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HMS Queen Elizabeth's captain sacked - for using his official car at weekends

The MOD has changed, and not for the better. Presumably the lads can't use vehicle lifts and pits on the weekends and evening to work on their own cars any more?

Or sign out a 4 tonner to move furniture? Or borrow tentage? Or 6' GS tables? Or a minibus?

The MOD has all this kit, and for a (very) few shekels, they could massively increase morale, yet it seems to be career-ending. It would be a great thing for retention if the MOD allowed short-term private use of military assets and facilities (where appropriate) and the assets were not required for military/naval use (ie out of hours), at nil cost to MOD other than wear-and-tear.

"Sir, my son's scout troop are having a camping weekend. Would it be possible to borrow a 4 tonner and some tentage, tables and chairs for the weekend?" "No problem, Chalky. I'll jack it up with the SQMS, go see him Friday. Do you want the cookset trailer? Just make sure it's all back in the garages Sunday night". "Cheers, Sir".
Not just available but positively encouraged 35 years ago.
Blimey, I am that old.
 
Not just available but positively encouraged 35 years ago.

Too true. I can remember Dad, while at 8 Bde in 1979, mentioning that a lot of the RC Padres had wanted to go south for the Papal visit, and had been worried about accommodation for their (civvy) parishioners.

The solution was for SNCOs to point out that they could demand tentage, just like any other officer, but make sure to put the arrows on the inside, eh, Padre?

His (utterly unverifiable) claim was that over half the tentage for the 1979 Pope's visit to the Republic of Ireland was supplied by the British Army... and I do wonder whether the truth can be found through the wonders of ARRSE?
 
Does not alter the fact that if had a JR at his table for fraud how could he punish him/her/? When he had been bending the rules himself.

Ignorance is not an excuse
 
Too true. I can remember Dad, while at 8 Bde in 1979, mentioning that a lot of the RC Padres had wanted to go south for the Papal visit, and had been worried about accommodation for their (civvy) parishioners.

The solution was for SNCOs to point out that they could demand tentage, just like any other officer, but make sure to put the arrows on the inside, eh, Padre?

His (utterly unverifiable) claim was that over half the tentage for the 1979 Pope's visit to the Republic of Ireland was supplied by the British Army... and I do wonder whether the truth can be found through the wonders of ARRSE?

I would be entirely unsurprised.
 
A mandatory checklist to sign, saying we'd measured the fluid level for the power steering and clutch, and checked the remaining thickness on the brake pads (among other things) before being allowed to drive a pool car.

Fortunately, we were able to push back on that particular bit of sillyness...
Try renting a V10 Dodge Viper, a Porsche 911 Turbo or similar cars from any Exotic Car rental place. Photographs taken of every panel, tyre tread measured on every tyre, and POL checked before you sign the (very expensive) contract and everything scrutinized again when you get back.
 
Try renting a V10 Dodge Viper, a Porsche 911 Turbo or similar cars from any Exotic Car rental place. Photographs taken of every panel, tyre tread measured on every tyre, and POL checked before you sign the (very expensive) contract and everything scrutinized again when you get back.

Renting a Viper is like basically hiring a pickup which burns your knees/sheens every time you get you out of a drive.
 
Renting a Viper is like basically hiring a pickup which burns your knees/sheens every time you get you out of a drive.
Renting a Viper was irc $600 for 4 hrs and the reason why we rented a very nice but slower Mitsubishi Spider Convertible to tour the Hoover Dam. The choice of the convertible was questioned a bit later as we drove through the Valley of Fire.
 
No, this very lower rank (Army) used his FFR rover to nip down the Chinese for some scran, returning to camp,( 10 Sigs) all I got was an almighty bollocking. In BAOR, I used my rover to take my wife shopping into town (Lippstadt) done it a few times, then got caught, again a bollocking, nothing more.
some siggies out the QM(T)s' of both 4 div and 7sig may have received a similar bollocking for using Harry the Hyster to nip to the bank at lunchtime. I also had to explain to the Provost Sergeant the difference between a works ticket and a plant card. The clampdown really happened because one of the LAD guys injured his mate doing dooughnuts with it though.

1558707762790.png
 
Does not alter the fact that if had a JR at his table for fraud how could he punish him/her/? When he had been bending the rules himself.

Ignorance is not an excuse

Apart from obvious cases of being adrift, I've never had a JR at my table as quickly as you're suggesting.

If he's punished (and by what is being reported, he should be), and if he chooses not to go to CM, it'd take a month+ to weigh him off. However, the fly in the ointment might be the scale of the case means it must be referred to CM, in which case, who knows how long!
 
Apart from obvious cases of being adrift, I've never had a JR at my table as quickly as you're suggesting.

If he's punished (and by what is being reported, he should be), and if he chooses not to go to CM, it'd take a month+ to weigh him off. However, the fly in the ointment might be the scale of the case means it must be referred to CM, in which case, who knows how long!


I think the issue is, he "unknowingly" used a pussers vehicle for his own use whereas every JR/SR knows that this is not allowed and they would get reamed a new one if caught. I understand he paid all fuel etc. BUT if his other half used it then he has been done bang to rights. Can you imagine the outcry if she had pranged it or got done for drink driving? Sympathy in the dictionary you know where to look!
 
JRs at 7 Sigs used to use white fleet like their own cars, JHQ was awash with them.

The high point was being over taken by the COs Vectra at 100MPH+ on the autobahn being driven by a shirtless soldier. CoC totally uninterested in dealing with it. So I also ignored it.

I drew the line at the drink driving, but again, the CoC totally not interested.
 
JRs at 7 Sigs used to use white fleet like their own cars, JHQ was awash with them.

The high point was being over taken by the COs Vectra at 100MPH+ on the autobahn being driven by a shirtless soldier. CoC totally uninterested in dealing with it. So I also ignored it.

I drew the line at the drink driving, but again, the CoC totally not interested.
When was this?
 
I’m pretty confident that the white fleet is far cheaper to run than green fleet. Besides, would you want to pop into Luton hospital (say from Chicksands) in green fleet, unless it was tracked?

Good point, however I've seen us hire in 4x4's for exercises and leave our over serviced and over inspected green fleet Landrovers in camp. When it comes to sorting motorised transport we are dogshit, and that's before getting into the lunatic levels of nugatory paperwork needed to get a vehicle out of the gate............
 
Similar dit. On Exercise in Las Vegas with the C130 det (3 weeks, cheers easy) we were all put up in a God awful HOTAC even though Caesars Palace was way, way cheaper.

Of course, it's because of stories of needless misery, privation and super-human endurance in the face of adversity just like this that the RAF is so universally and unequivocally admired throughout the Army and Navy .........
 
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