THANK GOD I WASN'T A GUARDSMAN

[Gil Boyd]

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[browningautorifle]

"Mystique of the Officers"...FFS...more like the pomposity of the aristocracy. I can't even stand to watch or listen to that kind of rubbish, too many of those in the past that I can remember. They had nothing to show the men. They didn't even do their own kit, batmen were still in vogue. Once we got rid of ours, the officers' dress went straight into the toilet. Sitting on their beds though...unheard of...

If you watch the second vid Gil, you'll find they're the "Envy of the parachute brigade"...or some tripe such according to the gentleman narrating, from Abingdon... Ox and Bucks officer no doubt.

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Thought I would give you a weekend chuckle "old boy what". Nuff to make you want to thow up, especially listening to the briefing by the Guards PARA Independent chappies in Part 2!!
Waiting for Peter to come on, it will remind him of his training days!!

[browningautorifle]

There are several parts to this, part two had an officer blathering on about wearing his headress whenever he wanted to. Indoors, at mess, if he wanted to or even if he didn't... Definitely a gentleman with verbal diarrhea...running off at the gums like... An officer needed to fit and be accepted...FFS... Yes, Peter may admit to knowing some of these people too.

[Gil Boyd]

Old school tie and all that, lacky bulling his kit for him and polishing his shoes everynight, thats what they had. Grenadiers/Colstream Gds Officers are the worst....Eton crowd all part of the club!!

[browningautorifle]

Eton crowd

We had an exchange offr in Camp Gagetown that was OC C Coy for a bit. He was a Guards offr and I'd be lying to say which... He was the height of pomposity, Sir Hervy ***** if you please. A hereditary knight, (didn't know it carried on), claimed to be descended from Robert the Bruce, the original. Had a party at his married quarters for his lackies(us) and the ones that went came back with stories of seeing his knighthood displayed in the loo... His reasoning was that was EVERYONE would see it and read it as they would go to the can at least once while there.

He was replaced by a Major from the Scottish Borderers. Now that man was a completely different offr. He wore battle dress daily where Sir Hervy wore dress uniform, just like he was back in Perbrite.

I know, you have a dozen stories to dwarf that one...

[Sunray]

"...A hereditary knight..." No such thing.
No batmen since at least W.W. II in the CF. Gone in the British Army after W.W. I. Except in the Household Div. Being a batman was highly desired as it got you out of BS 'busy work', you got fed better and promoted faster.

[Lee Enfield]

"...A hereditary knight..." No such thing.
No batmen since at least W.W. II in the CF. Gone in the British Army after W.W. I. Except in the Household Div. Being a batman was highly desired as it got you out of BS 'busy work', you got fed better and promoted faster.

Yes there are, the title is Baronet.

---------- Post added at 06:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 PM ----------

"Mystique of the Officers"...FFS...more like the pomposity of the aristocracy. I can't even stand to watch or listen to that kind of rubbish, too many of those in the past that I can remember. They had nothing to show the men. They didn't even do their own kit, batmen were still in vogue. Once we got rid of ours, the officers' dress went straight into the toilet. Sitting on their beds though...unheard of...
....

Circa 1970 a friend of mine enlisted in the British Sister Regiment to his Canadian Regiment after completing joint manouvers in Canada...

He absolutely distains British Officers today....

After watching that...i think i have a glimpse of why...

[browningautorifle]

No batmen since at least W.W. II in the CF.

You have to get an education. The QOR here in Victoria had batmen back in the end of the '60s. I know men personally that did the job. I know officers that had them.

"...A hereditary knight..." No such thing.

Yes there are, the title is Baronet

There you go... Split hairs if you will.

[Daan Kemp]

Interesting bits and pieces cut and spliced haphazardly. Could make an interesting afternoon working out which bits were cut from training films and what they were originally intended for. Also which bits are from newsreels and which were made tongue in cheek. Some nice bits of historical British army stuff too.

Would be interesting to research the reason for and use of batmen, and why they faded away.