So You Think You Are Commando's

[sittingstress]

I am not here to pontificate about the rights and wrongs of the army lads being lidded or roled as Commandos as after all it is just a matter of successfully completeing the necessary training. My question is one of expense.

Training inf guys up will take a certain amount of money but essentially no real capital expenditure will be required to achieve the aim. However,

How much money will be required to build enough shower blocks to enable Percy to be taught and practise this skill?

Regards

ss

PS I await the counter banter

[neil1955]

However,

How much money will be required to build enough shower blocks to enable Percy to be taught and practise this skill?

Ok i give up whats one of them,i dont recall ever being asked to pack one in my bergan but in A B forces if you couldnt eat it carry it or ***k it wasnt important... Tip for the day never share a shower with a royal or 3 para mortars..

[neil1955]

I love this
Army commandos formed as part of 1st special air services brigade
1940
ADMITRALTY gives permission to recruit commandos from the ROYAL MARINES Feb 1942
SBS formed by Captain Roger (jumbo) Courtney ARMY as part of the SAS Special Boat Section
Commando name originally proposed byLt Col Dudly Clarke ARMY later ratified by Winston Churchill
SBS stayed part of SAS untill 1946 when the army handed over the training of commandos and SBS to the Royal Marines.
HISTORIC FACT I REST MY CASE

[Rover]

Hello Neil,

Not sure which 'case' you are trying to rest but it seems to hold slightly more fiction than fact.

Although the Army Commandos were formed in 1940 they were not part of the 1st Special Air Services Brigade.
In 1940 the SAS was not in sight.
The Special Service Brigades were I believe formed from the Commando units, both Army and in 1942 the Royal Marines.

The 'original' SBS can be traced back to No8 Commando (Army) in 1940, which was the Folboat or Special Boat Section of 8 Commando.
The SBS at conception was twelve strong and was a mix of both army amd marines.

It was not part of the SAS as for a start the SAS did not even exist at that time.

The OC SBS was as you state Roger Courtney.
Two founder members of what was to be No1 SBS were Lt 'Tug' Wilson, later to be Lt Col DSO and Bar and Marine W G Hughes.
These two made the first successful SBS raid on 22 June 1941.

Which in fact would seem to predate the first SAS operation not to mention the formation of the SAS by five months and at least a year respectivly.

Brigadier Dudley Clarke originated the name "First Special Air Service Brigade" as a deception plan to make the Germans believe we had a Parachute Brigade in the Middle East.

The name Commando is attributed to Winstone Churchill from his experience of the Boar Commandos of that war.

Captain David Stirlings unit was known as 'L' Detachment Special Air Service.
After the units first operation on the night of 16/17 November 1941 its name was shortened to the SAS and the rest as they say is history.

Seeing the success of The Special Boat Service under 'Jumbo' Courtney, Stirling wanted one of his own!
So this was done under the command of Captain (The Earl) George Jellicoe.

Also No1 Special Boat Service was at times attached to the SAS for various operations.

To say that the SBS stayed part of the SAS until 1946 when the Army handed over the training of both the Commandos and the SBS to the Royal Marines to my mind seems a slightly distorted view of history.

I trust the above has helped with some of the 'historic facts'.

Rover

[neil1955]

Type 3 Commando Brigade into search engine then check HISTORY
My point was in reply to some prick who implied that unless you were a Royal you could not be a proper Commando.......The first commandos were raised from Highland regts in 1940 .
Anyone who passes the All arms course is a commando otherwise he would not be allowed to wear the flash and Green lid (i diddn,t know that was an army thing untill a Royal told me)

[Rover]

Hello Neil,

As you will see from my prior post I was responding to your previous post which seemed more to do with the history of the SAS and SBS.

The first Commando units were raised from predominantly Army units, not just the Highland regts.
Not only did we have Army and Royal Marine Commandos but also Royal Navy Commandos.

All who pass the Commando course, from any service, earn the Green Beret.

Rover

[neil1955]

YO ROVER
I think this thread has run its corse now as the the gyrenes have ceased to bite its all a bit of fun at the end of the day all things change evolve if you will. P coy was harder 33 years ago when I did it, selection was harder 24 years ago when I did it, or so it seems to me,POLITICAL CORECTNESS did not exist back then BLACK was BLACK WHITE was WHITE . IF you did not make the grade you did not miss your target you FUC**IN ****FAILED**** simple as that.
On selection we walked alone night and day if you walked off a cliff in the dark it was because you did not read the map (for ORICEFERS ruperts etc thats the colured paper thingy with the squiggly lines) correctly failure then could be terminal, no mobile phones, no GPS, TQ was a nightmare you did not want to experince again I crossed into what was then the the GDR to escape and evade 2 Para and the border guards who wanted to play with our minds a bit .
Sorry raving a bit now not enough Stella I just get a bit pissed off when narrow minded people (as I was once) think that having a GREEN lid MAROON Beret etc Qualifies them to pass judgement on others the unfortunate Squaddies being posted in to stag on for cabbageheads did not sign on for that, they are not second class soldiers at what they do they are the best they are line infantry and proud of it .
If they had wanted to be Commandoes they would have joined the NAVY .

[HCR]

Good lad neil1955

The amount of disrespect shown on these pages towards serving operational soldiers is a f*cking disgrace. I suggest some off these w*nkers go and spew there shite on the parade square of these County Regiments and see how long there left standing.

[m-a-s-s-e-y]

Good posts Neil and HCR Im a STAFFORD and back off to do my second tour of Iraq in October on Telic 9 supporting 19brigade after less than twelve months of completing Telic 6 in Al Amarah, How many Marines can honestly say they started their second full tour at nineteen I bet it aint f@#k many!

[owdun]

A full tour as a Royal Marine in my day was two and a half years, up to three years if the Admiralty so decided, during which time you could be on Active service in various locations. I was 17 years old when I left on my first tour, 21 when I came back to U.K., a mite younger and a lot longer than todays tours.


Owdun.

[Sonne]

A full tour as a Royal Marine in my day was two and a half years, up to three years if the Admiralty so decided, during which time you could be on Active service in various locations. I was 17 years old when I left on my first tour, 21 when I came back to U.K., a mite younger and a lot longer than todays tours.


Owdun.

Bloody hell Owdun that's a long tour.

The ships didn't still have sails back then did they?

Roughly back on topic however i think it'll be interesting to see how this will pan out. But i do agree with Neil, if they wanted to be commando's they would have joined the Marines.

Sonne

[JR]

As my old 'Oppo'Owdun states a full overseas tour was two and a half years to three years depending on unit and political outcomes.
It was reduced at a later date,late fifties to 18 months,ask the Aden vets of 45 commando about spending 18 months active service,or the older Far East Vets two and a half years active service,Hard tack and biscuits and a tin of 'Corn Dog'crap rations no leave all for the price of 8/6 old pence a day.
And then if you were lucky! come home go on foreign service leave,report back to barracks and find yourself posted to a 'War Canoe' Hell it was hard,but it was Fun??.

(for Fark sake jr get back into the box??)

Aye jr