
to be knobbled sometime in May, just before BFT time. The
Depot Superintendent, W02 Ken Maullin, denies everything—
he absolutely refutes all allegations that he is going to throw
himself in front of the OC when on a training run.
We have fielded people for the area major Unit rugby
team, Sergeant Phil Knowles and Corporal Billy Gairns, the
Military and Civilian Staff of the Depot surround Frau ' B '
and her Twenty Five Years Continuous Service with the British
Army Certificate at Viersen.

hockey team—Corporal David Jones and the cross country
team (RAOC (BAOR) Championships) Sergeant Mike Blair.
We have even put up a Unit shooting team in the RAOC
(BAOR) Full Bore Competition; Major Charles McGuigan,
Staff Sergeants Paul Thayre and Frank Smith.
Major General Callan presented a Long Service Certificate
for twenty five years of continuous service to the British Army
to our Frau 'B.' Frau Irmgard Brodowski. Known to many
past members of 89 Supply Depot for her big heart and ' a
nasty fighter' (a direct quote!). A celebration followed of
course and a good time was had by one and all.
Welcome to Lance Corporal Graham Moore, Corporal and
Mrs David Jones, Staff Sergeant and Mrs Frank Smith, Corporal
and Mrs Terry Gallagher and Corporal Jim Eccleson, we hope
you have a good tour of duty with us.
Congratulations to W02 Ken Maullin and Frauline Ingrid
Hoyer on the announcement of their engagement to be married
in August of this year.
W u l f e n Station
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THE month kicked off (pun intended)
< with an inter departmental football match
between all sub-Units of the Station. This
w a s ne
' d on a Sunday. The sick report
on
* n e Monday was something else. In
tne
second match, Headquarters v FVD
A team, the Pay Sergeant (sorry I mean{
Military Accountant) Frank Grech man-
aged
to connect his ankle with some-
^HJf0Jp^
body's boot and has been limping ever
'"'• •
since. Other injuries were bruised ribs,
scraped shins followed by cries of never again! There was also
this missing Orderly Room Sergeant, believing that his team
had been knocked out of the first round, decided to go home,
not realising there were further matches to be played for the
Plate. To cut a long story short; the winners were the Control
Office 154 Forward Ammunition Depot, who also organised
the event, the beer (how strange) and also the trophies.
A Regimental Dinner was held in the Station Sergeants
Mess to dine out WOl Mick Wright and dine in WOl John
Crawford as new Senior Member. The meal was excellent as
usual, the wine flowing and an enjoyable time was had by
all. Well, at least by those who can remember it.
We say farewell to Mrs Helen Wright who is leaving
Wulfen with the fella mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
Helen has given up much of her time as the Librarian and
also as a very staunch member of the Station Wives Club.
Wulfen Amateur Theatrical Society (WATS) is staging yet
another play. A one act comedy, the Walrus and the Carpenter.
The cast features Debbie Skidmore, Sandra Desfontaines, CSM
Stu Brierley (also the producer), new talents in the shape of
Lesley Long, Sergeant Dave Groves, Diane Warden, Second
Lieutenant Paul Dyer and Mr Geordie Harkins.
On the sport scene, it's badminton fever. The Station
organised a mixed doubles (well almost!) championship which
took place last night. It was a most entertaining and well
organised evening only marred by a knee injury to the ex-
South East Asian Champion,* Major ' Mohammed ' Steve Gold-
ring, and Mrs Sandra Desfontaines who was grazed by Staff
Sergeant Barry Milburn's racquet. The fourth prize went to
W02 Paddy Grey, the third to Barry and Sandra, in second
place the ex-champ (plus knee injury) and Mrs Shona Inge
(didn't she do well!) and the winners from FVD Reckling-
hausen Corporal Andy Watson and Private Mick Revill.
Also worth mentioning for their fine performances were
Sergeant Phil Wollard and Mrs Mary Wright, (Monsieur) WOl
Falcus and Miss Avril Morgan and finally Corporal William
Tait and Mrs Audrey Watson. The evening ended with a
presentation of trophies by the wife of the Station Commander,
Mrs Verna Lane.
154 FORWARD AMMUNITION
DEPOT
DEAR MUM,—We have been quite busy with one thing and
another. The other being the ARU. Everything turned out
right on the day and both the Commander Rhine Area and
the Commanding Officer were pleased with the Unit.
W02 Jacques Desfontaines has returned from his. short
tour? in Mauritius looking all brown and healthy. Maybe the
Orderly Room Sergeant can have some leave now? Yes? Oh
well never mind.
Private Bob Roberts returned from Exercise Snow Queen
with a duff eye. He says it was the snow. Corporals Eric
Gibson and Nap Napolitano have also returned from their
upgrading courses. Corporal Gibson reckons it takes four
390 —
Book number R0403a