I do believe, by virtue of his full corporal status and serving with the Household Division in London District, said soldier is/ was appointed a lance-sergeant and therefore to be addressed as sergeant. However, the surname confusion should have embarrassed Dave.

Ever

Calm down Jayteeto - it's only an advert! (at the moment).

There is, of course, the 'reverse insult'. In this case somebody expecting a hard time gets given the sweetest of of 'rides' and every courtesy and that can really knock them back.

However, as I have often told younger members of the human race: courtesy costs nothing.

O-D

At OTU the Commandant had a habit of wandering through the lines after lectures, when we were sitting around outside our rooms polishing boots etc, usually wearing footy shorts, singlets and general muck order. Of course, as soon as he appeared we had to leap up and stand fast. On these expeditions, he was usually preceded by his pet labrador dog.
One afternoon the dog appeared at on end of the lines, so everyone stood fast. The Commandant appeared at the other end of the lines, to find a dozen occifer cadets paying compliments to his dog. "You, you, you...etc, take an extra."

Minor thread drift. When did the practice of 'thanking' people for a salute come into force? I was taught many, many years ago that it was not 'done,' a simple acknowledgement by way of 'good morning' or similar was all that was required coupled with the person's name if known.
'Thanking' was frowned on as was saying "Gawd bless 'er" at the end of the loyal toast.

Standing by for incoming!

West Drayton for Trade Training, So many baby Officers moving around I found it more useful to just salute everyone and suffer the bollickings.

Excellent :D :D

"Good Morning your m a j e s t y" at the same time lolol

Or isn't that sarcastic enough?

Advice given to National Servicemen apparently included:

- if you can't move it, paint it

- if you can move it, take it

- if it moves by itself, salute it

Melchett, no disrespect, when did you go through training? At my time it was when we delivered our calling cards.

As for Mrs Sqn Ldr, wife of a friend at Mess coffee morning went to join group of wives of similar age. She was directed to join the fg off/flt lt wives. Indeed much later Mrs PN was told not to join a group of 'execs' wives. Later, after Mrs Stn Cdr became Mrs ex-SC and took up a job shelf stacking in Budgens it was a pleasure stepping over her.

I think she did it deliberately as we knew who she was and how it would reflect on him. He still made 3*.

Melchett, your "................ Wives insisting on being saluted is up there with civil servant claiming to be ‘a wing commander equivalent’ " calls for a little amplification or clarification as seen from a civil servant's point of view.

My experience was narrow, being entirely scientific civil service, in Met Office MoD , usually serving on RAF stations or HQs. I never laid any such foolish claim, and neither did I hear any of my colleagues or staff being so silly. The idea of Equivalent Military Rank [EMR] seems to have been born of a need by the military [I suspect initailly the army] to place civilians in a hierarchy regarding civil/military relations.

An example. The newly appointed Director General of the Met Office announced his intention of visiting RAFG and BAOR Met Offices. Unprecedented to my certain knowledge. As C Met O I was cast in the unenviable role of gopher and bagman. I scuttled along to see my immediate RAF boss, SASO, with the dread news. He asked the obvious question, and the only answer that I could give was that the man was four grades senior to me at least. Thus a posh staff car, a service driver, the VIP suite in the mess, and a lot of tedious office visits for endless coffee and biscuits. At the time I was occupying a Gp Capts OMQ and paying Gp Capts Mess Subs and sitting above all the wing commanders at table. Apart from Mess staff, nobody ever called me sir, and I sirred all Air Commodores and above, of which there were a goodly number.

Far from Met staff getting silly ides, the EMR [or whatever euphemism was used] was necessary for the armed services to cope with these strange civvies. The civvies and their wives gave it not a thought apart from the grim struggle for a good Quarter, although in my previous three overseas tours we were told that if my wife took a job it had to be charitable rather than paid.

The subject of boasted equivalence is bound to annoy proper officers who have not only climbed the greasy pole but put their arses on the line: there can be no equivalence.

Melchett, thank you. I admit I said 'we were taught' not that that was the case when I finally retired a few years ago.

The other thing that lapsed was the formality of saluting on entering an office. Hats on was of course still the case even when I retired however for a routine visit almost everyone removes their cap on entering a building thus avoiding need to salute.

There was an OC Admin at Waddo who put out an order that people visiting SHQ were to wear headdress at all times. Well an order was an order.

Attending an Environmental meeting I sat there SD Hat on until OC SSS asked why. Take it off he said. The rule then died a death :)

Ad an aside, the cousins used to insist on uncovering on entering a building even to the extent of a soldier telling you to uncover.

Hat on and salute when entering the room for morning Met Brief also seemed to have died out in latter years...

Me to Mrs. Staircase;

'Good God, my simple question has produced 3 web pages of answers'

Mrs. Staircase;

'What a sad bunch of old geezers 'ppruners' are, with nothing else to do but discuss that sort of trivia all day!!'

But I think that Mrs Staircase might agree that it keeps us out of the way/trouble!!

Mrs Staircase seems to have uncanny access to our profiles....I salute her :)

Timelord, re your #2: Not just a cenotaph, any military grave or cemetery, was as we were taught in the 1960s.

... and any coffin at a funeral, and an uncased standard, and a Royal Artillery gun carriage (their equivalent of a standard apparently!)

Talk of the Privy Council reminds me of a good fit showing HM's sense of humour. At an early meeting (or possibly induction) of a number of Noo Labour Ministers, one of them - allegedly Clare Short - had a loud mobile 'phone go off in her handbag.

HM: "You'd better answer that Mrs Short - it might be someone important!"

TTH, I was with my colonel when a funeral cortège passed.* He snapped to attention and threw a smart salute.* This was not any particular cortège.

One wonders, in these days of political correctness, (and the absorption of the WRAF into the RAF) whether a junior officer also has to salute the husband of his senior officer, or indeed whether a female officer has to salute the wife of a fellow officer...... it all gets a bit complicated.

Not really complicated. You are saluting the Commission, not the individual. Saluting wives/husbands etc is a compliment, like raising one's hat, and is an optional act of courtesy

Westminster Abbey
 

Salute the cenotaph?

I use it as a convenient crossing point when dashing across Whitehall almost daily. Seeing as it is so close to Main Building a lot of military types do the same, both in and out of uniform. Never seen one salute it. Indeed that would look rather odd.

The Wing Commander was a mate of his Dad's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The same applies at all the war memorials on Remembrance parades and not just The Remembrance Day.

US style :
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...4OgeqMFix76TM9

I always remember Cockshell Heroes, Trevor Howard on the beach turns away after talking with Victor Madern. Madern salutes the departing Captain who, sight unseen, returns the salute knowing that the Sgt would have saluted him. Pure theatre of course.

I seem to remember Jack Hawkins in The Cruel Sea welcoming two new Sub Lts. On entering his office they both saluted and he said "Don´t salute me as I´m not wearing a hat and cannot return it.

BTW: As one who never made it past Junior Technician Melchetts comment re Cpls and Sgts went down really well.

In 1965 I was walking along Whitehall in civvies (no hat). In front of me was a man with hat (on head). From a building emerged a Guards warrant officer in 'full fig' with pace stick who came between us. We three, in our little column were approaching the cenotaph, when I heard this bellow from ahead: "Your hat Sir". Said man in front quickly whipped off his hat and the Guards WO, threw up the most immaculate salute I had seen. We carried on before breaking off to our own business - never forgotten it though.

Old Duffer

I always had my suspicions about you, CG, based on the fact that you usually stuck your tongue out at me..... :p

In truth, I was a good boy! More seriously, I took the oath and all that came with it (28 Aug 79, Cardiff); and don't feel released from it to this day. Back on task, I'm sure I saw a reg/rec in the drill bible (I was very bored) that anyone should salute on entering an office or workplace, even if senior to the occupants. A dream, perhaps?

CG

Once, driving by Ulceby Cross we spotted a memorial in the corner of the field. I spotted my sqn crest on the plinth. We stopped to look and pay respects. As it happens the was another car also there. As we approached the memorial we realised the men in the party are using it as a urinal with their girlfriends in the field on the other side.

They were very embarrassed when Mrs & me pitched up.

Originally posted by Melchett01
My first posting after BEs was directly to a squadron. My tech boss, O/C E&I section had a "thing" about Boy Entrants, he thought it unfair they should be promoted to SAC automatically six months after graduating.
When I later applied for my J/T course he rejected it whilst authorising a Direct Entrant colleague quite recently arrived on the station. I eventually completed the course and returned with a credit pass. He called me to his office and congratulated me on "proving him wrong" which I thought quite good of him. My opinion of the man was lowered to previous levels when he later refused to let me take my CPL. Tech exam. Nearly made me as bitter as him.

End of moan, feeling much better.