ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by bokkatankie

So you never tried it?

Lighter fuel is a far superior drink to anti freeze. The wankers don't drink it because they can't afford it.

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

Lighter fuel is a far superior drink to anti freeze. The wankers don't drink it because they can't afford it.

I think litre for litre, Blue Stratos is cheaper than lighter fuel and it goes very well with NAAFI orange squash.

Just in order to stem the outrage no doubt brewing, I must stress that getting pissed up on exercise is a thing of the past. Yes, I know boring, but this is the world in which we now live. While I remember the days of wobbly coffee and a bottle of whisky over orders on the Hohne training, this has (I think rightly) been killed off. There is a time and a place and training (and operations) is/are not it. The work hard/play hard ethos does not mean you do both at the same time! I remember recently talking to an RAC Sqn Ldr who had been throughly disappointed at being told (while at BATUS) that there was now a zero tolerance policy on booze on the training area and that he would answer for any booze found in his Sqn.

CC raises a good point. There are different sorts of messes populated by different sorts of people. As he rightly says, if you want to live in a mess with a tight knit group of people who eat and socialise together every night they are in and live by a set of rules (that may seem archaic to some) them there will be RAC or Infantry messes that will suit you. If you are more happy to lock yourself in your room after work, eat supper on your lap in front of the television and generally live in a less tight knit mess then this sort of mess is probably not for you, "horses for courses" as they say.

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

I'm not exactly out of the top drawer but still served as an Officer in a Cavalry Regiment.

Was that as an LE officer? If so, it doesn't really count.

Originally Posted by brave-coward

Just in order to stem the outrage no doubt brewing, I must stress that getting pissed up on exercise is a thing of the past. Yes, I know boring, but this is the world in which we now live. While I remember the days of wobbly coffee and a bottle of whisky over orders on the Hohne training, this has (I think rightly) been killed off. There is a time and a place and training (and operations) is/are not it. The work hard/play hard ethos does not mean you do both at the same time! I remember recently talking to an RAC Sqn Ldr who had been throughly disappointed at being told (while at BATUS) that there was now a zero tolerance policy on booze on the training area and that he would answer for any booze found in his Sqn.

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Bugger never tried that one, how do you brew outrage; is it a combination of lighter fuel, blue stratos and anti-freeze? Or something even better? But I do agree that there is a time and place for training and operations, bloody rude of whoever plans it that it should interfere with drinking time. Thus we were able to combine all three and somehow managed to achieve something. I believe that in the past they may also have won one or two wars that way.

Originally Posted by brave-coward

Just in order to stem the outrage no doubt brewing, I must stress that getting pissed up on exercise is a thing of the past. Yes, I know boring, but this is the world in which we now live. While I remember the days of wobbly coffee and a bottle of whisky over orders on the Hohne training, this has (I think rightly) been killed off. There is a time and a place and training (and operations) is/are not it. The work hard/play hard ethos does not mean you do both at the same time! I remember recently talking to an RAC Sqn Ldr who had been throughly disappointed at being told (while at BATUS) that there was now a zero tolerance policy on booze on the training area and that he would answer for any booze found in his Sqn.

I did a BATUS in the early ‘90s & the then Commandant was known as Kevin Teabag as he had banned booze on the prairie so it did go back that far. I certainly remember pulling out a bottle of something warming when I joined the TA & being told to put it away pretty rapidly, although on a tour with an OTC one or two of the Regular PSIs were rather fond of their hipflasks.

Originally Posted by brave-coward

CC raises a good point. There are different sorts of messes populated by different sorts of people. As he rightly says, if you want to live in a mess with a tight knit group of people who eat and socialise together every night they are in and live by a set of rules (that may seem archaic to some) them there will be RAC or Infantry messes that will suit you. If you are more happy to lock yourself in your room after work, eat supper on your lap in front of the television and generally live in a less tight knit mess then this sort of mess is probably not for you, "horses for courses" as they say.

It did sometimes drive me mental to have to stick on black tie once a week & a suit every night, but it was just what we did & one played the game. ISTR a Household Division Officer coming to visit & thinking us very quaint as we dressed for dinner. His lot only did so when there were guests.

Having spent time in RAF Messes, however, I would never want to go to that level of slovenliness. Aside from anything else prohibitions on Working Dress & PT kit at certain times are about cleanliness & hygiene!

Originally Posted by Counter-Bluffer-Ops

Was that as an LE officer? If so, it doesn't really count.

No, not LE. I did go to a Public School, but it was a fialry minor one. I just got on well on my Fam visit & the Colonel of the Regiment liked me at interview so they took a punt on me!