Drill Book

Last week, having Brasso'd my Zimmer frame, I sat polishing my Bus Pass while I watched a programme about the Coronation.
As the Wood...(sorry) Brigade of Guards marched past, I noticed that they were swinging their arms "waistbelt high", like it sensibly says in the Drill Book.
Four years after this I joined the Army, to find that we were required to swing our arms "shoulder high". Does anyone know what happened between '53 and '57 to cause us to swing our arms in this stupid fashion ?

(Don't get me started on the "Disappearing cap badge" !!).

brum.

Is that so Brum, I remeber the swinging the arms shoulder height during my Service, but I seem to recall watching the XX of Foot parade when I was a kid and they were swinging them shoulder high, or maybe that's my memory at fault.

brum wrote:

Last week, having Brasso'd my Zimmer frame, I sat polishing my Bus Pass while I watched a programme about the Coronation.
As the Wood...(sorry) Brigade of Guards marched past, I noticed that they were swinging their arms "waistbelt high", like it sensibly says in the Drill Book.
Four years after this I joined the Army, to find that we were required to swing our arms "shoulder high". Does anyone know what happened between '53 and '57 to cause us to swing our arms in this stupid fashion ?

(Don't get me started on the "Disappearing cap badge" !!).

brum.

Couldn't comment on the fifties, other than my Dad was still serving then, but I don't remember anything about marching.

However I joined in the mid-sixties and left in 1980. I remember shoulder-height was the thing during basic training, but after that I seem to recall breast-pocket height for parades after that.

Mike

Well if you are swinging 'em shoulder high,are 5'5",and the guy in front is 6',do attend sick parade the next day.But I do recall that some RSMs had their own views on this,and if the RSM said "shoulder high---------!!!!!!"
------
Don

Always shoulder high in Signals 1951 era
https://2img.net/h/i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/payne928/scan0004.jpg

Len (Ciphers)

I remember being told in the dim and distant past that swinging arms to shoulder height caused damage to the armpits of the guards nice uniforms :-)

Quote :

Always shoulder high in Signals 1951

You appear to be the only one in the pic,appart from the rodney`s, to be shoulder high Len.I don`t remember doing a parade after "Brat School" but guard mountings were always shoulder high,though i didn`t do many of those either.happy days

Gordon, the main reason for my arm being that high .. is ... the bloody RSM is right behind me .. got to admit he was the very best RSM I had during my service .. Jimmy Derwent, he was also my SSM in Basic Training .. when I first hit 6 Armoured Div he grabbed me as I came into camp and yelled 'new boy, your guard commander tonight' ... then he looked at me and said 'I know you' .. I said Somme lines sir, you were the SSM .. he tapped my two tapes and said 'my god, they are making anything up now' ... without batting an eye I said 'apparently so sir' .. you know I never knew if he caught on or not ..

Len (Ciphers)

LOL, The Signals always thought they were infantry anyway.

Only the officers Jim..

LOL, LMAOI you're probably right there Gordon. I served with loads of Sigs, went with my trade I suppose and they were very warry, but their officers made them that way.

Was it not the same in the RAOC Jim? Playing solders instead of getting on with the job! which was as much a peace time one as on operations, you would think we had learnt that by then!

Crusader 80 & Lionheart 84 sorted our 'rubber ducks' out, and we had to prove we could supply the army without clean boots at times!

LOL, Not for me Mike, I only served at Bde HQ and above in my BAOR days. Not regimental at all me, but you know that don't you.

jim wrote:

LOL, The Signals always thought they were infantry anyway.

I didn't. Never joined the army to fight you know!

jim wrote:

LOL, Not for me Mike, I only served at Bde HQ and above in my BAOR days. Not regimental at all me, but you know that don't you.

I know, Pom Pom Slippers on Duty Clerk says it all to me, and pyjamas for bedibys Tut tut

Not like the boys at Combat Supplies & Replenishment Park Companies , 8 Hours Work/Driving, followed by 8 Hours 'Stag On' because the wartime assigned TA Infantry Company never turned up, followed by 8 hours rest if you were lucky with at least one meal during it!

Organised by the Regimental HQ types of course! Was meant to be a 12/12 shit system of course...

It's a fact... the Sigs are/were very regimental and would flatter themselves that they are second only to the Guards on the square. I was quite surprised at the emphasis they placed upon it when I was put through my paces whilst at Helles (Hellish) Lines. I'm afraid that I was one of those perverts who quite enjoyed it!

Almost equal in importance, apparently, was that if we knew what was good for us, we should on no account set foot inside The Walkerville. No one had ever heard of it, but we all made a mental note to get ourselves down there at the first available opportunity. Let's put it this way, both the Black Watch and the Argylls were garrisoned at Catterick at that time. I think that you can probably imagine the rest.

When I re-badged to RMP, they were much more relaxed about drill. Even the drill pig, an even-natured West Country man, used to preface his sessions with, "Oi'm a skillurr, not a drillurr!.

Umm, I know what it is like to be with a Royal Signals.

In Aden, it was Best Boots for work parade every morning. Sorry guys, but bullsh** took priority before work, and that was in an Active Service enviroment.

Alan
Ex Reme

Was the same in RC Sigs at the school in Vimy Barracks Kingston Ontario in the 60's. Many of the NCO's built their career around the politics and parades of the school. Useless twits in the field.

alan8376 wrote:

Umm, I know what it is like to be with a Royal Signals.

In Aden, it was Best Boots for work parade every morning. Sorry guys, but bullsh** took priority before work, and that was in an Active Service enviroment.

Alan
Ex Reme

Having been a Junior Leader in the Royal Signals knew the bullshit level was very high even dustbin lids highly polished by one troop…arriving in 1 Div Verden-Aller Jan 67 the bullshit continued…best boots on guard in both barracks and loads of parades and the MPC 2 course…Jan 70 14 Sigs Worcester strategic reserve never went on parade and the Northern Ireland for 2 years no parades...not having a parade square!

Rejoining the army after a 22 month break to the Royal Engineers this time a different army only light toe cap bulling allowed in basic training and never went on parade in my three postings
Cheers
Steve

LOL, seems we are all in agreement about the Bleeps then.

jim wrote:

LOL, seems we are all in agreement about the Bleeps then.

Would appear so and I would have no argument.

My first posting from Harrogate was 1 Div HQ & Signal Regt and as Steve points out, Guardmount parades (and we had to provide guards for both Caithness and Shiel Bks) took place in best No2s, big hat and best boots. Once when I was IC Reliefs at Caithness guardroom I was even bollocked by the RSM when he was booking out of camp for not wearing my 2 dress hat when sitting at the desk in the guardroom.

Also when I arrived there we still had a weekly RSMs parade in best kit with personal weapon. Luckily all that BS petered out and the parades ceased and we did guards in combats.

Mike

Ahh guard duty. Now you just drive into Vimy Barracks, no guard, no commisionaire, no noticble security at all. A bit of a joke. Standing out there in your best bib and tucker, just wondering who the hell we were impressing. Oh well at least we weren't painting stones white and saluting them any more as had been told to us to have happened in the past. Strange the demented things that old Col. Blimps and twisted RSM's can think up. As the young Lt. said to the RSM, " The men seem happy Sgt. Mjr. F**K'em about a bit. RSM, "Sir....... Paraaaaaaaade. Great coats on, great coats off, great coats on, great coats off, great coats on, great coats off, stand at ease. Men F**Ked about SIR........". Young Lt. , " Very good Sgt Mjr carry on".

I hardly ever wore my No 2's after passing out parade Mike, and the guard duties were definitely in combats. In fact thinking back, I seem to recall I only wore No 2's a couple of times as Orderly Officer when I was a SGT. I wonder how many Bks are guarded now?

Oh there still guarded Jim, but many by MPGS and/or MGS as it is at Kineton. Yet at Deepcut they have unarmed MGS on the gate and armed soldiers from holding sqadron at key points.

mjm34 wrote:

jim wrote:

LOL, seems we are all in agreement about the Bleeps then.

Would appear so and I would have no argument.

My first posting from Harrogate was 1 Div HQ & Signal Regt and as Steve points out, Guardmount parades (and we had to provide guards for both Caithness and Shiel Bks) took place in best No2s, big hat and best boots. Once when I was IC Reliefs at Caithness guardroom I was even bollocked by the RSM when he was booking out of camp for not wearing my 2 dress hat when sitting at the desk in the guardroom.

Also when I arrived there we still had a weekly RSMs parade in best kit with personal weapon. Luckily all that BS petered out and the parades ceased and we did guards in combats.

Mike

Hi Mike
Not too many of us around from this era did you do your MPC 2 at Verden?
Cheers
Steve