hell check this

remember doing this the best I've seen yet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC8lvOHCr24

Guards 1,2,3,4,5, brilliant

Looking at the angle of some of the hats, i`d say they were issued before the lads made the visit to the barber...

Aah, The Woodentops, bless 'em !

I allways wondered how the drill pigs managed to get such hideous voices.

Yes, brought tears to my eyes, a cold wind across the back of my neck as I remembered those far off days in sunny Catterick, on the drill square of Vimy C Lines, just up a wee bit from the Bhagdad Lines Gym.

Doing drill with the best rifle in the World - yes, that RIFLE!!

Charging up and down the drill square in KF shirts, KD trousers, '38 pattern webbing and ammo boots all grlinting in the sunlight. "Bags of swank, bags of swank" so I hear the drill corporals screaming at us raw recruits.

Then there's my mind goes to 1976 when I was on the RP Staff as an RP corporal at 11 Sigs Regt, Helles Lines, Catterick taking guard mount before the Orderly Sergeant and Orderly officer came along to inspect the guard. There I was was kakking myself because I had not done any drill, or soldier like military/regimental duties etc for quite a few years after several cushy posting overseas. But, somehow I managed to flannel my way through all this. the next time I let one of the Lance Corporals do the 'Military Sodlierly' bit when I was duty RP Corporal the next guard I did.

But watching some of those videos certainly takes one back to them far of days. Do we really have an Army nowadays, and do the recruits go through all the old 'stuff' during Phase One Training nowadays?

unclevanya wrote:

Doing drill with the best rifle in the World - yes, that RIFLE!!

Never did that bayonet stuff, in fact never saw a bayonet until I wandered into an armoury one day. Did have a frog, though, to blanco and display when required. How the hell did it get that name ?

And never did a guard until I'd got two tapes & was dragged in as Guard Commander. Not on main gate, that would have been too public, but on the MT sheds, out of sight. All my mates turned out to see how I'd perform and had a giggle when I marched off & forgot to do an eyes right to the Orderly Officer until I was twenty paces past him.

Carried out just about every Duty (Apart from Cook) up to Regimental Orderly Officer (Even guarded Her Maj), sniff....................

Ah regimental duties, just love those extra duties eh? I like a joke and it always got me into trouble and ALWAYS go me extra duties.

My first week with HQ 3rd Armd Div and sig regiment I was due to be ROS for the day, my first as a Sergeant and was quite nervous about marching in to the RSM's office, as this little signals guy had quite a nasty reputation, however he did have a sense of humour.

Myself and the outgoing ROS marched in and I was wearing Ammo boots, a nice pair I managed to buy second hand from the Grenadier Guards QM stores. Well the floor in his office had this strange shiney covering on it and my boots made a real mess of it.

Just before the hand over finished he looked at his floor and said Sgt E NEVER EVER wear those boots in my office again.

The next hand over I arrived with a plastic bag containing my wives carpet slippers with nice little piggy faces on them and before the march in put them on, the outgoing ROS died laughing and said you would not dare to do this, I said watch mate LOL.

We marched in and immediately the RSM said Sgt E WTF have you got on your feet, I replied sir with all respect I know you love your floor the way it is shiney and all so I put these on out of respect.

He when fecking ape shit, the walls were vibrating and the windows nearly cracked snigger. I got the next 10 Saturdays as extra duties, loved it man. 10 Saturday nights in the mess with no complaints from the wife eh.

OH and I was allowed to wear my ammo boots after that little ditty.

When I was a lad doing my early morning paper round in the late 1940s I could very often hear the drill sergeants' voices from Caterham Guards Barracks which was more than two miles away, so it didn't come as much of a shock when I was called up and was on the receiving end - if fact our drill corporal was a positive whisperer by comparison ,although he
did manage to reduce a couple of poor gentle souls to tears!
I think the famous RSM Brittain was at Caterham around that time.

Did any of you ever come across some lads that just could not get it together with drill,weapon training etc but still went on to become a soldier in your units?

Of course there were plenty of cases where there was a lack of co-ordination in drill and inability to learn different things, in my case however in 12 trg regt at Aldershot, anyone who didn't make the mark seemed to end up going to 6 trg regt Yeovil, did not come across any of them later



Les

rucjock21 wrote:

Did any of you ever come across some lads that just could not get it together with drill,weapon training etc but still went on to become a soldier in your units?

Yes, but they all went on to become Officers!

Boom Boom Shelldrake I like it.RJ21.

We had a NS farmers boy from the Isle of Wight postd in as a storeman, He was a smashing lad but just could not get it right. His face was always a mess where he couldn't shave properly and no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get a shine on his boots and his BD always looked as if he'd slept in it. He marched as if he were pushing a plough and his rifle was carried like a pitchfork. However, being a small and therefore closeknit unit, the lads rallied round and helped and protected him and we managed to hide him on the few important parades we had and he survived without getting into any real trouble.
Every morning break he used to go over to the German shop and buy two bread rolls and a big chunk of cheese which he then ate together with a whole large onion whilst the rest of us sat with tears running down our cheeks!!
On the other hand we had a NS 2nd Lt.who was nearly as bad but he didn't know it --- noone helped him!!

We had a young lad who could not shave or brush his teeth as he was never taught by his parents.I always wondered how he passed the entrance test at the recruiting office.We had to show him how to iron his uniform and shine his boots.Again we had to show him arms drill when he was slow at picking it up.He got through training and went on to join his battalion and he was successful in getting promoted.He did thank everyone that was involved in educating him into military life and I think that is what is so good about military life.

I was always amazed at lads who could do a perfect step out with the left arm in sync with the left leg and of course the right in sync. Worst part was they made it look easy. Being in a Guards Depot (Cdn. Gds.) it drove the D.I. screamingly mad.

Another thing I could never understand was rifle drill with the bayonet fixed, and on the word of command shoulder arms (SLR), someone would actually push the bayonet through their armpit accidently.Can it be done, or did any of you chaps witness this happening to some of the lads you served with?RJ21

rucjock21 wrote:

Another thing I could never understand was rifle drill with the bayonet fixed, and on the word of command shoulder arms (SLR), someone would actually push the bayonet through their armpit accidently.Can it be done, or did any of you chaps witness this happening to some of the lads you served with?RJ21

Yes it can be done, depends on how tall the soldier is. We had one who stuck the bayonet through his #2 dress just in front of the armpit but it did not hit any flesh luckily for him.

Eric England wrote:

rucjock21 wrote:

Another thing I could never understand was rifle drill with the bayonet fixed, and on the word of command shoulder arms (SLR), someone would actually push the bayonet through their armpit accidently.Can it be done, or did any of you chaps witness this happening to some of the lads you served with?RJ21

Yes it can be done, depends on how tall the soldier is. We had one who stuck the bayonet through his #2 dress just in front of the armpit but it did not hit any flesh luckily for him.

It was the un-fix bayonets drill that got one fella. Lad behind him some how managed to stick him on removing it.

We were practising for a parade for the Princess Royal in 62 in Kingston. When one hell of a rain storm struck. The whole parade was instantly dismissed, by the Colonel, nothing like a mad rush of men off the parade square with fixed bayonets going in all directions. With the RSM shouting to stand fast and remove bayonets first. Kind of scary there for awhile.

I could never master "about turn on the march". Dear Corporal Brown at RAF Digby shouted "Youse look like a f*****g stallion" Charming bloke, could see your face in his leather waistcoat, He had me taking the paint off the top of a fire extinguisher and polishing the brass bits and I still don't know why.

Chemist wrote:

He had me taking the paint off the top of a fire extinguisher and polishing the brass bits and I still don't know why.

Because he could!!

Shelldrake wrote:

Chemist wrote:

He had me taking the paint off the top of a fire extinguisher and polishing the brass bits and I still don't know why.

Because he could!!

Hey Shell's me old china didn't realise you is a F M congrat's Case of champer's to you

"john boy" wrote:

Shelldrake wrote:

Chemist wrote:

He had me taking the paint off the top of a fire extinguisher and polishing the brass bits and I still don't know why.

Because he could!!

Hey Shell's me old china didn't realise you is a F M congrat's Case of champer's to you

What is an F M? And stay tuned, cockroaches in breakfast cereal coming to a cinema near you soon, LOL.

all my rifle drill was done wiv the old 303 nevva had the slr fingy ,

Eric England wrote:

"john boy" wrote:

Shelldrake wrote:

Chemist wrote:

He had me taking the paint off the top of a fire extinguisher and polishing the brass bits and I still don't know why.

Because he could!!

Hey Shell's me old china didn't realise you is a F M congrat's Case of champer's to you

What is an F M? And stay tuned, cockroaches in breakfast cereal coming to a cinema near you soon, LOL.

Field Marshall dear chap stay tuned

Nah cockroach shells were a crispy bacon garnish substitute