Centenary of the start of the First World War tomorrow

[chinita]

Being a reasonable sort of bloke, I shall give Seajet one final chance to eat his friends words.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509736/Sir-Michael-Rose

He was my boss when he was GOC 2nd Infantry Division.

Ex CO 22 SAS during the Iranian Embassy siege and the Falklands. No shrinking violet either calling for the impeachment of Blair for the illegal war in Iraq.

Being both a Coldstreamer and a General he is obviously a prime target for your prejudices.

Clearly very well endowed in the 'Inbred Berk' department - perhaps you and your hero Julian would like to tell him to his face?

 

[IJL]

You would not expect to many Generals killed in any war but that hardly fits the premise of the upper class sending the proles off to die while they were thirty miles behind the lines. The younger members of the upper classes would have been junior officers and the death rate amongst these officers was far higher than that of privates and NCO's. A swift google gives the life expectancy of junior officers at 6 weeks.

WW1 has been mythologised more than most conflicts a good book is "mud blood and poppycock" can't recall the author.

 

[Seajet]

Chinita,

I do not mean any offence, but my chum Jullian is no BS merchant, if he passed me duff gen' he would have meant it sincerely and must have been taken in himself; were you in the Guards then ?

I have rather a lot of respect for the Services, once I was temping at a chandlery when the late Admiral Sandy Woodward came in; I quietly told my idiot boss, who refused to get off his chair; I explained what I thought of that ( would have drawn him a diagram ), gave the Admiral an unofficial massive discount with a wink then left the job.

 

[chinita]

Thanks you for that.

No, I was not a guards officer, but - as I mentioned - I was offered a 'free transfer' but declined. It would, however, have done my career no harm.

The point I would like to make is that there may be a well trodden path - Eton, Oxbridge, RMAS, Household Division (and then on to a merchant bank) - it does not imply that it is an easy ride. Even the most chinless of wonders will have endured 'Brigade Squad' which in my time was in Pirbright (the Guards depot) and was a ruthless and merciless process. Having completed that the successful candidates will move on to RMAS. Unsurprisingly, these officers are a little bit 'ahead of the game' at this point - which is why it is no surprise that many of them are promoted to Junior Under Officer and Senior Under Officer posts - many winning the Sword of Honour in the process.

They may then join their battalion, they may well pose around in fancy uniforms (no gold in trousers though) - but they may also find themselves in the heat of battle. They live or die - up to them.

Now, many drop by the wayside after 3 - 5 years. They go, join the family firm, run the family pile, join the family merchant bank - whatever. However, there is a significant number who stay to become career officers - and these are the ones whom I respect. These are the ones (and I have illustrated a few) who are the complete antithesis to the stereotype illustrated by your RAF chum.

 

[Seajet]

Deleted.

 

[Grumpybear]

Thanks you for that.

No, I was not a guards officer, but - as I mentioned - I was offered a 'free transfer' but declined. It would, however, have done my career no harm.

The point I would like to make is that there may be a well trodden path - Eton, Oxbridge, RMAS, Household Division (and then on to a merchant bank) - it does not imply that it is an easy ride. Even the most chinless of wonders will have endured 'Brigade Squad' which in my time was in Pirbright (the Guards depot) and was a ruthless and merciless process. Having completed that the successful candidates will move on to RMAS. Unsurprisingly, these officers are a little bit 'ahead of the game' at this point - which is why it is no surprise that many of them are promoted to Junior Under Officer and Senior Under Officer posts - many winning the Sword of Honour in the process.

They may then join their battalion, they may well pose around in fancy uniforms (no gold in trousers though) - but they may also find themselves in the heat of battle. They live or die - up to them.

Now, many drop by the wayside after 3 - 5 years. They go, join the family firm, run the family pile, join the family merchant bank - whatever. However, there is a significant number who stay to become career officers - and these are the ones whom I respect. These are the ones (and I have illustrated a few) who are the complete antithesis to the stereotype illustrated by your RAF chum.

An analysis which is underlined by the two books by Patrick Hennessey about his time in the Grenadiers, mostly his tour in Afghanistan. At platoon commander level, they are at least as good as any other in the army, partly because their NCOs, who are just as tough, make sure they shape up.

 

[Woodlouse]

An analysis which is underlined by the two books by Patrick Hennessey about his time in the Grenadiers, mostly his tour in Afghanistan. At platoon commander level, they are at least as good as any other in the army, partly because their NCOs, who are just as tough, make sure they shape up.

I'm acquainted with one of his fellow officers who is still serving in the Grenadiers. A nicer, more modest man you'd be hard pressed to find, as far as I know he's not sitting on a family fortune to subsidise his existence and he's got a bloody great gouge in his leg where he stopped an AK round in Helmand. He even has a chin.

 

[Woodlouse]

An analysis which is underlined by the two books by Patrick Hennessey about his time in the Grenadiers, mostly his tour in Afghanistan. At platoon commander level, they are at least as good as any other in the army, partly because their NCOs, who are just as tough, make sure they shape up.

I'm acquainted with one of his fellow officers who is still serving in the Grenadiers. A nicer, more modest man you'd be hard pressed to find, as far as I know he's not sitting on a family fortune to subsidise his existence and he's got a bloody great gouge in his leg where he stopped an AK round in Helmand. He even has a chin.