You couldn't make it up !

In response to a suggestion made a couple of weeks ago. . .

We had a Captain, Troop Commander who must have come from a well-off family. (In Nienburg he kept a horse in stables in Assaye bks, for God's sake!)

Anyway, he had a signet ring, engraved with his family crest and one day on exercise, he lost it. Shortly afterwards he was posted away.

About a year later, this would be around '61, he wrote to his mate, Lt Terry O'Neill, asking if he would make an attempt to find the ring. Mr O'Neill called the Command Post staff in one "Sports Afternoon" and took us out to a little training area outside Nienburg, the name of which escapes me. (Remember the Sports Afternoons ? Organised Gonking, more like !)

With us then was a Dubliner called Paddy Glynn who had the most amazing memory. We got to the location, Paddy pointed out where the command post washbowl had been and where the Capt. threw his waste water (honestly !).

Armed with this knowledge we were told to start searching. It was a cold, North German, winter afternoon and I was poking around with a twig in the pine needles thinking "this is a complete WOFT". Suddenly, on the end of my twig, was the ring !

A jubilant Terry O'Neill sent the ring off and about six months later the grateful Captain rewarded the six of us with a crate of beer.

Ah, . . . they don't make orficers like that any more !

"And that was how the Captains ring came to be on the end of my twig, your Honour".

I doubt anything has changed because even these days I suspect Troop Commanders still need looking after. That's what SNCOs are for.

Marvellous Brum, what a great story mate.

Oh I'm sure we could all write book Jim !

LOL, very probably mate.

But....Could they be printed

LOL

Some of mine could, only some mind.

Continuing on the theme "you couldn't make it up".

A bloke I knew, call him Scouse, used to tell us the story of how he was walking along a camp road in Nuneaton (Junior Leaders). He was with three other kids so they had to march in pairs, (such was life in those days). Next to my mate was a kid whose brother was in the pair walking ahead of them.
It was raining but not really heavily, when a bolt of lightning struck the brother walking in front, killing him.

A few years later I was in the command post when a report came in that two men had been struck by lightning. It turned out that Scouse was talking to his mate, leaning against an Honest John launcher which was in a hide area. The lightning strike threw them both across the clearing and they were taken to hospital.

Next day both men were back with the Battery, fully recovered, proudly showing everyone the black marks that covered their bodies. Everybody reckoned they were saved by the fact that they were wearing the new-fangled DMS boots.

And they say lightning never strikes the same place twice . . . !

Scouse is still alive by the way, living in Devon.

brum wrote:

A few years later I was in the command post when a report came in that two men had been struck by lightning. It turned out that Scouse was talking to his mate, leaning against an Honest John launcher which was in a hide area. The lightning strike threw them both across the clearing and they were taken to hospital.

It was probably the Launcher which took the hit! I had a near miss on Dartmoor where lightning hit a radio mast on a Landrover killing the electrics, with a guy inside it as well who walked away due to it being earthed I think. I felt the earth move as they say!

What is "Gonking" I should I not ask? Any other lingo that I should know?
Cheers
Troy

Where did you pull that one from Troy ?

It's quite harmless. "Gonking" is a squaddie expression for getting the zeds in.

brum

Ahhh I see having a GONK...yep I have heard that one before..not in a long while though. Only found out the other day what to be "camp" was

Normally gonk comes after bonk




Oh look at that.....If i was a yank, i would have a bird on my shoulder.

Minging. Dhobi. Any more?

Shiters, Double Bagger, Gopping. They could all be employed in the same sentence. "I was Shiters last night, woke up this morning with a Double Bagger who was Gopping!".

What is this murder of the King's language

handler 69 wrote:

What is this murder of the King's language

I know you are a bit behind in the antipodes but we have a Queen now.

"I was Shiters last night, woke up this morning with a Double Bagger who was Gopping!".[/quote]

Sounds like you had a good night then Badge !

Many of them - mostly around the Soltau/Luneberg area.

Woke up with a double coyote. ( had to chew of both my arms so as not to wake her up)

Ahhhhh I see a "bush pig"!

Then stop looking in the mirror ..

Len (Ciphers)

Hey. I'm at 300 ... I'm gonna be a colonel .. chin, chin ..

Len Ciphers)

Jesus ... that was fast

Len (Ciphers)