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RAOC Gazette - page 204

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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 Combat Supplies Battalion
Corps Troops
SUNLIGHT creeps through the cobwebbed window and
splashes reluctantly on the floor. Specks of dust grudge from
the bare boards as the thin figure ghosts to and fro. The creased
paper on the seesaw table lies virgin, the ink well and quill pen
inanimately mock. Heavy stuff, eh? Grantham self indulgently
trying to cover up a lack of inspiration for the preface to this
months notes. The literary amongst you will have detected not
a little Dylan Thomas influence in the foregoing for which I
make no apology since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
This sudden interest in Thomas' bucolic prose is prompted by the
Sennelager players current production of Under Milk Wood, of
which more later.
I am happy to report that communications have been
restored to the outstations and their notes are below.
CORPS VEHICLE
COMPANY
DURING Exercise Crested Eagle we achieved the impossible—
by capturing a Russian tank! It was even transported back to
the Vehicle Company Barracks under the ever watchful eye of
W02 Barnett and Sergeant Danny Evans. One wonders at the
planning and guts that went into this tactical achievement. For
security reasons it is now under lock and key in our Technical
Administration Office! Display times 10.00 to 10.15 hours
daily. Needless to say after this exacting exercise, all offices have
a touch of glamour with posters of Miss Crested Eagle 1980
and the delicious Miss Endex!
Corporal Ski Lewandowski reported back to the Unit after
a stay in the UK on an NBC course still wearing his respirator.
He assures all of us the course has not affected him in any way.
Bon voyage—Corporal Jeff Strange who has just arrived
into the Unit and is promptly off again on a nine month detach-
ment in Canada—must be the steaks that draw him away for a
second detachment
We welcome back Private Dave Curthoys after his detach-
ment to 40 Field Regiment, Gutersloh.
On the sporting scene the Unit football team, after three
consecutive wins in the league fixtures, were drawn against
5 Field Force Ordnance Company in the quarter-finals of the
DDOS Cup. The game provided plenty of excitement with first
half goals from Privates Lloyd Morton and Scouse Beedon.
Minutes into the start of the second half saw Private Jimmy
Hackett being taken off through injury and replaced by Sergeant
Danny Evans. The whistle blew for full time with the score at
three all. With extra time to be played, this saw a tactical
change by our captain, Sergeant Dodger Allan moving that big
iron man Private Harrison, from full back to centre forward.
This proved a good move with Harrison scoring a dramatic
goal with some fine ball control and ending with a chip ball
over the keepers head. 5 Field Force were not beaten and
replied with a further two goals to run out winners with the
final score at five to four. Hard luck lads.
43 RP COMPANY.
43 RP Company has not disbanded, it's
just been one of those hectic periods where time cannot be
found to write GAZETTE notes.
The Battalion shooting team, ably coached by the Company
Second-in-Command, Captain Tony Ward, attended the BAOR
Corps Full Bore shoot and returned with four trophies. Com-
pany members were Sergeants Ross, Jolly, Dobbie and Private
Port (ACC) who won the Young Soldiers Cup—again.
Staff Sergeant Andy Brathwaite the Company's second
hand car dealer, is now seen to be running around in a red and
blue Datsun. He has been heard to say " I'm going to paint
the bonnet white!" he is so patriotic.
Our previous CQMS (Staff Sergeant Taffy Gait) has at last
passed his EPC(A) and our congratulations go to Sergeant Ian
Foster RAPC for passing all four subjects and to Sergeant Paddy
O'Neill for passing three out of four.
Corporal Steve Rush our cook in Nieheim has now settled
in. The complaints have stopped.
Private Punk Liddle is going into the ' T ' shirt trade and
Private (Pop) Pepper should try swimming pools instead of
fountains. Corporal Dave (Herman) Brookes has volunteered
for six months in Belize. W02 Alex Calvert is slowly learning
' Fives and Threes' ably assisted by the grand master CSM
Dave Avery.
We bid farewell to Captain Jones (ATO), W02 Burkin
(who still can't play dominoes), Staff Sergeant Gait (at last),
Sergeants Dean and O'Neill, Corporal Hoit and Private Snell.
After thought: It's very handy having two Captain Wards
because one gets coffee which has been made for the other one
—I thought it was amusing.
49 RP COMPANY.
Brigadier Whalley recently carried out our
ARU, he was accompanied by the CO and toured the Unit
speaking to most of the lads, and asked many searching questions.
We assume the answers were satisfactory as he has asked to
visit us on our annual camp which this year takes place in
Denmark.
Heroes of the year so far are the football team, who are
standing in the wings of glory awaiting the draw for the Mini-
Minor Units semi-final. After beating Ord/EME Berlin four one,
4 ADOC three one, TFH three one and 21 Signals Detachment
five three, we think they deserve to make the final. Lance
Corporal Blakeledge as Captain, Private Ricky Clyde in goal,
Corporal Stray in the backs and Sergeant Dawson as Manager
all deserve praise, but the man of the month must surely be
Private ' Monkey' Duncan, scoring an impressive ten goals of
the 15 Company goals scored so far.
The Battalion Second-in-Command, Major Ian Bradley,
travelled from Paderborn to present the Basketball trophy that
he donated after leaving the Company some two years ago.
Unbeknown to him he was also nominated to play for the
49 Company Headquarters team; however, his skill at the game
was to no avail as Ammunition Platoon won the day. All are
thankful, however, that it wasn't Petroleum Platoon—again.
At the time of writing vast numbers of 49 are once again
out in the field showing 43 and 44 Companies how to run a
Replenishment Park—actually it's only fifty five men, but the
job is the same!
Interesting to note that it snowed all day on deployment
day, so 49 from the frozen north, will be in their element.
Lance Corporal Le-Huquet ACC has gained a wife—con-
gratulations—and a welcome to all our newcomers, (some twenty
two all ranks since Christmas). Good luck to those who have
left.
Taken at the Corps Vehicle Company A R U . Lieutenant Colonel
Hellis the C R A O C , listens in awe and admiration to Staff
Sergeant Hibbert's proposed Kit Stores layout.
In the back-
ground is the OC, Major Lawson and W 2 Barnett waiting to
pounce should Staff put a word or a foot, wrong!
— 395
STORES PLATOON
94 LOCATING REGIMENT
RA
YES! It's true. Stores Platoon 94 Locating Regiment RA
actually exists! It has been some time since our last news-
letter, due, of course, to the incredible workload with which
we must contend.
On the sporting front, we do quite well in the Regiment.
Our ten pin bowling team came a creditable third in a Regi-
Book number R0403a