TROOPING OF THE COLOUR

[Gil Boyd]

The Official H.M The Queens Birthday today in Horseguards.
Sad to see Lord Guthrie ex SF and a great leader and man, collapse on his horse and then fall to the ground just before Buckingham Palace. He is an outdoors guy, and hates being trust up like a chicken in all the breast plate and hot ceremonial material and helmet they have to wear as Field Marshalls.

I was lucky to have been invited last saturday to the Colonels Review and it was roasting on Horseguards. For those that have never been, its a windless parade sqaure closed on three sides and has no wind.

The corner men who hold the flags that mark the truning points on the parade sqaure are there an hour before anyone marches on the square and there an hour after the parade which lasts an hour........spare a thought for them, only saving grace is, they have no SA80 weighing in at 4.68 kilos to hold too.

Trooping the Colour: Royals join Queen at birthday parade - BBC News

Trooping the Colour: former chief of defence staff Lord Guthrie falls from horse during ceremony

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[Sunray]

Lord Guthrie is also 79. The steel armour is about him being the Colonel of the Life Guards, not about being a Field Marshal. Nothing like being on parade, in heat wearing armour, even on a horse, for roasting one's brain.

[Gil Boyd]

He is doing well in Hospital, not an easy stint on horse in the heat

[Sunray]

Isn't easier in an armoured vehicle either. Except horses have a mind of their own.

[CINDERS]

One thing I have noticed and happened to me when K'oed by a car in summer on my m/cycle that no one bothers to try and put something under you to stop the bitumen or concrete cooking you I also learnt bitumen is like 50 grade sandpaper on skin as I only had a t-shirt on. Hope the chap gets better soon.

[Paul S.]

... I also learnt bitumen is like 50 grade sandpaper on skin as I only had a t-shirt on. ...

A fact I know well. I had the experience more than once in my youth. I can tell you that skidding along the roadway at 60 kph will shred the contact points of a rain suit, jumper, shirt, jeans and several layers of skin before one comes to rest. The only comfort that day was it was cold enough to dampen some of the pain.

[CINDERS]

Agreed Paul I threw the Z900 away at 60kph as well otherwise she would have T Boned us with even more injuries I ended up under the car with my head jammed under the diff my then fiance had a dress on we both suffered badly I will not forget the next day in hospital as the nurse tried to get the gel gauze off from all the skin I lost on my Rt arm and half my back to say I squawked would be an understatement the nurse she even shed tears........

[muffett.2008]

My recollections were that my leg would always come in contact with a hot exhaust, no matter how I tried to avoid it...............

[Gil Boyd]

That took me back to a layby on the A1 where we had pulled in a foreign artic and trailer one sunny morning.
To set the scene, the layby was a weigh bridge layby for examination of HGV's at the time.

The centre island with high raised kerbs of about 12" were designed for Ministry men to be able to converse with the drivers as they passed either side of the island.

Police motor cycles were always parked on the central island out of the way, and had an opening on the ramp as you drove in to accomodate them.

My mate on his BMW saw the most beautiful driver of this lorry, having pulled her in, what he totally forgot about whilst he stared into her beautiful eyes on the left hand side of the cab, was the height of the island, which he had negotiated many many times before.

He put his leg out to ramp up his bike, but there was nothng there, next thing he has a BMW Police bike parked on top of him, with the exhaust burning a lovely patch out of his trousers just above the boots and through to his skin.
After we rescued him from his hot stuff, we then cooled him down with a cold can of coke provided by the lovely Spanish famale driver.

Just thought I would share that with you. They didn't exchange any details by the way, so a sad day all round. Its a dirty job and someone has to do it