National Service Story:
A group of friends meet in a pub after one of them has been for his National Service medical.
He recounts that towards the end of the examination, the doctor asks him to drop his trousers and then enquires how long he has been wearing a truss. The boy says he told the doctor about six years and the doctor then writes; “MU” in large red letters on the youth’s file.
The boy asks the doctor what this means and the doctor explains that ‘MU’ stands for ‘medically unfit’ because he has been wearing a truss for so long.
Another youth, who is having his medical in a few days, asks his friend if he can borrow a truss in order to be declared unfit for military service when the doctor sees him wearing it.
The same process is followed and when the second youth drops his trousers, the medic asks how long the boy has been wearing a truss. “About five or six years” comes the reply, at which point the doctor writes “ME” on the candidate’s file in large blue letters.
“Excuse me Sir, but shouldn’t that be ‘MU’ for medically unfit because I wear a truss?” asks the boy.
“No” replies the doctor, “ME stands for Middle East. If you can wear a truss back to front for six years, you’re fit enough to ride a camel”
Old Duffer