Saluting or waving?
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Saluting or waving?
Quote from Quentin Letts, Daily Mail, February 1.
(RAF Brize Norton Jan 31, at the arrival of 'Legover' Hollande)
''An RAF officer (Stevie Lushington) made one of those salutes that judders for half a minute after it has been made. Twangggg!''
With about 20 years experience / practicing you would think Stevie would know how to salute PERFECTLY, setting an example to his 'underlings'.
Army officers are much worse, often with the hand pointing vertically off the forearm's 45 degree angle, and waving furiously. A quite ridiculous posture!
Why are standards so sloppy these days?
(RAF Brize Norton Jan 31, at the arrival of 'Legover' Hollande)
''An RAF officer (Stevie Lushington) made one of those salutes that judders for half a minute after it has been made. Twangggg!''
With about 20 years experience / practicing you would think Stevie would know how to salute PERFECTLY, setting an example to his 'underlings'.
Army officers are much worse, often with the hand pointing vertically off the forearm's 45 degree angle, and waving furiously. A quite ridiculous posture!
Why are standards so sloppy these days?
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Maybe because the SWO, CSM or RSM's are not making sure JO's have been taught correctly and haven't done remedial training if required ?
Assuming the SWO and CSM's do Officer Sword and drill training in the UK ?.
Assuming the SWO and CSM's do Officer Sword and drill training in the UK ?.
Why are standards so sloppy these days? - Secret1
While we're at it, and further to 500N's post, the Staish's sword drill could also do with some attention, as I noted on the JB thread entitled ....
French President Standards Slipping .....
.... and so, as evidenced by BBC TV report on the meeting of Mr Cameron and Mr Hollande today, is the standard of sword drill displayed by the Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton .....
Jack
While we're at it, and further to 500N's post, the Staish's sword drill could also do with some attention, as I noted on the JB thread entitled ....
French President Standards Slipping .....
.... and so, as evidenced by BBC TV report on the meeting of Mr Cameron and Mr Hollande today, is the standard of sword drill displayed by the Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton .....
Jack
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Standards reflect the world we live in. Shame the military used to provide a lead on these matters - I do hope they still do. Having said that, drill never was my strongest point I had a most un-military like bearing. Was never picked for a parade
Assuming the SWO and CSM's do Officer Sword and drill training in the UK ?.
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Why would anyone give a sh1t what he thinks?
Letts is one of the most odious journos out there, who writes for a rag of a newspaper that should never be seen anywhere but in the bottom of a bird cage.
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As a very junior officer I was let loose with QCS to do a few stints at 'Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace'.....I remember with great fondness the weeks of painful one-on-one sessions with the squadron WO on the Uxbridge parade square before I was let loose in front of Joe Public.
By the end of it all I could muster a reasonable bit of sword action and generate copious amounts of 'Seg' sparks when doing the trademark 'sliding' halt! Never quite managed to get any 'revurb' in my saluting though...left that all to the troops who could get a good 30 seconds of 'twanging' when required.............
By the end of it all I could muster a reasonable bit of sword action and generate copious amounts of 'Seg' sparks when doing the trademark 'sliding' halt! Never quite managed to get any 'revurb' in my saluting though...left that all to the troops who could get a good 30 seconds of 'twanging' when required.............
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I do remember one fellow officer who made the CSM despair over his sword drill.
From memory the infantry set took over the next practice !
From memory the infantry set took over the next practice !
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Following graduation from OCTU (where most drill was with a rifle), I only touched a sword once - at OCC - and even then it was a practice sword! Not bad for nearly 34 years service.
As an afterthought - if it is seen that standards are slipping then I suspect that a sword drill computer training package will be produced that all JOs have to complete every year with threats of disciplinary action if they don't have the tick in time!
As an afterthought - if it is seen that standards are slipping then I suspect that a sword drill computer training package will be produced that all JOs have to complete every year with threats of disciplinary action if they don't have the tick in time!
Ricardian - great clip... I'm going to look out that film.
Highly amusing (how fast can an RSM/CSM actually issue instructions, salute, for the correct rendering of) but at the same time, cringe-worthy...
Marching up and down the square...!
Highly amusing (how fast can an RSM/CSM actually issue instructions, salute, for the correct rendering of) but at the same time, cringe-worthy...
Marching up and down the square...!
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Always been curious - why do the Navy salute with their hand flat and the Army and FAF with their hand vertical?
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CathayBrat ... concur on both counts. 
Let go for'ard, let go aft, hard a port and slow ahead together
Let go for'ard, let go aft, hard a port and slow ahead together
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Like Wensleydale apart from sword training at IOT, which was not required in anger as I was one of the 'bods' on the grad parade, the opportunities to wield one have been minimal, limited to a few weddings only. One of the weddings was in a slightly rough north-eastern town where I actually felt safer walking to & from the church for having said weapon on my person!