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RAOC Gazette - page 331

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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 hundred per cent. A special mention to Private Mick Nolan
who passed (with the help of Lance Corporal Andy Bridgeman)
with eighteen to spare. All down to the fact that he went out
training beforehand—I know he hated having to do it but in
the end it paid off.
41 ORDNANCE
COMPANY
AS a new arrival to the unit it has been decided to allow me to
send in my first impressions of the company to the Corps
GAZETTE: no doubt if there are any which are too unflattering
then this will not get past the Orderly Room!
Well, I arrived late due to a flight booking error so I missed
out on the traditional subalterns welcome—luckily:—however
minutes after I arrived I was hastened into the Sergeants Mess
to meet the company staff. I was then taken to meet the rest
of the company; a good night.
My first task with the company was to help Chris Gooderham.
—the other subaltern—on a car rally/treasure hunt. It was
slightly embarrassing in that not only was our final position
fairly undistinguished but we received rather too much helpful
advice from one Private Brough.
41 Ordnance Company has a major administrative task on
Exercise Eternal Triangle—ET—and Captain Paul Blaber, the
AO, a key figure on the exercise, has been furrowing his brow
and crossing his fingers.
I have been impressed by the high standard of fitness in
the company; a standard attained largely through the en-
thusiasm of the training wing staff: Sergeant Skoda, Corporals
Wittekind and Scaife (stumpy).
The rugby and football sides both look good and we are
expecting a lot from them this season.
Congratulations on the birth of a lovely baby girl to
Lance Corporal McFarlane and the birth of baby boys to Lance
Corporals Johnson and Cook. Congratulations also to Corporal
Stafford the 4 Division Angling Champion who won the Army
Angling Association Individual Championships with a marvellous
catch of fifteen pounds five ounces which I have heard told is
rather more than Lance Corporals Cook, Johnson and McFarlane
could produce.
A warm welcome to Lance Corporal Stanley and Privates
Wigley and Chalmers. Fond farewells to Second Lieutenant
Young (gone to Shrivenham), Sergeant Sharpe, Corporal Mc-
Geachy and Private Clay.
STORES PLATOON 4 ARMOURED
WORKSHOP
WHAT has got sixty two wheels, drives into a barn but will not
come out the other side? Answer two RAOC packets! We
recently, on exercise, moved into an apparently super long barn
with an entrance and an exit. Unfortunately the exit was
slightly smaller than the entrance. Not very amusing when
you have to reverse a two ton Office Trailer!
Comd Sup 1 (BR) Corps paid his first visit to us and we
hope it went well. Our photograph shows him meeting mem-
bers of the MT Section. Corporal Spud Murphy can be seen
marking time.
Corporal Roger Moody, Lance Corporals Dave Frost, Paul
Fitzpatrick, Steve Eddershaw, Spike Asplen and Private Jeff
O'Grady did their bit for Anglo-German relations and entered
as a Platoon team in the 15th Externsteiner Volkslauf and won.
Well done lads.
The boys from the Emerald Isle should be back with us at
the time of printing. We trust all has gone well with their
tour because there have been no complaints. Reports have how-
ever, been received that Sergeant Spud Murray had an un-
successful attempt to dispose of bullet proof glass with a sledge-
hammer! It is also reported that Private Fio Fiorentino is run-
ning back to Detmold in aid of the BLESMA Appeal.
Our congratulations go to Lance Corporals Paul Fitzpatrick
and Taffy Fackrell on their well deserved selection for pro-
motion.
We say farewell to Corporal Spud Murphy and his wife
Jackie. Corporal Murphy is posted to Viersen on promotion,
congratulations. We also say farewell to Lance Corporal Bob
Gordon and his wife Carol. They are off to Bicester.
2 Armoured Brigade
^
BELIEVE it or not our small and gallant
band is surely doing the Corps proud. Of the
A m 4 •
^^^ % ^
happy and cheerful crew working long pres-
i^ % « ^ i
tigeous hours the following must be said. Our
^A^^_
long distance runner, Private Dave Lonnen
^^^^•^.
is continuing his steady progress. He finished
/^^^"-
fourth in the ' Herford Ten,' first in the 4 Div
/^^
Sig Championships and completed the recent
'
Berlin marathon in a respectable two hours
forty minutes.
Congratulations go to Lance Corporal Pat
Worley on finally receiving his substantive promotion—(they
did not forget you). Well done Sergeant Bob Small on passing
his last subject for EPC(A)—one wonders if the studying at-
tributed to the loss of his hair! Nevertheless the smile is always
present.
We bid welcome to Corporal Howard Hayes and his family.
We hope your stay with us will be an enjoyable one. Corporal
Hayes, soon to be off to the Falklands, has a sack of requests for
penguins (not chocolate bars). See you in April. Fond fare-
well was said to Captain David Littlewood RTR. Farewell,
yes, on leaving us and welcome to the RAOC. At the time of
writing, he is currently sorting himself out at the depot on an
Ordnance Officers Course!
5 Ordnance Battalion
IT is quite some time since the battalion headquarters submitted
an article so perhaps _ it is a good time to bring readers up to
date on the personalities.
At the helm we have Lieutenant Colonel Ford who can be
seen strolling up and down the corridor trying to persuade the
OIC PRI Captain Fred Moughton that he should buy a race horse
to race in the various ' Derbys' in BAOR. The Second-in-
Command, the man who runs the exercises for the battalion, is
Major Ray York who arrived five months ago after a two year
sentence in 1st British Corps. Our Adjutant also a fairly new
boy is Captain Paul Williamson whose stamina is a little suspect
after his first Regimental Dinner in the WOs and Sergeants
Mess as he has now taken a month off to recover. Our temporary
Adjutant on loan to us from the Sennelager Players, Captain
Bob Smethurst or stage name Dame Edna Everidge, is sitting in
his chair, he will of course return to his old occupation in time
for the Christmas Panto, in which he has the starring role of
Widow Twankey.
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Brigadier Paviour visits the Platoon.
— 276 —
Book number R0406