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Colourful characters in the Corps (Past / Present) ???

Sabre1918

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George, I liked your last topic on "Great Names in the RCAC"...

I thought it would be fun to do something similar for the above.

Some might call them the CLOWNS/JOKERS of the Corps.
They kept up morale.

You know what I mean..... ;)


 
So, I suppose you are talking about some of the guys like Chucky Misner and Groovy Kean?
 
LOL....Yeah !
Smoking Joe Cloak, Randy Eslinger, Billy Fawcett, Don Berry.
Just thinking of these guys makes me laugh..... ;D



 
Slider Welch.

Funny how I can't remember the real first name of my first Tp WO. Kevin?

Edit: No, was it Keith?!
 
SLIDER....I saw him the other day.
He's still the same ol' SLIDER !

Yeah, it's Keith !
 
For those Hussars and Dragoons, everyone must remember "Ernie the Perv".

Many will remember the TSS POL NCO, MCpl Gernsbeck.

Older guys will remember Cpl Bobby Dow.  A champion Boxer in his day.  A Cpl for life.

Strats will remember 'Majic' Wand.

One of my students at Depot comes to mind - "Idillo Scarfoni" - not his real name, but it really worked on the girls down in Fredericton.

12 RBC guys will remember 'Sticky' Wickets.

Donny Head makes all the lists.

Some may remember Gordy Hardiman from PEI.

WO Murrey Decker terrorised many at Depot Sqn, Tactics Sqn, and in the different Regiments.

Everyone wonders whatever happened to Donny Walsh.



 
George,
  Names that bring a smile to my face................. Almost begs for a "whatever happened to..." topic.

Don't forget Karl Ringma or John Pennock........
 
Well Andy, we have the "Mounts, Dismounts and Lost Trails" and "Great Names in the Royal Canadian Armour Corps" for some of them.

Karl Rigma....I drove for him in B Sqn in '81.

We also had Ken Stovold, who visits this site from time to time.

JIm Burke, Carl Payne, and Carl Cox were almost always inseperable.

Then "Darling" Arling who taped a SMELM Plate on the front license of A Sqn 2 i/c s car before the end of the work day.  Intersting to have seen him spread eagle at the front gate....  ;D

Anyone going out to Rainwright should run into Tom Falls, another Poster here, and Chris Siefried.  Andy Wright is also out there as a Civie.



Not of the Corps, were Al and Momma, and Barry at the Taverne.
 
I can't remember the fella's name in Germany who use to Make model radio controlled cars and then drive them out into traffic from his room in the shack (the old barracks across from the fire hall)
He also use to get cammed up and sneak around base at night...???
  I remember Ken Stovold we were in A Sqn together in Lahr.
  We also had Zero who went AWOL to Switzerland for 100 days, Then served a hundred. Or the two guys in the Regt who stole the HQ Sqn jeep and kept following American convoys around Germany for a week or so getting fed and re-fueled by them. I know because I was an escort on the orders parade. They were given a fine equivalent to 7 days car rental from the Lahr Canex (Golf, standard transmission) and the going rate for a weeks trip around Germany as advertised in Der Kanadier with the Community centre Tours!!!

Just came to me....Tpr Latham and his models, he also bought himself a biga** harley and the biker "costume" to go with it

I also remember the guys who borrowed the Jeep...........I'll keep the names to myself though to protect the guilty  >:D
 
Latham  Yes, I asked him once at a B Sqn Christmas Party why he was dressed up in an outfit that was made up of: American Jump Boots; Black Jeans, bloused; Isreali Cam Smock; and Foreign Legion Field Cap.  I told him it was no way to pick up girls.  His response was: " they won't let me be a Soldier during the day, so I am after hours."  In those days he had a Cross Bow, a Mini 14, a case of fully loaded Mags for the Mini 14, several other weapons, and the only sane thing I think he had - a Glider.  They locked him up in a Padded room before his return to Canada.  A couple years later, he left Pet and was once again in Lahr. 

How about Joe Alberto?
 
Our crew from Lahr: Al Mantel, Dorin Vinneau, Raef "Jamaica" Douthwaite, Jim Roberts, Ernie Carrol, TJ O'Connor, Don Hogan, Ron Elvin, Terry MacDonald, Jack Duquart, Rick Crooks, Wayne Chapman, Tiny Boyd, Dan Kelly, Paul Dover, Pete Hannah, Rick Marcioni, I'll think of some more later. Sadly, a bunch of these guys are gone. Some of our bosses were Russ Berry, Dick Turner, SSM Ronny Alt. Our Sqn Flying Maint Crew, Bung Murdock, Sir Rodney Ellis, Billy Weins, Roger Gallant.................and then there was the infamous Watchpig, a Regimental fixture, if only for a few weeks.

and Benny Paquin
 
Ah yes.........

Joe Alberto, I think he spent the whole tour in Germany driving a 5 ton in Regt Tpt. Nice enough guy but I can picture him selling used cars now for some reason???

Anyone remember "Don the bear from Montreal" Don Barry, claimed he gave himself that name. Years later I was told he was in Calgary and had renamed himself "Yukon Don"  He fell asleep doing carrier maintenace and woke up after the N Marg was locked up. Busted a gut the next day listening to his story of his escape.
 
Yukon Don !

True Story...
During the mid eighties Don was Helevac from Wainwright because they thought he was having a heart attack...
It turned out he just had a stomach full of gas after he ate a whole jumbo size can of beans...... ;D
 
Anyone here remember a former Sgt Major, Martin RCD, Tooner Martin, had 4 and have fingers  on one hand....he  use to have pictures of a former PM hanging on his wall with cartoons ballons, telling the Pm to get a hair cut, thePm was inspecting troops in Germany  before he closed the bases.

TOONER retired from LFCA HQ as the G3  ranges and training NCO. became RSM of the GGHG

great man to work with and for.
 
Took over for Don Berry (then LdSH (RC)) in Visoko in Oct '94/

Tuner Martin,   I remember being a student in the Armour School and on the door to his office was a piece of bristol board, on which each of the four WOs in the office had traced their hands, instead of putting up name plates.   Each was identifiable by the digits missing in their traced hands.   Angus Currie, Tuner Martin, were two.   I think Joe Cloake was another.   A lot less of those types, since we got the 'Chicken Bar'.

Dorin Vinneau Came back to the Regt, from Triple Four, in time to go out on Fall Ex.  He brought some Handcuffs and managed to handcuff Benny Paquin and I think it was Charlie Brown together and then disappeared somewhere on the tank train.  The pair of them remained handcuffed and cursing for the whole trip.  They searched all three of the Cars from end to end and couldn't find the Dorin and the keys.  We arrived in Fallinbostel and they were released only then. Interesting Trip.
 
Tanker Bill Hawley, an example for young troops to follow if ever there was one. Extremely competant, hard working, hard playing, a real soldiers soldier.

 
Tanker Bill is currently a clerk in Borden if case anyone would care to look him up.

George,  you really bring back the memories with some of those names.

Keep the names and funny stories coming.

Jon Nickerson.... nothing funnier than listening to him give a fire command or talk on the radio. f f f f f f f f f f f f f f fire!!!!
 
Leopard1 said:
Jon Nickerson.... nothing funnier than listening to him give a fire command or talk on the radio. f f f f f f f f f f f f f f fire!!!!
Even funnier was when he and Billy Burn first met....."Are you making f f f f f funn of m m m me Cpl?"   "N N N N No!   W W W W Warrant!"


Anyone remember Steve Bailey?
 
If you want a real character in the Corps, look no further than the intimidator himself. WO Whitehall. I think any blackhatter who has ever crossed paths with the man has a good story with him.  Scared the s*** out of me the first time I met him, but would love to have him as an SSM someday...............
 
Another good one is Sgt. Buckle, A Sqn. RCD.Easy to talk to, damned good sense of humour and he has the distinction of being the only Dragoon in history to wear a Springbok on a maroon beret. (That I've ever heard of anyhow)
 
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