The 'Services' thread. Warning: May include rations pack

pinno

Whilst I fully applaud and encourage going off topic, the threads that have been ambushed by those who wear khaki, light blue and Navy blue are becoming gobbledegook for us mortals on civvy street.
Indeed many banal threads have become interesting because forumites go off topic: threads within threads and split threads but when the subjects turn to ration packs and 'hats' and the ilk, me gets lost.

This thread is dedicated to those in the services - The men who fight like lions but are lead by donkeys.(Ludendorf/Hindenberg 1915).

Recipe:
An explosive mix of flack jackets and gunmetal.
Ingredients:
Incendiaries
Flat Hats
Tin Hats
Landrovers
Ordinance
Swagger sticks
Jodphurs
Remote controlled devices and
A signaler or two to spread the word.

Its all yours gentleman/women. This thread is all yours.

I'll kick it off:

Syria, Yes or no? Are you up for it or has the political fatigue set in?

Yossie

Flat hats
Tin hats

or those who aren't maroon are just hats?

arran77

Must all be out on exercise or in New York :P :P

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/sep/02/british-soldiers-arrested-new-york-policeman

TheCornishMong

pinarello001 wrote:

Whilst I fully applaud and encourage going off topic, the threads that have been ambushed by those who wear khaki and Navy blue are becoming gobbledegook for us mortals on civvy street.

You forgot us who wear the light blue :roll:

Yossie

TheCornishMong wrote:

pinarello001 wrote:

Whilst I fully applaud and encourage going off topic, the threads that have been ambushed by those who wear khaki and Navy blue are becoming gobbledegook for us mortals on civvy street.

You forgot us who wear the light blue :roll:

Hats.

dmclite-3.0

Oi Yossie, now I know you are a Roo, tight jeans and checkered shirt wearing, country-western listening, lean mean maroon grumpy killing machine.......but lighten up, we are having a lovely summer.

On Syria, we can't get involved, they don't like us, we are not popular in the Middle east as it is and it is a civil war. Killed by gas or 7.62, no difference IMHO.

Yossie

We can't afford Syria really but that won't stop the fly boys from having to head over and doing a Libya - maybe a few "advisors" will go in and "oversee" evacuation of British diplomats but I can't see anything Iraq/Afghan size happening.

As aside, Syria has been discussed a few times on exercise recently but oh no, no ones been doing any preparation for it at all, oh no Siree.

Again the poor bugger Americans will get the brunt of it due to them being the world's policeman, Assad will fall and in 5 years it'll be doing the same all over again. Much like Iraq, Afghan, Egypt <add Middle Eastern country name here ad nauseum>

They have had to hold off this far because, like you have said, its a civil war, but if Assad has used chemical weapons then its time to support the civvies/blokes who don't have chems. Everyone has been supporting the rebels on the sly for ages anyway, so this just brings it out into the open.

DMC - you are right - its a gorgeous summer. I'm wearing particularly short sleeved checkered shirts to show off my new tan.

As a further aside, who are the light blue dudes? The water boys (c.1989) or the fly boys?

dmclite-3.0

If its light blue, could be Army Air Corps, lads who watched Apocalypse Now too many times, visions of door-gunning and end up putting chocks under little wheels on crap helo's. Or The womans Auxillary Balloon corps, Scone and biscuit specialists. SF, say no more,

Yossie

Well, this may get me in trouble with GCHQ, but I had a gander at Orders last night and this little thing popped up - marked as classified, FYEO, etc etc. But hey, its BB - theres only about 9 of us on here anyway.

Official take on Syria from No.10/GCHQ:

"The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is cancelled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the last final escalation level."

Yossie

pinarello001 wrote:

Whilst I fully applaud and encourage going off topic, the threads that have been ambushed by those who wear khaki, quote]

Officially its MTP now - its looks like the US stuff but isn't as nice to wear, falls apart and has top secret squirrel stealth Ninja Velcro everywhere so rustles and crackles as you move along ..................

dmclite-3.0

Yossie wrote:

pinarello001 wrote:

Whilst I fully applaud and encourage going off topic, the threads that have been ambushed by those who wear khaki, quote]

Officially its MTP now - its looks like the US stuff but isn't as nice to wear, falls apart and has top secret squirrel stealth Ninja Velcro everywhere so rustles and crackles as you move along ..................

In my day velcro was classed as sneaaky-beaky nice and squeaky. Just got gore-tex everything and Combat 95 was all the rage, sheeit, when I first went to JL's in 1987 we had KF shirts, Lightweights and tin hats. We also had 58 pattern webbing and SLR's. In fact we still had the SLR in 1992 when I went back to Germany. I am old, but happy.

pinno

I tell you - that velcro stuff is a rip off.

dmclite-3.0

pinarello001 wrote:

I tell you - that velcro stuff is a rip off.

I just sprayed coffee all over my screen. I applaud you.

pinno

Anyone here going to sell me an arctic sleeping bag when your kit gets changed over?

tim_wand

, sheeit, when I first went to JL's in 1987 we had KF shirts, Lightweights and tin hats. We also had 58 pattern webbing and SLR's

That brings back some memories, KF shirts, 58 webbing and Lightweights.

Did you Pritt stick your creases, Fade your lightweights by only starching the inside leg to define the crease.


Muched preferred the SLR/ FN over the fall apart SA80. Even had a Bren gun at one point

reckon you must have been among the 24803409 intake .

dmclite-3.0

tim wand wrote:

, sheeit, when I first went to JL's in 1987 we had KF shirts, Lightweights and tin hats. We also had 58 pattern webbing and SLR's

That brings back some memories, KF shirts, 58 webbing and Lightweights.

Did you Pritt stick your creases, Fade your lightweights by only starching the inside leg to define the crease.


Muched preferred the SLR/ FN over the fall apart SA80. Even had a Bren gun at one point

reckon you must have been among the 24803409 intake .

Nah, 2479262? was my number. Yeah the Bren had been adapted to LMG, we had them mounted on our AFV432 in the Gulf !! Only the REME wagon has a GPMG, luxury. Yeah, stuck the creases in lightweights, used to cut the collar and top bit of the kf shirt off and just wear that with a t shirt under when we had jumper order. Putting Clear floor polish on bulled boots and spending ours bulling them in the first place. I remember one night at JL's they made us take beds, lockers everything out our rooms and we had to set up in the woods nest to the block. Jeseu, bedpacks in the woods in the rain, you couldn't make it up.

tim_wand

I had two years of it at AAC Harrogate.

I remember one night at JL's they made us take beds, lockers everything out our rooms and we had to set up in the woods nest to the block. Jeseu, bedpacks in the woods in the rain, you couldn't make it up.

You'd get everything perfect and then some Knob Head AT Sgt would have you doing "Quick Change Parades" all night.

My old man was an Ex bootneck, wouldn't let me join the Marines, said get a trade. Also told me to hit the first person who started on me as hard as I could. Took the advise just happened to be said AT sgt knob.

He got one of the bumpers (weighted brush/broom things) we used to bull the floor up with, Made me put me KF shirt on back to front and buttoned up. Ran the bumper handle through the sleeves and left me crucified on the bars of the drying room all night.

Ah happy days. Think events at Deep Cut changed a lot of that.

Our R.S.M used to always look for cuffs on muster parade, no way you could pull that trick with a KF shirt.

Passed the all arms commando course in the end , and ended up in the TSW earning 3 times as much a day as the Bootnecks, so the Old man was right in the end.

dmclite-3.0

We used bumpers too. we had a troop commanders inspection, 8am just finished bumping the corridors, everyone running round in socks to get into room and by their beds when one of the fluoroescent tubes fell out its holder and detonated on freshly waxed/bumped floor outside our room. I could have cried, instead got the laughs and got beasted all weekend.

CambsNewbie

Yossie wrote:

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability."

This whole post was funny but this in particular made me chuckle...

tim_wand

CambsNewbie wrote:

Yossie wrote:

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability."

This whole post was funny but this in particular made me chuckle...

Me too, reminded me of NATO exercises such as Lionheart, where the French and Belgiques would end ex as soon as it started raining.

But to be fair with the French position on Syria and the fact that we now produce over 700 variety of cheeses in this country, are we still in a positon to call them" Fromange Mange laisse tomber singes.

or something like that.

Loretta Damage

Strangest thing I ever did on a course was silent PT. Staff PTIs woke us up in the small hours and made us do circuit trg on the grass outside the block; in total silence! Worst bit was that we were just dragged out of our pits, no time to get PT kit on, most of us were naked. Character building I think they called it!

MattC59

I have no idea what's going on here.

dmclite-3.0

We had to play football against each other on a beach in Corwall in october, half the troop against the other half. every time a goal was let in the side who let it in had to run in the sea and immerse yourself. It was horrible but the training staff said it was one of the most competitive games they had ever witnessed. It was horrible, 1988, and I was 17.

pinno

MattC59 wrote:

I have no idea what's going on here.

Neither have I, so that's why I gave theses blokes a whole thread just for them.
Anyways, where you been CB?

dmclite-3.0

MattC59 wrote:

I have no idea what's going on here.

Civvies........pah !

Yossie

Don't forget the pisssing tree.

sgtJ

Ref Harrogate

80c Rules


Anyone ever play tinnies?

tim_wand

sgtJ wrote:

Ref Harrogate

80c Rules


Anyone ever play tinnies?

Yer but what Squadron. Bradley, Penny , Rawson or Scott? your a bit older than me 87c Rawson



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BelgianBeerGeek

Apprentices College - aahh, happy days.

Getting up at 0430 to get to the ranges, only to wait until 1130 for the fog to clear. Great.

sandyballs

Harrogate, pah Arborfield was a real Apprentice College.

tim_wand

Sandyballs wrote:

Harrogate, pah Arborfield was a real Apprentice College.

The Two Triangular games I attended ( playing Football,Rugby, Tennis, Tug of War and running 400M flat and Hurdles at both Arborfield and Chepstow ,where the Signals/ Harrogate came away with the games tittle 88 and 89 would show different.

Went back to Harrogate when I was a full fledge Squaddie to have a nights drinking with a mate who was on the DS staff there. Quite an attractive young girl stood at the guard room whilst I was waiting to sign in. I asked her what a nice young girl like her was doing waiting for an apprentice trademan, Fuck off she said I am an apprentice.
I forgot they started taking handbags post 1990.

Still they d been at Chepstow and Arborfield from the Off