Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to join our community
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site, connect with other members through your own private inbox and will receive smaller adverts!

Banking soldiers

I remember the little shop in Tidworth doing that, went through a chequebook like water.But you were in deep shit if they bounced. I was in 15 Fld Amb at the time.Right next door to the BMH. Great days.

CTC
 
Not entirely on-topic but related.

I joined my regiment in Omagh from Catterick in 1976. I'd filled in the forms to come off acquittance roll payments onto the bank before I left.

I transferred to RAPC in 1982. About 1984, we had a inspection by the Command Paymaster and his team. The WO1 was a canny bloke, but this was work.

"Corporal Alien, when did you last have an acquittance roll payment?" (It is wisely presumed that every RAPC soldier somehow uses the Imprest Account as his petty cash and the acquittance roll as a means for laundering it.)

I thought about it and replied, "February, sir." His eyes lit up and he went for the kill until I added, "1976."
 
Late coming to the thread but just back off holliers (South Africa for circa three weeks - and back to this shoite weather!)

I remember in the 70s in Catterick that banks treated squaddies like we were lepers - and thick ones at that. Any request to draw money from your account was met with suspicious looks, endless trawling through their account ledgers to see if you were solvent, and then they might grudgingly hand over a fiver.

One lad, let's call him Slim 'cos we did, was a dab hand with the gee gees and regularly did well. So he wasn't short of a bob or two.

Slim goes into <mumble> bank in Camp Centre and, because he didn't have his cheque book with him, asked for a bank (not bLank - bank) cheque so's he could draw out cash (these were pre-bank card / ATM days).

"Sorry," says the teller, "I can't give you one."

"Why not?" ses Slim

"Mumble, mumble, bank policy etc. etc."

"Is it because I'm in the army?"

"Er," more mumbles, "policy..." - basically a "Yes".

"OK, I'd like to close my account please." ses the boy (his account was in that branch which made it even worse.)

"Oh there's no need for that...." etc.

"Close the account and give me the balance in cash."

After much to-ing and fro-ing the deed was done and a wad of several hundred, if not thousand, notes were piled on the counter to the astonishment of the poor teller.

"Now I'd like to open a new current account please." says Slim.

"But you've just closed your account." says the lad.

"Do you want my money or not?"

After more to-ing and fro-ing and managers being called the account was duly opened and the several hundred/thousand pounds deposited.

"Now could I have a temporary cheque book for that account please?" Slim says. (Remember those? Ten cheques with no name etc. printed on them which you got when opening a new account.)

Temporary cheque book produced. Slim takes a cheque, fills it in for CASH - say £25 - and hands it over. Of course, it's cashed.

"Now close the fcuking account, give me my money, and you can all go to hell." says yer man.

Class!

GMOB
 
I remember a former Scots Greys Brigadier in Edinburgh circa 1972 saying "I think it's a grave error giving our soldiers cheque books...... they're all coal miners and farm labourers..... they WANT their pay weekly....and in cash... there'll be problems I wager."

Closely followed by a Border Lad (not long after he became a 'Banking Soldier') on 'Orders' in Redford Barracks for bouncing cheques..... "Whit dae ye mean ave nae money Surr? Ave still got cheques left!"
 
Busterdog said:
I remember a former Scots Greys Brigadier in Edinburgh circa 1972 saying "I think it's a grave error giving our soldiers cheque books...... they're all coal miners and farm labourers..... they WANT their pay weekly....and in cash... there'll be problems I wager."

Closely followed by a Border Lad (not long after he became a 'Banking Soldier') on 'Orders' in Redford Barracks for bouncing cheques..... "Whit dae ye mean ave nae money Surr? Ave still got cheques left!"

Ah the border lad last time it was a Para in the Shot, or was it a Scots Guard in Winsor or maybe an ACC chef in Spain.

Those squddy fukcer get around. :D
 
old_bloke said:
Busterdog said:
I remember a former Scots Greys Brigadier in Edinburgh circa 1972 saying "I think it's a grave error giving our soldiers cheque books...... they're all coal miners and farm labourers..... they WANT their pay weekly....and in cash... there'll be problems I wager."

Closely followed by a Border Lad (not long after he became a 'Banking Soldier') on 'Orders' in Redford Barracks for bouncing cheques..... "Whit dae ye mean ave nae money Surr? Ave still got cheques left!"

Ah the border lad last time it was a Para in the Shot, or was it a Scots Guard in Winsor or maybe an ACC chef in Spain.

Those squddy fukcer get around. :D

I remember the bloke in the Shot :D :D It was Smudge Smith
 
Lloyds Bank, Tidworth. The army had just moved to banking and our Bn had just come back from a wee trip to Norn Oirland and had block leave.

One of our guys went to the bank, which had 3 teller positions. He went to the first and asked what tghe balance was in his account - teller went to the ledger to check. Crucial point here is there were no computers, all was done by hand in ledgers. Teller comes back and says £XXX. Soldier draws £XXX for his leave.

The bank is busy.

Soldier moves to next queue and when he gets to the teller asks how much he has in his coount. Teller goes away and comes back to say £XXX; soldier draws £XXX. Soldier goes to 3rd window and...you know the rest. Because the bank was busy the tellers had not been keeping the ledger up to date, that was done at tghe end of business. Soldier goes off and has a great leave, only to be welcomed back by the RP Sgt and a visit to the CO's ofice at a rather rapid rate of knots.

I remember handling the paperwork !! And, it was not me as I had neither the bottle nor nous to think of or do this.
 
:cry: :D
Gungythree said:
old_bloke said:
Busterdog said:
I remember a former Scots Greys Brigadier in Edinburgh circa 1972 saying "I think it's a grave error giving our soldiers cheque books...... they're all coal miners and farm labourers..... they WANT their pay weekly....and in cash... there'll be problems I wager."

Closely followed by a Border Lad (not long after he became a 'Banking Soldier') on 'Orders' in Redford Barracks for bouncing cheques..... "Whit dae ye mean ave nae money Surr? Ave still got cheques left!"

Ah the border lad last time it was a Para in the Shot, or was it a Scots Guard in Winsor or maybe an ACC chef in Spain.

Those squddy fukcer get around. :D

:D :D :D



I remember the bloke in the Shot :D :D It was Smudge Smith
 
We were allowed to draw money on our pay statement in a well known German that I wouldn’t even try to spell, pay statements were issued about the 24th so you still had about a week before the dosh went in your account. You had to get the pay statement stamped by the pay Sgt the end result was you were skint before the money even went in the bank so every month the stamp line got longer and longer earlier and earlier every month, the CO stopped the practice in the end (just as well).
 
Oh aye..... Young Uncle Vanya, a Lance Jack with the R Sigs back in 1970s remembers the 'Military Salary' scheme and having to open a Bank account with Lloyds.

Same thing we had this dipstick who thought the same... "But Sir, I have lots of cheques left...!" Writing out cheques all over the place and bouncing them. He had to be put back on the old AFB64 Part 2 until he learned how to handle a proper bank account and cheque book. I somehow think he never did, the geezer was a right Window Licker.... last time I saw him was being taken in a Military Ambulance to the Military Loony Bin down near Southampton - Netley Abbey I think it was called.

Funny, I still have the same account with LloydsTSB now. back then late 1970s, a few cheques were cashed post-dated on a number of occasions in Pubs around Winchester in those days for enough Beer Tokens for a good Saturday night out. :p :p
 
Top