... Sergeant Major be a mother to me?

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Tom Canning

DBF - the Micks were always different - they would jump from lance corporal to lance sergeant just because Queen Victoria said so - then to Platoon sgt and on and upwards - many and varied are the non comm ranks depending on the regiment - and don't go anywhere near the cavalry...BUT the Officers were always in charge that means when things went wrong - it was all their fault !
Cheeers

Hi Tom,
I do know this: if velcro had been around then it would have saved my Dad a lot of sewing. His stripes were on and off, on and off and on again ... he must have got the blame for something. Can't think what ...

Cheers,
Diane

[Tom Canning]

DBF - the QM or QMS - SQMS - were the "scroungers" - i.e. thieves and vagabonds whose main job was to keep enough supplies on hand the feed - clothe - and generally look after all the needs of the all of the troops in the battalion/ regiment - he then had a staff of storekeepers A.K.A - thieves mark 2's - who would then issue said supplies as if they had paid personaly for all things - QM's did miraculous things at times by somehow with or without exchanging cash for goods - came up with e.g. Turkey dinners for Christmas in the most unlikely venues - employing the well known "chitty' a form of a bill of sale to be redeemed at a later date on finally winning the war - and signed by no less a personage as Winston S Churchill who was invariably on the spot at the time.
Many QM's are known to have been millionaires after the war......

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Owen

Household Cavalry are even more awkward.
They have Staff Corporals.

Staff Corporal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They have have Regimental corporal majors!

I'm going to get a headache tablet.

d

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Tom Canning

DBF - the QM or QMS - SQMS - were the "scroungers" - i.e. thieves and vagabonds whose main job was to keep enough supplies on hand the feed - clothe - and generally look after all the needs of the all of the troops in the battalion/ regiment - he then had a staff of storekeepers A.K.A - thieves mark 2's - who would then issue said supplies as if they had paid personaly for all things - QM's did miraculous things at times by somehow with or without exchanging cash for goods - came up with e.g. Turkey dinners for Christmas in the most unlikely venues - employing the well known "chitty' a form of a bill of sale to be redeemed at a later date on finally winning the war - and signed by no less a personage as Winston S Churchill who was invariably on the spot at the time.
Many QM's are known to have been millionaires after the war......

Tom,
That was very interesting. I have read and heard stories about these characters and their uncanny ability to find things when required.

Funny you should say that last comment - look what I read this weekend.



Diane

[CROONAERT]

Originally Posted by dbf

They have have Regimental corporal majors!

I'm going to get a headache tablet.

d

...and Regimental Quarter Master Corporals (WOII). They're great aren't they?

Dave.

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Tom Canning

DBF - the other ranks link is the better of the lot as it shows the main other ranks

- basically the RSM ran the battalion - in conjuction with the Colonel - although the C.O. invariably thought he ran it as he signed for everything

- same with CSM/ SSM - (squadron sgt major of Armoured regiments ) there were other WO's and N.C.O's in title depending on the various tasks they performed i.e WO1 for REME - not necssarily an RSM - but head man of that group, and HE ran that group - all of thm reported to the top Officer in the Battalion/ Group etc....and HE must be obeyed with alacrity as in God like !
Cheers

Tom, thanks, I missed this one, sorry.
I have a photo from my Dad's album showing 3 sergs. (from 2 armd and 3bn) whose names I have. I think I can work out now what they were all supposed to be doing. The 'mud' is finally beginning to settle.

So this leaves me with one last question ... which one kissed them goodnight?
d

[dbf]

Originally Posted by CROONAERT

...and Regimental Quarter Master Corporals (WOII). They're great aren't they?

Dave.

Yep, and I've found another one. Now that R.Q.M.S. is sorted, what on earth is a T.Q.M.S.? Please don't tell me this is a typo ...

d

[Tom Canning]

DBF-
the army has changed then - imagine a staff sgt admitting that he was ashamed to make a profit - whatever next - and then get aquitted - didn't used to bother our lot BUT they would have been breaking stones for 20 odd years - like the Salerno mutineers who objected to joining the 5th US army - three sgts were sentenced to death...glad the mud is settling - don't know who kissed them good night but sure a heck - it wasn't me - biggest shock was finally getting back to the U.K. after a while and being bossed around by an RSM at Dover - he couldn't have been more than 18/19....
cheers

[Tom Canning]

DBF - TQMS - Technical QMS - they looked after all spares for tanks - vehicles of all sorts - Ron Goldstein was Technical Corporal for the 4th Queen Own Hussars in Trieste - he doesn't say so but he is loaded you should see his house in Cockfosters - shheeeesh -!
here is an example of using a "chitty" to get out of trouble ....
Malaria pits and poison parties

Mosquitoes and malaria were a big problem in that area, and so very strict measures were taken to control them. We had already lost one driver, Albert Fairclough, from Yorkshire. He was sent back to England as incurable, having had constant malaria over some nine months.
The main control was to mix up one shovel full of Paris Green arsenic with 50 shovels full of sand, mix well and spread over all the pools of water within half a mile of the camp. When the anopheles mosquito larvae finally came up for air, this poison was sucked in, and it was goodbye to yet another mosquito before it could take flight.
A promissory note from Churchill

One poison party was supervised by a corporal, not the brightest star in the firmament, who confused the instructions. Thus, when the villagers’ cattle came to drink, they keeled over ... dead! Naturally, the buzzards came to clean up the environment — they also keeled over ... dead. Now the North African vulture is a gourmet meal for many villagers, and so we had a local hospital full of very sick villagers.
It was understood by many that a promissory note was handed over to the headman of the village. The note had been signed — on the spot — by one Winston S Churchill. It was just as well that we were on our way to the real war in Italy

[handtohand22]

Check out the other thread on a similar vein at, Read This
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network...4703-read.html