'Get some in'

[Gonterseed]

Slightly off topic but. In the 70's I joined as a DE in the now defunct TG3 and after a 12 month fitters course passed out as a J/T. Whereas there were the Mechs who did a 3 or 4 month course and then passed out as LAC then onto SAC and then on to fitters course (same as the DE course) to get their 4th prop and then on to CPL etc... Question. What happens these days?

 

[ScoobTech]

They go to cosford for 12 months and come out as an LAC, Once TAT A completed the get SAC. They then complete their quals in their own time, to become an SAC Tech 18 months later.

 

[Gonterseed]

They go to cosford for 12 months and come out as an LAC, Once TAT A completed the get SAC. They then complete their quals in their own time, to become an SAC Tech 18 months later.

So I guess that if you do the ICT course then it is basically the kit that is at the place where your first posting out of training that has a big influence on your specialty (radio, radar, PC's, servers,networking etc) rather than having some choice in what you might want to. If my guess is correct that could mean you end up getting the SAC/T with specialty in changing printer cartridges rather than a different posting where there is some real kit to work on, so as to speak.

 

[Flybynight]

We had at least one, possibly two who went on to officer training at Cranwell. Not sure if there were others who went elsewhere. We also had a couple or three who graduated as Cpls but I was thankful just to graduate as a J/T.

There's a story behind that but I'll not go into that here.

Oh yes, we also had a couple of lads dishonourably discharged after getting as p!ssed as rat's and then waiting in the bushes behind Henderson guardroom and beating the living sh!t out of a couple of lads from a junior entry, putting one of them in the hospital with very severe injuries. They each spent quite a long time in Colchester before being kicked out and probably underwent a fair bit of punishment themselves before being booted out.

Funny thing is, neither one of them seemed to be the type of person who would even dream of behaving in that fashion. I guess booze can bring out a lot of nasty characteristics in some people.

We were warned as recruits that drunkenness would not be accepted as an excuse, rather, it would make matters worse. Shineys may wish to illuminate (as it were) but as I recall serious offences were recorded on a form that stayed on your record permanently but lesser ones were recorded on one that was scrapped and replaced by a 'clean' one if there had been nothing to record for two years. However, the rules stated that ALL offences involving drink had to be recorded in red, and lesser offences over two years old involving drink had to be transferred to the new form, still in red.

On one occasion several of us were hanging on to our large, Glaswegian watch Sergeant in a pub car park, pulling him away from a small civilian in a car who had tooted and tried to wave him out of the way. Sarge had tight hold of his tie and collar, and was inviting him to "get yer two feet on the floor..." We got him away before Old Bill turned up or anybody realised who we were. At another station it was decided the Ops Centre needed an SNCO i/c Discipline (I suppose an FOM before they were called that). After he arrived somebody had to take the Ops Mini to the Sergeants' Mess every afternoon and fetch him from the bar. We then stuck him in a corner and fed him black coffee, trying to persuade him to keep quiet so that the Duty Ops Officer could carry on not noticing him. This guy had a number of decorations from WWII, Malaya and Cyprus, and once told me he drank to take away the horror of his memories. PTSD therapy, 60s-style...the problem being that alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system, and for him therefore made things a whole lot worse.

 

[Kiwistacker]

We were warned as recruits that drunkenness would not be accepted as an excuse, rather, it would make matters worse. Shineys may wish to illuminate (as it were) but as I recall serious offences were recorded on a form that stayed on your record permanently but lesser ones were recorded on one that was scrapped and replaced by a 'clean' one if there had been nothing to record for two years. However, the rules stated that ALL offences involving drink had to be recorded in red, and lesser offences over two years old involving drink had to be transferred to the new form, still in red.

On one occasion several of us were hanging on to our large, Glaswegian watch Sergeant in a pub car park, pulling him away from a small civilian in a car who had tooted and tried to wave him out of the way. Sarge had tight hold of his tie and collar, and was inviting him to "get yer two feet on the floor..." We got him away before Old Bill turned up or anybody realised who we were. At another station it was decided the Ops Centre needed an SNCO i/c Discipline (I suppose an FOM before they were called that). After he arrived somebody had to take the Ops Mini to the Sergeants' Mess every afternoon and fetch him from the bar. We then stuck him in a corner and fed him black coffee, trying to persuade him to keep quiet so that the Duty Ops Officer could carry on not noticing him. This guy had a number of decorations from WWII, Malaya and Cyprus, and once told me he drank to take away the horror of his memories. PTSD therapy, 60s-style...the problem being that alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system, and for him therefore made things a whole lot worse.

Back to the thread there's actually a "Get Some In" storyline where an ex WW2 Flight Sergeant gets drunk while picquet commander, just a week off his demob. With the possibility of discharge without his pension and good conduct record he gets 'hidden' by the Erks and the nasty Corporal does the duty for him.

 

[ScoobTech]

So I guess that if you do the ICT course then it is basically the kit that is at the place where your first posting out of training that has a big influence on your specialty (radio, radar, PC's, servers,networking etc) rather than having some choice in what you might want to. If my guess is correct that could mean you end up getting the SAC/T with specialty in changing printer cartridges rather than a different posting where there is some real kit to work on, so as to speak.

No because we don't specialise any more, so you could go from an I-Hub to Henlow Fitting Party or EW Radars. If you go to somewhere that requires more electronics knowldge, they put you on 12 week course to bring you up to speed.

 

[Barch]

No because we don't specialise any more, so you could go from an I-Hub to Henlow Fitting Party or EW Radars. If you go to somewhere that requires more electronics knowldge, they put you on 12 week course to bring you up to speed.

How do you get the specialist knowledge required to get SAC(T) without a change of work environment?

 

[Spearmint]

So where do "Super Techs" fit in to all this?

I've only ever met one back in 1999 on his last legs serving on 33Sqn.

 

[Flybynight]

So where do "Super Techs" fit in to all this?

I've only ever met one back in 1999 on his last legs serving on 33Sqn.

There's a thread in the archive, 'Super Techs,' started by propersplitbrainme 08 - 11 - 10, (The Old Days: Warfare History forum) that answers all the questions you ever wanted to ask and some you might wish you hadn't.

 

[Spearmint]

Cheers FBN, I'll have a look.

 

[ScoobTech]

How do you get the specialist knowledge required to get SAC(T) without a change of work environment?

It all depends on where you work, so and SAC in I-hub has a different set of tasks for the evidence than a ground radio SAC. So your specialist knowledge will only be in one area of all the different things you can do in our trade.

 

[Flybynight]

Back to the thread there's actually a "Get Some In" storyline where an ex WW2 Flight Sergeant gets drunk while picquet commander, just a week off his demob. With the possibility of discharge without his pension and good conduct record he gets 'hidden' by the Erks and the nasty Corporal does the duty for him.

Looking back, there was an awful lot of it about amongst those who had indeed got time in at what was fatuously called the sharp end. At one station the SIntO (who as it happened was bonking Mrs Staish) was banned from the Mess by the PMC after a complaint by the C of E padre. At another, an MO honked on Harry's carpet during a party, p!ssed on it, rubbed it in with his foot, and was thrown out. The next morning he was still asleep on the grass outside. Elsewhere, the married Flt Lt i/c Stackers tried to pick a fist fight with SAC FBN at a WRAF-organised Xmas Party because he thought, wrongly, that I was chatting his Cpl(W) girlfriend up (I walked away, not fancying ending a pleasant evening in the Guardroom, and she held him back and apologised to me for his behaviour the next day - I was, of course, generous).

I don't think I remember the episode you mention but I did enjoy the one in which Nasty Corporal got booted out of being a DI, lost all his acting rank and ended up junior to the erks, who by then were LACs to his AC Plonk.

 

[veryretiredscribbly]

I don't think I remember the episode you mention but I did enjoy the one in which Nasty Corporal got booted out of being a DI, lost all his acting rank and ended up junior to the erks, who by then were LACs to his AC Plonk.

That'd be the episode where Acting Sgt Marsh accidently burns down the trainees barrack block after having 1 too many sherberts when his wife ran off with another man. It's the 1st show of season 3.

(Just checked my blog where I reviewed & made a timeline of the whole show. Acting Sgt Marsh demoted to Cpl for burning down barrack hut.) They post him after that, he turns up at the same unit where his recruits were doing trade training to retrade.

My entry on his even lower demotion read as follows:- trade training Cpl Marsh demoted to AC1 for cheating on final exam.

That's in season 4.

 

[Flybynight]

That'd be the episode where Acting Sgt Marsh accidently burns down the trainees barrack block after having 1 too many sherberts when his wife ran off with another man. It's the 1st show of season 3.

(Just checked my blog where I reviewed & made a timeline of the whole show. Acting Sgt Marsh demoted to Cpl for burning down barrack hut.) They post him after that, he turns up at the same unit where his recruits were doing trade training to retrade.

My entry on his even lower demotion read as follows:- trade training Cpl Marsh demoted to AC1 for cheating on final exam.

That's in season 4.

Blimey, a blog no less, I'm well impressed! (As my son said when the wife passed A Level Chemistry.) You'll be telling me you're a fan of The Army Game/Bootsie & Snudge next.

Tell you what, why not put out a summary a week for us to read?


:encouragement:

 

[Kiwistacker]

One of the AC's had come in drunk and sploshed petrol around. A/Sgt Marsh came went into the barracks and did his usual 'fag for the Sgt' routine but couldn't smell the petrol because he had a bandaged nose after being 'educated' in the mess by a seasoned F/S for being rude to the bar steward. After getting his light he flicked the match on the floor which lit the petrol.
His AC's presented him with the petrol can as a leaving gift as they departed the RAF base.

 

[MakkaPakka1]

How have I never seen this comedy before?!? Probably an age thing, but still, it's the funniest thing I've seen for a while!

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

 

[Flybynight]

I've just remembered who Marsh reminds me of. There was a sergeant in the SWO's office at Bruggen when I arrived in 61 who was always pushing people around, above all when he was O/Sgt or when they went into the SWO's office for any reason. He always arrived aggressively in the Malcolm Club at exactly closing time and would not allow anyone to finish his drink, he would have to leave, NOW! (Pointless, as there was an open until late German Hof opposite the main gate, another just down the road, and the USAF always welcomed us in their bar.) Sergeant P@ll@s left the much rougher NAAFI bar, where the RSigs drank, to the O/Cpl. The all-ranks Golf Club Bar he left well alone, in case he called a suited SAC "sir" by mistake I wouldn't wonder.

Change of SWO, change of times. A new SWO arrived, who had been an Air Engineer, a decent, friendly bloke, somewhat rotund, whose main interest was golf. SAC Bloggs arrived by appointment to see Mr Swobbly about a golfing matter. P@ll@s pulled his usual stunt of standing up and shouting at Bloggs for no particular reason. Swobbly then stood up, visibly angry, and told P@ll@s: "Sit down and be quiet! He's come to see me not you!" Strange to relate, P@ll@s didn't last much longer in the SWO's office.

 

[OldMedic]

Like others I didn't see the original of this series only becoming acquainted when the DVDs were bought for me.
Early episodes were fairly reminiscent of basic as were those at MTE.
The "in the bar" scene at Malta / Cyprus? was very funny.
The later hospital ones were a flight of fancy and the plot got a little tired.

 

[Spearmint]

I've just gone and purchased this as a Father's Day present as it should go down well with my Dad who served 9yrs as an Airframe Mech 1968 - 77.

 

[reluctant liney]

They are all on youtube.