Life on barracks during training

[spaceghetti]

some else gets if for you or you buy it in NAAFFI

We're on about everyone in training getting confined to barracks, not just yourself, so there isn't anyone else to get the stuff.

Would the NCO's make a shop run for the whole platoon??

NAAFI? I thought that was created for the British army?? There wouldn't be any in Ireland?

[Truck Driver]

We're on about everyone in training getting confined to barracks, not just yourself, so there isn't anyone else to get the stuff.

Would the NCO's make a shop run for the whole platoon??

NAAFI? I thought that was created for the British army?? There wouldn't be any in Ireland?

Guess you' d have to ring someone from outside to do it for ya, then....

And no, there is no "NAAFI", but there are Army Canteen Board shops in the Defence Forces,
but I am unsure if every barracks has one...

[dahamster]

Would the NCO's make a shop run for the whole platoon??

Only if you ask them nicely!

[Jonesy]

Recruit training - poxy, hard as feck, torture - but so what. The best part of joining the army for most of us.

Then when you go back and get to train recruts its even better. A lot more fun too because you're on the other side of the fence this time around...

But I think training the Cork lads in Dublin, etc as Hedgie said is the best idea of the lot. Makes them gel as a platoon. And if at some point in their training they get a weekend pass, they'll keep it local and hang out together and get to know their comrades as equals/buddies in the same way as back home and growing up.

[hptmurphy]

Does this happen often??

I've seen this a few times.

On another note about being confined to barracks, what if you need certain supplies like shower gel, shaving gel/razors and stuff like that??

Normally we weren't subjected to Locker inspections but one particular evening the OOD decided that he would, unfortunately two minutes prior to inspection we had been adding the finishing touches and all the kit was stored in my locker, including lead swinger. I did warn the 5'2 little shit that my locker wasn't suitable for inspection but he did insist... the door popped open and the entire contents exploded on to him...hes on his hands a knees having being polaxed by the lead swinger and I'm on my knees in Howls of laughter as are the other 7 in the room....the DPO still has marks on his lips from biting them in an effort to stop laughing.

Net Result ..next day is saturday..half day.......used to work saturday mornings as recruits...half day was from 2 till 16.30 initially and then extended to 19.10 and eventually to 21.00 which was duly loused up by someone coming back in the horrors acting the maggot.

Any way tooth brush gave out after a couple of hours in the drill shed..with DPO standing over me..he eventually got pissed off and sent me ashore to get a new one.....well that was his excuse to offload me so he could go sit in the mess and watch the match...but I did have to present a new toothbrush just to prove to the OOP the punishment had taken place.


In the good old days having whole classes C'Beed or on Kit inspections all night would be common place..having weekends cancelled, happened on a couple of occasions, having passing out dates constantly changed and then changed back just to wreck you head.

One saturday morning we had no recruit class officer to carry out inspection so the OOD was summoned, a gentleman , an engineer, and a Englishman to boot. Served at sea with him later, fine man.

Gave us the percursory once over and declared us to be well turned out and dismissed us....deffo on for the half day.

Class PO took offence to his class being inspected by a brit, an engineer ,a direct entry and then moved us out of sight and took us to pieces..guess what no half day....just because the OOD was too nice.

Its not what the instructors do..its how they do it that wrecks the head...just when you think you are making progress some introduces a new plane and ****s with your mind.

The guys who worked us the hardest ,threw every obstacle in our way.. ran the shit out of us, made us cry at times, stopped when they knew we had enough..allowed us a smoke... and then ****ed us about some more....these were the guys who made us what we were.

The day you pass out...not even the birth of my children or my wedding day is as vivid as that day..yeah in the minds of the others we were only at the first step and many had passed before us, but to an 18 year old having hauled themselves through some of the worst things he could imagine one little red stripe on the sleeve and an hour on the square with an audience..what a day.....

The only place in the world you can sense every emotion under the sun, do things you thought were beyond yourself and get paid....a recruit.....would I dod it again... yes but it would have to be back in 1985 with no A7 and with the same people.

Sorry for harping on. if you haven't done it you won't ever know, if you don't do it , you will never know what you have missed,If you have done it you will know. Love it or hate it , you will have done it and thats all that will matter.

[Truck Driver]

Then when you go back and get to train recruits its even better. A lot more fun too because you're on the other side of the fence this time around....

I'd agree with that 100%

When I completed my Pot NCO Cse, and was now suddenly standing in front of a section,
trying to remember "the screed" and not make a pillock of myself, yes, even that was
somewhat daunting

But over time, as you grew in the role, and got experience, you became more
confident

And yes, I did get a great buzz out of seeing my first batch of recruits passing out...

[Tango_Charlie]

A guy i trained with was confined 11 weekends out of the 15. He just always seemed to make his monumental cock-ups on fridays. Most weekends there was usually at least 5 confined if not the whole platoon.

Personally i agree with idea of a centralised recruit training depot with temporarily attached instructors from the units the recruits will be going to. Also training guys away from their own homes is a good idea.

[hptmurphy]

Works for the NS where you draw in from all over the country and severely limit their time off base so they can't go home and bond in training. Worked for us. Six weeks before the first home leave....and only because it was Christmas, the local guys from Cork and surrounds did stand to...

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there,
Murph,
If I was that officer and heard that a PO had countermanded an order of mine, he'd spend every subsequent weekend wearing out toothbrushes............In the Don, training NCOs were God and some abused their authority dreadfully.We weren't savvy enough or brave enough to do anything about it then but a later generation of apprentices were and got that crap stopped. Doing that shit has sme place in recruit training but not when it's still going on, two years later in an apprenticeship.
regards
GttC

[Hello Alaska]

One of the lads I trained with got CB'd one weekend when the rest of us got a weekend pass and he spent the whole of Saturday and Sunday digging and filling, then re-digging a trench.

Poor ****er.

Looking back, Recruit Training was great. The craic was 90 with all the lads and there was no better way to build up camaraderie than getting rode by every day of the week, but still knowing you were surrounded by lads going through the exact same thing and then having a good old fashioned crib afterwards.

[hptmurphy]

If I was that officer and heard that a PO had countermanded an order of mine, he'd spend every subsequent weekend wearing out toothbrushes.......

.....

Given both have since retired and its the first time I related the finer detail its just another tale in relation to recruits that is now folklore.

We weren't savvy enough or brave enough to do anything about it then but a later generation of apprentices were and got that crap stopped. Doing that shit has sme place in recruit training but not when it's still going on, two years later in an apprenticeship.

Yeah dogging peoplle for the sake of it is wrong if anything it probaly caused more problems than it ever solved. Have to say in our day recruits was over, courses done and the guys who instructed you left it all behind. It was all aprt of the process while on the training was going on but once you went to sea and were doing your days work along with everyone else rank hardly a role to play. You new your place, you pulled your weight, Bosun and Cox'n were refered to as that Officers were sir, but all in all very rarely did anyone have to pull rank at sea.

Different thing when your all in the same boat so to speak and there is a job to get done. The respect is there for those who do and can work, cribbing is a service mans second nature, never really took notice but you even found it ashore with guys who had served together at sea, the job was done.

[DeV]

According to military.ie:

Cadets:
First 4 weeks - no leave
Months 2 & 3 - 2 weekend passes (otherwise restricted to within 10km of DFTC)
Months 4-10 - 1 weekend pass per month (otherwise restricted to within 10km of DFTC) allowed a car
Remainder of course - 2 weekend passes per month (otherwise restricted to within 50km of DFTC) allowed a car

[RoyalGreenJacket]

According to military.ie:

Cadets:
First 4 weeks - no leave
Months 2 & 3 - 2 weekend passes (otherwise restricted to within 10km of DFTC)
Months 4-10 - 1 weekend pass per month (otherwise restricted to within 10km of DFTC) allowed a car
Remainder of course - 2 weekend passes per month (otherwise restricted to within 50km of DFTC) allowed a car

why such restrictions?

i have a lad from 27th Batt just joined the RIFLES and he has already been back to Ireland for a long weekend and down to visit me in London and he is only in Week 10 of training in Catterick.

i have another lad from Cork who spent 3 weeks at home over Christmas when he was in training with the Scots.

Leave is Leave - you must trust the blokes to let them go where they please - if they don't come back or fcuk up then post them as AWOL and get rid of them as required.

[Craghopper]

why such restrictions?

i have a lad from 27th Batt just joined the RIFLES and he has already been back to Ireland for a long weekend and down to visit me in London and he is only in Week 10 of training in Catterick.

i have another lad from Cork who spent 3 weeks at home over Christmas when he was in training with the Scots.

Leave is Leave - you must trust the blokes to let them go where they please - if they don't come back or fcuk up then post them as AWOL and get rid of them as required.

That Lad fom 27th Bn..Did he have to start training from the start or phase 2 ?

[ZULU]

why such restrictions?

.

Inculcation of Military values