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Having read Harry's dit in the Modern Warfare thread made me wonder about all our collective Black Cat stories.
Where did/does the phrase Black Cat come from anyway?
Ok here are mine;
Pussers story.......
Senior Command Course soon after the Falklands War. One of the practise periods given to students was "Bayonet Fighting".
Cpl X goes away and prepares his period and delivers it in fine style until his sum up. which contained something like;
"Bayonet Fighting is still taught by UK forces, but you`re never likely to need it in todays modern battlefield".

DS lifts up his shirt to reveal a collection of scars collected from an Argie bayonet!! "OH REALLY"
Not sure if he passed or failed the period

When I did my basic Scenes of Crime course, we all sat down to a lecture on firearms. In comes SGT XX and cracks on with his intro;
"Hello, I`m Sergeant XX I`ve got x number of years in the firearms section blah blah blah blah....has anyone got any firearms experience?"
Myself and a couple of ex-pongo`s raised our hands along with one of the very young, very pretty, female graduates on the course with us. He went round the class asking about our varied firearms experience and he got to the very young, very pretty, female graduate and his tone of voice was almost ,
"And yes little girl, what guns have you played with"

Her answer;

"I`ve got a degree in forensic ballistics"



You should have seen his face. It had "I`ll get me coat" written all over it!

Si "degree in forensic ballistics" har har har
I thought the expresion was "to Black Cap" from when criminals were being sentanced to death, i.e. topped, His Honour would place a black cap on top of his wig. You will be taken from this place, to a place of execution....

The expression came about from lamp swinging sessions when there was always someone who had done it more than , been further than, or had more than you. Thus the expression If I had a Black Cat he' d have a Blacker one.

I`ve heard that version as well, dooty, but I thought it was a corruption of Black Cap

Avast there me 'Bucko's',Black Cat,Black cap,Black Bag??.and of course The Admiralty Black Book???.Aye JR

But which one`s correct, Jim

Harry,
It all go's back to the 'Dits' theme,it would appear to be a bit of the old Navy, for the old sailor or Marine did indeed posses a black bag in which to hold his dits and I think we all know that 'ditties',and 'odd ditties',were pamphlets of a dubious nature (Gyppo AFO.s) some how over the years it became to be know as the 'Black cat' my black cat is bigger and better than your black cat, well thats one version.

The Admiralty Black Book, was or still is Maritime Law including the Naval discipline act,codified under Charles 11 and we all know that the punishments of the day was the 'Cat o nine tails',Black cat, black book??.

Can someone come up with another version.Aye JR

Two old Blokes who I now are always trying to "Black Cat" each other.

Harold who is the younger one (89) Said to me once "Aill tell thay this much young man, If Thars just climbed Mount Everest yon old bugger would ha dun it the day befare thee!"

It was brilliant as the "yon old bugger" is 93! They have disliked each other for years so I found out.

Artist

I overheard two "Old & Bold" at an RMA reunion in Lympstone once...

"F*ck off, you're just a sprog! You didn't join up until after Dieppe"

"F*ck off,You're just a sprog!,now that appeals to my sense of humour.Aye JR.

You`re never that three-badger in the middle JR
And who`s the secret masturbator in the front row
Looks a bit guilty, doesn`t he

Thy all look bloody guilty if you ask me! But you didnt did you?