I've noticed there's a distinct anti-services flavour in some places around the Guildford / Woking area.
There's a high contingent of gypsy enclaves over the wider area - what would appear to be a normal roadside traditional pub on the way into Guildford from say the Cranleigh direction was pointed out to me as the place where our pikey friends kindly supply funny substances ( I do not partake ! ).
I believe I'm right in saying there is no love lost between the army especially and gypsies, who have a largely Irish contingent.
In Guildford itself there is what at first glance seems a nice pub in a good location - when a colleague & I ( BAe ) went to the door we noticed a large sign saying " no armed services personnel ".
Foolishly we went in, and although we were not services, and I wouldn't have thought particularly looked like services ( not very short hair etc ) we were given VERY deliberately sh***y service, being moved from table to table until next to the loos despite the place being nearly empty.
The staff happened to be very distinctly Irish...Without finishing our 1 lunchtime pint we left, after giving some polite but firm customer feedback...
This was in the late 1980's.
I am not anti-Irish ( I do happen to be anti-gypsy, but only after direct experience personally and seeing what's happened to MANY colleagues ) - but in this area there does seem to be a link.
True, I'm sure groups of squaddies from Aldershot 'letting off steam' might be a problem for town centre landlords from time to time, but imagine the outcry from the P.C. quarter ( and violent retribution ) if anyone put up a sign saying ' no gypsies' !
Obviously some sort of 'name & shame' set-up is required for anti-services establishments; on the positive side, places which welcome well behaved services personnel could also be listed or encouraged to display their support with a window sticker campaign or something ?
That way forces-friendly public ( like me ) could show their support too...
I have not sent a mail to the outfit described above as the last thing I want to do is supply them with my details, but I'm sure they will be left in no doubt that they've lost a lot of trade from the public, not just forces - maybe the local M.P. can do something, I'll try to track him down.
DZ