General Chat

Perhaps thats why to those of us in the navy our army colleagues were referred to collectively as 'pongo's'

They were the days whether in or out of HM forces - discipline and respect were expected and demanded. Could do with some now - PC crowd have a lot to answer for over past 30 odd years

Chris,
what a delicate aroma in the class room/ barrack room, after a PT session?
eh?

and PT i's had a way with those that wouldnt conform.........

Bob

army punishments - unofficial ones but certainly meted out in late 50's and early sixties. Squaddies who were lacking in personal hygiene - after warnings were given cold baths with scrubbing brushes by their fellow squaddies - NCO's known to turn blind eye!

The last quarter we moved into was at Bovington in 1989 , there had been 4 single Wrac girls living there before due to shortage of accommodation in the Wrac block.
The girls had just moved out the quarter was filthy, there was fungi growing out of the cooker there was mould on the walls the carpets as well as the cooker had to be thrown out along with all the broken furniture , and when we went upstairs it was just as bad , everything had to be thrown out , and to top it all, all the ceilings had mirrors on . Took us a week to get the place clean , and we used to get knocks on the door at night from single sqaddies looking for a bit of action , they got a shock when the a Sgt answered the door.

'March in' and 'March out' happened in married quarters and many the happy hour I had with Vim - that was where I learned to wash walls from ground up! Blankets were held up to the light 6d. for each tea stain and anything else - well came flying out of the window - have seen mattresses etc.out of the window. Happy to say we never had to pay a fine in marching out.

Trick in getting quarters clean was to put a 'clean' wife into a dirty quarter! Civvy quarters staff freely admitted it. One quarter I marched in - when I washed all the curtains 5 times before water was clean and they shrank - dropped the hems and they were still short - then I shampood the stair carpet with 1001 and it shrank!!!!!! When we had quarters decorated I used to get the painters to give me a jar of each colour and fill in any chips etc night before we marched out!

Everything laid out military style in bedrooms, kitchen etc. even cutlery lined up!

I suggested to my dad about writing out his old Army stories. He said "And say what? Joined up....few years later I left."

How come when the subject comes up in conversation he can talk for hours about his time in the middle east etc...but when it comes to writing it down there's nothing to write?! lol.

No I was even too late for the daily tot but did get the blue liner fags

Mousy,I think thats what they used to call "A Naval Occasion".**M**.pmsl.:o))>

And here was I thinking you were an "Ancient Mariner".pmsl.**M**.

I ain't that ancient Merlin.....chose my time in a blue suit wisely and avoided all conflict :)

No way Colin, But Like My Relatives who were in it during the War,they tended to either "Over or Understate" things. One,Captain of an escort ship in the Battle of the Atlantic, always said when asked by his Brother ,who was on the Arctic Run To Russia,What was it like this time?always said" Piece of Cake" same here, he said Jim.Sadly Jim Never came back from one run. **M**.

Now Merlin you calling me 'anchor faced'? lol

Colin,I might have known it,The "Grey Funnel Line" don,t half "Swing It". **M**.pmsl.

Yes Stan, your name and service number had to be on everything as well and if it wasn't the item was guarranteed to disappear

Stan and Susan i can relate as was a army brat you had to lay all house hold item in order of rooms and any marks on walls or mattress had to be paid for so much an inch Valxxx

oh yep Merlin ''swing that lamp''

Ah those LP & FP definitions sound like real contenders. This is a really interesting thread. My dad left the army in 73 and I was born 74, but both my brothers were born while he was in the army. My brother was 6mo old when he was posted to Germany. Mum was in the army when she and dad met but left when they married. She looks incredibly smart in her uniform but dad just looks like a right rogue lol.

Hi,

Hope you don't mind me adding.

Discipline wasn't just for the men in the forces, it also carried on to the children. Being an 'Army' Brat' ....parents had to make sure children didn't get up to anything that would show the Army or their parents up...so our family had very strict rules we had to abide by, or we got a good hiding....you didn't make the same mistake twice, believe me.

What seems like 'petty' rules and punishment to some,.....especially these days....is for the good of the forces and country.....it weeds out the ones who cannot take hardship or instructions for instance.....this type dont last long in the early days of recruitment.....The others learn that rules...no matter how petty, are there for a reason.....can't have chaos when trying to fight a war, now can we :-)

I also have an article from my News from the past books which tells of whippings to soldiers for the slightest of things......will root it out later.

Susan
x

My dad did 28 years in the army lost his long service medal as he was awol 1948 my mum had my brother she nearly died so he stayed at home army phoned police they picked him up when MP's picked him up they took him to see mum before going back to camp he got 28 days he called it jancers may be spell wrong Valxxx