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?

Why would anyone give a sh1t what he thinks?

CG

Maybe , but I did notice the longest way up, shortest way down :)

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 ?.

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

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;)

Self and another chap were selected as squadron standard bearers (I was the reserve) and attended a 2 day course with QCS SNCOs at Uxbridge to lick our drill into shape. Other than at weddings I doubt if your average squadron Joe ever even wears a sword in his career!

A sword is a dangerous weapon, particularly in RAF hands. Where are Health and Safety when you need them?

Pretty much sums up my view.

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.

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.............

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 !

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!

Always been curious - why do the Navy salute with their hand flat and the Army and FAF with their hand vertical?

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...!

When I was taught at BRNC, we were told it was due to Queen Victorias dismay at the dirty state of Jolly Jacks hands, due to the tar and pitch from the rigging, so salutes were palm down from then on. Same with the loyal toast, the Navy stays sitting, because Charles 1st stood up for his toast, banged his head and was not amused.

Far Green - always understood the RN looking for a distant horizon; Army and RAF following knightly tradition of showing an open, ie unarmed, hand.

CathayBrat ... concur on both counts. :cool:


Let go for'ard, let go aft, hard a port and slow ahead together

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!