Fareastdriver (#11188),
..."The Bates were the best"...
Still are. My 50-year old-stager (last remnant of uniform) sits sullenly in a corner, waiting for a call that will never come.
..."standardise them with the rest"...
It was precisely because we were not "standardised with the rest" that we won the war.
"All progress depends on the unreasonable man" [GBS]
Danny.