Conference repair::reserve_forces

156.0. "a regimental tie has its uses..." by BRABAM::PHILPOTT (Col I F 'Tsingtao Dhum' Philpott) Sun Mar 10 1991 12:43

    
    Interesting experience last Friday.
    
    I dropped in at a local hotel (The Wellington Arms in Stratfield Turgis
    - I had business there) to find it full of would be officers making the
    carpets dirty with their muddy boots.
    
    When they had left to go back to their coaches (gee I wish we'd
    travelled to exercises in air conditioned coaches when I was a leraner
    :-)) I went into the bar to find that the bar manager was complaining
    to the major and three captains who were in charge about the fact they
    hadn't let him know. Apparently he'd seen one of the captains earlier
    and asked "how many men have you got?" and been told "25" - quite right,
    but confusing since the other captains had 25 each also making 75 in all.
    
    Noting that the officers were Royal Engineers I decided to smooth
    things down a little by introducing myself (well asking the bar manager
    to serve me...) and playing "mutual friend" (my wife works at the
    hotel, and I'm a RE) talk switched around to things more pleasant (old
    contacts that we both knew etc) and it ended with me buying the four of
    them a drink and commiserating that they were stuck with nursemaiding
    the learners whilst others were out in the gulf...
    
    Points:
    
    1) why do the public get so uppity? after all they weren't disturbing
    the other clients. Friday is a very quiet day and they did a lot of
    business in that 30 minute period. The Duke of Wellington (who owns the
    site the hotel is on also) had given permission to the army to use his
    land for the exercise.
    
    2) what idiot in the army thought of calling such training experiences
    Practical Exercises Not Involving Soldiers (read the acronym: about 20%
    of these cadets where female...)?
    
    
    /. Ian .\

>    - I had business there) to find it full of would be officers making the
>    carpets dirty with their muddy boots.
    
>   1) why do the public get so uppity? after all they weren't disturbing
    
    I think you have answered your own question. The public may not like
    others getting their carpets muddy.
    
>   2) what idiot in the army thought of calling such training experiences
    Practical Exercises Not Involving Soldiers (read the acronym: about 20%
    of these cadets where female...)?
 
    Richard Head ?  ;-)
    
       
    
    
    

    ! 
    
    Tacky acronym, I'd say!  :)
    
    On this side of the pond, we use TEWT (Tactical Exercise Without
    Troops...)
    
    But then, the Field Artillery has its share of racy phrasing...
    
    Service of the piece
    Laying the battery
    
    and so on...
    
    John B.
    

    BTY some more acronyms
    
    please do not page up if you might be offended
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    TEWT is also known as a TACTICAL EXERCISE WITHOUT THOUGHT
    
    **** is a Tactical Walk And Talk
    
    **** is Combined Unit Night Training 
    
    R Schwartz