Mass murderer to Pilot

[Orenda369]

Greetings! Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I just came accross this (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/former-army-chef-keeps-troops-safe-from-her-apache) article about how a female Army chef eventually ended up flying Apaches for Teeny Weeny Airlines:

She joined the Army Catering Corps - now part of the Royal Logistic Corps - at the age of 17:

The Army was a natural choice for me as I got to learn more about cooking, which I love, and I got to travel at the same time,” she said.

It was while catering for the Army Air Corps (AAC) in Bosnia that Capt Gordon found a new passion:

I was watching two Lynx [helicopters] flying low level at night up the estuary on the coast of Croatia - their strobe lights flashing,” she said. “I had this gut-wrenching feeling that that was what I wanted to do above anything else - I wanted to fly.

Which got me to thinking; what are the most unlikely or unusual branch transfers to pilot that you've seen? Going from WSO/WSOp to Pilot is not much of a surprise, but what about from Medic to steely-eyed dealer of 1000lbs-at-the-end-of-a-laser? And what of the Sky Pilots who fancied following in the footsteps of Pontius?

Over to you . . .

[Dan Winterland]

Rock officer lost some toes to frostbite, was offered other branches. Said, "Yes please, I'd like to be a pilot". They said "don't be silly". He won. Eventually, he flew Jaguars.

[Pontius Navigator]

Met Observer to pilot

[Proletarian]

How about RAF Cpl Policeman to SAS Trooper?

[beardy]

Catering corps to SAS trooper?

[Ascend Charlie]

Schoolboy to steely-eyed killer?

[Brian 48nav]

The "Rock Officer" is now a BA skipper.

[CoodaShooda]

Know of a couple of FJ pilots who went on to the SAS

[DON T]

The "Rock Officer" is now a BA skipper.

It was on BBC last week (Going back. Giving back) He originally failed the coordination test for pilot and joined as a 'Rock Officer'. Whilst on a training exercise he got 'trench foot' and lost his toes. At Headley Court he was talking to a Tornado Wg Cdr who had ejected over the North Sea. He said to the Wg Cdr that his career was finished and the Wg Cdr asked why. That got him thinking and he had another go at pilot and was successful, ending up on Jaguars. They even found a Jaguar that he flew in the museum at Cosford. On leaving the service he went on to be a Captain with BA.👍

[Megaton]

And now a training captain at BA.

[Basil]

REME Craftsman > RAF & civ pilot :)

[Benzimra]

Education officer to pilot to education officer.

[PDR1]

We've had "storeman" (fetch-and-carry boy in the company warehouse) do PPL/CPL privately and then got taken on as a 1st officer, (now a captain) on the company fleet flying Embraer 145 and BAe146s.

PDR

[John Eacott]

Victoria Police Air Wing: storeman to Chief Pilot.

Lovely fellow.

[Wander00]

Was a flight commander at the Towers in the 80s with a guy who went Marine Branch to nav, I think on the Hercules fleet

[Tankertrashnav]

Going the other way, I remember in the 1970s getting to know a caretaker in the local school who had been a Lanc captain in Bomber Command, and I'm sure his story wasn't unique. Personally I went from rockape to nav, but that's not that unusual, one of the tanker squadron COs at Marham was also an ex Rock.

[ancientaviator62]

Wander00,
we had at least two ex Marine Branch officers turn up on the Hercules fleet as Navigators. At least two of the NCOs became Loadmasters.

[Roadster280]

I used to know a consultant pathologist. For a diversion at the weekends, he joined the TA as a Combat Med Tech, reaching the rank of Cpl. He was called up in GW1 in his CMT role. When his day job came to light (or existing knowledge thereof was acted upon), he went from Cpl to Colonel overnight.

[trim it out]

There are plenty of AAC aircrew who are not pure breed.

RAFP
RMP
REME
RA
RE
RLC
Int Corps
R Signals
Infantry
Cavalry
AMS
RM

Just a few previous capbadge of people that have been through the system that I can think of off the top of my head.

[Reverserbucket]

Know of a couple of FJ pilots who went on to the SASThere are plenty of ex-FJ guys at SAS...I know several in Copenhagen :}.

Going the other way though, met a chap manning the kiosk at a mid-West US gas station (petrol) who claimed to have been an ex-KC135 driver.

[threeputt]

Air Traffic Controller to Nav (Vulcan and Tornado GR1).

3p

[Melchett01]

Chap I used to work with started out as EngO, did a few years and then moved across to Pilot as a multis driver.

My grandfather went from Inf NCO to Glider Pilot to Para. Guess he decided that flying low and slow wasn't quite such fun with the Germans shooting at you!

[Basil]

There are plenty of ex-FJ guys at SAS...I know several in Copenhagen :}.

Going the other way though, met a chap manning the kiosk at a mid-West US gas station (petrol) who claimed to have been an ex-KC135 driver.
I knew an RAF Sqn Ldr AEF Commander who was last reported pumping petrol.

[langleybaston]

Met Observer to pilot

Of course that was a demotion .............?!

Joking apart, there was indeed a Brit Met Observer serving in the caves at Maastricht late 1980s, learned to speak Dutch and was last seen as a KLM pilot. This is hearsay but believed to be true.

[Hamish 123]

Guy on the same OTC at Cranwell was rock ape before OTC, became Hawk creamie, eventually Red Arrows.

[Pontius Navigator]

TTN, pilot to cpl mess steward (Siloth 57)

Nimrod FE to airport security (Norwich Airport)

Vulcan Nav Rad to haberdashers at Inverness.

Anybody know of the fabled Nav to Golden Arches?

[SASless]

I used to know a consultant pathologist. For a diversion at the weekends, he joined the TA as a Combat Med Tech, reaching the rank of Cpl. He was called up in GW1 in his CMT role. When his day job came to light (or existing knowledge thereof was acted upon), he went from Cpl to Colonel overnight.


Sounds like the promotion rate for US Army Air Corps Pilots during WWII....expansion combined with losses....made for rapid advancement.

[Nigerian Expat Outlaw]

Master Pilot on Lancaster and Wellington to BOAC VC10s to TV repair man. My Dad.

NEO

[Megaton]

Engineering officer to civvie 777 pilot.

[tmmorris]

WO Tac Comms to shop assistant in Majestic. Not that he was that disappointed...

[Krystal n chips]

ATC Cpl at Valley ( early 70's ) with wings...some may remember him ?

Former SAC M.T. driver to A.A.C pilot...90's

[Wrathmonk]

one of the tanker squadron COs at Marham was also an ex Rock

Who, if memory serves me right, then went on to be Stn Cdr Marham and, after retirement, to a 1* appt within the RAuxAF Rocks.

[Al-bert]

Never fond of RAF dentists, but quite perturbed to have a Wg Cdr with an Air Gunner brevet doing my fillings - Odiham in the '70s

[langleybaston]

Was not Air Cdre "Tiger" Tim Thorn an ex-Rock, who returned thereto after SASO RAFG appointment?

[Rosevidney1]

And in my school days I knew a window cleaner in the Penzance area who had commanded a flight in a Halifax squadron. It appears he declined the opportunity to continue to remain in uniform so that he could return to his village, marry his sweetheart and take an outdoor job. He seemed to be a contented man.

[Tankertrashnav]

Going the other way though, met a chap manning the kiosk at a mid-West US gas station (petrol) who claimed to have been an ex-KC135 driver.

Well I went from dispensing Avgas during AAR to manning the kiosk in a Cornish filling station (albeit with a 30 year gap and a few jobs in between). I have to admit I enjoyed the filling station job very much!

Wrathmonk - I am still in touch with said ex Rockape. He still loves a party and seems to spend most of his time cruising with his lovely wife Sally!

[1771 DELETE]

One of my bosses started life as a Rock, wore parachute wings as well and eventually made AOC 11/18gp and 3 stars

[Dan Winterland]

Trisatar Captain who got a job driving busses after retiring at 55. Similar job, different speed.

[163627]

Someone I came across at LKG during Herrick 18, a former ACC Lynx pilot who had dropped two ranks from S/Sgt to Cpl in order to follow his passion and re-role as an army photographer. He stood out as I'd never previously seen a Cpl wearing the ACC pilots badge.

[Wander00]

(T)TT was one of my UOs (may even have been A Sqn SUO) at the Towers in the 60s. Definitely a pilot, but having been a para qualified FAC he had a tour as Commandant of the RAF Regiment

[Wander00]

AVM Robby Robson, farmer near Sleaford, trained as a Rockape at Sandhurst, and then became a navigator

[langleybaston]

(T)TT was one of my UOs (may even have been A Sqn SUO) at the Towers in the 60s. Definitely a pilot, but having been a para qualified FAC he had a tour as Commandant of the RAF Regiment

Thank you. Nothing quite like the facts!

[STENDEC North]

Rock officer lost some toes to frostbite, was offered other branches. Said, "Yes please, I'd like to be a pilot". They said "don't be silly". He won. Eventually, he flew Jaguars.

Average? Wonderful read.

[Old Bricks]

Orenda369
Late coming into this thread, but I have just read your #1 titled "Mass Murderer to Pilot". I know the poor old cooks tend to get a bashing from a lot of people, but it seems a bit harsh to suggest that the chef who then became an AAC pilot was progressing from mass murder. She can't have been that bad a cook?
OB

[Raikum]

A chum of mine's dad was a coalface miner in Coventry before the war, enlisted and became a navigator on Lancasters flying out of Spilsby, got commissioned ending up as a Squadron Leader and at war's end returned to the coalface having stood as a communist candidate in the '45 election....!

[Rotate too late]

Someone I came across at LKG during Herrick 18, a former ACC Lynx pilot who had dropped two ranks from S/Sgt to Cpl in order to follow his passion and re-role as an army photographer. He stood out as I'd never previously seen a Cpl wearing the ACC pilots badge.

And then went back again! Make your mind up SL!!!!

[Tankertrashnav]

Not surprised to read how many rocks made the transfer to aircrew. I suspect that many, like myself, had originally applied for aircrew but got knocked back by OASC for various reasons (in my case eyesight). I then decided that of the alternatives, RAF Regiment sounded a lot more fun than Secretarial or Equipment etc and so it turned out. I never regretted my time as a rockape, I got some great postings (Singapore and Hong Kong) and not many 20 year olds get a chance to run a flight of 80 men, which I did at Seletar. I think once you had got a few years in, their airships were more inclined to take a chance on you as potential aircrew than they were when you were straight from civvy street, and so it was when I reapplied.

[ICM]

LangleyB: As I recall, Tim Thorn went out after his SASO RAFG time to run security for De Beers.

Quite unrelated, I went through Nav training with a chap who had only ever wanted to be a Provost officer but OASC had pointed him along the aircrew path. He kept just squeezing through each part of the Course until about a month from the end when the System finally accepted that perhaps he'd been right all along, and sent him for Provost training. Last I saw of him years later was as a Wg Cdr.

[Rossian]

.......to RAF dentist. At 38 point went to Uni and trained. Came to KSS. When not on call and there were barrels on squadrons worked his way assiduously along all sqns and the OCU and wibbled into the mess in a mess much later (And he was a good dentist).

The Ancient Mariner

[Orenda369]

Orenda369
Late coming into this thread, but I have just read your #1 titled "Mass Murderer to Pilot". I know the poor old cooks tend to get a bashing from a lot of people, but it seems a bit harsh to suggest that the chef who then became an AAC pilot was progressing from mass murder. She can't have been that bad a cook?
OB

Only a bit of banter, Old Bricks! We all know who the real heroes are when the lads crawl out of their holes at endex for some hot egg banjos; the chefs who have been up since before sparrow fart trying to get the stove going in the cold. And to be fair, their food can be really quite good. After all, theirs is the hardest course to pass in the Army. :}

[DON T]

The RAF Dental Branch seems make a habit of it. In addition to the two previous examples there were 'Pop' Morley who gained a DFM as an air gunner and then became a dental hygienist and 'Pop' Newton who qualified as a Lanc pilot just as the war finished and later joined as Dent Admin (both were nicknamed 'Pop' because they were a little bit older. Both wore their brevet with pride.

We also had a Cpl in the Branch called Alf Holham who was awarded the MM and BEM whilst a Warrant Officer in the 'Glorius Glosters' in Korea. He also used to wear a blue/purple medal ribbon above his Cpl stripes which was an award by the Americans for his work in the Korean POW camps. Alf never did parades because he out-medalled any reviewing officer.

[chopper2004]

Here's one for you - downtown Hollywood back 8 years ago after HAi 2009 me and my then friend got approached by a big guy preaching religious stuff outside souvenir shop and turns out he heard was from Cam and claimed he was ex Lakenheath F-111 aircrew but flying with them kind of f**** him up so he was some street evangelist lol

Cheers

[chopper2004]

And another one :

Farnborough airshow 04 - headed to DoD booth and. There was a TSAS aircrew vest simulator demo - (it vibrates and buzzes parts of your body if say the sensors in a/c receive a threat or a problem if for some reason you're not seeing the rWR etc ) anyhow the navy captain whose from their aviation medicine branch was telling everyone about how when he was at uni he ran the local skydiving club and he had a lng beard and when skydiving it would flap up in his face. He was a medical doctor with clinical physiology and learnt to fly as he had to attend classes up in Canada as well as USA. He also did a flight instructors course thus he taught one classmate to fly and purchase a light a/c Cessna or Beech.

I think he got his commission trough ROTC

Cheers

[Tankertrashnav]

Bertie Jukes who was a plotter on 214 Victor tankers left to train as a dentist. He rejoined the RAF as a Dental Officer and in recent years was a civvie dentist in the West Country. Great party man, and when I saw him at a V Force reunion a few years back didn't seem to have changed!

[Herod]

Was that the same Tim Thorn who banged out of a JP following a collision, 1966? Just asking. He was the instructor of an old friend.

[Pontius Navigator]

Nimrod flt lt copilot, previously trained in a medical specialty, can't remember exactly, transfers to RAMC as a major.

The RAF knows how to look after its people.

Army Staff Sergeant to RAF wg cdr eng to airline pilot.

The Army knows how to look after its people.

[Trim Stab]

I knew of an RAAF F/A18 pilot who came over to blighty to do UKSF selection. He passed that no problems (and this was in the days when it was still reasonably difficult, unlike today) so could have gone to an SAS squadron. But he then decided to do the additional bits required for non-RM for SBS selection, passed that, and qualified as swimmer-canoeist.

[Royalistflyer]

We had a student (1960s) who already had a commission as a dentist - went on to be an FJ driver

[Dougie M]

TTN
Bertie Jukes is a great buddy of a friend of mine, another Ex RAF Dentist called Chris Strevens. They both seemed to have hollow legs. He officiated as Best Man at Chris' recent wedding in Porthcawl and outraged most of the welsh chapel folk with his colourful Best Man's speech. It beat the "4 Weddings" effort. Great guy.

[scr1]

Grandfather started out in the cavalry in aug 14 changed to artillery then the intelligence crops then the RFC as a observer came out between the wars went back in in 1938 was in france far the fall and escaped by going south and back by gib then was in bomber command before finishing up in photo recon

[gr4techie]

Someone I came across at LKG during Herrick 18, a former ACC Lynx pilot who had dropped two ranks from S/Sgt to Cpl in order to follow his passion and re-role as an army photographer. He stood out as I'd never previously seen a Cpl wearing the ACC pilots badge.

I once participated in a parade in number 1 uniform. There was another Airman with us, who stood out. As he had the gold dolphins badge pinned on his jacket and a medal for patrols in SSBN submarines. He had transferred from the Royal Navy.
He must be the only person in RAF uniform to have these?

[ancientaviator62]

When I was the ALM leader on 30 of of my chaps had been in the RN. He had served on nuclear subs ('bombers' as he called them) and as a heli crewman.
My son in law's grandfather enlisted in WW1 under age then served in WW2. He was at Arnhem but escaped by swimming across a river. His MM is still in the family's possession 'somewhere' !

[Pontius Navigator]

gold dolphins badge pinned on his jacket and a medal for patrols in SSBN submarines.

Really? A Medal? Arduous service in Jockistan?

I guess the SSN crews would have had the SA medal but a bomber? He must have got a medal elsewhere but I would be very surprised if it was from bombers.

[gr4techie]

Really? A Medal? Arduous service in Jockistan?

I guess the SSN crews would have had the SA medal but a bomber? He must have got a medal elsewhere but I would be very surprised if it was from bombers.

I suppose it's the only way the crew of a SSBN can get a medal, as they never go anywhere, they just disappear for 4 months.

[GICASI2]

Was not Air Cdre "Tiger" Tim Thorn an ex-Rock, who returned thereto after SASO RAFG appointment?

No - he was Air Cdre Rocks after being the best stn cdr that Cranwell has seen. He was a desert Hunter man, Jags and BALO with the paras, surviving the infamous Keil Canal jump: his parachute failed, he bounced off the canopy of the man ahead and was caught by the said man (who broke both legs when landing!). A larger than life bloke who was an inspirational Boss.

[teeteringhead]

Knew a helicopter pilot - QHI on the (then) HOCF - who went out at his 38 pt (IIRC) to be ordained.

Subsequently became an RAF padre - so a "sky pilot" wearing wings!

[OldnDaft]

No - he was Air Cdre Rocks after being the best stn cdr that Cranwell has seen. He was a desert Hunter man, Jags and BALO with the paras, surviving the infamous Keil Canal jump: his parachute failed, he bounced off the canopy of the man ahead and was caught by the said man (who broke both legs when landing!). A larger than life bloke who was an inspirational Boss.

He was an exceptional boss of RAFG Rugby during his time as SASO, frequently getting errant young lads like myself time off for rugby. He also ran a mean last leg of the naked 4x100m on the track outside Bruggen Bears Rugby Club!!

[ian16th]

I once participated in a parade in number 1 uniform. There was another Airman with us, who stood out. As he had the gold dolphins badge pinned on his jacket and a medal for patrols in SSBN submarines. He had transferred from the Royal Navy.
He must be the only person in RAF uniform to have these?
We had former RN Petty Officer at Akrotiri, where he was a J/T radar fitter. We never had any parades so I never saw him in best blue. So dunno if he had any 'funny' badges.
But I do know when the 'New Trade Structure' came in in April 1964, it excluded all of his RN service as any sort of time in rank qualification.
He was mightily p*ssed off.

[Union Jack]

I once participated in a parade in number 1 uniform. There was another Airman with us, who stood out. As he had the gold dolphins badge pinned on his jacket and a medal for patrols in SSBN submarines. He had transferred from the Royal Navy.

He must be the only person in RAF uniform to have these?

I suspect that the "medal" in question was probably the Royal Navy Deterrent Patrol Pin, which was introduced in 2010, vide:

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/br-3-vol-1/chapter-39.pdf

We had former RN Petty Officer at Akrotiri, where he was a J/T radar fitter. We never had any parades so I never saw him in best blue. So dunno if he had any 'funny' badges.

Noting Ian's reference to 1964, this could be because the current Submariner Badge was only introduced in July 1971.

Jack

[Vortex_Generator]

Within the last few years I've served with 2 RAF officers who wore dolphins, and I have a vague memory of a padre with dog collar and pilots wings at Cosford late 70s.

[langleybaston]

No - he was Air Cdre Rocks after being the best stn cdr that Cranwell has seen. He was a desert Hunter man, Jags and BALO with the paras, surviving the infamous Keil Canal jump: his parachute failed, he bounced off the canopy of the man ahead and was caught by the said man (who broke both legs when landing!). A larger than life bloke who was an inspirational Boss.

He was my line manager as SASO [Met was Air Staff] . ISTR that TT had a spectacular accident involving a bicycle and a happy hour or whatever. For a few days there was not a lot of SASO visible under the bandages and gismos.

[BEagle]

At one point in history, the god-bothering branch had enough ex-aircrew amongst them to make up a bomber crew.

The senior vicar at RAFC in my Flt Cdt time would often be up in a JP getting a little nearer to his boss.

[GICASI2]

He was my line manager as SASO [Met was Air Staff] . ISTR that TT had a spectacular accident involving a bicycle and a happy hour or whatever. For a few days there was not a lot of SASO visible under the bandages and gismos.

Outstanding!

[FL235]

Worked in HK with a character with an unusual career path. Mustered out of RN as CPO in RNAS (nice touch at his farewell, wheeled in a Venom drop-tank with the anouncement "Bernard, in your time in the Navy you have consumed this much rum".) Enlisted in the army as a trainimg officer after his own retraining, finished up as a Captain.

Could he legitimately put (Captain RN, Retd.) or (Captain Retd. RN.) on his business cards?

Could be confusing.

[Mogwi]

Worked in HK with a character with an unusual career path. Mustered out of RN as CPO in RNAS (nice touch at his farewell, wheeled in a Venom drop-tank with the anouncement "Bernard, in your time in the Navy you have consumed this much rum".) Enlisted in the army as a trainimg officer after his own retraining, finished up as a Captain.

Could he legitimately put (Captain RN, Retd.) or (Captain Retd. RN.) on his business cards?

Could be confusing.

Actually, RN officers never RETIRE - they are placed on the RETIRED LIST and therefore retain their RN post nominal until the grim reaper does his stuff.

As an aside, I was chopped as a RN Wessex 1 pilot but joined the RAF to became a reasonable Sea Harrier driver (so they tell me!)

[Davef68]

Knew of a USN pilot (OK, Aviator) who enlisted in the local National Guard as an NCO when he retired, then was deployed to Iraq during GW2. He reckoned he must have been the only enlisted man in the US Army wearing gold wings.

[teeteringhead]

As an aside, I was chopped as a RN Wessex 1 pilot but joined the RAF to became a reasonable Sea Harrier driver (so they tell me!) .. and a pretty reasonable Wessex 2 pilot also ........

[chopper2004]

Knew of a USN pilot (OK, Aviator) who enlisted in the local National Guard as an NCO when he retired, then was deployed to Iraq during GW2. He reckoned he must have been the only enlisted man in the US Army wearing gold wings.

if it's the guy I'm thinking of he was a ring knocker from Annapolis - enteeed the TBS then Pensacola and graduated as a Flying Leatherneck backseater in the Phantom.

When the corps retired the rhino he went into civvy life still in aviation got his A & P license and worked on multi engine Beechcraft entered the National Guard albeit in a signals or stuff and rose to SNcO

How do I know all this? He sent his cv in and asked for a job at my former Part 145 MRO back in 04 a year after GW2

Cheers

[KenV]

I don't understand the "mass murderer" part of the title. Is that some kind of RAF/UK unique thing and if so what does it mean?

[desk wizard]

It's just a joke based on the fact the OP was talking about moving from a chef to a pilot. As we all know, the Catering Corps have killed more on their own side through poisoning than the enemy have managed through fire....

[Tankertrashnav]

A rmy
C atering
C orps

A ldershot
C oncrete
C ompany

[parabellum]

He passed that no problems (and this was in the days when it was still reasonably difficult, unlike today)

Hope you have the evidence to back that up Trim Stab , but if you tell us you'll have to kill us!;)


I was under the impression that when the Army was told to expand the SAS they insisted that the standard wouldn't drop.

[Davef68]

if it's the guy I'm thinking of he was a ring knocker from Annapolis - enteeed the TBS then Pensacola and graduated as a Flying Leatherneck backseater in the Phantom.

When the corps retired the rhino he went into civvy life still in aviation got his A & P license and worked on multi engine Beechcraft entered the National Guard albeit in a signals or stuff and rose to SNcO


Guy I'm thinking of was a USN A6 pilot, so there must have been two of them!

[Tinman74]

I knew of an RAAF F/A18 pilot who came over to blighty to do UKSF selection. He passed that no problems (and this was in the days when it was still reasonably difficult, unlike today) so could have gone to an SAS squadron. But he then decided to do the additional bits required for non-RM for SBS selection, passed that, and qualified as swimmer-canoeist.

Have you tried either?

[KenV]

As we all know, the Catering Corps have killed more on their own side through poisoning than the enemy have managed through fire....Aaaaah! We all know? This yank had never heard about that and the joke sailed right over my head.

[chopper2004]

I also started this thread 5 years back on here as I came across an interesting press release from the California Highway Patrol on three of their new officers being Annapolis grads. One of which was a USMC aviator and the other a Navy helo driver

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/499403-shores-annapolis-pensacola-highway-patrol.html

cheers

[Trim Stab]

Hope you have the evidence to back that up Trim Stab , but if you tell us you'll have to kill us!;)


I was under the impression that when the Army was told to expand the SAS they insisted that the standard wouldn't drop.

I didn't claim that the standards have dropped - just said that selection is easier now. The army is now smaller than 70s/80s/90s era, and SAS is bigger, so simple sums suggest it is easier to get in now.

On the hills part of selection, I heard they finish now at Fan Dance (three times up and down Pen y Fan) whereas that was only 2/3 point of old course (they don't do the next two walks and Long Drag, which was the old final test march). Also, they now have Gucci boots and Hugo Boss gortex suits, which makes the whole test a lot more comfortable compared to doing it in Boots Cardboard, Shirts Hairy and puttees.

But as I have said before, you would expect selection to be re-tuned to pick out the guys they want for their current roles. There is not really a LRRP role anymore (that is done by drones), so they don't need racing snakes who can run up and down mountains all day and night with their houses on their backs. Their main role is as assault troops with a bit more specialised training than RM/Para. They would not be wanting to turn down guys with serious combat experience just because they are not good at running up and down hills.

[air pig]

A rmy
C atering
C orps

A ldershot
C oncrete
C ompany

A ndy
C app's
C ommando's

Courtesy of the Daily Mirror