SELLING OURSELVES DOWN THE RIVER

[Gil Boyd]

Blimey unbelievable..................Private Eye News: HMS Ocean waves bye-bye


The last paragraph is the attempt for the MOD to disband one of the Royal Marine Commandos units by getting rid of their ships Bulwark and Albion and re role their men to serve on one of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, as they struggle to find the men and women to serve!!!

These guys at Private Eye always get the inside track under Ian Hislop, and if this is true its an absolute disgrace IMHO They will have to bring back National Service at this rate to fend off any attacks on the nation or NATO!!!

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[Woodsy]

This just goes to prove that the most dangerous animal on earth is an accountant!

[Paul S.]

This just goes to prove that the most dangerous animal on earth is an accountant!

You saying that brings to mind the love match made in h*ll ---- an accountant and a politician.

[bigduke6]

Gil,

The REME reserves were battered in cut backs, three Battalions gone...... or will be when the new Battalions are reformed, lot of experience lost due to age, Rank and no space for certain trades......

I was surprised the amount of lads in the Regs who had singed off when I was in Canada, this wasn't just REME...... one lad with us an ex reg, said there was an investigation going on due to amount of lads who had signed off in his last Battalion........

The Army certainly have F....up as a lot of lads who have left the Regs and took the Bonus and joined the Reserves and have been asked if they want to rejoin the Regs with the dangle of a carrot of £15000........

[Gil Boyd]

Geoff,
The carrot is still there, thought it was £10K but it begs the question, who is running the Asylum?
I know the new Chief of Staff Nick Carter ( ex Royal Green Jacket) is desperately trying to merge the PARA's with the Royal Marines, and I hope he fails. Luckily he is in an uphill struggle as Prince Charles is our Colonel in Chief.
He doesn't understand the Parachute Regiment budget is under the Army and the Royal Marines under their own budget of the Royal Navy which is absolutely right and more profitable for them to get the kit they require for their specialist role.

Wonder what our American friends who served in either would feel if their DOD tried to merge the Airborne with the Marine Corps?

[browningautorifle]

asked if they want to rejoin the Regs with the dangle of a carrot of £15000........

Same around here, guys getting signing bonus' now. Where was this coin when I was reenlisting? There was no money and no hope of any...

[Gil Boyd]

Ditto
Here's the Defence Secretary talking to one of his highest Generals about it all......................

[bigduke6]

Gil,

It was £10 K for lads/lasses who were either leaving or had left the Regs and Joined the Reserves, The £15k was to get them back in the Regs, two lads I was with in Canada were dangled the carrot...... as for the money they were ploughing into the reserves that has certainly dried up..........

Certainly agree with you regarding the Para/Marine merge, I've said a few times on here my views on disbanding City and County regiments, the History behind them and there achievements long gone........ and the remnants kept in storage somewhere.

Anyway back to ships, The RFA had about 4 vessels laid up in Camel Lairds, I nearly took a job looking after them, small team of Engineers keeping them in some sort of readiness........ the guy leading the team was an Ex RFA Chief who said it wast the cost of the running the vessels that they were laid up, it was due to not having enough crew to man them....... I was very keen on the job, money was excellent but Lairds only had a contract with the RFA until this year...... that contract was for the refits of all the RFA vessels etc.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Gil,

...Anyway back to ships, The RFA had about 4 vessels laid up in Camel Lairds...

Hmm? Camel Lairds? Is that a Scots expression for Arabian sheikhs , with their "ships of the desert"?

(Just fun, obviously you meant Cammell Laird)

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
Absolutely, thats what I tried with a direct contact at MOD, by the time she told me they were now up for sale, a company in Romford had sold them............unbelievable, but in tact.
Its not what you know in life its who you know.
All we need is a fuselage doors and rear ramp for the obvious at the museum.
One day we'll get there, the way this lot are going!!!