Some interesting manuals and catalog

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Some interesting reading and somewhat difficult to find, condition is very good to excellent.
The FAL T.48 manual and the Stoner 63 are my favorites

I love the potentially conspiratorial notation in the upper right hand corner. "CONFIDENTIAL FOR THE USE OF OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN ONLY".

"Don't let the NCOs see this! They're not to know any of this."

NCOs ARE in fact EMs.

True. And yet as you know having been an NCO, stereotypically NCOs see themselves as a distinctly separate class and the lower ranks see them as something not quite human - or at least fatherless and mean-minded while officers historically have had a love or hate relationship with them.

I was one too and agree completely...

In the UK we had yet another class/type.......... Junior AND Senior NCO's. Then in the Senior NCO class came yet ANOTHER class. The superior WARRANT rank no less. Then at the top of that tree was God himself, the senior, senior Warrant Officer, the.............. ***'s. I can't bring myself to speak or write the three initials without a phobia coming on. Can you see where this is going BAR and Muffer?

These ***'s even caused the junior Commissioned ranks to stumble over their words. Many a time I had wanted to say to a ranting, shouting and bawling *** on a busy range day or some Field exercise '.......xxxxing hell ***, just chill out for a day or two and see how much better life could be all round......'. Nope...., never did..... I was too scared!

Do you realise how much effort and training it takes to be like that Pete?
ASM's and RSM's have to really work on it you know, we couldn't just go and hide in the Officers Mess.:rofl:

Yes, we had junior and senior NCOs and within the mess it was broken into the Warrant's and Sgt's mess...we'd done away with the W1 and W2 by 1970. RSM and CSMs by then...

What category do CQMS's and RQMS's fall in then BAR? They are Warrant rank here but............ Never got to those ranks as I skipped from Sgt to 2Lt. so never really understood them either. You could say that I went from the lowliest senior NCO rank to the even lowlier Commissioned rank. Which due to the way the system works I had to remain at for another 5 (or was it 3?) years then plough upwards yet again.......... and it ain't easy as a was-then reservist

Company quartermaster and Regimental...regimental would be an MWO (W2 to you)...and a Supply tech trade. The Company Quartermaster would be a Warrant Officer, Staffie to you, and understudying the Company Sgt Maj position. He'd be a regimental position number... If the CSM was away, he'd step up. He had the best junior NCO for his assistant(his choice) and was next up for promotion to W2.

I was lucky, I was a SNR NCO from '82 to '08 so I have a handle on them...

This is a variation on an Oldie"

A General

Leaps tall buildings in a single bound.
is more powerful than a locomotive
Is faster than a speeding bullet
Walks on water, gives policy to God.

A Colonel

Leaps short buildings in a single bound.
Is more powerful than a bull-dozer
Is just as fast as a speeding bullet
Walks on water if the sea is calm.

A Lt Colonel

Leaps short buildings with a running start and favourable wind.
Is almost as powerful as a Bulldozer.
Is faster than a speeding .22 bullet.
Walks on water in indoor swimming pool.
Talks with God if special Request is approved.

A Major

Barely clears Nissen huts
Loses tug-of-war with a locomotive
Can fire a speeding bullet
Swims well.
Is occasionally addressed by God.

A Captain

Makes high scratch mark when trying to leap buildings
Is run over by locomotives.
Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self injury.
Dog paddles.
Talks to animals.

A Lieutenant

Runs into buildings
Recognises locomotives two out of three times
Is not issued with with ammunition.
Can stay afloat with proper instruction
Talks to walls.

A Second Lieutenant

Falls over doorsteps when trying to enter buildings
Says look at the choo-choo
Is not issued with a gun
Plays in mud puddles
Mumbles to himself.

A Non Commissioned Officer

Sweeps under buildings
Puts locomotives back on track
Picks up spent cartridges after speeding bullets have been fired
Is very close to God.

The RSM

Lifts buildings and walks under them
Kicks locomotives off the track
Catches speeding bullets between his teeth and eats them
Freezes water with a single glance.
He is God.

Not just ONE thanks there Bruce, but a whole page of thank you's. How come I never read or knew about this earlier. I understand now why at the end of a range day or field firing day the NCO's running the day might suggest to the range Conducting Officer that he disappear for an hour while booking off etc etc - while they run the range and score-up AND use up the remaining ammo - properly!

In the US Army system we also have junior and senior NCO's. Sergeant rank up to staff sergeant is junior, sergeant first class and up is senior. Same mess, only difference is when speaking to a senior NCO (as a junior NCO) you are supposed to be at parade rest, to an officer at attention in garrison. Because of the TDAs, it was very possible to have a junior NCO in a slot that a senior NCO would occupy, especially in reserve headquarters units, based on skill sets (computers). In those situations that rule did not seem to be applied all that rigorously because of the nature of the work. The gods of NCOs were first Sergeants and Sergeant majors, you never failed to observe every formal rule, though to be honest you very rarely ever saw them or if you did it was rare to have them speak to you. Oddly enough in that environment you spoke more to officers than Senior NCO's.

Also an odd tradition is that no one messes with Warrant officers, CW II and above. The lived in their own special world.

This special breed must be the same the whole world over. Where do they get the book from which they learn those pithy sayings and humiliating put-downs - from which there is no return

The sayings are handed down through generations. Most didn't remember too many, some of us remembered a whole book full. The troops I had still talk about the sayings I used, most of them learned from my elders when I was very young.

XXX's and that book......... I was at Deepcut Bks one bright sunny morning........ well it WAS bright and sunny until I heard the roaring of the/an XXX along the corridor. I'd gone to a meeting re a demo shoot that was to include a Vickers for the benefit of a couple of 'loggie' Officers who had stumbled over some old belted Mk7z plus my old pal Major John Bxxxxx. So it had the makings of a good outcome

All sat quietly in the office drinking a sickly brew when the XXX started to vent his spleen over something obviously critically serious...... And it was....... One of the miscreants had dared to appear at his door, ready for OC's Orders at 10 o'clock had a bit of fluff '.....somewhere'. Instead of a quick look over and maybe saying that he could have tried a bit harder....., Nope! The whole world was learning what a sad little heap of xxxx he was and how dare he even walk on the XXX's carpet looking like a sack of xxxx tied in the middle with bailing twine and...... and off he went into some verbal spacial orbit.

I whispered to Major John 'what the xxxx's gone on and wrong there John.......'. He whispered back '......don't whisper so loud, or he'll be in here next.......'

Happy days or is it just '.....character building' as they say. I have to say, it'd have been a great Coy HQ if all the blokes here were part of it. You'd occasionally get a great bunch together all on friendly what we used to call 'outside office hours first name terms' who'd just gel and things'd run like clockwork

I agree in hindsight that some things weren't done exactly right, but they've changed now...so...