Originally Posted by tropper66

Stag, to stagger, to arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods, it's in the dictionary

Quite, all this other hoo-ha about decapitated deer and Highlander's hats is obvious Boll*cks. It comes from the staggered guard roster, the "stag list", I would have thought it was obvious, but then again maybe not unless you're an ex-Infanteer?

It comes from 'Static Guard' or 'Standing Guard'.

Originally Posted by Jaeger

Originally Posted by tropper66

Stag, to stagger, to arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods, it's in the dictionary

Quite, all this other hoo-ha about decapitated deer and Highlander's hats is obvious Boll*cks. It comes from the staggered guard roster, the "stag list", I would have thought it was obvious, but then again maybe not unless you're an ex-Infanteer?

well done!; I thought my April Fool was destined to be lost in the ARRSE vaults forever; pleased someone outed it. I've absolutly no idea what the true origins are myself.

Originally Posted by Jaeger

Originally Posted by tropper66

Stag, to stagger, to arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods, it's in the dictionary

Quite, all this other hoo-ha about decapitated deer and Highlander's hats is obvious Boll*cks. It comes from the staggered guard roster, the "stag list", I would have thought it was obvious, but then again maybe not unless you're an ex-Infanteer?

I think you are right. When is the first documented use of the term? Perhaps it is the Second World War? I donlt recall any of the IWM sound archives of WW1 veterans using the term.

Originally Posted by Bumper

I know, I know Sir............!

and this is not a wah before any stupid person challenges me.

"Cuidich 'N Righ!" which means, Save the King was the motto of the Queens Own Highlanders, (now the Highlanders after an act of vandalisim perpetrated by maggoty reptilian politicians left them amalgamated with the Gordons).

Cuidich 'N Righ! means "Help the King".

The story behind this motto is that king Alexander III was hunting in the forest of Mar and was unhorsed by an infuriated stag, which had been pursued by hounds. The story continues that the MacKenzie chief "Colin of Kintail" ran to the King's aid with the shout of "Cuidich 'n Righ", before killing the stag. In gratitude the King granted the use of a "Stags head CABOSHED" (cut off at the neck) as the armorial bearings of the MacKenzie of Seaforth, together with the motto "Cuidich n' Righ

The Seaforth and Camerons amalgamated in 1961 to form the QO Hldrs and the regiment bore the stags head and the motto as their cap badge, (though surmounted by the thistle and crown post amalgamation).

From the earliest days of the formation of the Seaforths then, being on sentry duty or, being in any position of vigilance or defence, was colloquially known as "stagging on."

From service with other regiments throughout the eighteenth century in India and South Africa the term spread until in common use by the rest of the Army.

There, I knew that would come in useful one day.

QOH hmmmmm...

Kaboshed... well that'll put the Kybosh on any other theory then...

See what I did there?

The "Crucified (Croocified) Moose" was also the cap badge of 3/51 A&SH (V) in the mid to late 80's IIRC.

The motto's are "Sans Puer" and "Ne..." something or other - I can never remember.

I'll pick up my Swinging Six on the way out...

Originally Posted by Sparky2339

Originally Posted by Bumper

I know, I know Sir............!

and this is not a wah before any stupid person challenges me.

"Cuidich 'N Righ!" which means, Save the King was the motto of the Queens Own Highlanders, (now the Highlanders after an act of vandalisim perpetrated by maggoty reptilian politicians left them amalgamated with the Gordons).

Cuidich 'N Righ! means "Help the King".

The story behind this motto is that king Alexander III was hunting in the forest of Mar and was unhorsed by an infuriated stag, which had been pursued by hounds. The story continues that the MacKenzie chief "Colin of Kintail" ran to the King's aid with the shout of "Cuidich 'n Righ", before killing the stag. In gratitude the King granted the use of a "Stags head CABOSHED" (cut off at the neck) as the armorial bearings of the MacKenzie of Seaforth, together with the motto "Cuidich n' Righ

The Seaforth and Camerons amalgamated in 1961 to form the QO Hldrs and the regiment bore the stags head and the motto as their cap badge, (though surmounted by the thistle and crown post amalgamation).

From the earliest days of the formation of the Seaforths then, being on sentry duty or, being in any position of vigilance or defence, was colloquially known as "stagging on."

From service with other regiments throughout the eighteenth century in India and South Africa the term spread until in common use by the rest of the Army.

There, I knew that would come in useful one day.

QOH hmmmmm...

Kaboshed... well that'll put the Kybosh on any other theory then...

See what I did there?

The "Crucified (Croocified) Moose" was also the cap badge of 3/51 A&SH (V) in the mid to late 80's IIRC.

The motto's are "Sans Puer" and "Ne..." something or other - I can never remember.

I'll pick up my Swinging Six on the way out...

To crucify the moose you need a cross............

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:51highlandbadge.jpg

Love the mutilated stag story! Love the staggered guard idea. 8/10 for effort, 0/10 for content. Guys, it's a colloquialism based on "standing guard". Simple as that.

PK

Just for the record, the Stags Head story is the true origin of the cap badge and motto - just bugger all to do with stagging on.

Very true firestarter, you'd need a saltire cross mate.

I missed that part out. I blame typing while in an alcohol induced haze :D

Jaeger:tropper66:Stag, to stagger, to arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods, it's in the dictionary

Quite, all this other hoo-ha about decapitated deer and Highlander's hats is obvious Boll*cks. It comes from the staggered guard roster, the "stag list", I would have thought it was obvious, but then again maybe not unless you're an ex-Infanteer?

I think you are right. When is the first documented use of the term? Perhaps it is the Second World War? I donlt recall any of the IWM sound archives of WW1 veterans using the term.

Funnily enough I've recently been re-reading both Richard Holmes's "Tommy" and Gordon Corrigan's "Mud Blood & Poppycock" and I'm certain that "stag lists" are mentioned in one of them. My money is on it originating in the trenches with the need to have one pair of eyes accustomed to the dark etc. Of course that doesn't mean it couldn't have originated on the NW Frontier though I doubt if it's much older than that, and I don't accept that it's an abbreviation of "Static guard" or "Standing Guard".
I suspect it started with the sentry roster being called a "Staggered list" later abbreviated to "Stag list" and that "Stagging On" and "On Stag" all grew from there. I'll bet theres a mention of it in the 1914 edition of "Infantry Platoon in Battle - Defence" or something similar.
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