Mrs Bloggs 'At Home' Etiquette/Protocols
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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it's a very lower deck device and I sincerely hope that Mrs Pongo wouldn't lower herself to such an item.
Cunning Artificer
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What sort of sherry would be the better to opt for?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Which reminds me of an Andy Capp cartoon (BEages, that is from the Daily Mirror) where he holds this bloke by the tie, "I asked you what you wanted to drink, not how much you wanted to drink."
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Found an interesting website and it fits quite well with the subject matter of this thread:
Fur Feather and Fin Country Sporting Gifts
Click on the 'title' arrow and then scroll down the full list. Puts us garage mechanics in our place.
Fur Feather and Fin Country Sporting Gifts
Click on the 'title' arrow and then scroll down the full list. Puts us garage mechanics in our place.
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Someone asked earlier who Stradling was and no-one has replied.
Gp Capt AH Stradling has been mentioned in this thread as he was the author of a book called 'Customs of the Service' in 1939. He wrote it to fill the knowledge gaps of the new officers coming into the RAF once the net had been cast wider by the necessity of war and those new to Service life needed to get up to speed on their etiquette. It was re-printed through the 40's and copies can still be found.
Stradling was also a regular contributer to the RAF Quarterly on a range of air power subjects.
Gp Capt AH Stradling has been mentioned in this thread as he was the author of a book called 'Customs of the Service' in 1939. He wrote it to fill the knowledge gaps of the new officers coming into the RAF once the net had been cast wider by the necessity of war and those new to Service life needed to get up to speed on their etiquette. It was re-printed through the 40's and copies can still be found.
Stradling was also a regular contributer to the RAF Quarterly on a range of air power subjects.
new officers coming into the RAF
My tea and biccies with the station commander's wife came to a halt when she realised that her daughter and I had been caught behind the bike sheds at school.
'Customs of the Service' in 1939. He wrote it to fill the knowledge gaps of the new officers coming into the RAF.
Perhaps we ought to have a whip round and send a copy to Mr and Mrs MM for Christmas !
Other Times
I seem to remember a question in the 'B' examination in, I suppose, 1969 along the lines of - You have received an invitation from the station commander's wife to a reception to be held in their residence. Reply, declining the invitation. The post-examination report commented that, in general, this question was not well answered: most candidates were rude and many accepted.
DIRECTOR
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NRU74
Christmas is too late for Mrs & Mrs MM. D Day is 5th DEC and elocution lessons would not give them time to be understood in Hampshire. Whilst regional accents are a requirement for employment in the BBC it has not as yet filtered down to rural Hants.
Christmas is too late for Mrs & Mrs MM. D Day is 5th DEC and elocution lessons would not give them time to be understood in Hampshire. Whilst regional accents are a requirement for employment in the BBC it has not as yet filtered down to rural Hants.
I wonder if, as in days of old, guests would be expected to entertain those present.
If I may, MM, perhaps a rendition of Monty Python's 'Universe Song' might be well received?
If I may, MM, perhaps a rendition of Monty Python's 'Universe Song' might be well received?
OCTU Training Notes
MM
This is an important mission for you and Mrs. MM. I have therefore rummaged around in the loft and come up with some hints and tips from a RAF guide circa 1973 (Stradling?).
I think they stand the test of time.
Informal invitations
13. Married couples send, and reply to, invitations and it is the task of the ladies to pen those letters. In the same vein, a single office also sends invitations, replies or thank you letters to the lady of the house.
Arrival and departure times
14. You should never arrive before the time stated on an invitation, nor should you be late. For cocktails or just a plain party with perhaps a buffet supper, arrive no later than 15 minutes after the time on the invitation, but for dinner, never be more than 10 minutes late....
15. Cocktail parties normally finish at the time stated on the invitation card. You should leave within 10 minutes of this time.......Remember that a hostess will almost certainly say “Oh, do stay for a while longer” but this is only convention and you should not attach to this any literal meaning.
Thank you letters
17. .....It is only a matter of common courtesy, after receiving any hospitality, to write a brief note of thanks. The letter should be written the following day, and the following example could well act as a guide....
Dear Mrs Pongo,
Just a short note to thank you for your sumptuous hospitality. I had a wonderful evening and enjoyed every minute of it.
Yours sincerely
Mrs MM
18. A common fault is rashly to overstate the case. If the meal or hospitality was not sumptuous, do not say it was; merely say “thank you for an enjoyable dinner party last evening”. A hostess likes to be thanked for her magnificent dinner if it was so; if not, the insincerity of your letter will not be appreciated.
Introductions
19. The main points to remember regarding introductions:
a. A gentleman is introduced to a lady.
b. A single woman is introduced to a married woman
c. A younger man is introduced to an older man
d. A junior officer is introduced to a senior officer
21. There is only one correct mode of greeting the person to whom you have been introduced and that is to say “How do you do”. This question is rhetorical and is always left unanswered. When shaking hands remove, if applicable, your glove. Be definite and brief when shaking hands: a tentative paw is just as objectionable as a bone crushing grasp.
With this and the many other useful tips previously mention I am sure you and Mrs MM will sail through.
This is an important mission for you and Mrs. MM. I have therefore rummaged around in the loft and come up with some hints and tips from a RAF guide circa 1973 (Stradling?).
I think they stand the test of time.
Informal invitations
13. Married couples send, and reply to, invitations and it is the task of the ladies to pen those letters. In the same vein, a single office also sends invitations, replies or thank you letters to the lady of the house.
Arrival and departure times
14. You should never arrive before the time stated on an invitation, nor should you be late. For cocktails or just a plain party with perhaps a buffet supper, arrive no later than 15 minutes after the time on the invitation, but for dinner, never be more than 10 minutes late....
15. Cocktail parties normally finish at the time stated on the invitation card. You should leave within 10 minutes of this time.......Remember that a hostess will almost certainly say “Oh, do stay for a while longer” but this is only convention and you should not attach to this any literal meaning.
Thank you letters
17. .....It is only a matter of common courtesy, after receiving any hospitality, to write a brief note of thanks. The letter should be written the following day, and the following example could well act as a guide....
Dear Mrs Pongo,
Just a short note to thank you for your sumptuous hospitality. I had a wonderful evening and enjoyed every minute of it.
Yours sincerely
Mrs MM
18. A common fault is rashly to overstate the case. If the meal or hospitality was not sumptuous, do not say it was; merely say “thank you for an enjoyable dinner party last evening”. A hostess likes to be thanked for her magnificent dinner if it was so; if not, the insincerity of your letter will not be appreciated.
Introductions
19. The main points to remember regarding introductions:
a. A gentleman is introduced to a lady.
b. A single woman is introduced to a married woman
c. A younger man is introduced to an older man
d. A junior officer is introduced to a senior officer
21. There is only one correct mode of greeting the person to whom you have been introduced and that is to say “How do you do”. This question is rhetorical and is always left unanswered. When shaking hands remove, if applicable, your glove. Be definite and brief when shaking hands: a tentative paw is just as objectionable as a bone crushing grasp.
With this and the many other useful tips previously mention I am sure you and Mrs MM will sail through.
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I still have a pristine copy of 'Officer Behaviour' issued to me on 109 in 1988. Oft wondered who the fine upstanding chap and chapess on the front cover were, and where are they now......
And remember, NEVER, ever, fold a used linen napkin, at the end of a meal unless you are staying in the house for subsequent meals. You were warned (p17)
And remember, NEVER, ever, fold a used linen napkin, at the end of a meal unless you are staying in the house for subsequent meals. You were warned (p17)
...and elocution lessons would not give them time to be understood in Hampshire. Whilst regional accents are a requirement for employment in the BBC it has not as yet filtered down to rural Hants.
Red On, Green On
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Reminds me of when the current Mrs Mechta, who hails from the West coast of Scotland, came on the scene. Mrs Mechta Senior (Hampshire born & bred) asked Mechta Minor, then aged four, what he thought of Mrs Mechta. His reply, "Oh, she's very nice. She's foreign, but she has learnt some English."
In the early 80s a fellow flight commander at Cranwell (P... Cong...?) wrote an updated guide for young officers called, if I remember correctly, "Behind the Hangar Doors". I have a copy somewhere. I must see if I can find it.