Bandsmen Wearing Commando Beret

[tentoes]

A couple of buglers did pass the Commando Course in recent history and a lot have transferred to the GD side, including musicians, in recent years. There is at least one ex bandy who is a rubber dagger and serving in the sandpit.

A good fact based statement, that should put an end to the thread now we are armed with the facts! to give it more bones, were any of them a friend of your sisters boyfriends uncle?


I must add at this point that if this should be seen as cyber bullying, you can go and bleat to the cyber fooking padre.XD

 

[In_my_day]

Interesting post ...

A few points that it throws up:

You say that you never saw a single bandy who was capable of passing AACC[!], but further on you show an example of a 'bandy' who passed the RM Cdo course - are you saying that AACC is harder than the GD course? (I can also name a few 'Bandies' who have transferred, successfully, to the GD Corps. In many respects it is, yes. The intention of Rct and YO trg is to take the man from civilian to the point he is capable of passing the Cdo Cse (phase). This time has varied over the years with a proposal not to long ago to move the cdo tests left by around 4-6 weeks. Those that transferred completed all of trg and therefore had the benefit of the full build up.

I have never known a Bandy to be on any gig whilst undertaking a command course of any flavour, it never has happened and never will; as with the GD Corps you are assigned (drafted, in old money) to the course. You confuse Cat 1 type official engagements with Cat 4 type and "private-band" type (such as the jazz quartet that performed in Guzz for many years). I can assure you that a small proportion of every course would do the latter type of gigs, particulary the CTC & Guzz rates.

I will agree that, in the past, there has been some perceived favouritism in terms of drafting but I, and many others (including a number GD RMs), could also say the same for the GD Corps.

We have all heard the horror stories of the grizzly, old instructors at CTC and how they took great pleasure in beasting the living daylights out of anyone and everyone ("because that's how it was in my day and it never did me any harm" :roll: ), fortunately today's Corps is a little more intelligent in the way that it drafts people; no longer is CTC full of the G1 nightmares that no-one else wanted. Thankfully these days, in the main, instructors at CTC are either picked for the job because of their high professional standards and abilities or are there by personal request, for the same reasons. I don't know to what you are referring here but Command Wing is not prone to beasting its students if that is your inference. (Nor was I a "grizzly old instructor" at the ripe old age of 34!). If you are also inferring that many of the instructors were "G1 nightmares that no one else wants" then I take issue with that. Whilst there have always been, and will always be, a range of skill levels and motivation, in general the CTW instructors have fulfilled their duties more than adequately.

The paragraph above may contain some sweeping generalisations, but we are all guilty of that, aren't we? (many a time i've heard the phrase 'all bandies are poofs', including from the mouths of some of the old and grizzly instructors previously mentioned).

I absolutely agree that the methodology has improved and in my last job at CTC, 6 years ago, I made the point that if ever I found a JNCO treating the rcts the way I had been treated or the way I treated rcts as a JNCO, his feet wouldn't touch.

IMD

 

[wet_blobby]

So, IMD,..... You boys where a bit naughty with people like me back in the day and you'd like to say sorry?

 

[In_my_day]

So, IMD,..... You boys where a bit naughty with people like me back in the day and you'd like to say sorry?

Absolutely.....not! We were harsh, unneccessarily so at time but, in the case of the 3 teams I was on, we weren't "cruel" if that makes sense. Whilst the new regime is better, it is a generational thing ie todays rcts are not the same in terms of "raw materiel". Unless figures have changed over the last 3 years the failure to pass ratio remains the same. Controversially perhaps I believe 2 things; firstly training IS easier (if only because the regime, equipment, rehab, nutrition, accom and instructor training are all better and we ignore the politics of the contents of the Detailed Syllabus. Of course the trials of trying to bin rcts in the mid to late 80s is a problem that comes and goes). Secondly whilst we are all in awe of the remarkable job being done by young men in Afghanistan, I firmly believe that; despite the opinions of some to the contrary; the Mne Marching to His Duties is not any better than his counterpart of 10, 15 or 20 years ago and it does that previous generation a diservice to claim that he is.

IMD

 

[wet_blobby]

I think the media imply it Stix, the young, dumb and full of cum tend to believe it.

The thing with Commando training is the standards were set down in the 40's during the war. The road a recruit get's to bimble along before taking those standards may have been smoothed out and had a few flower beds planted alongside it over the years but the tests remain. One thing no-one mentions about the Commando tests is final ex, the fact that you are sleep deprived and physically shagged before embarking on them is what makes them hard. Anyone in a good physical shape with a bit of grit can do them, being shagged out, carrying a few knocks and being threaders adds an extra edge to them.

 

[tentoes]

I failed to see any of the institutionalised bullying whilst I was at CTC, we got beasted of course, but I'm struggling to remember a time when we as a section/Troop (not all at the same time of course) had not managed to do something wrong to earn it, even as I sit here preparing my "bullying at Lympstone gave me PTSD" claim. Any chance of some examples and names to help my claim? :thumbright:

 

[REDMIST]

How about the time you were crabby recruit - ten weeks at the trot Ten Tits -(TWATTT) and the training team gave you the nickname, "Freddie The Flank"................ and you foam at the mouth every time you hear "To the top climb" exept you just stood there looking up that long dangling rope with your teeth hanging out of your drooping jowls.............

 

[tentoes]

Apart from those time obviously.

 

[In_my_day]

I don't think anyone has said that have they?

No, not in this particular thread but elsewhere, yes. I would add many "old" tend to believe it as well Blobby.

IMD

 

[Topstop]

Had a rather nice lunch at Vernon, sorry Gunwarf, during the obligatory troll round the shops after I saw a bunch of Royals formation bimbling and playing various musical instruments being led by a security guard on a Segway, didnt half look a prat.

Most of them were wearing the usual white hat with red band a including the ones with lumpy jumpers, a couple wore blue ferrets with red backing behind the Globe and laurels and one had a Green Ferret, he was carrying a wood wind instrument with brass fittings about 3 foot long, didnt see him play it though, pity. :slow: