Army ‘to be cut by 20,000’ if No 10 plan is approved

[Simmerit]

60, 000 would have been the strengh of the BEF France and Flanders in 1914 'the old contemptibles.' But there was also 50,000 troops in India and garrisons all over the world.

Yes - sorry. I didn’t qualify the location. You are quite correct. i don’t think we have an empire anymore though!

 

[alfred_the_great]

Thinking?

ACSC10 survivors will be pleased to learn that he's developed this skill....

I've repeatedly survived his rants and disappointment over the intellectual incapacity of his ACSC students...

 

[bob231]

Lynx, back in the day.

Colour me corrected!

I am glad to see our fearless seekers after truth have kept up with the times.

 

[Cynical]

to form an institutional memory without promotion faff.

That would be the institutional memory that somehow decided that Iraq and Afghanistan were sensible operations?

Clearly there is a requirement for some no high-fliers with valuable experience, so keep them. But the time servers in non / half jobs must go.

 

[alfred_the_great]

That would be the institutional memory that somehow decided that Iraq and Afghanistan were sensible operations?

Clearly there is a requirement for some no high-fliers with valuable experience, so keep them. But the time servers in non / half jobs must go.

Perhaps.
But perhaps they’re also the people who’ve done a passsge of lines for armoured battlegroups whilst in 4R?

 

[Richard_Hannay]

Royal Wessex was quite popular among the DERR, but the Glosters wouldn't drop their county from the title. Similarly they refused to shrink the Sphinx, which is why the RGBW started off with a mess tin for a capbadge.

And finished with a mess tin cap badge....

Fair comment, the Glooms called their cap badge a mess tin themselves.

The Brandywine flash...

sadly marched into history, an audacious night raid carried by accomplished light infantry, just the battle honour to show case the Rifles ethos. Bizarre choice to drop it. AIUI the inverted triangle represents a blood red hackle.

 

[alfred_the_great]

RGBW chose to keep the back badge instead.

 

[napier]

RGBW chose to keep the back badge instead.

And, on becoming RIFLES, lost the Presidential Unit Citation - which surely beats a French Croix de Guerre

 

[Berlin_104s]

The old contemptibles were about 60,000 - Great Britain's professional army at the start of WW1. I was quite surprised when I read the number.

The British Army's full-time strength on 1 Aug 14 was 247,798 all ranks; of which 46% was serving overseas and not earmarked, initially at least, for the British Expeditionary Force. Figures from Call to Arms by Charles Messenger.

The original BEF itself (which deployed between Aug-Sep 14) consisted of the six infantry divisions (1-6) based in the British Isles, plus the Cavalry Division, 19 Infantry Brigade, together with those on the LoC and the Base Area. A back of the fag packet calculation puts it at just over 120,000, a significant proportion of which were recalled Regular Reservists.

For @par avion too!

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[Berlin_104s]

And, on becoming RIFLES, lost the Presidential Unit Citation - which surely beats a French Croix de Guerre

Does it fcuk - speaking as an ex-Janner!!

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[History_Man]

That would be the institutional memory that somehow decided that Iraq and Afghanistan were sensible operations?

Clearly there is a requirement for some no high-fliers with valuable experience, so keep them. But the time servers in non / half jobs must go.

In fairness, an awful lot of the non-jobs have been scrubbed from the No.5 Board.

 

[Simmerit]

The British Army's full-time strength on 1 Aug 14 was 247,798 all ranks; of which 46% was serving overseas and not earmarked, initially at least, for the British Expeditionary Force. Figures from Call to Arms by Charles Messenger.

The original BEF itself (which deployed between Aug-Sep 14) consisted of the six infantry divisions (1-6) based in the British Isles, plus the Cavalry Division, 19 Infantry Brigade and those on the LoC and the Base Area. A back of the fag packet calculation puts it at just over 120,000, a significant proportion of which were recalled Regular Reservists.

For @par avion too!

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i wonder where that figure came from then, because they went on to say they were decimated in the first 12 months of the war?

 

[napier]

Does it fcuk - speaking as an ex-Janner!!

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Croix de Guerre = Mention in Dispatches
Pres Unit Citation = Distinguished Service Cross

 

[alfred_the_great]

But the RGBW chose the backbadge not the PUC.

 

[napier]

But the RGBW chose the backbadge not the PUC.

Shame they had to choose. So now they have one badge for fighting alongside the French, and another for fighting against them..

 

[Berlin_104s]

Croix de Guerre = Mention in Dispatches
Pres Unit Citation = Distinguished Service Cross

Don't care!! Serious answer though, historically, the back badge meant more than the PUC. For me it also illustrates the approach that all the founding regiments took on the Rifles formation. That of consensus between the founding regiments iot give the new regiment the best possible start.

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[Berlin_104s]

Shame they had to choose. So now they have one badge for fighting alongside the French, and another for fighting against them..

That's the great thing about the British Army though, evolution over time. How many regiments at some point have had the White Horse of Hanover in their badges?

ETA: there was also (possibly still is) a German infantry regiment which had 'Gibraltar' as a battle honour!!

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[Richard_Hannay]

And, on becoming RIFLES, lost the Presidential Unit Citation - which surely beats a French Croix de Guerre

Talk at the time that going back to the White House to ask for the Citation to represented again following yet another downsizing of the British Army was taking the piss.

 

[napier]

Don't care!! Serious answer though, historically, the back badge meant more than the PUC. For me it also illustrates the approach that all the founding regiments took on the Rifles formation. That of consensus between the founding regiments iot give the new regiment the best possible start.

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As long as you like looking Light Div (pretty much every uniform item..)

 

[Berlin_104s]

i wonder where that figure came from then, because they went on to say they were decimated in the first 12 months of the war?

Which figure? Don't forget that the first elements redeployed from the Empire were also in France / Belgium before the end of 1914 as well - 7 and Divs were created from scratch as regiments returned home, plus the Indian Corps (Meerut and Lahore Divisions) and an extra Cavalry Division. That's another 82,000 approx.

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