Bat Tennis
Fabulous game, invented by the gallant juniors of 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) when Taunton Barracks (Celle) was first occupied by the Regiment.
14 being much larger than 94 Loc Regt RA, the mahoosive accommodation block was taken into nearly full use and the lads soon determined that the top floor of Block 13 was overrun with bats.
It was the work of a second to realise that a drunk singlie with a squash racket in a darkened corridor was a near match for any number of panicking bats....
How we all laughed when the local Celle Green Gestapo visited and had an epi at the bagsful of dead bats by the bin area at the back of the block...
Legal Notes:
Battering the living shoite out of bats is naughty. This is quite plainly laid out in every squaddies bedtime reading - The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. And lo is shall be a criminal offence if thou:
- Deliberately* capture, injure or kill a bat
- Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats
- Damage or destroy a bat roosting place (even if bats are not occupying the roost at the time)
- Possess or advertise/sell/exchange a bat (dead or alive) or any part of a bat
- Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to a bat roost
*In a court, 'deliberately' will probably be interpreted as someone who, although not intending to capture/injure or kill a bat, performed the relevant action, being sufficiently informed and aware of the consequence his/her action will most likely have.) ie battering it senseless with a squash racket.
Penalties on conviction - the maximum fine is £5,000 per incident or per bat (some roosts contain several hundred bats), up to six months in prison, and forfeiture of items used to commit the offence, eg vehicles, plant, machinery, squash racket etc.
