Highest known Sterling L34A1 - Mk5 ?

[Peter Laidler]

Off at a frustrated tangent...... So time to turn the page if you are so minded!

The sheer irony of these time accounting and lack-of-motion studies is that the senior Warrant Officers running them think that it is wonderful. On the basis that they're there because they aren't going to be commissioned and they think that they can jump into a similar job in civvy life afterwards.

I had to phone a Major up at 'stats' regarding a small problem with FORWARD/JAMES that had percolated downwards like a bucket of crap from one of the WO's at Stats Branch. It had escalated into what seriously looked like becoming a forthcoming discipline matter. To be honest, I didn't understand it all, neither did the Chief Clerk and more to the point, neither did the clerk at PC&A (provision, control and accounting) somewhere else further up or along the food chain. Tom Bowers, the Major (another ex Carlisle boy vehicle mechanic) suggested after a few minutes of huffing and puffing followed by a chat about our old pals from Carlisle that I send the whole bloody lot up to him and endorse the registry bit of this pure guff that we retained '.....on file' to that effect. And that I give the Sgt in the gun-bay suitable words of advice.

It got worse........ Because I was a Capt; AND a called-up Territorial, I was not authorised/qualified to enter the world of discipline - of which 'words of advice' was a part. Words of advice had to be imparted officially by a Major............ I mean, how xxxxxxg difficult could it be..... Back to Tom Bowers..... who told me to tell Sgt Bxxxxx to speak to him in person the following Tuesday. Advice given, crap file 'filed', no written record, Warrant Officer left jumping up and down like a frog on fire and everybody happy - eventually. All except the WO at Stats!

Afterthought. Tankie, was Malcom Bennett one of your Guards Sgt Armourers?