Originally Posted by
downsizer
Seen it being worn by many a prick in pretty much every operational theatre we've been in over the last 30 years!
Allow me to confirm your apt definition is not confined to the last 30 years. Mid 70's, 431 MU and this apparition appeared one day, stable belt, chip hat, creases in the uniform, collar and tie plus the infamous SAC Bloggs poster haircut....even the denims were pressed !..said Sgt duly attracted a lot of careful thought from the troops, the MU dress code bearing only a passing similarity to the rest of the RAF at the time. Finally, one evening, and purely an opportunist moment, sadly, his pristine denims, he inside them, and uniform had " an unfortunate encounter " with PRC being applied under pressure. I understand he returned to his spiritual homes Tech Records / Role bay at Brize when tourex.
The obsession with uniforms, and appearances, correlates very strongly with those equally obsessed with parades / drill / marching....a useful distraction from their own failings shall we say.
However, uniforms can prove entertaining.....arrived at an RE base in Germany to borrow a mine detector, quite why was never explained, and obviously we would be proficient in it's use....me, wearing a well frayed aircrew shirt of that era, my mate wearing a Heineken T shirt, one beret between us, and no rank tabs, plus those old green combat trousers, sea boot socks...and wellies...mud encrusted. The ensuing "conversation" in the guardroom was too good an opportunity to miss...so we didn't. Seemingly, the telephones wires to Bruggen, melted...sadly, our Boss at the time, a former CEGB hands on apprentice engineer solemnly assured the Army he would take appropriate action, which he did....with all the gravitas he could muster, he informed everybody at a beer call, we would, in future, take No1 HD / bulled shoes on every crash recovery....before offering his opinion as to the Army