Time

First time I ever did guard duty was in basic at Catterick. I was told to draw up a roster. Two hours on, four hours off. 6 Oclock to 8 Oclock Sig Smith and Sig Jones. 8 Oclock to 10 Oclock Sig Somebody and Sig Anybody etc. "ARMY TIME YOU MORON" or words to that effect were bawled into my ear and I have never forgotten it.

Why oh why on this forum don't we have army time? Never realised it before but just looked at a post and it say posted at 7.20 pm. Lots of grave spinning going on I should imagine!

No need to go Zulu but the 24 hour clock should be SOP.

Rant over. Out...............

Errr..
Should officers in the Royal Corps of Scalybacks actually rant in that unseemly manner?
As we used to be told...Minimise...Over!

Quote :

Never realised it before but just looked at a post and it say posted at 7.20 pm.

150 posts and just noticed the time? ?Not very "certa Cito"

Gordon. wrote:

Quote :

Never realised it before but just looked at a post and it say posted at 7.20 pm.

150 posts and just noticed the time? ?Not very "certa Cito"

Far too busy now I am commissioned.

I have a little red aeroplane as well.

Quote :

have a little red aeroplane as well.

Yes,,,but not from heaven on earth.

Quite right too.

20 past 19:00 o'clock pm.

(I see that I've been over-promoted)

I was always spammed as Guard Commander when the Clocks went back in Winter meaning another hours duty, But never once when the Clocks went forward in Spring.

I also got wrapped on the knuckles for writing 0000 Hrs instead of 2359 or 0001.

Mike_2817 wrote:

I also got wrapped on the knuckles for writing 0000 Hrs instead of 2359 or 0001.

Now that brings back "memmrizz". Only I wrote "24:00". A day later, when some twunt noticed it, I had to amend it to "2359" and also initial it to make it "official". There's no pleasing some folks, is there?

MsG

Years back I was attached to the Foreign Office. We crossed the Inter-national dateline, flying from NZ to Hawaii. The date when we left was the 29 April, thats from NZ. We arrived in Hawaii also on the 29 April. It wasn't until later that it dawned we had actually done an extra day. I did mention to the Authorities they owed me a "day's pay" I think the reply was "**** Off.

You were in the Army and you flew from WHERE to WHERE ?

HOLY SHIT !!!

The best job I ever had. Some people are just unlucky. Tee Hee!!!!!!

whitehorse660 wrote:

Years back I was attached to the Foreign Office. We crossed the Inter-national dateline, flying from NZ to Hawaii. The date when we left was the 29 April, thats from NZ. We arrived in Hawaii also on the 29 April. It wasn't until later that it dawned we had actually done an extra day. I did mention to the Authorities they owed me a "day's pay" I think the reply was "**** Off.

How many hours was the flight time? As I took off from Glasgow and landed in Leeds on the same day only yesterday LoL

Also did you make the time back on the return journey?

brum wrote:

You were in the Army and you flew from WHERE to WHERE ?

HOLY SHIT !!!

While I know the Army can work wonders (both ways; wonderful wonders with the materials at hand and really work wonders by messing up the most basic of things...), I am assuming it has not yet mastered the art of having its personnel march from NZ to Hawaii. Not even padre can walk on water...only his Boss could do that, apparently.

I suppose they could have dispatched him via troop ship or something but perhaps they needed him in Hawaii right quick like, hence flew him there.

Or maybe his superiors liked him.... :-) (or, at the very least, didn't despise him!)

In another thread I mentioned how my parents and I spent a couple of weeks in Cyprus. We of course flew out of Lahr (although we were at the time still up in Iserlohn) and into Nicosia.

As posh as it sounds, spending two weeks in Cyprus over Christmas blah blah blah, the flight down was anything but! We were strapped into the back of a Canadian Hercules Transport with piles of boxes containing Canadian Club and such down the middle with us parked along the sides in web seating.

The biffy was over behind a plastic curtain....not so bad for us guys when we had to take a quick whizz but a bit of a challenge for Mom, especially since Hercules' are not the smoothest ride known to man. She ended up having a very nice young enlisted fellow gallantly hold the curtain somewhat closed as she answered her call of nature but of course as the plane lurched around he wasn't terribly steady of his feet so as he lurched and tried to maintain balance, he pulled the curtain this way and that. Mom said it was one of the quickest piddles she had ever had!

One of those things that have always stuck in my mind, no such thing as 2400hrs always 2359hrs 0001hrs, strange thing the effect that military disipline has on the mind long term

When the Turks invaded I was flown out as part of the Op Thalassi team to work with the High Commission, that was in a hercules all the way from Gutersloh, not a fun trip at all. But, when I was in Hong Kong I got several free trips home to take stuff to the MOD. At first it was great, but it''s amazing how quickly you can get tired of 12 hour flights. In a later existence I was based in Singapore and had to fly back to England for a conference each month, same thing boring as hell, the only advantage was flying business class.

anyway that's off topic really, yes, why can't we have the 24 hour Clock Brigadier?

jim wrote:

anyway that's off topic really, yes, why can't we have the 24 hour Clock Brigadier?

I'm still explaining to my wife, " subtract 12 from anything over 13 and you have P.M. time". When we are in Germany I'm forever explaining this to her in the Hauptbhanhof. Mind being German herself she is a wonderful interpreter. (She left when she was 5 years old and the train system in Germany was just getting back into passenger cars from frieght cars)

For all you guys in the Army the time is 13:00, for those in the Navy its 2 bells of the afternoon watch, and for the RAF, Mickey Mouse's big hand is on the 12 and his small hand on the one.

I'll get me coat

what times midnight? 0000 hrs 2359hrs 2400hrs 0001hrs, the wife does her nut if thers no am or pm she's lost

Midnight in the Army is lost in the ether. Depending on the guard commander it is either 2359 or 0001. You never celebrate the New Year, on duty, at dead on midnight. Though I guess that you never actually celebrate the New Year when you are on duty!

john mcmillan wrote:

what times midnight? 0000 hrs 2359hrs 2400hrs 0001hrs, the wife does her nut if thers no am or pm she's lost

No such thing as midnight in the Armed Forces. Always used to close the days Guard Report at 23:59 and open it again for the next day at 00:01.

Mind you, the Guard Report was always full of entries reporting that there was nothing to report. I often wondered what would happen if there was something to report and it occurred between 23:59 and 00:01.

Mike

Changing tack slightly, I always used to read up on the guard report, some of the explanations, and spelling were hilarious.

jim wrote:

Changing tack slightly, I always used to read up on the guard report, some of the explanations, and spelling were hilarious.

Yes Jim, me too. There were certainly some howlers in there, but the only one that sticks in my mind is:

01.01.71 00:01 - Happy New Year to all our readers

And yes he was rifted by the RSM

Mike

THAT WAS MY FIRST "NEW YEAR " IN CIVVI STREET GOT OUT
24/03/1970

mjm34 wrote:

john mcmillan wrote:

what times midnight? 0000 hrs 2359hrs 2400hrs 0001hrs, the wife does her nut if thers no am or pm she's lost

No such thing as midnight in the Armed Forces. Always used to close the days Guard Report at 23:59 and open it again for the next day at 00:01.

Mind you, the Guard Report was always full of entries reporting that there was nothing to report. I often wondered what would happen if there was something to report and it occurred between 23:59 and 00:01.

Mike

There is a midnight in the army but it belongs to the Royal Signals It's that minute (or two) when they do things to their equipment (ooer missus) so those nasty Russians or whichever baddy it is, cannot find out what we are saying to each other. Allegedly! Can't say any more or I would have to shoot you.

Teabag wrote:

There is a midnight in the army but it belongs to the Royal Signals It's that minute (or two) when they do things to their equipment (ooer missus) so those nasty Russians or whichever baddy it is, cannot find out what we are saying to each other. Allegedly! Can't say any more or I would have to shoot you.

Don't recall ever doing it at midnight. All sorts of strange hours of the morning maybe but never midnight (not even Zulu).