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RAOC Gazette - page 55

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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 WELCOME
TO
THE
CORPS
A rebadging ceremony was held recently in the WOs and
Sergeants Mess Graven Hill Station Bicester. Our photograph
shows the Director DSCS, Brigadier Spackman flanked by the
two newcomers W02 A. S. Norrie (ex-RCT) and W02 John
Greatbanks (ex-R Signals) with Superintending Clerk WOl
Stu Buchan and S02 Coord, Major Jim Houseman in attendance.
S
p ILttttxZ to
£ tfie etrttor
INDIAN ARMY MEMORABILIA
LIEUTENANT COLONEL S. R. KAPUR IAOC writes: —
Dear Sir,-—I have received a request from the Director
Ordnance Services, Army Headquarters, New Delhi, in which he
has intimated that it is proposed to construct a National Defence
Museum in Delhi. The aim is to have a collection of defence
exhibits of historical value at a central place.
It is quite possible that some of the retired officers of RAOC,
now settled in UK, are in possession of some exclusive/rare
items of historic importance pertaining to the Indian Army and
are willing to gift these to the National Defence Museum which
will be established in Delhi.
I would, therefore, solicit your assistance in obtaining any
items of historic value for the proposed museum. High Com-
mission of India, Supply Wing (VA Directorate), India House,
Aldwich, London, WC2.
(/ am sure that among our readers there are items of
interest available. Replies direct please.)
*
Photo C. Abraham.
Rebadged at Bicester.
OFFICERS
LONG
SELECTED
SPECIALIST
TO
ATTEND
C O U R S E S IN
1984
AMMUNITION
Technical Officers Course:— Lieutenant A. R.
Albon, 4 Armoured Workshop; Lieutenant G. W. Argyle, Com-
mando Logistic Regiment R M ; Lieutenant P. C. Dyer, RMCS;
Lieutenant R. H. Lawrance, 1 Ordnance Battalion (att 1 Queens);
Lieutenant C. N. D. Lee, RAOC Training Centre; Lieutenant
S. D. Lovegrove, Training Battalion and Depot; Lieutenant
R. J. C. Maxwell, COD Donnington; Lieutenant D. Newell,
RAOC Apprentices College; Lieutenant A. D. Noakes,
RMCS; Lieutenant J. C. D. Smith, RAOC Apprentices College;
Captain .W. J. Underhill, 16 Battalion RAOC; Lieutenant R. I.
Wallwork, AMF(L) Company RAOC; Lieutenant J. M.
Whitaker, 8 Field Workshop. Reserves: Lieutenant T. J. Ness,
4 Ordnance Battalion (att 3 RTR); Lieutenant P. R. Saddleton,
RAOC Apprentices College.
Officers Long Petroleum Course:—Lieutenant J. D. A. Gait,
4 Ordnance Battalion; Captain M. Lacis, Forward Vehicle Depot
Recklinghausen; Lieutenant R. Ling, Training Battalion and
Depot RAOC; Lieutenant S. J. Parry, 28 Amphibious Engineer
Regiment Workshop.
Reserves: Second Lieutenant M. H.
Bazire, 1 Ordnance Battalion (att 1 King's); Lieutenant C. G.
Morgan, 5 Ordnance Battalion (att Headquarters BFFJ); Lieu-
tenant R. J. Ough, Ordnance Depot Antwerp; Second Lieutenant
N. Selling, Training Battalion and Depot RAOC.
Food Technology Course:—To attend: Captain J. R.
Bourton, LE(A) Ord 2 (att Logistic Battalion Falklands); Major
J. V. Ewart, Headquarters Northern Ireland (Sup); Captain S.
J. King, 9 Ordnance Battalion; Captain W. A. Martin, Ordnance
Services Berlin; Lieutenant R. D. McKeegan, 3 Ordnance
Battalion; Captain M. G. Murphy, School of Ordnance; Captain
S. H. Slade, 3 Ordnance Battalion; Major J. W. Withers, Ord-
nance Services Berlin. Reserves: Captain M. Carey, 32 Ord-
nance Company; Major K. A. Fisher, 3 Ordnance Battalion;
Captain S. F. Owen, HW BAOR (Sup).
Long Armour I Infantry
Course:—No
(Published for information
only—not
selections for 1984.
aii
authority.)
— 44
*
*
THE ROAD TO SINGAPORE
BRIGADIER F. S. GOODWIN writes: —
Dear Sir,—I was delighted to read in the May issue of our
GAZETTE the short article from Major Frank Williamson and
to know that he is still well and hearty. He must be if he can
climb to the attic!
One Brigade not mentioned in the Orbat and which landed
over Morib Beach in Operation Zipper—5 Parachute Brigade.
I was the OO/OC OFP. We were under command 34 Indian
Corps (the late Brigadier Paddy Doyle was DDOS) and Colonel
S. E. Dickson OBE, now living in Lime Regis was ADOS
OFPs (think this was his correct title, but I am sure he will
forgive me if I have got it wrong). I hope he reads the article
and adds to the story.
5 Para Brigade was part of 6 Airborne Division and for
this operation the assault Brigade to Parachute into Malaya if
the war had not ended. We still went in by sea but the
Division later finished up in Palestine, and we in Java.
Our journey from UK to India is a story worthy of telling,
one day, especially the six day rail journey from Karachi
to Bombay plus Ice Boxes. I was only sorry THE GAZETTE had
not arrived the previous week when the annual reunion of the
' Canbedonians' took place in London (ex 223 BOD).
I
might have added to the list. Major General Denis Key was
present who was I believe ADOS 82 West African Division and
later the ADOS Singapore Area at Fort Canning.
*
*
*
MAJOR H. CRIPPS also writes on the same subject: —
Sir,—I can indeed add to the ' ORBAT' pieced together by
Major F. D. Williamson's 'find' of memorabilia in his attic,
and offer no less than the 5th Indian Division which took over
Singapore from the Japanese at the time of the surrender in
1945, having previously been engaged in the Burma campaign.
I cannot, regrettably, offer Major Williamson the Divisional
sign of a Cardinal red ball on a black square (or rectangle!). I
can, however, assure him that one would be quite easy to pro-
duce as illustrated by the following story.
At the end of the Burma campaign (I was then OC 5 Ind
Div OFP), during a few days flying leave to Calcutta, I was
surprised to receive a signal from A / Q Divisional Headquarters
instructing me to ' locally purchase' no less than thirty thousand
Divisional Signs. With the great help of Conductor J. R. W.
Macleod (Superintending Clerk ORD Directorate Headquarters
Eastern Army), a tailor was found in one of the back streets
of Calcutta who managed to produce these in ten days! What
productivity!
And what a pity one did not finish up in Major Williamson's
collection.

Book number R0406