RAOC Gazette - page 177
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1983 |
| Late date | 1983 |
| Transcription |
first in the individual competition of the same league, and the girls also carried off the Women's Pistol Team Trophy at the Rhine Area Skill-at-Arms meeting at Haltern. In all, quite a little bunch of budding Annie Oakleys. In the Storage Wing, we welcome Sergeant Skerrit for a brief stay before he heads south to the Falklands. Congratula- tions are in order for Staff Sergeant Kirtley and Sergeants Ambler and Quinn on being selected to fish for the Corps Fishing Teams against other Corps at Hamm. They also took part in the RAOC BAOR Championships, and all three picked up trophies. Perhaps they should have helped crew the Unit sailing trawler in Denmark! In the ATO Department we have suddenly gained three new Corporal ATs straight from the course at Kineton and sport- ing shiny new badges. Corporals Martin, Curtis and Iccly are from the first AT Course to attack RMCS Shrivcnham, and the least highly qualified of them has one 'A' level and seven ' O ' levels! We're still trying to convince them that it's not necessary to wear flat caps, sports jackets and ties during all off-duty hours. Farewells this month go to W02 Ken Quinn, who is taking a short holiday in the Falklands, prior to his new appointment at Headquarters South East District, and to Lance Corporal ' Prof' Brown on posting. Last, but no means least, we say goodbye to our CO of the last three years, Colonel John Sharland. Having already served at Wulfen on a previous tour in the early 1970s, we feel sure that, this time, he will have had enough of this pleasant little spot in the forest. He now goes on to command CAD Kineton on promotion. Al- though the problems there may be on a larger scale, at least their rebuild is nearer completion than ours! All of us at 154 FAD wish Colonel Sharland and Rae well in their new appointment. FVD RECKLINGHAUSEN THE hot summer continues. Supply controllers wilt in the heat. Vehicle Specialists strip to the waist in an effort to stay cool and the Staff Clerks just seem to spend their time eating ice- creams. Talking of Staff Clerks Lance Corporal Billy Shanks has found time to return to Blackdown and pass his Bl. Mean- while Lance Corporal Robbo Robson has received his second tape. Apparently he claims it was long overdue anyway, especially as he is covering for Lance Corporal Spic Spinks who is on leave again. Naturally our Chief Clerk Staff Sergeant John Power remains unmoved by it all and just continues to buy the ice-cream. Elsewhere in the depot work is as hectic as ever. (Well, as hectic as is usual for this time of year). In an effort to keep cool, W02 Tony O'Connor took some of the lads up to Kiel for the RAOC Off-shore Regatta. Our OC Major Charles Bayley, nobly volunteered to transfer to another boat when it was found that they were short of skippers. He probably regretted the move when the FVD boat with Corporal Andy Carrington RAPC, Private Mac McCormack and Lance Corporal Kev Parkin on board stormed to victory and became Corps champions. Well done lads. His disappointment was eased a little when he was awarded his skippers certificate for his efforts. Well done, Sir. Luckily the tennis season is almost over so this will be the last mention about Captain Warwick Stanton's efforts at tennis. (About time was the cry!) For the record he added two more trophies at the RAOC UK championships. (OK Sir. Are you happy now?) Shooting makes the news this month. Congratulations go to Sergeant Taff Lovejoy who led our shooting team along with Corporal Bill Stott, Privates Paul Vasquez and Pete Bacon which did so well in the recent Corps Shoot at Sennelager. Our close links with the local VKK continued recently when our CSM W02 Tug Wilson, Sergeant Wyn Davies and Sergeant Alan Stevens took part in the local VKK range day. Needless to say they embarrassed everyone by winning; with a special mention about Sergeant Alan Stevens who came second overall. I regret to inform them that there are no plans to issue the British Army with the Walther PI pistol. The most envied job in the depot has to be the Vehicle Control Centre, with all this heat it is not surprising just how often Lance Corporal Scouse Powell or Private 'Abe' Abraham keep popping into the air conditioned computer room to check on ' something'! Sergeant Les Law would crack the whip on them but he is often in there himself, obviously checking on the same ' something.' We welcome Private Tim Emmott and Mrs Tina Gancarcik as our new typist. I am sure regular readers will have noticed how well these notes were tiped! — ORDNANCE SERVICES V1ERSEN AT 1000 hours on a very warm Saturday the first of thirty five Officers and Soldiers turned up at the Unit Armoury dressed in full number twos and carrying white belt, sling and bayonet frog, to collect his weapon, it was the day of the Freedom Parade March. By 1130 hours the parade had formed up in the centre of Vicrscn Stadt. The parade marched on to a cobbled square where they were inspected by the Biirgermeistcr, Hans-Willi Gcrke, and accompanied by the CO, Lieutenant Colonel Curtis. With swords drawn, bayonets fixed, band playing and sweat dripping, the parade marched through the Stadt back to Hilsea Barracks accompanied by the band of the Kings Royal Hussars much to the relief of the parade, as ninety per cent had been the main course meal for the mosquitoes who had also turned out to watch the parade! At 1400 hours on the same day, saw the opening of the Vierscn Sommerfest and a good turn out of mums, dads and children and half the civilian population of Viersen. The personnel of Viersen should be congratulated on the way the stalls and games were set up. There were such games as the ducking stool, wanging the welly, bowling for a pig, throwing the eggs which turned out to be a messy affair as some people thought they were hard boiled which, to their cost, they found otherwise. The coconut shy was the first to finish as all the dead eyed dicks of Viersen showed up on this stall. There were many more stalls which contributed to an enjoyable afternoon. The day was finished with the ' Beating of the Retreat' and while this was going on Sergeant Dave Pope with the assistance of Lance Corporal Kev Pettitt was sitting in the pavilion counting all the profits made during the day and rolling all the coins into the paper containers (that was Pettitt's job) which wasn't as easy as it looked but soon found out how to do it as he was fed up with Sergeant Pope shouting at him! Our athletics team set off for a day of fun in the sun at the RAOC (BAOR) Athletics Championships. After a three hour drive the team disembarked at Sennelager eagerly awaiting their defeat, but it was not to be, and an interesting day lay ahead. The day started well with W02 Pete Marsh, Viersen's main hope, winning the five thousand metres and lapping everyone else at least once, but things soon settled into the expected rhythm with Lance Corporal Jim Oram being the only com- petitor to fail at the first height in the high jump (never mind Jim, they may let you use a springboard next time). As the morning continued the team position slid from first place after one event to eighth at lunch; but after the break it was a different story with the runners coming into their own. In the first event, the eight hundred metres, Private Mark Harrison had a good race to come eighth and this was swiftly followed by Sergeant Dave Pope RAPC winning the two hundred metres. The next track event was the four hundred metres and Private Dave Kellaway finished tenth to give us one more point than we expected. Straight afterwards WOl George Gormley RAPC won the fifteen hundred metres in a superb race, and the onslaught continued with Sergeant Dave Pope coming second in the one hundred metres. The final track event saw a depleted team of Lance Corporal Dave Bennett (who replaced the injured Corporal Jim McNiven), Sergeant John Kennedy R Sigs, Lance Corporal Jim Oram and Sergeant Dave Pope coming home in fourth place after a blistering run by Lance Corporal Oram. This final placing proved sufficient for Viersen to carry off the RAOC Track Cup. Other notable performances were a long jump of five metres sixty by Corporal George Hamilton and a personal best in the javelin of 45.74 for Lance Corporal Dave Mardle REME, a feat that we won't hear the last of. In all the team won four cups and four medals and the team celebrated in a boisterous style normally found in rugby clubs. Welcome to Private Stanley on his return from BATUS, farewell to Staff Sergeant Allen and Corporals Proctor and Tomkinson and congratulations to Lance Corporal Francis on his recent marriage to Jutta. SUPPLY DEPOT VIERSEN EXERCISE BAVARIA BACKSTOP drained the unit of its staff as W02 Andy Brathwaite and Sergeant Alan Riches were called upon as sailing instructors. The following week Sergeant Dennis Williamson departed to do the same. Corporal Pete Ramsbottom went out for the third week, taking part in sailing, canoeing and rock climbing. Whilst on the subject of sailing, our members, Captain Caroline Lewis, W 2 Andy Brathwaite, Sergeant Alan Riches and Corporal Nigel Eames, helped RAOC Viersen to knock 148 — |
| Book number | R0406 |