Origin of the Nod

[Dolly Gray]

I dont ever remember being either a Nod or an Ant during training but in 66 at CTC there was the Ant dictionary.

If ant was in the word anywhere Royal had somthing to attach it to

Senior Ant - Commandant

Large recruit - Giant

Stacks Rating - Sextant ans so on

Runs ashore to the Ship was I suppose the equivalant of todays quiz nights, you had to arrive with a new word with ant in or get the wets in.

Piece of piss in todays world with a computer

Dolly

[Archie]

We asked our DL at Deal, the immaculate Sgt Heal. He said it was because when you first start doing drill your head nods up and down as you march. Only when you've done it for a while do you keep your head still. Now that must be true because the Sgt said so!

[El Prez]

Now that must be true because the Sgt said so!

Ahhh, but was he in colour? T'aint true if t'aint in colour.

[harry hackedoff]

I favour the Noddy-based versions. The un-ravelled head-overs looked like Noddy`s hat. The initial exposure to severe sleep deprivation causing heads to "nod" was referred to as "The Lympstone Roll" Head drops in the first micro-seconds of sleep in a slightly circular movement , head hits lower limit of movement and jerks Nod awake,head jerks upright with a "did anyone notice " expression. Cycle repeats
Does anyone remember the poem,
"F*ck off Noddy, in your hat,
f*ck off Noddy, `cause you`re a little twat"

The Arctic variant was a bazzy. Severe case of "Death by Viewfoil" or what?
How many hours of Avalanche Theory could you actually stand?
"Hackedoff, wake the f@#k up"
"Hackedoff, stand on yer chair, lad"
"Take yer shirt off Hackedoff"
"Drop yerpants, Hackedoff"
Followed by everything else, until the whole of the class was standing on their chairs, pants round ankles, stark bollock naked, heaters turned off and the windows wide open, nodding away like those dogs on the back shelf of cars as the spindrift blew in
Then some poor unfortunate would fall flat on his face, oblivious to the world. Never mind Nod, what about Bounce

Just previewed this post, and as I opened the beer fridge, I swear I could hear the wind screaming down the Ose Pass.
Then I realised Mrs H had left the gas turned on

Aye, Harry,
Warsteiner, anyone?


PS What`s a viewfoil? I hear you ask.
It was a piece of pine bark with rhunic writing scratched on the back, and formed the basis for J R R Tolkien`s middle earth fantasys.

[Pilgrim Norway]

Hoy Harry -

down Memory Lane last night.....

Swedish TV showed "Under the Lighthouse Dancing" , (Austr 1997)....

Filmed on Rottnest -

I recognised ALL of it - the sea, the beaches, dunes - the lot -

You are a lucky bar...becue navvy.

[exvmremf]

I go along with Steve on this one, cap comforters!
Whatever the source of the name the misery was constant.
At least you were never in any doubt as to where you were placed on the evolutionary scale, and as for the popularity scale, I would confidently put a nod well below syphilis.

I do remember that those left after the 12 week opt out were called perma-nods.

Not a pleasant thing to be but a necessary occupational hazard on the road to a great life ever after in the Corps.

[Rotary Booty]

Tony Lang told us on Once A Marine that the use of the term 'Nod' for recruits at CTCRM was banned by the authorities.

The training teams then started called the recruits 'Winks'.

Everyone knows that a 'Nod' is as good as a 'Wink'.

Aye Derek

[harry hackedoff]

Derek, that’s true. I think the preferred term was " Recruits in Training" This followed the orange tabs on epaulettes routine. i.e. " don`t shout at me, I’ve only been here two weeks"
Mate of mine was on the training team when the nod wrote to mummy describing how the nasty cpl made them crawl in the gorse to retrieve dirty mess bins, whipped them with a nettle for dirty weapons or poor pers admin in the field, and changed the declaration to...
"I have no live rounds, empty cylinders or clips in my possession and can I have a dead leg, please, Corporal" if they failed to achieve the standard required.
Mummy wasn’t best pleased, whinged to local M.P. and before you could say "wimp" it was safety tents all round, whenever Nods were out on the Common.
I wont even mention Reebok Royale

aye, Harry

[harry hackedoff]

I got told that they're called NODs becos they are always nodding off during training

Really How effing interesting. Thank you for your valued input to these Forums. I for one, don`t give a shite what you " got told"

Ref "Wink", Derek, I think there was a similar reaction to FI locals whinging about being called "Bennys"( after the famous Crossroads geezer) The blokes started calling them Stills. As in " still a Benny"

[El Prez]

May I, in a moment of brashness, request the senile old bastardo, pay attention and read the attached. Grassy arse.
viewtopic.php?p=83805&highlight=stills#83805

[Cream]

Seems like someone is being a bit hostile to me for some reason

[Rogue Chef]

Ahoy there!
If my memory serves me correctly, the orange tabs were introduced in the very early eighties, immediately sparking the name 'lumi-nods'. They were to indicate that the recruit was still in the induction phase ie first two weeks of recruit training. The idea being that any minor misdemeanours committed by individuals displaying the tabs would be dealt with in a sensitive and sympathetic manner.

[Archie]

The idea being that any minor misdemeanours committed by individuals displaying the tabs would be dealt with in a sensitive and sympathetic manner.

Ahh the poor little lambs, we wouldn't want them getting upset by the nasty training team would we.

Gawd help us, if you break down crying at a bollocking what use are you?

Flog em with a rifle sling before chucking them in the static tank I say.

[El Prez]

No more static tank. It was too dangerous. It has been refilled with multi coloured balls, and resembles a kids plaything.

[Archie]

The worrying bit is it's probably true, what next, a bridge over Peter's Pool.

Perhaps doing drill in slippers to keep the noise and shock loading down.

Maybe exchange those nasty noisy rifles for inflatable truncheons a la fairground.

Should we get a JCB in to dig the slit trenches on Woodbury.

Why not give them golf caddy trolleys to carry their gear instead of those horrible heavy Bergens.

How about maid service to do all that tedious personal admin for them.

While we're at it, build some log cabins in the grounds so their mummies can stay and look after them.

Actually that last bit is a good idea, you'd have a very happy training staff kept busy keeping the mums "occupied" Fnarr Fnarr.