Thread: Forces accomdation - General speaks out.

There’s a few people on the BBC have your say saying that their time in the forces back in the day, NCOs and Officers done regular inspections to make sure the place was kept clean. What’s the difference between then and now? I’m guessing the person is saying that barracks were inspected but the issue is with accommodation that’s not inspected?

Originally Posted by tearsbeforebedtime

"One soldier mentioned that there was a large mushroom growing above his bed. Pick it off and wipe the area with some bleach and it will be gone."

Steve Jones, Plymouth Steve is assuming that the soldier is not living in a Victorian barrack room with a ceiling 3 metres high - but yes he could cut it down and do a bit of simple self-help

Think he missed the point that I have no mushrooms growing in my flat due to central heating keeping the place warm and more importantly DRY.
That assumes that the barrack's central heating works, that it can be controlled by the individual and that the roof hasn't been leaking for the last two years (like my current mess)

"The BBC should come to see my classroom. I am a teacher.Its appalling. What is more improtant? Our next generation is having to be taught in this slum which passes as my teaching base. The army's whingeing doesnt hold water with me."

Kibster

I fear with teachers like this the battle for the next generation is already lost...

Yep - you are right

It's all bolleaux and I have written to the beeb to tell them so. Who the hell would live in accom like that? Not even the feckin Pioneer Corps. What sgt would let his troop take over accom without even cleaning it.

That was pure ming and the only people who live with ming are mingers. I've lived in tents which were cleaner.

So the entire story is rubbish - as always. Concocted, invented and not true. No soldier would live that way.

Originally Posted by Major_Blink

This is what life is like in Dalton Barracks, Abingdon


The Officers’ Mess needs work to comply with current fire legislation (est 70k), that money has not been found despite it being on a works services priority for the last two years. The consequence has been the closure of a complete wing. The Commanding Officer has to take the health and safety of his officers at risk. The decision point is about to be reached, where the CO has told the chain of command that unless rectification work is started in the next month 35 living-in single officers will be moved into private accommodation in Abingdon, (at a cost in the first 6 months that far exceed the work required to the Mess), needless to say there is rarely any hot water either.

The soldiers are in just as bad accommodation. Only one block is Grade 1, so 150 solders have the ‘jam tomorrow’ promised accommodation. The vast majority live in accommodation not changed since being built in 1932, except that no money has been spent since.

Let me give you just one example of the service we have to put up with and manage in terms of the soldiers expectations. New white goods were purchased under a budgetary funding line to provide new washing machines and dryers for every wing of every block. They arrived brand new, but when they were placed in the accommodation it was found that the plumbing and water pressure in the accommodation could not sustain their usage – so they were withdrawn and remain in our QM’s store! No money to update the plumbing.

We were informed at the beginning of this FY that all works services (ie infrastructure repair) was to be frozen within Abingdon (it actually was much more wide spread within the region). The impact of this was that simple repairs, loo seats, broken showers went un-repaired. I had to explain this to my soldiers. The position changed in the second half of the FY and we now have a slightly improved situation.

Finally the most disgraceful situation is that our medical centre is not fit for purpose. The Army Primary Health Care service has stated that the med centre it is not fit for its clinical need, yet monies needed for refurbishment or replacement do not exist. We have to employ a corporal to drive a mini bus of sick soldiers to Aldershot to be treated in Frimely Park instead. Yet both regiment are trying to generate fit soldiers for Iraq and Afgan next year. Commander Field Army has visited Abingdon, it remains 4 Div’s highest priority, yet all we see are aspirations and promises. I will not discuss the holes in the roads, no lighting across the camp, but guess what the chain of command’s solution is – they are trying to squeeze another Regiment in here in 2008!!

Thanks for posting that, it gives a real insight for those of us on the outside.

Regards,

Ex STAB

Originally Posted by luke

What an awful choice of picture from the beeb, that bath isn't due to poor accomodation (of which there are thousands of images to more suitably illustrate this), it's because some minger(s) haven't bothered cleaning it for months.

Great that this is getting some exposure, but not like this.

I would have to agree; you would need to be an ayslum seeker to have a bath like that in your accommodation.
Please don't don't tell me standards have slipped that much since I have been out.

Originally Posted by Henry_Tombs

Originally Posted by luke

What an awful choice of picture from the beeb, that bath isn't due to poor accomodation (of which there are thousands of images to more suitably illustrate this), it's because some minger(s) haven't bothered cleaning it for months.

Great that this is getting some exposure, but not like this.

I would have to agree; you would need to be an ayslum seeker to have a bath like that in your accommodation.
Please don't don't tell me standards have slipped that much since I have been out.

There has been absolutely no clarification of the picture what so ever. I expect its from a set of ablutions that has been put out of bounds due to outstanding work etc, and give it a few months thats what it would look like. If that bath is in use, someones head needs to roll, and i'd start with the block NCO's.

News24 is showing the photos over and over, with much better clarity than the website. There is dirt in the soap dishes and the crap on the floor of the bath is peeling off in one corner.

This looks mightily like a jape by one of the boys.


They read out some emails including one purporting to be from a pads wife of some 20 years service. She said that how could You trust single guys to look after a block when it isn't their own.

She's obviously never had a block inspection

from the Beeb's comments page

I'm afraid the fauilt for this lies with Mrs Thatcher - and I speak as a Tory supporter and former service dependant. Married quarters and the estate used to be controlled by the services but Mrs T saw fit to hand it to a private sector interested only in their profit. They have captive tenants who cannot easily afford to live anywhere else.

We wouldnt have given the 'bath' pic such prominence on the BAFF website. However, the state of the bottom of the bath could well be indicative of a blocked drain or waste water backing up - a serious plumbing issue - and poor cleansing drills by the users does not account for the missing tiles etc.

BAFF have asked for pics of GOOD accommodation as well as the bad. I was pleased to see that Paul Wood's BBC TV report showed some excellent modern accommodation and dining facilities. But let's not kid the public that all SLA is of that high standard.

cheers, D.Y.

It was disappointing the BAFF campaign did not get a mention in that report.

i'm in a 1930s block

never any hot water or fuk all... its in sh1t state

loads of new blocks been built on vimy aswell.. wouldnt mind livin in 1

Just so you don't all feel special by having these great buildings (and I'm just lucky I don't live here) but my work place is still using buildings built in the 1940's with similar standards to those you describe....no hot water, heating leaking steam causing corrosion and damp, tiles missing from toilets, flooding over the floor from blocked drains etc etc etc.....

But then again what do you expect when someone gets a bonus relating to how little of the infrastructure budget they spend in a year.

It happens in the civii world as well, We are just lucky we only have to spend 9 hours a day in it.

S_R

Originally Posted by Sympathetic_Reaction

Just so you don't all feel special by having these great buildings (and I'm just lucky I don't live here) but my work place is still using buildings built in the 1940's with similar standards to those you describe....no hot water, heating leaking steam causing corrosion and damp, tiles missing from toilets, flooding over the floor from blocked drains etc etc etc.....

But then again what do you expect when someone gets a bonus relating to how little of the infrastructure budget they spend in a year.

It happens in the civii world as well, We are just lucky we only have to spend 9 hours a day in it.

S_R

Do You work in an area that is exempt from H and S rules?

BAFF on Radio 4 now...

Originally Posted by Sven

Do You work in an area that is exempt from H and S rules?

No, just an old site which has suffered since being privatised through lack of investment.

They are working on it ..... in the same way that the MOD are, slowly and with painful lack of consitancy. They will spend millions on a new building but not thousands keeping the old ones up to scratch.

S_R