It was tradition for the Wing Duty Officer to give Brats on Jankers an extra special going over on their last night - the apparent idea being to try and charge them with being 'filthy on parade' and get them back on Jankers.
Everyone in a room would bung in to help the victim (if he was a popular bloke) and we'd remove the buttons to bull up the backs as well as the fronts, then stitch them back on. You could get the crap out of the back of a cap badge or the crowns on the buttons with meths and a stiff brush, without damaging the shine. We'd bull the soles of the boots too and polish the steel studs. Once he was dressed to kill in full webbing - including ammo pouches and back pack - we'd lay him out on a toilet door and carry him over to Wing HQ around 9.30 pm, ready for the 10 pm final inspection.
In retrospect it's easy to see that in addition to discipline & punishment, the true objective was to mould team spirit and comradeship, but at the time it wasn't bloody funny.
B*st*rds!
Beags - Our Sqn Commander in Maitland (3A Wing) had served in Mesopotamia, dropping bombs on the 'insurgents' by hand. His King's Crown wings were King George the Fifths. 'Piggy' Sills his name was. Did you know him by any chance?
I still have my button stick and brass brush as souvenirs...