Sgt Wayne Weber [The man who defined Artillery NCO]

[Bruce Monkhouse]

All I have for now is this from the 3RCHA Facebook page.

"Rest in Peace 15 A
Sgt Wayne Weber
Passed away suddenly
Early on August the 10th
One day after his 88th birthday"

If ever an Artillery call sign should be retired like a sports number, then this would be it.
15A in "D" Bty 2 RCHA

 

[FJAG]

This is my entry from Facebook:

"That's sad to hear.

Wayne and I go back to J Bty, 3 RCHA in 1971/2. I was a fairly newly minted GPO and Wayne one of my troop's three L5 detachment commanders as one of them new-fangled master-bombardiers we created when we found out the downside of making everyone a Hellyer-corporal. I remember sitting on the tailgate of a deuce with him at a post-exercise smoker and lamenting the fact that he was getting $5.00 a month more than the other guys on his gun but that he had all the responsibilities of a sergeant. AWSE was unheard of in those days. Many of the battery's sergeants at that time were too old or beat up to serve in the field and filled positions such as permanent regimental orderly sergeant and hockey rink manager and stand-easy manager etc.

We'd just gone through a massive downsizing of the artillery and promotions amongst the NCOs were few and far between as a result even though most of our bombardiers had over ten years of service under their belts. While we had many good junior NCOs in those days, Wayne stood out. He personified excellence in all respects and it was absolutely well-earned when he got his third hook almost immediately when the promotion gates were opened again.

He was everything that a young subbie could ask for in an NCO.

End of Mission, Wayne. Stand Easy."