| SUMMER 1965. |
| 'B' COMPANY NOTES. |
| During the past year, since the last edition of the Leader, there have been many changes in the Permanent Staff. |
| Departures |
| Lt A.J. Bannerman, RA, to BAOR. |
| Lt R.S. Vasey, RA, to BAOR. |
| Lt A. De Bretton-Gordon, R Signals, to MONS OCS. |
| Sgt Ongley to S.A.S.C. Hythe |
| Sgt Winkless to BAOR |
| Sgt Thornton to MONS OCS. |
| Sgt McHugh to P.O.A.O.R. |
| Sgt Humble to BAOR. |
| Arrivals |
| Lt R.C. Shedden from BAOR. |
| Sgt Hewson from Kenya |
| Sgt Parsons from British Guiana. |
| Sgt Clarke from BAOR. |
| Sgt Hamilton from BAOR. |
| Sgt Dale from BAOR. |
| Owing to the fall in numbers of J/Ldrs in the Training Companies one platoon had to be disbanded. Unfortunately this had to be Somme Platoon as the youngest in the Company. Somme had a very good final term in winning the Inter Platoon Shooting Competition in the Spring Term, and also winning very convincingly, the Regimental 7 a side Rugby Tournament. The members of the platoon are now spread throughout the Company, and Ypres has moved from "Slum Alley" into the old Somme accommodation. |
| In the Rhyl Cup, Ypres won the competition in the Christmas Term, and Egypt won it in the Spring Term with Ypres second. |
| Elsey (ex J/Sgt) and Rodgers (ex J/Pte) received their Gold D of E Award from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on 10th May at Buckingham Palace. Elsey was flown home from a Gunner Regiment in BAOR and Rodgers was flown home from a Provost Unit in Cyprus. Both are enjoying life with Regular Units. News of one other ex "B" Coy J/Ldr is of Roper (ex J/RSM) who is a Substantive Sergeant in the Gunners three and a half years after leaving A.A.J.L.R. |
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| The Company has acquired a cannon which has added a little more tone to the top end of the camp and it is rumoured that our neighbours are looking for a "gibbet". It is however completely untrue that "D" Company is mounting a pair of chromium plated "Boots Ammunition" on a plinth outside their Company Office! |
| EGYPT PLATOON |
| The fates have not looked kindly on our platoon in sports or in the Rhyl Cup competition until the spring when we achieved the pyramid of success in the Rhyl Cup, all credit due to a fine team spirit. We are also not without individual achievements probably the most noteworthy being the smiling Smedley laying low The Mighty McAughy in the Inter-Company boxing competition; he went on to fight for the Regiment. Harness has made an important contribution to the Regimental hockey team and the triumvirate of Smedley, Gunning and Kemp put in some good work on the Rugby field. Kemp must have cost the Sports Stove a fortune as he nearly always finished the game with only half a shirt. Trench continues to go to the dogs; he is a stalwart supporter of the Beagle Pack. |
| We have been very pleased to hear from graduates once they arrive at their new Regiments. It is often very difficult to try to tell J/Ldrs exactly what conditions are like in the Regular Army and ex-boys' letters often carry more "punch" than a lecture from a member of the P.S. To this end I include the following extracts from a letter from Gunter who graduated into 34 Lt Air Defence Regt RA at Christmas. |
| "As soon as I got to the camp Snelling and I were taken to HQ and handed in our documents and asked about our educatlonal qualification, trade and driving licence. After the questions we were taken to our respective batteries where I had a talk with the B.S.M., B.C. and Troop Sergeant Major who showed me my room. It is on the floor of a three storey brick building. The whole building is centrally heated with large beds and a wooden floor. We have larger lockers, also black webbing. We do not keep our own rifles - they are kept in the armoury." |
| "We knock off at about 4-15 and the time's your own until 8-15 next morning." |
| "I think the discipline is slacker but when it is applied it is stricter and also life is a lot easier." |
| "The chaps here are decent blokes, treat you nicely but they all seem to have a grudge against boy soldiers, but they don't show it until they are drunk." He has met other ex-Tonfanau-ites when there have been inter-unit sport including, Moore from Ypres and Bennett from Egypt." |
| We have also heard from Duncalf who says that Fox who graduated in Summer, 1964, is now married: probably a direct result of this camp's isolation! |
| We would finally like to end with a welcome back to Burton who decided that he needed a term off to recuperate after two terms in the Regiment (his broken leg was incidental). Unfortunately for him he has been invited to attend for one more term. |
| GALLIPOLI PLATOON |
| Gallipoli platoon, due to postings, have had several platoon sergeants. Sgt McHugh handed over to Sgt Thornton, who eventually handed over this term to Sgt Parsons. The platoon thanks the retiring platoon sergeants, for their effort and wishes them all the best in their future postings. |
| In the Christmas term we only managed to come 8th in the Rhyl Cup. In the spring term our position improved and we came 6th, helping to keep up the high standard set by the company as a whole. |
| In the sporting field there have been a few notable achievements. In the Christmas term the platoon was knocked out in the semi-final of the interplatoon football competition. Bdr Oakes and J/L/Cpl McMurries represented the Regiment at Rugby. In the spring term J/Sgt McMurries who was by this time Junior Platoon Sgt, was awarded his Regimental Colours for Rugby. |
| The Junior Platoon Sgt in the summer term, Sgt Absalom, was awarded his Army Colour for boxing, representing the army against the R.M.A. Sandhurst. The boxing tradition in the troop has been carried on by J/Pte Derwent who recently became an Imperial Service Boxing Champion. In Regimental soccer the platoon was represented by J/Pte Stanton and Barclay, who have both played for the Regimental Second XI. Also we have been represented in Regimental basket ball by Cpl Baker, who turned out a platoon basketball team which was unbeatable within the company. |
| The last two terms have been quite active from the sporting viewpoint. The platoon however hopes that rowing is out next term, as they didn't enjoy the practise they had at the beginning of last term when the billets were completely flooded out. |
| YPRES PLATOON |
| On the sporting field the platoon has provided many members of the various Regimental teams. The most noteworthy of these being J/L/Bdr Young and J/Sig Blackwell who have been strong members of the Regimental cross country team of which Young was the captain for two terms. |
| J/L/Cpl Grogan has played soccer and rugby for the Regiment throughout the past two terms and J/L/Cpl Lancaster has played scum half for the Second XV. Both Grogan and Blackwell are members of the Regimental Ski team. |
| In the Christmas term the platoon did very well in the tests of Military Training. |
| First place was won in both the inter-company shooting competition and in the Rhyl Cup. In the spring term we were narrowly beaten in the Rhyl Cup by Egypt Platoon but nevertheless a good second place was gained. |
| The platoon has, during the past two terms, sent four boys to the Army Outward Bound School, three of whom, J/L/Bdr Young, J/CSM Philpott and J/Sig Blackwell were graded "B". |
| Of our recent graduates news has reached us of Rose who has passed his Commando Course and is now in Lybia with a Gunner Commando Regt, Ince, we hear, has completed his RMP course at Chichester and is on his way to Cyprus, while Ferguson and Joyce are now enjoying the Aden sunshine. |
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