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CASCABEL Journal of the ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION (VICTORIA) INCORPORATED ABN 22 850 898 908 ISSUE 118 Published Quarterly in JANUARY 2014 Victoria Australia Courtesy Williamstown Local Rag Article Pages Assn Contacts, Conditions & Copyright 3 Note from the RAA Committee 5 Editor’s Indulgence VALE Sgt Jimmie Heggen 6 Editor’s resignation + Operation Anode. Rotation 30 Solomons. 8 Letters to the Editor 9 The 3rd mammoth instalment of the American Civil War 11, 20, 27, 32 Know your Regiment — 2nd/15th Field Regiment 17 Three Major Mistakes the Japanese had made at Pearl Harbor. 26 RAA Luncheon 2014 31 Feu-de-Joie 40 "Above and Beyond" now at NEW LOCATION + The Genius of Henry Ford 41 26th January - No other flag will ever fly over this land 42 SIR RODEN CUTLER, VC, KCMG, KCVO, CBE. 43 Second death march to Ranau 45 A GUNNER’S NATIONAL SERVICE 1969 – 1971 63 Submarine reporting in The Australian, 25 September 2013 71 SOME OTHER MILITARY REFLECTIONS 72 If I knew who wrote this I’d give then due credit 75 The Battle of Long Tan – the aftermath 76 The mighty Ark Royal begins her final voyage... 78 In Afghanistan, we fought a smart war in dumb ways 80 A MEMOIR OF MONASH UNIVERSITY REGIMENT-THE FIRST YEARS 82 Father leads on memorial 86 Tribute from stranger to fallen hero 87 Changes to training packages at the School of Health 88 Corporal Roberts-Smith, of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) 89 A long time in the shadows 91 Parade Card/Changing your address? See cut-out proforma 92 Current Postal Address All mail for the Editor of Cascabel, including articles and letters submitted for publication, should be sent via the Secretary: Lt Col Jason Cooke (03) 9282 6900 0409 043 165 2 CASCABEL FORMER PATRONS, PRESIDENTS & HISTORY FOUNDED: JOURNAL NAME: CASCABEL - Spanish - Origin as small bell or First AGM April 1978 Campanilla (pro: Kaskebell), spherical bell, knob like projection. First Cascabel July 1983 COL COMMANDANT: BRIG P Alkemade RFD CASCABLE - English spelling. PATRONS and VICE PATRONS: ARTILLERY USE: 1978 After 1800 AD, it became adjustable. The breech is Patron: LT GEN The Hon Sir Edmund Herring closed in large calibres by a CASCABEL(E) screw, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, ED which is a solid block of forged wrought iron, Vice Patron: BRIG Sir William Hall KBE, DSO, ED screwed into the breech coil until it pressed against the end of the steel tube. In the smaller calibres, the A bore tube is carried through to form 1982 the CASCABEL(E) Patron: BRIG Sir William Hall KBE, DSO, ED [Ref: “Text Book on Fortification Etc”, Royal Vice Patron: MAJ GEN N. A. Vickery CBE, MC, ED Military College, Sandhurst, by COL G. Philips, RE, 4th Ed, Ch-1, P9, para 28, 1884]. 1999 [Source: COL Alan Mason, Vic, May 1993]. Patron: BRIG K. V. Rossi AM, OBE, RFD, ED CASCABEL HISTORY: Vice Patron: MAJ GEN J. D. Stevenson AO, CBE The name was put forward by the first editor, LTCOL Rob Gaw, and accepted because of its 2008 unique and obvious Artillery connection. Patron: BRIG K. V. Rossi AM, OBE, RFD, ED ASSOC LOGO: LAPEL BADGE: Vice Patron: Our Assoc Logo and Lapel Badge is the 1800 AD 9 Pdr PRESIDENTS: Waterloo Field Gun. Copy is 1978 MAJ GEN N. A. Vickery CBE, MC, ED taken from Device, Badge and Motto of the Royal 1979 MAJ GEN J. M .McNeill OA, OBE, ED Regiment of Artillery, as approved in 1833, by HM 1981 COL A. (Sandy) Mair ED King William IV. 1984 MAJ P. S. (Norman) Whitelaw ED The Badge is a copy of the left arm brass gilded 1988 BRIG K. V. Rossi AM, OBE, RFD, ED gun once worn by GUN SGTS above the chevrons 1991 MAJ M. Taggart RFD, ED on each arm. Brassards worn by IGs at North Head were embroidered with this insignia. It differs from 2004 MAJ N. Hamer RFD the logo in that the badge has been cast with the rammer in a different position and the end of the trail has been reduced in length. Selected by MAJ Warren Barnard, 1984 Assoc Committee 3 RAA ASSOCIATION (VIC) INC CONTENTS AND SUBMISSIONS COMMITTEE The contents of CASCABEL Journal are deter- President: Maj Neil Hamer RFD mined by the editor. Articles or opinions of au- 9702 2100 thors & contributors are their own, and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official posi- Vice President: Maj Merv Taggart RFD, ED tion of the RAA Assn (Vic) Inc, Australian Army, 9773 3730 the committee, the editor, staff or agents. Secretary: Lt Col Jason Cooke 9705 1155 Article style, clarity and conciseness remain the Treasurer: SSGT Reg Morrell responsibility of the article owner or author. 9562 9552 Submissions for the April 2014 issue are required no later than 1 March 2014 unless oth- Curator: SSGT Brian Cleeman erwise arranged with the new Editor. 9560 7116 COPYRIGHT (C) Members: SSGT Ernie Paddon RAA ASSOCIATION (VIC) INC -2000 Mrs R Decker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WO2 Lionel Foster ISSN 1322-6282 MEMBERS & KINDRED Cascabel Editor: Unknown ORGANISATIONS ADF & Ex-Officio: Col Comdt ACCREDITED RESEARCH: Brig P Alkemade RFD Only Members, Kindred Organisations, ADF and Maj Garry Rolfe nd th accredited researchers, may copy without prior 2 /10 Light Bty RAA approval, ORIGINAL articles or items of interest, within this Journal, if the source and author are Honorary acknowledged. Based on goodwill. Auditor: Maj David J Osborne Where the word “Copyright” or “(C)” appear with an article or where the material has been VIC BTY CONTACTS reproduced from a designated source, permis- sion to copy should be sought from the Author or Source given. 2/10 Light Bty 9526 4222 38 Light troop COMMERCIAL USE/PRODUCTS & 8 Chapel St BOOKS St Kilda 22 Light Troop 8710 2407 Apart from members/kindred organisations/ ADF and accredited research, no part of CASCABEL is to 65 Princes Hwy be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by Dandenong South any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any storage or re- trieval system without written permission from Association web site: the RAA Assn (Vic) Inc, the authors or the refer- enced source. Reproduction in any manner in http://www.artilleryvic.org.au/ whole or part in English or any other language is prohibited. 4 Note from the RAA Committee At the time of this edition being printed, WO2 Alan Halbish made the decision to resign as Editor of Cascabel as per his editorial comments on page 7. In accordance with our Constitution and therefore the intent of the Model Rules regulated by Consumer Affairs, WO2 Alan Halbish was able to present his concerns at a Special Committee Meeting which occurred in early Dec ‘13. Thankfully all concerns have been adequately addressed and Alan is happy to be reinstated as Editor of Cascabel. The committee regrets any impact this may have caused any member of the Association during this period. President Cascabel Editor Maj Neil Hamer (Retd) WO2 Alan Halbish (Retd) 5 Editors Indulgence diagnosis. Sadly surgery and radiation were to no avail and Jim passed peacefully in the company of I am using my usual space to insert the following his family. tributes to our recently departed mate from 23 Bty. RIP Jim WO2 Alan Halbish The following is the eulogy WO2 Jack Bohmer gave at the service. My first memory of Jim was on parade night at 23 Fd Bty 2/15 Fd Regt RAA at Frankston which had 4 M2A2 105 mm howitzers in the late seventies. He was tall and fit looking, but what struck me most was the whitest hair l have ever seen. After recruit course at Puckapunyal, he was posted to Sergeant Sergeant James Alfred (Jim) Heggen aged 54 years Redfern as a gun number who was No 1 on D sub died at Palliative Care Frankston on 03 Oct 13. where he layed the gun for elevation. He quickly He was a Gun Sergeant at 23 Fd Bty at Frankston gained a reputation of being one the quickest in Depot. the Battery. The Funeral Service for Jim was held in the Jim and l had a lot in common as we both worked Western Port Christian Family Church, 99 The in the building industry and very quickly formed a Crescent, Tyabb on THURSDAY 10 Oct 13, at 1400 bond and shared many beers in the OR’s mess. Jim hours. At the conclusion of the Service, the cortege progressed quickly and was promoted to proceeded to Crib Point Cemetery. Many Bombardier. On one of his postings as my 2IC. I mourners then attended Jim’s Wake at the Crib was having trouble with one of my gunners and Point RSL. Jim said “don’t worry SGT, I’ll fix it”. The next day l The service was conducted by noticed this particular gunner looked like he had ARA Chaplain Andrew been run over by a bus. l asked him what Robinson. Jim’s second eldest happened and he said that he fell over. l never had son ??? read eulogies on trouble with that gunner again. behalf of his sister ?????, During an extended exercise we were stood down mother Cheryl and himself in for a make and mend for 24 hrs and we could have what were extremely loving 2 cans per man. Half of my gunners didn’t drink and funny anecdotes of his but Jim instructed all of them to get their 2 can father. WO2’s Jack Bohmer and Eddie Redfern allocation. He then collected them all so he and l spoke about their special relationship with Jim re could have a six pack each, but that’s what Jim did, his carpentry work and service on the Guns in 23 always thinking of others.
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