Barrack Room Damages

Hi Guys,

Recently started a new topic" Boy soldiers". Some great comments and memories. The question of Barrack room damages cropped up several times. Basically Ithink we all agree they were bollocks. Do they still have them today? Personnaly I think they were illeagal, like some bank charges that have recently been highlighted in the press. Shall we Sue en mass?

Can't really remember them but I do remember having to "volunteer" some of my pay for the wedding of Anne and some git from a cavalry regiment. Don't think it lasted though! As an anti royal, do you think I could sue for my money back especially as they got divorced?

Ah Teabag!!!you should be very proud to have been given the opportunity to contribute to your C in Cs wedding pressie.

Alas i was out by then and didn`t get the opportunity..Damn Damn Damn

BTW What did you get her?

The other 'Con' that I remember was contributing 1 days pay annually to Regimental Subscriptions, this was supposed to help those less well off than yourself - I never met anyone less well off then me!!

Hi Teabag,
Yes matey your right. I remember having to make a donation as well. Never even got an invitation to the wedding.

PS..Message to all members of this site I will be retiringin 4 years if anyone would like to make a donation to Dustys retirement fund please pass it onto teabag for onward transmission to me.

Hallo Teabag, this is brum.

Reference Dusty's Retirement Fund

Go forth and multiply, I say again Go forth and multiply

Over

brum wrote:

Hallo Teabag, this is brum.

Reference Dusty's Retirement Fund

Go forth and multiply, I say again Go forth and multiply

Over

Roger, fetching Sunray, wait out!

Gordon. wrote:

Ah Teabag!!!you should be very proud to have been given the opportunity to contribute to your C in Cs wedding pressie.

Alas i was out by then and didn`t get the opportunity..Damn Damn Damn

BTW What did you get her?

Something phallic and battery powered would've been apt, methinks.

brum wrote:

Gordon. wrote:

Ah Teabag!!!you should be very proud to have been given the opportunity to contribute to your C in Cs wedding pressie.

Alas i was out by then and didn`t get the opportunity..Damn Damn Damn

BTW What did you get her?

Something phallic and battery powered would've been apt, methinks.

Ooooh I can't for the life of me imagine what on earth brum is going on about.....ohhhhhhh, one of THOSE b..b...but, what did you get for HER??? I think a silver-handled riding crop would have come in quite handy....keep that husband she had in line a bit better, hmmmmm? (ow! Thank you, ma'am....ow! Yes ma'am!!)

Sheldrake I say you are a better fundraiser than Teabag. Your hired he is retired.

I recall having to pay Barrack damages in Basic, but not after that.

Never mind about Barrack room damages how about MQ March Out charges?

Many Barracky Bills seem to see this as a licence to print money. Holes in the wall where pictures had been hung ( unless you were quick with the toothpaste), and kitchen utensils which had to be shinier than a Guardsman's best boots were favourites for fines if memory serves me right

Oh dear, I had an idea that Barrack Damages might lead to this. I have to confess that I am a Barracky Bill so will sit back and listen to your tales of woe before I put in my plea of mitigation.

I had a mate in the dept who renewed MQ cookers. I obtained a set of grill trays etc. This set was in daily use. The originals were kept as per March In ready to March Out.

If I am correct! We also has a spare set of our own pans etc.

I remember my first March In. We had so much to sign for in those days.

What p****ed me off was the scabby tricks some the BIS??? guys insisted on for payment. Excuse for a small mark on a mattress or on a chair or back of a carpet. I heard quite alot about guys being Invoiced for a complete mattress despite it being registered as damage from previous person Marching Out.

Only ever got excellent on march outs and was let off with loads of stuff that could have cost me dear so no complaints for me. In one case, my wife accidently managed to get bleach on a new carpet so tried to clean it. The carpet totally changed colour to a sickly yellow. I was let off with £2 something which was a bargain.

I do admit to sanding down and re varnishing a coffee table that we mucked up and repainting some walls that the kids drew on. Never understood why they never noticed our flat was a different colour to all the others.

Ye your right there. They always used to find a stain on the matres!

Tony Miller wrote:

Ye your right there. They always used to find a stain on the matres!

No comment!

We were lucky and always got an good march out as well, we did have to pay once for a missing spoon, god knows what happened to that.

I had a buckshee spoon on final march out LOL

Oh so your the one to blame then.

To be honest, I never got billed. My Dad was well known as an ASA and so I had the inside man if you like.

All in all, the items I did keep, pots, knifes and forks etc are still going strong!

My worst MQ handover was Rheindahlen when I got billed for an untidy garden - which was covered in snow!! Clearly the wrong type of snow! Also got billed for a small stain on a carpet that the MQ guy had done at a party of mine and I hadn't noticed!! Told me he knew it had happened and wondered how I would deal with it. Lucky I was marching out or he would have been off my Xmas card list!!

Barrack Damages were a collective charge for losses or damage which could not be attributed to an individual or group. They were used to recover the costs of such things as broken windows, missing sink plugs and that perpetual loss, cutlery from the cookhouse prior to an exercise. I've levied these collective charges myself when a QM, but they are illegal and the practise is no longer used. All MOD establishments are now managed under multi activity contracts, prime contracts or Pay As You Dine, and these costs are built into the contracts.

In Northern Ireland, In the sixties, I was allocated a bungalow in Lambeg. Lovely place, Rayburn cooker in the kitchen etc, fields at the back full of rabbits, fishing in the Lagan just a short distance away. Heaven. However, when I took it over, among the items I signed for was a boxed Dalton 32 piece dinner service. I put this expensive item in a cupboard and it wasn't brought out until I had my marching out inspection. Lo and behold, one of the dinner plates was cracked. I was made to pay for a replacement service, but didn't get to keep the old one, which now I think about it, was legally mine. Cost me £11, a lot of money when my pay was only about £14 a week. They probably kept the dinner service for the next poor sod.
Never forgot that.

Not BAOR but Barrack Damages related ... in 1951 at Somme Lines, Catterick upon Pass Out and prior to posting to trades schools we were required to hand in all locally drawn non issue kit. China mugs were for some reason issued to us even though we were issued with enamel ones as well. Upon handing the mugs in 90% or them were classified as damaged and we were expected to dib up for them. The course before us revolted and decided to smash them en- masse at their last breakfast. We were the next course to complete Basic Training and we continued with the new 'tradition' .. at our last breakfast we all hurled our mugs at the cookhouse wall and cheerfully payed up. It was a short lived revolt as I heard from a couple of buddies that about a month later china mugs were no longer issued. One small step for man and a QM scam nipped in the bud.

Len (Ciphers)