Union Jack, you must forgive my fellow crab. and indeed me, for any offence that may be inadvertently inflicted by our woeful ignorance of the customs of the Senior Service. For myself, it goes back as far as my earliest Service memories.
I was still a schoolboy in the RAF section of the CCF when, with a colleague, I was despatched to a Summer Camp at RNAS Culdrose. In vain did we try to meld in but, as the only two light blues in a mass of dark ones, it was in vain.
Infuriated PO DIs tried their best to synchronise our movements with the RN cadets to the order, "Off", pause, 2, 3, "Caps!", but berets have a life of their own at such times, more so even with the inevitable, "On", pause, 2, 3, "Caps". We were their despair and the inter-Service gulf, no doubt the very reason for our presence, merely widened further.
I remember varied, and for the most part unintelligible, "Pipes" on the PA system, all commencing with a "Do you hear there?". Given the numerous loud speakers, all of obviously high wattage, one had no opportunity but to, yet remained none the wiser.
The ultimate weird thing was however not being allowed to stroll down to the local village chippy, requiring one to be merely reasonably properly attired to exit RAF Station gates, without not only being similarly open to such scrutiny but also to mill around until sufficient numbers had amassed to fill up a "Jolly" boat, of which of course there was no sign.
In fairness I must admit to a similar bewilderment by the RN when, for whatever the reason, they are participants in RAF ceremonial. I believe that the "Telling Off by Squadrons" when on parade has been labelled by them, with some justification, as "Are you there, Moriarty?".
It all goes to show that we are very different, and not even united by a common language. Long may it remain so!
