Opening the Floodgates.
Camlobe,
What have we done ?.... We've opened a window into the past: the reminiscences have come crowding in here from all sides! This is (I'm sure) exactly what Cliff (RIP) had in mind five years ago when he kicked-off this best of all Threads, and now we've got the snowball rolling again. Let's keep it up !
So you've blotted your Conduct Sheet (never mind, it was sure to happen sooner or later). Now, if you'd been really on the ball, you'd have polished the instep under the boot - and then you'd have seen the lump of mud in the cleats (when did they come in, by the way ? - we had plain leather (?) soles).
Pleased to hear that my hunch has come up !...D.
ancientaviator62,
Plebs of the world, rejoice ! "Plebs" is an honourable word, it really means the Hard Working common people whom politicians are always going on about; plebiscites were what we had before calling them referenda. Now if Andrew Mitchell had (or had not, as the case seems to be) used the word "vulgus", it would be quite different.....D.
Chugalug,
We on the "lower deck" have always affected to doubt the abilities of those "set over us" (and whose orders we'd sworn to obey), and to credit them with a lifestyle of idleness, luxury and special treatment. But nobody really believed that for a moment, it was just an all-purpose grumble we could indulge it if nothing else was on offer.
And "blue blood" was never an issue: I was the son of a regular R.Q.M.S. of the King's (Liverpool) Regt., the grandson of a Sergeant of that Regt., and (we believe) the great grandson of a soldier (rank and Regt. unknown). And that would take us back to the Irish Famine Years; the trail grows cold there.
I quote from you:
"we chose this path, and in return it gave us a life, a career, an experience, that for most if not all would have been unobtainable".
This was true, We were all volunteers: all of us would agree with you. Of course, it was heavy going in the early stages, but there was "no gain without pain". As for the profanity, it was so much a part of the normal speech of those uttering it, that it was of no significance to the hearer - you simply ignored it....D.
MPN11,
Never knew that you started in the True Blue. But now that we do , let's have the rest of the (hopefully not sad) story of how you came to finish up with us !....D.
NOTE:
THESE REMARKS COVER POSTS ONLY UP TO # 4660, (AS THE THREAD HAS BEEN SWAMPED BY LATER POSTS [WONDERFUL !] WHICH I WILL NOW HAVE A LOOK AT... D.)
Cheers to all, Danny.