February sapper mag:Layout 1 21/1/09 16:20 Page 55
Help for Heroes
Band of Brothers Battlefield Bike Ride
Steve Craddock is taking part in the
Help for Heroes Band of Brothers
Battlefield Bike Ride on 24 May 09 to
raise money for Help for Heroes and
would really appreciate your support.
Three hundred cyclists will ride
through the Normandy battlefields to
commemorate the Allies’ liberation of Europe 65 years ago. With them will be teams from our Allies of today, wounded service-
men from America, Canada and France as well as our own from Headley Court. The 380 mile ride will take four days, cycling 90
miles each day. Steve hopes to raise at least £15000. It’s easy to sponsor him online by credit or debit card - just go to his Just
Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/stevecraddock Just Giving sends your donation straight to Help for Heroes and auto-
matically reclaims Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more. Steve hopes you will join him in sup-
porting Help for Heroes.
Army Dog Unit (ADU) Northern Ireland - The ‘Red Paw’ Search!
Robert Shevill is trying to locate ex members of Army Dog Unit NI. He is ex-3 Fd Sqn and served with the ADU in 1976. The
Red Paw Badge was worn by members of ADU Northern Ireland - a unique Army unit made up of volunteers from every regi-
ment/corps - but disbanded in 2007 when the personnel were no longer required for ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland. The unit started
in 1973 and the volunteer dog handlers trained and worked with dogs known as ‘Wagtails’ (arms & explosives search dogs), ‘Snappers’
(guard dogs) and ‘Groundhogs’ (tracker dogs). The Red Paw badge represented the dogs’ feet bleeding after carrying out searches in
the debris following bombings, etc. We are trying to contact ex-dog handlers to join a recently formed Association. By next year we
would like to have contacted enough people for there to be sufficient numbers to take part in the Cenotaph march past in November -
with the various regiments combined into a single unit representing ADU NI. To this end the Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland
Association has launched a website which has had tremendous support so far. Almost everything you need to know is on the site which
may be found at: www.armydogunit-ni.co.uk The co-founders of the Association are Eddie Shinton and Mac McClinton and they can
be contacted for further information on: Eddie - 01584 891449 or Mac - 01359 239330.
40 Army Engineer Support Group Reunion
A reunion has been organized for 11th -13th July 2009 for a Willich Reunion, and will be held at the old Engr Base Wksp which
is now a conference centre The reunion coincides with the Willich Schutzenfest weekend, and will hopefully bring back a lot of
memories. Please contact Tam Pearce: Tel 0049 2154 2647 or email: letstalk@t-online.de or www. willich-camp.de
Stephen Alexander
Daryl Wawatai is trying to trace Stephen Alexander who immigrated to New Zealand with his young wife (an ex-pat Kiwi her-
self). They were employed by several of the same companies and during this time forged a very close friendship. Both had chil-
dren of a very similar age and their families became strongly entwined. Stephen returned to the UK at the close of the 1980s and
they lost touch. Despite every effort to re-establish contact, Daryls efforts have been in vain. Stephen, who was born in
Yorkshire, enlisted in the late 1970s. Anyone who can help is asked to contact Daryl by email on: DarylW@innovative.co.nz
Going Sailing....Need Some Money?
Are you planning a sailing expedition or exercise this year or are you taking part in one? If so then you may eligible for gener-
ous financial support from the H&M Trust to offset your costs. The H&M Trust is a fund set up by a successful Medway based
business man in the 50s and 60s which helps pay for RE soldiers to go sailing. How much? H&M Trust will pay up to £10 a day
for time at sea over three days to cover costs. This is in addition to unit and adventure training grants. How do we get the
money? The expedition leader sends a warning bid before the exercise, individuals write their own diary during the expedition
and the leader submits bids and receives and distributes the money.
More details on http://www2.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/sport/reyc/notice_board.htm What’s the catch? Each soldier who
wants funding has to write a diary (for £10/day!) and the monies are distributed after the event, so you have to pay up front.
There’s even a £50 prize at the end of the year for the best diary/article.
42 Fd Sqn
22806352 Spr Male D R - Derek Male as he now is - is a retired Royal Engineer who lives in Australia. He served with 42 Fd
Sqn in 35 Engr Regt from 1952 to 1955 in The Canal Zone and in Cyprus on Works. He would like to make contact with 42 Fd
Sqn to see where they are these days and what they are doing, and if they still carry their history with them; also if they remember
Operation Tuna in the Troodos Mountains in 1954, in which he took part. So far he has only been able to trace one old comrade,
2Lt David Paterson and they are now in regular contact and wondering where everyone else is - or are they the only survivors?
The photo is of Op Tuna, the Water Pipeline Job and shows the difficult terrain the pipeline was laid through, and the hard work
involved with no crane access, and no other mechanical lifting devices. If you have any information or can help his search, please
contact him on: derekmal@bigpond.net.au
February 2009 Gazette 55
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