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Hi Dave,

Pongo = where the Army goes the pong goes. (I am ex Army but not smelly)

Booties feel free to correct if you disagree:

A Commando is a complete fighting force; to achieve this self-sustaining role they need elements from the Army - Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery and Logistic support. Therefore units from the above Corps are permanently attached to a Commando Brigade - 59 Ind Cdo Sqn RE, 29 Fd Arty Bty RA and Cdo Logistics from the RLC. The men serving in these units are soldiers from the Army who have passed the six week All Arms Commando course, having passed the identical test that RM have to pass in order to be a Royal Marine Commando.

The soldiers when serving with RM wear the green lid, they also wear a commando dagger on their left sleeve to show they are commando trained regardless of whether they are serving with RM or not.

There are similar units who serve with the Paras on a permanent basis, again the men serving in those units must have passed P Coy to wear the red (cherry) beret and Para wings also worn on the left shoulder.

So, Dave, it is possible to serve with the RM (or Paras) from the Army but not to join the RM from the Army.

The school you mentioned is Wellbeck College - normally for future Army officers, but a top place for education.

One of my sons was going to join the RM, he is now going the Army route, so if you need any assistance give me your email or if you prefer discuss on this forum.


Hope you can understand the abbreviations above - it is a 'thing' that military folk tend to communicate in their own form of shorthand.

Bermuda - why would he want to leave, have had some great holidays there!!

Contractor,

I think that we should keep the conversation here as it may help somone else.

The school I was thinking of (sorry, over this side we tend to refer to all educational establishments as schools; it's an American thing) is the Army Foundation College. It is aimed at 16 year olds and is a one year course for those too young to go to war I guess. It seems like a good idea to me. Allow the kids to get fit and do some preliminary training. It would be great if the RM had one - could get the recruits super fit and allow them to mature a little.

Brian fancies himself as a bit of a marksman so thinks he should go for infantry if he joined the Army. Seems like cannon fodder to me. He definitely wants to see action - not be stuck in a German camp (or wherever they are these days) for years on end.

Brian is following the posts here so he will have to do his research and decide for himself. He is educated well enough for officer material but has ADD and wouldn't volunteer for college without a gun to his head.

The problem with Bermuda is the almost total lack of challenges. We both dive but that is hardly challenging. Brian loves to climb mountains and rocks and go caving (he spent 2 years at school in USA and could do all those things). This is a country of accountants and lawyers.

So the Paras ar considered what? A separate identity like the RM? Brian would definitely jump out of high things.

Hmm, Pongo, not very complimentary. So what do Army types call Royals?

yep these Royals are a rough and uncouth lot calling people from the Army pongos, we reply with a rather tame 'bootneck' for them.

the Para's are part of the Regular Army and not seperate, Brian could join straight into the Para's as he could RM.

[quote="Sticky BlueIf he takes and SQ he will then have to do more courses etc. It is not all runnung around like a lunatic... although there is a lot of that![/quote]

SQ...?

SQ = Specialist Qualification. Signaller, Heavy Weapons, Platoon Weapons, etc:

Aye - Andy.

Funny, I somehow thought that you had to have a degree to become an officer. The stuff you listed Brian could walk.

I see elsewhere that the Corp is full up at the moment so I guess everything goes on hold for a while.

Hey I see I got a bullet, is that the right term?

When I applied, I was told that about 95% of people who get selected for officer training have degrees and most of the people going for the other 5% would be older than me (I'm 20) and more experienced. If you really want it and they will let you go for it then by all means do, but be prepared to have to work harder than those with degrees to show you are better