ARmy Rumour SErvice

Ooh Retiiirrred! I thought you said Resiiigggned!



Call me Chas.

Cough.

I have in my sad little civil service job the pleasure of working with retired officers I take great pleasure in calling them Mr and not Maj/Col etc for some reason they get the hump over it.

Originally Posted by longlivethequeen

I have in my sad little civil service job the pleasure of working with retired officers I take great pleasure in calling them Mr and not Maj/Col etc for some reason they get the hump over it.

...and I imagine they take great pleasure in frequently having a little laugh at your expense. Incidentally - you don't work with them, you work for them.

Originally Posted by longlivethequeen

I have in my sad little civil service job the pleasure of working with retired officers I take great pleasure in calling them Mr and not Maj/Col etc for some reason they get the hump over it.

Only today got an email "Commodore RN" from an individual doing a very civvy job. No "Rtd"

Originally Posted by RumRationReject

Only today got an email "Commodore RN" from an individual doing a very civvy job. No "Rtd"

The walting Cunt. Commodore indeed. Here's a pic; put him on his toes.

Originally Posted by Biscuits_AB

I've met a few wankers who still feel the need to be referred to as 'Major', even though their deadwood regular commissioned careers ended way before they were pensioned. They used to be found en masse in Bde HQs and training establishments trying to relive what they never actually had. There's one who haunts this site.

Who, me?

Originally Posted by longlivethequeen

I have in my sad little civil service job the pleasure of working with retired officers I take great pleasure in calling them Mr and not Maj/Col etc for some reason they get the hump over it.

Can't imagine why it'd give you pleasure unless you're particularly bitter and twisted for some reason.

If they're ex regular and retired then they've earned their right to it's usage

How to address a Retired Army Officer - Forms of Address by Profession, Army Ranks

An officer on the Retired List does not lose his rank (because in our case it is one of several lists of officers from the Active List down to various RNR Lists). Unfortunately the Retired List is no longer published so you can't check up on individuals. The criterion for being placed on the list is sufficient service to receive a gratuity (one does not have to complete time for pension). Officers leaving earlier were placed on the Emergency List but were not entitled to continue using their rank. At least that is how it used to be. The extent to which a retired officer uses his rank in public depends on circumstances. There are rules somewhere about retired officers wearing uniform, and somewhere I believe there are rules about who is subject to recall and when. It is to be hoped that officers have sufficient social savvy to get these things right.

Quite separately, at the end of the war many officers who were 'temporary' received a letter thanking them for their services and authorising them to continue using their rank. However there are fewer and fewer left of those.