talk_shy_tall_knight (or should that be talk_shy_tall_the_time? :E)

Hey, I'm pretty sure that "Geezers in Black Furry Hats" don't cost £20M a year for the same footprint of personnel. Also, they and the "Blurdy Horse" riders actually go on operations whilst still supporting ceremonial duties; sadly some never come home...here are those lost in the past year:

Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate from the Household Cavalry Regiment, serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, was killed by a grenade attack on the afternoon of 26 March 2010.

Lance Sergeant David 'Davey' Walker, of 1st Battalion Scots Guards, was killed as a result of enemy fire in northern Nad' Ali on 18 February 2010.

Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was killed when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device, near Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, on Saturday 13 February 2010.

Lance Corporal Darren Hicks from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards was killed as a result of an explosion in the Babaji district of central Helmand province, Afghanistan on Thursday 11 February 2010.

Acting Sergeant John Paxton Amer of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards died from wounds sustained as a result of an explosion that happened in the Babaji area of central Helmand province on 30 November 2009.

Lance Corporal James Hill of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards was killed as a result of an explosion near Camp Bastion in Helmand Province on Thursday 8 October 2009.

Guardsman Jamie Janes, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was killed as a result of an explosion that happened whilst on a foot patrol near to Nad e-Ali district centre in central Helmand province on Monday 5 October 2009.

Guardsman Christopher King, of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, was killed following an improvised explosive device explosion in the Nad e-Ali district, Helmand province, on 22 July 2009.

Lance Corporal Dane Elson from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was killed in Afghanistan on 5 July 2009.

Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and Trooper Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment were killed by an explosion whilst on convoy along the Shamalan Canal, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Wednesday 1 July 2009.

Major Sean Birchall, from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed in by an explosion whilst on patrol in Basharan, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan on 19 June 2009.

Lieutenant Mark Lawrence Evison of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards died of wounds sustained in Afghanistan at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham on 12 May 2009.

Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous from 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was killed in Afghanistan on 28 April 2009.

Sadly, there are many more that will never be fit for ceremonial duties again with missing limbs and other serious injuries.

I would ajudge that these ceremonial units are "pulling their weight" - can you honestly compare them and their sacrifice to that of the Reds? :ugh:

By the way, I am not pro-Pongo, but having been to the odd PB and FOB in AFG I do have the utmost of respect for what they are doing at present.

Rant over

The B Word

B Word

Thanks for adding a bit of context to this discussion.

At the risk of thread drift this struck me:

Duke of York's 'voluptuous' new equerry looks like Sarah Ferguson - Telegraph

Chinook240

So, I guess HRH is a fan of the "Ginger Fringe" and the associated complications that comes with it then? :E

Hmm, when I saw RAFAT I immediately thought RAF Air Transport.

Ah, well, there's me thinking the raf had a job to do.

The B word

Thankfully your rant is over. It always helps to put things into context.

Thanks also for your lesson on what the Household do in theatre. Actually, like yourself I have also "been to the odd PB and FOB in AFG " and am in the business of moving the "Geezers in Black Furry Hats" around the place, while they're there. I'm not going to get into the whole business of pointing out that the Reds crews and support staff have invariably previously been to theatre, I assume that's common knowledge. Neither am I going to cut and paste any kind of list by way of a pissing match. That frankly would be just wrong.:=

If we can return to the context of my post. In response to the comment "Hardly surprising that the Brown Jobs have such a derogatory view of the Light Blue is it?" which itself was in respect of the fact that while we appear to be making cutbacks in front-line capability, we still maintain some 'ceremonial' assets, I was merely trying to point out that we are not the only ones. As regards the actual figures in £ notes that each service spends, frankly I haven’t a clue. Jets are not cheap, neither are hundreds of bloody great horses and thousands of elaborate uniforms and drums and not least the Real estate in Central London to keep them all in. Then there's the argument against how much income each brings in, does it offset the cost? blah blah.

It's an argument that has been done many times before and is pretty pointless anyway.

Finally

"talk_shy_tall_knight (or should that be talk_shy_tall_the_time? )"

No you see I've already done the joke in the username, you've effectively just done the same joke.

Here's the easy answer to the problem of the pilots not being on the front line! :E

PICTURES: Farnborough beckons for Italian UAV display team

I would actually go out of my way to watch that - far more technically impressive and relvant than the Reds.

BAe could adapt their multi-aircraft mission system to do something similar.

April Fool, TS. :ok:

Here's some more news on the Reds:

Red Arrows to re-equip with Harriers?: key.Aero, Airshows

Something in the air.
 

Hmm, is that pigs, sheep horses or bull***t I smell here??

It did strike me during my last wander down Buck House way that the marching about and stamping could easily be contracted out to a commercial organisation, freeing up some soldiers for proper soldierly duties. We're not forming up in squares on the battle fields of Europe any more, so there's no need for soldiers to be dressing up in historical fancy dress for the benefit of the tourists. They're fighting men and we need them on the job.

The same goes for the RAF Regiment Colour Squadron. Very smart, but what's that all about? Silent Drill and chucking rifles about like a bunch of US Marines? Sergeant Stoneman will be turning in his grave.

Come on guys, it's a bit more than just stomping around - they are guarding the Queen and also some other important assets. I don't think that they use rubber bayonets just yet (but I'm sure that HSE would like them to).

http://www.rafregiment.net/images/QCSgaurdchange.JPG

Yes, we could subcontract QCS and the Guardsmen, but surely the Reds would be easier to contract out - how about "The Blades" who I think are 3/4s Red Arrows anyway? They would have to trade in their Extra 300 lawn strimmers though!

http://www.theblades.biz/photos/imag...20Arrow177.jpg

Finally, don't forget that the aerobatic team would have no combat role unlike the Guardsmen. So subcontracting would be "simples"...

LJ :ok: