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RAOC Gazette - page 37

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1983
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Early date 1983
Late date 1983
Transcription offices more often than they are in due to the avalanche of
Ordnance Ancillary Inspections. S02 Mat Major Richard
Rhodes, DOWO WOl (SSM) Danny Kelly and WO Sup W02
(SQMS) Dai Green form the nucleus of the team and are
looking forward to a rest at the end of the Inspection Period.
Two weeks rest and I'm afraid the annual cycle starts all over
again. While they are out, our two remaining Clerks are ably
carrying on the continuous desk work. Well done to Mrs
Eleanor Duthoit and Herr Karl Hoffman. Talk about being
double-hatted.
After having completed so many Div, Corps or Head-
quarters BAOR exercises over the last year, it was a breath of
fresh air for many of the Headquarters personnel to actually
take part in the first exercise of the new 3 Ordnance Battalion.
The Exercise named ' Beechers Brook' (is the CO a betting
man?) brushed away many cobwebs and proved excellent tuition
in field craft and tactics to the younger elements of the Head-
quarters.
On the sporting scene Sergeant Tom Hart continues to win
his monthly golf medal at Werl Golf Club. To his credit he
has also gained a runners up medal recently in the 3 Division
Minor Units competition. He has a little help of course from
his S02 Major Keith Fisher who took time off from Amateur
Dramatics to appear in the final.
Best wishes to our unfortunate C Sups Clerk Dagma Tipp,
who has suffered a broken leg in a recent car accident. She
insists however, that this will n o t ' hinder her forthcoming
wedding. Is this an Omen I wonder!
31 ORDNANCE
COMPANY
THIS month we say farewell to Brigadier J. H. Skinner, Com-
mander Supply 1 (BR) Corps who sadly departed for UK. To
bid farewell to Brigadier and his wife Sonia the Battalion held a
parade at Winterbourne Baracks with Captain Peter Walsh as
parade Adjutant and our CO Lieutenant Colonel Harris as the
parade commander. The parade went extremely well and was
followed by a splendid buffet.
Sergeant Steve Carlyon, Corporal Taff Jarman, Lance
Corporal Geordie Bartram, Privates Sam Eagle and Jimmy
Lochrie all get a mention this month as they represented the
Company in the 3 Armoured Division First Aid competition
where they came sixth out of twenty two teams which was a
commendable result beating a lot of the major unit teams.
Also this month we had our Tickle Test, which was incorporated
into our ARU BFT, in which we achieved a ninety eight per
cent pass rate.
During the last week we have had a small group of Army
Cadets from the London Division staying with the Company.
A training programme was arranged by our CSM W02 Thayre,
and their instructors for the week were Corporals John
Hutchinson, Paul Willis and Lance Corporal Gordon Mciuskie.
The first few days were devoted to Regimental Training to
familiarise the cadets with Regular Army equipment. They
were then given a small break to go shopping, sightseeing and
the hike and then to finish off their stay, the training team
arranged a twenty four hour exercise to test their fieldcraft
with Lance Corporal Mciuskie teaching them how to fall over
your own ambush (silly thing!).
We recently heard the Chief Clerk crying, " I hope my
bicycle is not in the bath as well," when he went outside to
cycle home but was deficient a bike; I won't tell who had
taken it but he's got three pips and is the next one down from
an OC.
Finally we say goodbye to the following: Sergeant Bob
Boneham, Corporals Bratty Davis, Roy Rowland, Privates
String Vest, Mac Greenaway and Dave Perrott. Lance Corporal
John Fennell, Privates Taff Haden and Paul Calder who have
gone to BFFI and to ' Big' Frank Irving and Darrell Tomlin-
son who both have gone to BATUS. We wish you all the
very best of good fortune.
New arrivals in the unit are Sergeants Steve Barrett, Scottie
Irvine, Mick Greenfield, Corporal Rod Buliard, Lance Corporals
Smudge Smith, Bill Trobe, Steve Goodall, Privates Tony Haynes,
Andy Burnett, Vossa Hughs, -Eddie Falls, Andy Heath, Dave
Clarke and Geoff Jones. Hope you have a good time with
the Company.
33 ORDNANCE
COMPANY
SINCE our last contribution, the Company decided to carry
out an exercise in improvisation. With the COs exercise looming
closer and closer and our weapons and equipment no nearer
than they have been for the past few months, the CQMS decided
that ' If they won't issue it, then the best answer is to scrounge
i t ' So with a lot of effort on the part of the ' Cellar Gang' we
eventually managed to get everyone kitted out and despatched
for a week of playing enemy to 31 ; Ordnance Company.
Messrs Allen and Coveney took on a decidedly Slovak appear-
ance and with their comrades in tow took it upon themselves
to harass our sister company. However, it still seems a bit of a
mystery why they carried out a full scale attack on a perfectly
harmless and deserted piece of woodland while ' Flannagans
M o b ' happily slept two or three kilometres away.
Back at Munster it is more like a ghost town than a
barracks and everytime a body appears it is immediately sent on
exercise so as not to disturb the tranquil atmosphere. It has
even got to the stage where the OC has disappeared and the
barman has been sent away.
Our congratulations this month go to Eric Scott on his
promotion to W02. Maybe in a year or two he will manage
to put the pace-stick down.
HEADQUARTERS
3 ARMOURED DIVISION G1/G4
WELCOME to the world of ' A Q ' once again and just in case
you had forgotten who was here I shall give you a quick run-
down of us gods:—OC is W02 Roy Bartram BEM, who has
recently moved down the corridor from G3 (Ops) on pro-
motion; welcome and congrats. Next we have CC (Ops)
Sergeant Hugh Ward. Then we have the MS Clerk, Corporal
Alan Robinson, who we must congratulate on gaining four
passes, one with distinction, on his recent course (see you did
get a mention). The G1/G4 (Gen) Clerk is Lance Corporal
Derek Draper, who has a multitude of clocks and watches to
make sure he arrives home on time. The G1/G4 Ops Clerk is
Lance Corporal Norman Smart; any more of his stories and
we'll palm him off on Jackanory; and finally, we have the
G1/G4 (Gen) Private, who is Mick Curtin, who somehow seems
to be absent from work more often than he is in.
We welcome to our domain Major David and Caroline
Griffiths, who recently joined us from Staff College Camberley
to take up the reins of the S02 G1/G4 (Ops).
HEADQUARTERS
4 ARMOURED BRIGADE AND
MUNSTER
GARRISON
WE shall commence our first contribution as members of The
Iron Division by officially welcoming, on the reorganisation (yet
again!) of Armoured Brigades, our BOWO SSM Bob Gregory
and his right-hand man Corporal Mick Pays.
Corporal Pays visions of a cushy number were soon
thwarted when he discovered that even staff clerks do BFTs
and that twice weekly runs were a part of the Headquarters
weekly routine.
BOWO Bob Gregory is busy enlightening the uninitiated and
at the same time straining the resources of our meagre stationery
store and Despatch Section by pushing out reams of paper on
Supply and related matters, in fact such is the load that the
Staff Assistant, Conductor Allan Braithwaite is seriously con-
sidering opening a separate float file for BOWO; he's just
jealous really as he didn't think Tech Clerks, (Oops Supply
Clerks or is it Supply Specialists sorry Supply Controllers) could
write.
We recently held our Ten Pin Bowling Presentation Dinner.
Sad to say the closest any of the RAOC element came to the
bowling trophies was in their selection and preparation prior
to the presentation. However, it is felt pertinent to point out
that Private Taff L-B was, by one point, top RAOC bowler
followed closely by Conductor Allan Braithwaite and Corporal
Steve Turner.
Sports wise we have not really excelled but did manage to
put out a team for the Garrison Orienteering in which Corporal
Turner and Conductor Braithwaite came in together. We'll
keep you guessing as to who was first off. The occasional game
of squash reveals that L-B belies his bulk.
On the demise of 2 Armoured Division we were visited
by our outgoing and incoming RAOC COs. To Lieutenant
Colonel Baughan we presented a Brigade plaque for his collection
which was presented to him by our youngest soldier Private
Cooper, in fact young Cooper impressed us all so much with
his finesse and oratory prowess that he is now our elected fare-
well speech maker and presenter of plaques. We are now under
the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harris. CO 3 Ordnance
Battalion.
STORES SECTION 61 STATION
WORKSHOP
HAVING left Corps Troops we are now under the watchful
eye of Headquarters 3 Ordnance Battalion.
WOIC W02 Terry Foster is at last wearing a smile having
seen the re-org of the Storehouse and Office completed (his
dream since he arrived in the Unit).
30 —
Book number R0406