In my day QR's were the all service bit.

We had AMO's for our unique bits!

Ian - it must have changed the day you left then

Queen's Regulations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ;)

It's 1970 something, and I am doing a tour as a Corporal A. tech A at Cranditz. As many if you gentlemen! Will know, the station parades were always practised on the small parade square in front of the H Block accommodation, across the road from the famous orange. One of my SAC's (known as "Punkah Wallah"), passing, and noticing the SWO taking an evening drill practice for an upcoming parade, decide to apply some abuse to "the Tate and Lyle wearer". Having shouted his finest profanities towards the said bearer of the stick, he made a run for the door in the corridor joining the two halves of the H block. Ooops, door was locked, oops, no escape. Punkah did not enjoy his Jankers, but the SWO did.:oh:

Going back as far as WW1 and before all other ranks carried a Swagger Stick at times, usually about two feet long and in many cases made of Malacca cane.

The Sgt's Mess belongs to the RSM and that includes any by-laws he may introduce. Visitors are expected to respect such laws, seniority doesn't come into it at any level. I never was in an Army mess that said the RSM had to be served first, frequently he wouldn't even be there. Any visitor of any rank that said there would be trouble if a beer wasn't produced within thirty seconds would most likely be invited to leave. In the Army a Wo's & Sgts Mess is just that, not some glorified RAF corporals club!:}

I think you will find that the Mess belongs to the sum of it's paying members, not one person...so glad I am not in a Mess that belong's to an RSM

I have only really been in combined messes.

But re WO's / Sgt's messes, isn't the RSM normally the PMC
by default ?

Agree with what Parabellum said, especially as a Visitor !

BB, Thanks for the polite way of telling me that I was wrong :oh:

But it hasn't mattered for 48 years :ok:

Technically yes and the RSMs I came across were usually democratic but the RSM, if present, is, in most cases, the final law, just tradition, often going back many, many decades. (PMC = President of the Messing Committee and responsible for the day to day running of the mess).

Nothing to do with SWOs, sticks or similar and apologies for the thread drift but ...

Quite ridiculous and just the sort of non-story that the Daily Wail delights in.

Why on earth should any world leader, let alone POTUS, be expected to be familiar with the minutiae of service regulations regarding deportment of different parts of their military? Even if those peeps are notionally 'guarding him' [when everyone knows it's the scary-looking chaps in plain suits with ear pieces and shades who really matter] why on earth shouldn't the leader of the greatest nation in the world ask the nearest serviceman or woman or two to hold up a brolly to save him from getting rained on while he's trying to give a speech??

Is the President of the United States of America important enough to warrant that or isn't he??

Just asking like...

You just break it putting it up, thus rendering the said brolley pointless, although ceremonial, are the Marines not also there as part of the security as is the case with the guards at Betty's London home.

In which case it is wrong to ask them to hold it, though tactfully they obliged whist probably thinking of 101 ways to stick the said brolley to Obama.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...26262246_n.jpg

Seems to be a common occurrence...and I would think Dubya needs it up the chuff WAAAAY before President Obama

#1 doesn't look like a military type holding the brolly. Could be C.I.A. I suppose; probably fires .44 cartridges too.

#s 2 &3 look like a Ranger holding the brolly? Maybe it's part of their kit. I really don't know, or indeed care.

Not an obama fan, that Marine should shove the brolly where the sun doesn't shine, although many folk seem to think it does indeed come from b.h.o's ass.