RAOC Gazette - page 286
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 |
RAOC in the Falklands LOGISTIC BATTALION HEADQUARTERS. At last Coastel ' Pursuivant' (often referred to as 'Percy' or ' Log Cabin ') has arrived and is moored in Port Stanley Harbour. RQMS Dave Clink has been aboard most of the time getting it set up with fatigue men squeezed out of the Battalions woodwork. In this he is assisted by Sergeant Jack Lonergan who has joined QM Dept from 41 Com- pany and CAD Kineton to be our Coastel Manager: his 2IC is Corporal Colin Hall who has also just joined us from 3 BAD and got put aboard too. The only other changes in the QM Dept will be at the end of September when Captain John Cross takes his funny hat and goes off via his Museum in Bielefeld. Major Nobby Hall from 27 Regiment RCT will be coming in as QM and Coastel Controller and we hope he will enjoy it (it is RCT again after him too—can we have an all RAOC staff one day?). Up in the Headquarters Major Brian Thompson has gone back to Bicester and Major Mike Moore (again RCT) has come and after a 1.5 day handover has made his mark on the 2IC seat cushion. In the Orderly Room we have received change overs of all our staff (less one) but as they each have a different cap badge Staff Sergeant Gerald Bartram and Lance Corporal Roy Doughty of the RAOC, representing the Corps, have kept them straight. Down in the kitchen we have received SQMS Paul Critchely now that the establishment is going up due to the Coastel, and we are changing over eighty per cent of the cooks this month since most of them came at the same time; we wish them all well and welcome those coming in. We welcome to the Battalion the staff of Coastel 'Pursuivant' —Bob Bedford and his four colleagues, all courtesy of United Towing. As we write these notes we await the movement of the Coastel down to its mooring. Last but not least I have been ' requested ' to mention our favourite RSM, Terry Flowers, who is on his way back to Germany for a long leave prior to taking up his new post at 3 BAD. ACCOMMODATION STORES UNIT. The scaling of the out- stations has now been completed with the issue of Officers and Sergeants Mess accommodation to Ballion Stream and Doctors Creek; Sergeant Clydesdale and Private Alexander took a Chinook taxi to each location to issue direct from containers and returned four days later looking a little frail; they apparently tested some of the glassware. W02 Hassall returned from his trip to South Georgia and saw his first penguin here in Port Stanley. W02 Steen has now departed for South Georgia muttering about having to take his weapon with him. The OC returned from his trip to each camp on the Islands and is making a good recovery. We say welcome to Private Alexander who joins us from Donnington and is still not too sure about the whole thing; we say farewell to Sergeant Clydesdale who is defecting to Kineton after a full tour here in the Falklands; we will miss his expertise—and the way he answers a direct question with a question. In the world of Accommodation Stores the ASU in the Falk- land Islands must be unique, our Storehouses consist of twenty and forty foot containers. We issue stores by land, sea and air and have recently had our first air drop into South Georgia, Most of us within the Corps have backseats where drama is concerned, the ASU in the Falkland Islands have their fair share of the dramatic. SUPPLY COMPANY. This month saw a change of location for the OC Ration Platoon, Captain Martin. He moved from his lair in Company Headquarters into Rat PC and A office thus completing the Rat nest. Our most recent visitor was Lieutenant General Reay, DGAMS, who was very impressed with what he saw in the Bakery where W02 Jim Utterson and his staff had put on their usual display. Departures this month are W02 Scott, Sergeants Watson and Fleck, Corporal Bailey, Privates Hoare, Vernon, Phillips, Brown and Lowe, we thank them all as they return to civilisation. We welcome W02 Treen, Staff Sergeant Baxter, Sergeant Hutt, Corporal Brown, Lance Corporals Preira, Bradford, Henderson and Brown, Privates Tegg. Hanby. Ramsey, Brown. Timmins and Collins, and wish them all a Merry Christmas! In the Ammunition Platoon, August saw the final demolition of captured Argentinian ammunition remaining from the con- flict. The ' B l o w ' was initiated by the CBF. Major General Spacie, in front of a large crowd, well, quite large anyway. Work proceeds apace in the SAD with the lads hard at work on a one hundred per cent stocktake; they reckon it will be finished just in time for the exercise. We said farewell to the following members of the platoon: Major Ray Carey, Staff Sergeants Pete Hurry and Keith France, Corporals Moore, Mansell, Goundry, Hawkswell and Beastly, Lance Corporals Gabriel and Fennel, and Privates Scammell, Lashmar, Hamblett, Calfield and Crombie. Recent arrivals are Major Wallis, Staff Sergeant Holliday, Corporals Clark, Jennings, Pickersgill, Lance Corporals Halliday. Groom and Davidson and Privates Puckrin, Howard, Langam, Varey and Precious. Stag on you turkeys! A busy month again for the Petroleum Platoon with another large outload to the settlements aboard MV Brandon. In late August we had a major turnover in our outstation locations, giving a welcome change of faces to Port Stanley. The dracones at Port San Carlos and Kelly's Garden have been recovered by the Royal Engineers, assisted by the RCT and MV Brandon. Corporal MacDonald, the NCO IC Port San Carlos detachment, claims that it was his own work. More recently one of the two dracones in Port Stanley harbour has been recovered while the other sits on the water full of air like a giant fat worm. Captain Harris and some members of the Platoon took to the hills for a Sunday bimble around some of the battle areas close to Stanley. They visited Sapper Hill, Mt William. Mt Tumbledown and Moody Brook. There was some muttering about sore feet but everyone enjoyed the day. At the beginning of September Sergeant Botterill went off to South Georgia aboard the Norwegian ship Sandshore to replenish the stock of dieso for the generators. Now that Winter appears to have gone the YPF has taken on a new face. With all the mud washed out of the yard and fore- court, things are getting back to normal. Winter, however, seems to come back fairly often, the last time was a blizzard lasting four to five hours. Staff Sergeant Frank Edwards has been giving everyone a hard time about his days to do, in his place we welcome Staff Sergeant Steve Warren from Warenderf. Departures this month are Staff Sergeant Edwards and Lance Corporal Johnson RE. The arrivals are Staff Sergeant Warren, Lance Corporal Cruickshank and Private Thompson. STORES COMPANY. The Stores Company based from the Tor Caledonia, is still beavering away at the mountains of stores arriving in the Falklands. The task is, as ever, monu- mental, but we are getting stuck in and are making progress. Hard work calls for hard play and the lads on Tor Cal certainly have played vigorously this month. The Tug-o-War Team pulled their way to a tremendous victory at the Garrison Indoor Competition. The members of the team, coached by Sergeant Craister were: Corporals Alan Cooper, Taff Shaw, Staff Sergeant Jeff Bruce, Sergeant Jon Bolton, Privates Taff Guy, Manny Barrie, Chris Slight and Taff Evans. All the opponents were disposed of by two straight pulls. Well done to all the lads. The Cross Country Team centred on Corporal Dougie Collins, who is usually well placed in events, managed to obtain good placings in team events. The other budding runners are Corporal Alan Cooper, Lance Corporals Martin Perry and Shaun Malone, Privates Manny Barrie and Shaun Byrne. Now we come to all the goodbyes and thankyous to departed ' old sweats' who've done their ' days to do.' Those gone are: Second Lieutenant Jimmy Donaldson, WOl Taff Tanner, W02 Taff Horner, Staff Sergeants Fred Dobbing and Wally Parker, Sergeants Stevie Hall, Danny O'Toole and Red Hancock, Corporals Bob Durrant and Rod Godwin, Lance Corporals Toddy Todd and John Rowan, Privates Johnson, Bentley, Benowicz, Walton, Calder and Leahy. Thank you one and all for your hard work during your time down here. Arrivals this month are: Lieutenants Tony Noakes and Paul Dyer, WOl Pete Coull, WOs2 John Anderson and Nimmons, Staff Sergeant Brooks, Sergeants Jon Bolton and John Benson, Privates Andrade, Davies, Scott and Tait. Welcome to you all and may you enjoy your stay in the Sunny Falklands. We also say goodbye to Staff Sergeant Paul Farrelly, of the Vehicle Platoon, who has done a tremendous job on the vehicle and generator side of life. — 239 — |
| Book number | R0406 |