Back to Library Journals

RAOC Gazette - page 223

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 26th August. The Corporals Club held a Hawiian Night
at a local hotel—all grass skirts were neatly pressed.
And so to press—that was our month at West Moors. We
also welcome Captain and Mrs Doug Riddell from Donnington,
Sergeant Jarvis ACC our new cook Sergeant, Corporal Willis,
Privates Palmer and Davidson back from Port Stanley, Lance
Corporals Harrow and Hassell and Private Southall back from
Ascension Island and Privates Parker, Wilby and Greengrass
from Depot RAOC for Pet Op training. May your stay be a
very happy one.
We bid farewell to Major Sid Pincher our QM for the
past three years who has gone to 6 Battalion. He has done so
much for the unit in so many ways that he and Fran will be
sadly missed. Farewell also to Sergeant Bob Nicholson ACC
and his wife Shirley who have departed for Catterick with a
double promotion to W02. Congratulations and good luck!
Central Ammunition Depot Longtown
' SLEEPY HOLLOW' has, for a change, almost lived up to
its reputation since our last letter.
We have been visited by Colonel Owen, OIC RAOC Man-
ning and Records, Colonel Newby from Ord 4 and Brigadier
Bridgstock, Director of Transport Operations.
On the social front, the Officers Mess dined in our new
Commandant Colonel Cosgrove and dined out Major Price who is
now on terminal leave after thirty seven years service. Major
Price is understood to be seeking a job in the Sultanate of Oman
and our best wishes go with him and his family in their future
life.
Captain Nunn has taken over from Captain Gill in taking
the ' troops ' fell-walking. One of the participants was over-
heard wondering if this was training to emulate the recent feat
of two local civilians in running the Himalayas.
We say a temporary farewell to Corporal Pete Warner, off
on a tour of Northern Ireland and bid welcome back and good-
bye to Corporal (now Sergeant) Chris Hall who returned from
Northern Ireland and was promptly posted to CAD Kineton.
Best wishes to Chris and Louise and " keep your head down "
Pete.
w
RAOC
ASSOCIATION
Gibraltar Branch
IT is many a long day since we submitted our news for
publication and possibly some of our friends around the world
may have assumed our demise. In fact we are very much
alive and enjoying an increasing membership. For years we have
limped along with a membership of about ten but now we are
nineteen strong and as a result our get-togethers are that much
jollier and our meagre finances are beginning to improve. As a
Branch we have been living on the bread-line for as long as
anyone can remember but at our last function we made a huge
profit of £16 which augers well for the future. We are so
heartened by our improved financial standing that there is even
talk amongst our members of sending two of our stalwarts,
ex-Conductors Joe Jurado and Manny Avellano, to Deepcut
next year to attend the AGM and at our expense. Standby
Deepcut!
Army Cataloguing Authority
Equipment Table Production Centre
WHAT is this you may ask, a new unit? never heard of them
before. We at ETPC have decided that to make the one days
pay scheme even more worthwhile we would write a piece for
the Corps GAZETTE to let everyone know where to find us and
who is here. We are:—Captain Ted Walker OIC, W02 (SQMS)
Dave Feathers, Chief Clerk with Staff Sergeant Aggy Browne
and Staff Sergeant Mick Kearney as the workers all situated in
Ha Ha Road Woolwich, on the common.
The units main aim in life is to write, review and amend
AF G1098/1198 Equipment Tables, Scales and Schedules, which
we do with the assistance of some fifty civilian staff. The unit
is part of the Army Cataloguing Authority and for technical
matters part of DSM(A).
To review the personalities, Captain Walker is involved in
scouting locally as an assistant District Commissioner for leader
training. He is presently working on improving the service we
give to the army by updating the layout of Equipment Tables
to meet future requirements and modern technology.
W02 Dave Feathers likes Woolwich and the unit so much
that he is now serving an extension!
Staff Sergeant Mick Kearney is now packing boxes and
doing other relevant bits and pieces for his pending posting to
Hong Kong and the Composite Ordnance Depot in November.
Staff Sergeant Aggy Browne is still trying to get away to play
sport on a Wednesday afternoon, so if anyone wants some-
one to make up their team just give him a ring, (the unit is too
small to get a team together ourselves).
In May this year, if you had been on the North or South
circular roads of London you may have seen our three SNCO's
walking round London. They walked approximately fifty miles
round the circular roads to raise money for The Queen Elizabeth
Military Hospital Amenities Fund and the Brook Hospital
Woolwich Scanner appeal. A total of £225 was raised, mostly
coming from our civilian colleagues for which we are very
grateful. The trio completed the walk in twenty hours, in-
cluding negotiating the capitals rush hour twice and have
just about recuperated from their blisters!

Joe Jurado laying a Corps wreath at the Cross of Sacrifice in
Gibraltar.
Some of our activities in the past year, which will revive
fond memories for those who have served here, have included
the traditional cleaning of the RAOC Cannon at Southport
Gate, a splendid Church Service in King's Chapel and a joyous
gathering down at Catalan Bay when we entertained the
Parachute Section of 421 EOD Company RAOC, who were
exercising here, to tapas and drinks but mainly drinks. Most
of our gatherings are held in the Plod Inn, an RMP establishment
needless to say, but we are now looking for larger premises as
with our increased membership we cannot all fit in there,
especially when burly coppers gate-crash the social jinks.
There are now two serving Corps officers in Gibraltar, our
Chairman Lieutenant Colonel Stan Lawrence whom we con-
gratulate on his recent promotion and Captain Les Fagg who
has joined us from Bicester to fill a newly established post in
Fortress Headquarters. Other serving members are WOl (SSM)
Ray Bell, W02 Ken Johnson and Corporal Paul Blackhurst,
Ray is posted to Bicester shortly and Paul is destined for
BAOR later in the year. Some recent recruits to the Branch
include Mr Francis Borg whose connections with the Corps in
Gibraltar extend back to 1944 and Mr Eddie Edge who saw
wartime service in the RASC. We have also admitted to our
ranks two charming and very attractive members of the WRAC.
Things really are looking up.
SEND
IT TO
THE
GAZETTE
A short article about events—places—people is always
interesting particularly when accompanied by a photo-
graph. Send it to THE GAZETTE.
186 —
Book number R0406