9th JANUARY 1976 INTRODUCTION The reconnaissance party of 32 Engineer Regiment are here this week to see and make plans for their tour. Looking back the time has passed very quickly since we started our training and hopefully the next two months will pass equally quickly. ; I would like to thank those wives who have sent me ditties, but especially Mrs Davies (wife of Sgt Davies of 94 Battery) whose drawings of 94 Battery Christmas presents were very good; unfortunately they will not reproduce well when copied onto a skin. We have been visited by a BBC sub editor, who made some tapes for local radio (in UK) stations. He very kindly wrote his impressions of Londonderry which are printed in this 'edition. It was refreshing for those of us who talked to him to hear a civilian view of Ulster. CONGRATULATIONS H T500P When l was assured that being the Troops Snoop Sgt (I foolishly believed them) I must provide the troops article for the popular newsletter panic but with a lot of help from 'Flash" (Gnr Morris) and "Harry" Gnr Hinton we bring you up to date on the latest happenings in our patch. The New' Year has found us getting adjusted to our third change, in our already complicated, stag system: result, more complication one section commander was heard saying "No chance, I will never be able to have my twelve hours sleep". There have been a great number of promotions in the Bty, the gunners that are left believe that there must now be a national shortage of gunners! Nick names are floating about mainly centring around Sgt Norman Harris who has the name of Deck Chair Harris which is a step down from Bed Sore Harris (He is after a MM again). There again we have Bde Joe Noble looking down from 2,000 ft instead of 1,000. 3dr Graves is seen to be walking around talking to himself. Then we have Bdr (Flintstone) Beech taking a short rest of an hour walking up Lawrence Hill, wishing that it would slope down instead of up. Not to be biased we must mention the gunners all twenty of them! First there is Super Stud (Ben Cartwright) who keeps falling in love with himself. That is before R & R. Then up and coming Super Flash (Gnr Morris) who seems to be getting too fast for himself. He thinks and acts today instead of yesterday. In general every one seems contented and madly looking towards returning to home grounds. With R & H for the majority of us over, we have started to make the count down for returning. MESSAGE I am very happy, look after the car, I dont mind the scratches etc We can afford a nice new one. What can you say. The time he spends in the air no wonder he can afford a new one. Bye from us stand in scribes, have yourself a happy and peaceful 1976. ''The boss is on vacation". LONDONDERRY AT FIRST SIGHT It was the first time I have ever spent the night in a police station, well it used to be a police station, or rather the Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks . But now it is the Regimental Headquarters while in Londonderry. The bedroom allocated to me was up the stairs, along a corridor with paint peeling off and opposite a room with a notice still on the door indicating that it used to be the RUC's traffic section. I was particularly impressed with the way in which the Regiment has made itself at home under what appeared to be cramped and constrained conditions. Even the Christmas tree, bedecked with lights, in the corner of the officers mess, brought a touch of festive cheer There may not have been any mistletoe, but the magazines scattered around helped to slightly make up for the lack of feminine company. But my time was not just spent in leisurely pursuits, and idle hours in the officers mess. When asked whether I wished to go for a stroll in the city centre, what could I do but readily agree. All the beauty spots and indeed the ugly blemishes as well - were pointed out to me as I was escorted up streets and down alleys, through checkpoints and past I observation posts. As if the walk was not enough, I was handed a flack- jacket and asked if I fancied a trip into the Bogside. With such hospitality, how could I refuse. . I By Christopher Schofield, reporter for the B3C's local radio stations. Man is by far the cruellest of all animals. Our viciousness shows in our everyday gestures 7 SECTION D TROOP Secondly we have Lbdr Mick Allen, more commonly known as Jock McStrap the super cabbage. He denies the super cabbage bit. But who or what else spends 3 hours just polishing their boots. Jock is very pushed for time and fits in stags when told to. Personally I think Jock has a brilliant career ahead of him (as our leaders understudy) We congratulate Barry Appleby on his recent promotion to the dizzy heights of LBdr, when he ever fits in a fair share of the workload it will be greeted with rounds of applause. Barry is a fine example of a 22 year man and has the ability to attain the regal -rank of substantive LBdr, should get this through before Jock. John (Johno) Johnston, the quiet spoken old man of the section, who leaves, and quite rightly, the army in April for civvy haircuts and handbags. Johno, apart from myself, is the only member not to fall asleep on stag HE DIES!!! Said to be the best Limber Gunner in the Regt also the best. Layer, I'm inclined to agree. When I see him on stag his body goes limber and then it layers itself down to rest. Number 5 on the list is Winnie Winfield The NIAlVE. Frankie (has anyone seen Jock, or is he still on his R & R) Hart appears on the scene as lively as ever. Frank, who fancies himself as a future chess champ, keeps me awake during the rest periods playing the game. .If it wasn't for him 1 wouldn't have bags under my eyes. Due to the lack of sleep he gets playing chess we allow him to take his mattress out on stag to make it up. Steve (who's a pretty boy then) Tomlinson,- who has a following of old grannies, reckons, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, he's as innocent as the letching he does. Beware the frauleins on his return to Fally. Winnies;- Where have you been sir? Gent: I've just returned from a wake.! His excuse ;- well how was I to know what a wake was? ''TO OUR FELLOW MEN" . I I see proud soldiers stand, I look South to the sun, I see people with faces of fear We know that. its hard Super Flash Bogside and City BHQ 49 Battery We have a medical orderly who dishes out athletes foot powder, aspirins and throws the bones like any good witch doctor. he goes to bed at lunch time not to reappear until four o'clock in the morning when he helps the Intelligence world of Tac HO with their daily chores. Having told you about him I almost forgot to mention his name, unimportant as it might seem, Lcpl Martin Crowson. We have a Mrs Mopp, Gnr Leese who spends most of his day scrubbing dirty boot prints off the floor and walls of the warren like corridors in the BHQ block. Mick Organ, John Mellett and Lbdr Tony Griffiths man the radio sets and are re-writing the signals pamphlets. There I go again, another in joke which I will have to try and explain. When messages are sent to the various check points they are invariably misunderstood. The only way round this is to say YEAH every third word, then wait until they reply YEAH before continuing. The signals pamphlet requires one to say OVER, and we hope that the change will be accepted throughout the Army so as not to inconvenience the Battery. You will undoubtedly have heard by now of the Battery Shop. This was the brainchild of Major Whitworth when he was set the monumental task of recovering some of the money spent on Inkerman Day. By buying up all the rejects and seconds from the local shirt manufacturers adding 12% and not allowing anyone out to shop he is doing very nicely thank you. However Sgt Neighbour who is the counter hand will find it very difficult to return to being a simple gun number one. He will want to sell the rations to his detachment at a profit. Next time we will try and tell you about the BQMS department, that is if we can find time between bouts of 24 hours off to write about it. QUOTE OF THE WEEK G TROOP JOTTINGS Our Sergeant Major Our Sergeant Major Our Sergeant Major our Sergeant Major Our Sergeant Major ANON I have my own idea who the author is but to protect my own interests for future editions of newsletter where he may produce more I'm not saying anything. STEVENSONS ROCKET'S PART TWO His second in command is Bdr Don Sturgess who it seems bears a remarkable resemblance to Ena Sharples from Coronation St hence the nickname Ena, He seems to spend most of his' time in the Wog shop, drinking milk stouts and reminiscing about the time he drove the CO. I wont say what happened but Sgt Williams was seen to enter the Troop Commanders room at 0130 hrs in the morning on his knee's wearing knee pads, and next day we were told that he had got the City Wall observation post. All we can say to Ned and his boys is a mans got to do what a mans got to do; and "big brother is watching". Hero are a few of the Troop's New Years resolutions: Wee Tam promises to wash his feet. Benny swears to stop eating raw meat Phil wants to learn how to use a knife and fork. Ned promises not to Winge. The Troop Commander promises to re supply the observation posts before dark every day. Bye for now, see you soon. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT BRIDGE CAMP INTELLIGENCE SECTION The second in command is SSgt Ron Heath who does as little as possible in the greatest possible tine, no change from Fallingbostel where he repairs guns. This accounts for the length of time the guns are off the road. The three i/c is Sgt Nick Nicholls who has not yet found out what he is supposed to do as he only arrived with the Regiment just before the tour started. However he is excellent at his job. The true story is that they are all shy and retiring people and that is why we have not heard of them before. Watch: out Fallingbostel when we return with all this pent up emotion. Everyone will be on our files. ITS A PAPER WAR why did you do that, Sir? |