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Appointment Titles
Back in the mists of time, before unsporting chaps listened in to other chaps' radio messages, before even BATCO and Clansman, and before we decided to confuse everyone on the net with such unromantic things as callsigns and callsign indicators........
Every appointment had a title; the Boss was Sunray, the search dog was called Wagtail, the EOD were Felix, there was Molar, Acorn, and Bluebell. Although why the REME ended up with a flower title, I don't know. Added to that, you had "Major" and "Minor" as qualifiers (hence "Sunray Minor" for the 2ic), just to show off that the system was invented by Public School boys who had learned Latin.
SUNRAY --------- Commander
MOONBEAM ------- Chief of Staff
SEAGULL -------- Operations / Adjutant
BOXWOOD -------- General Staff (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical)
ACORN ---------- Intelligence
MANHOLE -------- Administrative Staff
MOLAR ---------- Logistics Staff / Quartermaster
NUTSHELL ------- Q Staff / Equipment
CONROD --------- Air Defence
SPYGLASS ------- Air Reconnaissance
BASEBALL ------- Air Traffic Controller
ATOLL ---------- Air Transport Support Operations
HAWKEYE -------- Land Air
IRONSIDE ------- Armour
SHOTGUN -------- Armament Officer
SHELDRAKE ------ Artillery
CRACKER -------- Locating Battery / Arty Intelligence
HOLDFAST ------- Engineer / Airfield Construction
FORTUNE -------- Forward Air Controller
GLOWWORM ------- Ground Liaison Officer
FOXHOUND ------- Infantry
STARLIGHT ------ Medical
CONTRACTOR ----- Movements Staff
RICKSHAW ------- Ordinance
WATCHDOG ------- Provost
BLUEBELL ------- Electrical / Mechanical Engineering
PRONTO --------- Signals
PLAYTIME ------- Supply and Transport
METEOR --------- Meteorological
GOLDFINGER------ Paymaster
SKYPILOT-------- Padre
Obviously, learning twenty or thirty such titles was much easier. Anyway, with secure comms, we'd go back to them, except it would completely stuff up NATO interoperability. (Anyone know if there's a STANAG for appointment titles?) Just as long as we don't end up like the Americans, where it all seems to be:
"Screaming Eagle Six, this is Broken Lance Actual"
The modern British version would probably be different:
"Hello Scaley, fetch Boss, Over....."
'Other halves' i.e. wives or husbands are also referred to as Sunray Minor / Long Haired Sunray (or occasionally 'SO3 Welfare') (or "OA on the Alternative Command Net") or Domestic Chief of Staff