Ah, things were in black and white in those days😊

And there's No Red Port Left!

To be fair, there's not a few car drivers that could do with driving gloves (remember the string-backed variety?) labelled with offside and nearside. Need to be Velcro™ attached so the labels can be swapped and used 'sur le continent'.

I've met many people who need to use a scar, or some other very slight physical deformity to remember their right and left, including a chap who had had the two most distal phalanges of a finger amputated by an industrial accident. That aspect of the trauma was beneficial, he said.

I was told the following story by someone who used to work in a military recruiting office, in the days when they still existed on the high street, and were manned by serving military personnel - and they assured me it was true!

It was a tri service office, with an Army desk, Navy desk and RAF desk. The entrance to the recruiting office from the high street was via a sort of air lock, two sets of see through glass swing doors. But one set opened one way, and the next set the opposite - so one was pull, the next push, or vice versa. Anyway, it became apparent that, in the vast majority of cases, the way the applicant entered the office was indicative of which service they wanted to join...

If the applicant passed seamlessly through the two sets of doors they invariably went to the Navy desk. If they struggled a bit but got through quite quickly they went to the RAF desk. If they were still struggling after a while the Army recruiter went and got them and took them to the Army desk.....

Well, as I've already said, my friend did say this was a true story...

Ghastly, lowering of standards but Old-school, classic upbringing (Dad a Colonel) and schooling. Total dumbing down. I would have great difficulty in any disciplinary confrontation being taken apart by some irk with a neck-tattoo snaking into his left ear-ole. The scenario is unlikely on many counts but good grief. This is just the trend towards full frontal nudity. I do recoil in horror.

Just a thought, if one classed a pedant (sic) as a person - hence a proper noun, should it be capitalised?

No more necessary than to capitalise the word appying to the people who don't understand the word 'pedant', ie fools.

Pray demonstrate your personal understanding.

I always thought a pedant was a shiny thing around the neck of a poor speller!

I can’t resist.
 

You can probably predict my take on things.

As much as I’m sure the Royal Marines rue the day they stopped making their men wear neck straps and the infantry stopped wearing puttees and men stopped wearing their hair in pigtails they all had to accept, as must we, that times and fashions change.

I would personally never get a tattoo and I may question the choices of someone who decides to cover their body with ink but it’s none of my damned business. If it doesn’t stop them flying a jet, driving a boat or shooting a weapon then I really can’t get bent out of shape about it.

If it also means that we get the right brand of rough (hu)man who stands ready in the night to visit harm upon those that wish us harm (paraphrasing slightly) then let them join.

BV

I'll just say, that with all we get to hear about HM Forcs today, it figures!

FB

Forks?

Ermm.... yeah, ok, right!

FB

There are pedants about, however defined, for forks sake.

Exactly what I'm saying!:ok:

FB

I wonder what they will deem as offensive tattoo’s

I mean a tattoo or a big pair of lips with a tongue sticking out might be inoffensive​​​​​​, but tattooed on the palm of one’s saluting hand may not be seen as appropriate.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2e79d5448.jpeg

There was a joke about a young fella going into the gents and taking a peek at a large black fella’s penis to see if the rumours were true..he spied WENDY tattooed on said appendage. Having been noticed by the tattooed fella (I’ve done the same with a jazz singer embarrassingly) he says I’ve got a girlfriend called WENDY as well! Reply “ no son that’s welcome to Jamaica have a nice day”.

Baffles me why anyone would want a tattoo of a hand!! :p

BV, I'm with you. If there is someone who is ready to kill my country's enemy, then I don't give a damn what they look like. I'm old-school, pre woke, and colour, religion, sexual orientation etc are irrelevant. Why get excited about tattoos?

was that racist joke from back in the 1970s?