Was once sailing on a vic 34 out of gosport, we were flying the raf ensign and were well out to sea somewhere, USN comes past in a big big big carrier doing about, oh lots of tied bits of string. we dipped the flag. The response was truly awesome..... Flags, horns, salutes etc..

If you've ever seen one underway from the water you know how big they are....

C-S, sorry to be dull, but what does dipping the flag mean? Should know, but don't!

To dip the ensign is to lower and rehoist it as a salute.

USN regulations require the salute to be returned to whoever renders it.

I spent a fascinating few months at Greenwich on a staff college thingy. The Navy were punctilious at having the first lieutenant at the gate as RN ships webnt up and down the Thames, taking or giving salutes according to the seniority of the skipper. As the college had a 2 star head it (she?) was senior to most captains, so the boat did the saluting.

We also had cabins instead of rooms, sat down to toast the queen and went overboard if we walked on the grass. Run ashores were fun though, but I digress.

As for saluting Blair? No thanks.

I escorted a friend to Haslar once and sailor types were saluting when they got to the top of a set of stairs (ladder?). Strange people.

We RAF chaps rose above it as we so often do by removing our head dress. No head dress , no saluting.;)

Ok wet blanket I will bite..............

Its a tradition thing................something you will be unfamiliar with.

Wouldn't salute the PM, his arse or his ugly wife. Not in the past, now or ever.

Off Florida our cruise ship saluted another. The latter, a Disney ship, dipped in turn and also played Wish Upon a Star :)

As for politicians, I always remember their basic pay was the same as a sqn ldr. I treat them accordingly.

PS, I also remember how young they are too :}

THS

seems a little crass to try and avoid others' traditions by breaking one's own rules and removing hats... You could have just got on with it as we expect visitors to RAF Stations to do...

Then again, maybe you are particularly special and able to rise above everything you consider to be below you.

I've just checked my 1962 copy of Gg Capt Stradling's 'Customs of the Services', which, by the way, was first published in 1937 as 'Customs of the Service' (note singular). It became 'Customs of the Services' in 1947 when the other Services realised that they couldn't write anything longer than a short post on the website-equivalents of the era. It has 13 pages on saluting but there is no mention of saluting PMs or wives; to me, that means 'don't', but consider your career prospects as you 'don't'. When I was in MoD a new version was being drafted but I don't know how far that got. BTW, Stradling states that one shouldn't salute unforms in a military tailor's window or the National Anthem blaring out of a set being demonstrated at a 'wireless shop'. D*mn, I wish I had read that bit all those years ago; I would have made much quicker progress down the high street.

Jungly
You remind me of a discussion I had in the presence of assorted pongoes and fishheads. I said something along the lines of '.....and it is a tradition in the RAF that....' and a pongo interrupted to say '....dating right back to 1983!' Quite witty for a pongo, I though.

Of course not, being ex-Army and all and the Army being so short of tradition.

:p

My old regiment even marched at a faster pace, a tradition thing no less.

I don't know which RAF you are in but I was always taught to remove ones head dress indoors unless in Handbrake House or going into an officers office. The set of stairs (ladder) at Hasler was in neither what I would see as SHQ nor was I entering an officers office.

In an increasingly bland world, it is surely a very good thing that the boat people stick to their mysterious 'Jackspeak' and traditions!

A shame that the rum ration ended though.

and the lash?

Beagle when you were in............we still had powder monkeys!!!!!!!!!

THS, then you have always been taught incorrectly, there is no instruction for one to remove headress as one walks through a door into a building.

Anyway, your initial post suggested that you removed it so you didn't have to join in with the traditions at the Unit you were at. It is that, and the ';)' that suggest you think it is clever which is sad...

Wet Blanket,

As you have decided to call people that are in a service blessed with tradtions "strange", then logically, as a former army chap (do you like collecting different uniforms?) which as you pointed out also has traditions, then are you not "strange" too?? (by your own warped standards)
:rolleyes:

Actually 'South Bound' the ';) ' was a tongue in cheek reference to the oft noted ability for RAF rank and file to be able to spot a saluting 'opportunity' and avoid with the speed and stealth of an underwater knife fighting instructor.
I guess tongue in cheek doesn't come across to well on the internet.
BTW,
I didn't mean must remove headdress but can remove headdress, except in the exceptions I mentioned.


Yes 'Strict Jungly' , I would definately call myself strange.

My favourite was the padre at the apprentice college Arborfield in the early 70's, Basil Pratt .

On his travels with apprentices passing him by on both sides saluting he used to return the salute with both hands simultaneously.

If I remember correctly he was a an olympic canooist and also the padre on the Zaire river expedition.

Famous for telling the assembled throng at a passing out parade service that he knew what his nickname was with the apprentices.

"Bas the Spaz"

Try getting away with that now.

Slight tangent
 

Helpful Stacker's reference to the posties at serial 7 brought back a good ceremonial memory.

Early 90s and a demobbed SAC answers his front door to a postie with a recorded delivery. While the postie turns to go the young man realises from the print on the package that this must be his Granby medal. So he hollers to the postie to come back.

"What's up mate? Problem with the delivery?"
"No, this is my Gulf War medal. And this is about as best a ceremony as I'm going to get to receive it - so please pin it on me now".
So with the ex-airman stood to attention the Postie ends up pinning the medal on his chest there on his front doorstep - just picture the scene (could even have been in his pyjamas). Not an everyday scene in Newcastle, but well done for the ex-airman's quick thinking.