Got chatting to an Army major in a pongo mess not so far from a very secret NBC establishment that rhymes with Horton. Typical Army mess, obligatory black labs dotted about the dining room. Said chap opened up his mess bill for the month and gently complained about the additional costs for crockery. To me it was a staggering amount. I queried why he'd been charged it.
His answer? He had one of the stewards chucking dinner plates out the back of the mess in lieu of clay pigeons!