Operation Cancel Xmas
 

Again. Traditions die hard. Is it just the army, or are navy and RAF units on standby as well?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/l...oops-sr0z2wl6h

Leave may be postponed for troops

Christmas leave for 10,000 troops may be interrupted or postponed as taskings mount up on the “overstretched” army.

The service is performing numerous roles in support of the government’s coronavirus response, including mass testing, as part of Operation Rescript.

A winter support force of 7,500 personnel has been stood up by the Ministry of Defence to assist other Whitehall departments, with 2,000 troops deployed to Liverpool for the city-wide mass testing pilot.

Soldiers are also on notice to help manage flooding crises as well as preparations for the end of the Brexit transition period, including a “no deal” outcome, on December 31.

Jeremy Quin, defence procurement minister, has said that the armed forces are involved in 41 “military aid to the civilian authorities” (Maca) tasks relating to Covid-19......

A defence source said: “Of course some troops might be working over Christmas — we wouldn’t expect doctors and nurses to take it off.”

An army source told The Times: “It’s prudent and judicious planning to make sure we’ve got the nation’s back as an insurance policy if other government departments ask us to do things.

“There’s an expectation that that’s the kind of lifestyle you sign up to. That’s why people join the forces. We’re always on some form of readiness, as plans develop and change. Whether it’s flooding or something else, we’re always there and ready to go.”

Anyone unable to take leave over the holidays will be guaranteed time off in the new year instead, it is understood......

The Ministry of Defence said: “The nation’s armed forces will do whatever is necessary to protect this country... Thousands of public servants from the emergency services, the NHS, the armed forces and local government around the country will be on call this Christmas.”

Christmas comes but once a firkin ...

and when it comes,

I`m firkin` workin`

Slow news day??

Maybe times have changed but back in 75 (oh lordy I'm old) I signed up for a job which entailed 356/24/7 working. Nobody forced me. It was a great job, well paid, many perks, tons of down time, couple of fire fights (something else I signed on for) and by and large I could leave when I wanted if the going got too tough. Which it never did (I was pulled out, not pushed out).

And now I'm enjoying a pension the likes of which 99% of folks in civvy street can only dream of.

Are the miltary working over christmas...I ****ing hope so!!! It's their job.

PS Worked 7 xmas days as far as I can recollect, one of which was spent looking for a missing trawler, which was already in port :)

If you can't take a joke etc etc...true in 75, still true today

/thread

I don’t think the armed forces are complaining - it’s part of the job. I’ve worked over Christmas Day 25 times so far and that’s part of the job, too.

As has been said, a slow news day. What’s next? “Doctors and nurses may have more to do during pandemic”?

Is that all? As an FC we worked 24/7/365 as a matter of necessity and, as a singly, I was always either tasked, or volunteered, to work over Xmas so the married watchkeepers could get home to their families.

Still, the Russians quite often came down to keep us company, and on our toes...

To the matter in hand. Military Aid to the Civil Powers is supposed to be for unexpected emergencies.

With 4 years to plan and recruit manpower for Brexit, and 9 months to prepare for a winter of Covid, having the armed forces involved in 41 MACA tasks seems more like incompetence than necessity....

So you managed to get at least 9 days off a year then

I'm with ORAC on this one. Christmas and New Year were just normal working weeks and if you got one of them off it was a bonus. Likewise, weekends and Bank Holidays. If you don't like it, leave.
I also agree about Government incompetence. The dawn of the career politician was the beginning of the end for 'Great' Britain.

I remember it the other way round. Singlys got priority/favoured to try and get xmas off so they could go home to their families, as the married folk were already with their families. Then in the summer months it was the other way round, so married folk could get away with the kids over the school summer holidays.

I suppose it's no longer possible to swap a Christmas with a Hogmanay, if you have a Scottish mate?

One of my tricks was to volunteer for the Easter Grant, so if there was any "discussion" about who got off at xmas, I could always say, "well I worked the Easter Grant".

As a Singly doing Q over Christmas in RAFG we blew the extra Christmas budget on stuff to make it more enjoyable like Video rentals, sweets etc, stuff the Christmas decorations the budget was for... but one guy managed to whistle up a newspaper Christmas tree similar to the items he used to make in primary school..
We were sorted, we had a tree with cut up page three's on, stacks of films to watch, lots of sweets and stuff.. and our favourite duty cook whistled up some stunning Christmas fare..

and then the Station commander decided to visit the troops working over Christmas and saw us all sitting watching TV, our wilting Newspaper Christmas tree in the corner.. He was not impressed and sent his oppo off to the Officers Mess to bring back lots of goodies, a proper tree and decorations for us... saying when the QRA permanent staff Sgt comes back after the hols he would have words.. oops

:)

Eight years' service, no Christmas duties. Ever. I'll get my coat...

CG

I worked in the offshore industry all my life. Like you, weekend, public holidays etc didn't exist, so I did my fare share.
Sadly, it goes with the territory.

What's reassuring is that we actually do have trained professionals around to help out when needed.

Thanks to all of you who'll be on duty this year.

You are CAS and I claim my £5!

What's so special about Christmas anyhow, cold wet miserable and nothing on the telly

At least Buster and Co had the right idea

I must admit, my three years in RAFG I never came home for it, Christmas Day started off in the Ahem...WRAF block for a Champagne breakfast and tended to follow the alcoholic theme for several days... :)

I must admit receiving a letter from my dear old Mum during my tour and wondering If something drastically bad had happened as she never wrote to me normally... opening it, it read..

Dear Son,

Are you still alive?

Love Mum

:rolleyes:

That was it... nothing else lol, ohhh I wish I’d kept it. The rest of the family couldn’t believe it... still to be fair I hadn’t called her in over a year.. 😬🤭

I am reminded that my mother asked me why I hadn’t written a letter home for the first 4 months I spent in the Falklands.

Apparently my response that nothing had happened didn’t impress....

One in 24 years. I'll join you. :ok:

Mind you as a Police pilot after I left, just about every other one. :cool:

There were lots of jobs in and attached to the RAF requiring manning [oops! staffing] 365/7/24. Christmas, New Year duties and summer holiday periods were regulated by good bosses such that there were fair distributions. The real problem was 3 years or so tours of duty.], which implied a few short straws.
My solution was to volunteer early in the the tour for the crap shifts, and hope the boss stayed long enough to remember.
I came unstuck one year when, having virtually foregone summer leave, and desiring a LONG break next summer, the boss changed. Into a bastard.