OldTimeTim
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Hope this isn't inappropriate but my question is ... Is there/was there ever anything such as the 'guardsman's friend'?
i found this in an old 1990's police magazine.
On the subject of policemen, guardsmen etc needing the toilet when on parade etc, many years ago there used to be a means of discrete relief at least for men. A piece of apparatus called a "guardsmen's friend" was available. This consisted of a rubberised pouch worn like a pair of underpants with a condom-like sheath for the penis, leading to a long rubber tube with a reservoir and valve at the bottom. This fitted down the trouser leg. If the officer or soldier got to the stage where he couldn't wait any longer he would just pee as he was standing there, then find a drain or gutter and reach down, release the valve and let the urine drain away without anyone seeing what was happening. I know many a policeman or soldier back in the day who avoided disgrace by making use of the equipment.
Obviously for "number two's" such a contrivance wasn't possible. Most people in the forces or police going on a parade are told to try to relieve themselves both ways before going on duty. When I was a young constable in the police in the seventies, we once had to be on parade when one of the Royal Family came to Watford. We were told to 'go' before the event but the relatively few WPC's at that time were also advised to wear one of the thick sanitary pads they had in those days - no slimline Vespre mini towels back then, just thick pads covered in a sort of netting and tied with tapes inside the gusset of the knickers. The pad was intended to absorb any dribbles. Being young and probably over-confident, I didn't make use of either contraption but one of my mates decided he didn't want the discomfort of the guardsman's friend, so he amusingly said he would wear one of the pads stuffed inside his underpants.
Several hours in, he was thanking his lucky stars for his decision and he eventually found himself having to void his bladder where he stood. The pad absorbed like a sponge and he couldn't believe he'd got away with it. However, the problem came when we had to move and on the long walk back to the centre, the sodden pad became too heavy to remain contained inside his pants and began to slide out of the leg of his underwear, slowly making its way down his leg as he walked and making a bit of an unfortunate mess of his trouser leg. Eventually wrapping itself around his sock and ankle, it finally became visible as it plopped out onto his shoe like a white flannel.
I don't need to tell you of the amusement it caused. It was the guardsman's friend or nothing after that![/FONT]
i found this in an old 1990's police magazine.
On the subject of policemen, guardsmen etc needing the toilet when on parade etc, many years ago there used to be a means of discrete relief at least for men. A piece of apparatus called a "guardsmen's friend" was available. This consisted of a rubberised pouch worn like a pair of underpants with a condom-like sheath for the penis, leading to a long rubber tube with a reservoir and valve at the bottom. This fitted down the trouser leg. If the officer or soldier got to the stage where he couldn't wait any longer he would just pee as he was standing there, then find a drain or gutter and reach down, release the valve and let the urine drain away without anyone seeing what was happening. I know many a policeman or soldier back in the day who avoided disgrace by making use of the equipment.
Obviously for "number two's" such a contrivance wasn't possible. Most people in the forces or police going on a parade are told to try to relieve themselves both ways before going on duty. When I was a young constable in the police in the seventies, we once had to be on parade when one of the Royal Family came to Watford. We were told to 'go' before the event but the relatively few WPC's at that time were also advised to wear one of the thick sanitary pads they had in those days - no slimline Vespre mini towels back then, just thick pads covered in a sort of netting and tied with tapes inside the gusset of the knickers. The pad was intended to absorb any dribbles. Being young and probably over-confident, I didn't make use of either contraption but one of my mates decided he didn't want the discomfort of the guardsman's friend, so he amusingly said he would wear one of the pads stuffed inside his underpants.
Several hours in, he was thanking his lucky stars for his decision and he eventually found himself having to void his bladder where he stood. The pad absorbed like a sponge and he couldn't believe he'd got away with it. However, the problem came when we had to move and on the long walk back to the centre, the sodden pad became too heavy to remain contained inside his pants and began to slide out of the leg of his underwear, slowly making its way down his leg as he walked and making a bit of an unfortunate mess of his trouser leg. Eventually wrapping itself around his sock and ankle, it finally became visible as it plopped out onto his shoe like a white flannel.
I don't need to tell you of the amusement it caused. It was the guardsman's friend or nothing after that![/FONT]