Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[LongTimeLurker]

27 minutes ago, Hillonearth said:

Someone I know in the army outed him as a bit of an old fraud over the summer...using the rank of retired captain in civilian life is a bit sketchy in itself, as lieutenant and captain are basically the baby officer ranks and you're not entitled to use them after you leave...

Captain Mark Philips was definitely getting frowned on for that having had the misfortune of having to listen to an irate Colonel Blimp type rant on and on about it back in the early 1980s even though nothing was ever said in the media at the time of course.

[tamthebam]

Don't you know Captain Tom saved all the men in his unit during the War?

Spoiler

He shot the cook

 

[KnightswoodBear]

21 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

Almost no one of the admittedly small sample size I have ever known, who was involved in the war, didnt wish to speak of it, nor did they consider themselves an "army man" post leaving (unsurprising to see normal people no longer defining themselves by something they gave up seven decades ago)

Thus, I am deeply suspicious of anyone who joined up for the war and continues to harp on about it 70 years later.

All of that said, despite having little interest in the old boy and the media circus, I really would prefer it if is the case that he was largely oblivious to it all and his horrific daughter was dressing him up like a GI Geriatric doll.

My Granpa never spoke about it up until a couple of months before he died and he started telling me about his time in France/Belgium/Holland and Germany.  I always wonder if he knew he was on the way out and wanted to talk to someone about it.

In no way did he make it sound in any way heroic or glamorous.  He was away from his wife for 5 years, his mates died, and he saw things that haunted him for the rest of his life. 

[Bairnardo]

My Granpa never spoke about it up until a couple of months before he died and he started telling me about his time in France/Belgium/Holland and Germany.  I always wonder if he knew he was on the way out and wanted to talk to someone about it.
In no way did he make it sound in any way heroic or glamorous.  He was away from his wife for 5 years, his mates died, and he saw things that haunted him for the rest of his life. 

You do wonder about the types who think it's something to be proud of. Evidently the more modern trend of extremely gritty and realistic war films havent gone far enough in convincing people that war isnt actually a boys holiday.

[Elixir]

Quote

Posted at 9:00

Significant return to normality' possible after vulnerable vaccinated - scientist

Today Programme

BBC Radio 4

Prof Andrew Hayward - a member of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) - says that, once the most vulnerable in society have been vaccinated, a return to normality is within reach.

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "Once the most vulnerable people, particularly those over 50 and those with chronic illnesses, are vaccinated then yes I think we can see a significant return to normality.

"That, in addition to the fact coronavirus is a seasonal disease, I think will make a big difference and allow us to open up.

"I think what we'll see is a phased opening up as the vaccination levels increase, and then we will be more or less back to normal for the summer, I would imagine."

I wonder how much Sturgeon will continue to drag her feet, though. 

[The Moonster]

10 hours ago, Elixir said:

Yeah, great take, Dan. 

Sunak is absolutely bang on the money. 

Why does Boris stand socially distanced from his wife?

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

21 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I stayed in the Union Jack club in London. It's basically a NAAFI/Hotel for service and ex-service personnel. I got in as a Servant of Her Majesty. Anyway, it's full of these old boys, some live in it permanently. Think Captain Tom and The Major from Fawlty Towers, in the same bar as Sergeant Major Williams and Corporal Jones. Early on it was all salutes and discipline. You'd think a bomb had gone off in the bar at the end of the night as the wounded got carried out.

Good laugh though.

https://www.ujclub.co.uk 

They have a Territorial Army version, Saturdays and Sundays.

Im not going to lie, id rather holiday in Aleppo than visit the union jack club. 

[Burnieman]

46 minutes ago, Hillonearth said:

Someone I know in the army outed him as a bit of an old fraud over the summer...using the rank of retired captain in civilian life is a bit sketchy in itself, as lieutenant and captain are basically the baby officer ranks and you're not entitled to use them after you leave. It's not strictly illegal, but it's certainly frowned upon. Add in the fact he seems to have left as only an acting captain meaning that he would have reverted to his permanent rank (lieutenant) on leaving and thus it also very much looks like he was bullshitting about what rank he actually was for 70+ years...

Despite the lip service hero worship they were forced to show to the public, from what I was told the actual army of today pretty much had the measure of him - he was described to me as a bit of an old walt...had to ask what that meant, and it's apparently an army term for ex-services pub bore types who exaggerate what they got up to and how important they were...the ex-army cook who claims to have been in the SAS type of thing...it's apparently short for Walter Mitty.

 

What about Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served, was he also conning us on prime time TV for years?

[Aladdin]

2 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

4 minutes ago, KnightswoodBear said:

My Granpa never spoke about it up until a couple of months before he died and he started telling me about his time in France/Belgium/Holland and Germany.  I always wonder if he knew he was on the way out and wanted to talk to someone about it.
In no way did he make it sound in any way heroic or glamorous.  He was away from his wife for 5 years, his mates died, and he saw things that haunted him for the rest of his life. 

You do wonder about the types who think it's something to be proud of. Evidently the more modern trend of extremely gritty and realistic war films havent gone far enough in convincing people that war isnt actually a boys holiday.

Whilst the glamorisation and glorification of war is extremely distasteful, I think those who served in ww2 can be proud of their involvement.  They were, in the main, ordinary men who were conscripted to fight facists, not career soliders like today who had a choice in joining up.  

And, whilst the above maybe oversimplifies the politics of it, I dont think it can really be argued that Britain should not have been involved or picked the wrong side.

Agree with the reluctance to talk about it.  One of my grandfathers served in Burma in WW2 and spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in a japanese POW camp.  He certainly wasnt eager to tell tales about volleyball on the beach or fine dining abroad.

[Hedgecutter]

7 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I find you get most of these things shared in local Facebook groups.

Having just looked at mine, it's somewhat entertaining to see how quickly these posts can turn into absolute bitchfests in the comments section.

Not enough exclamation marks in the world for middle-aged women it would seem.

[mizfit]

My Granpa never spoke about it up until a couple of months before he died and he started telling me about his time in France/Belgium/Holland and Germany.  I always wonder if he knew he was on the way out and wanted to talk to someone about it.
In no way did he make it sound in any way heroic or glamorous.  He was away from his wife for 5 years, his mates died, and he saw things that haunted him for the rest of his life. 

I’d never met my great grandparents, both were dead before I was born but both great grand fathers were in the black watch.

My grans dad had been a soldier before the war kicked off and apparently was a bit more open with stories but would only really talk if prompted too, but never went too much into it.

My Grandads father on the other hand didn’t talk about it at all, my dad says he can remember asking him about the war for a school project and he’d spoke about where he’d travelled and his role in the army but nothing beyond that.

I always find it rather weird when you find this group who spend their entire time talking about the war, and nothing but the war.

We don’t even know where any of their medals are, we know one set ended up being left to a sibling of my grandad who’s since died, but the other set has gone awol.

[KnightswoodBear]

Just now, mizfit said:

 

I’d never met my great grandparents, both were dead before I was born but both great grand fathers were in the black watch.

My grans dad had been a soldier before the war kicked off and apparently was a bit more open with stories but would only really talk if prompted too, but never went too much into it.

My Grandads father on the other hand didn’t talk about it at all, my dad says he can remember asking him about the war for a school project and he’d spoke about where he’d travelled and his role in the army but nothing beyond that.

I always find it rather weird when you find this group who spend their entire time talking about the war, and nothing but the war.

We don’t even know where any of their medals are, we know one set ended up being left to a sibling of my grandad who’s since died, but the other set has gone awol.

 

I've got my Granpa's campaign medals in a box.  I keep meaning to get them mounted and display them.  Not because I have any kind of raging hardon for ARE BOIS, but as a memory of what he went through.

[Burnieman]

Travel PR machine ramping things up a wee bit

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/lockdown-date-travel-again-2021-holidays-b1796901.html?fbclid=IwAR2Fep6wUamp3TUKh_0i8PrzE12jr5qnCB7wyKWazSLZs8Fn0u8kCbYOalo

[Bairnardo]

I've got my Granpa's campaign medals in a box.  I keep meaning to get them mounted and display them.  Not because I have any kind of raging hardon for ARE BOIS, but as a memory of what he went through.

I actually have some bits and pieces of my grandads including his flight logs. It's not the most interesting content but like you say, it's a memory.

[Jacksgranda]

1 minute ago, Aladdin said:

Whilst the glamorisation and glorification of war is extremely distasteful, I think those who served in ww2 can be proud of their involvement.  They were, in the main, ordinary men who were conscripted to fight facists, not career soliders like today who had a choice in joining up.  

And, whilst the above maybe oversimplifies the politics of it, I dont think it can really be argued that Britain should not have been involved or picked the wrong side.

Agree with the reluctance to talk about it.  One of my grandfathers served in Burma in WW2 and spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in a japanese POW camp.  He certainly wasnt eager to tell tales about volleyball on the beach or fine dining abroad.

None of my relatives who served in the Second World War ever talked about their experiences (apart from my father who talked a little bit about guarding the Forth Bridge - that's what he spent the war doing - who saw colleagues killed on exercises). Not him, not my Uncle Jimmy (submariner), not my Uncle Dave (Desert Rat), not my Uncle Bob (Merchant Navy). Not the two fellas I knew who were at Dunkirk, other than to say they were at Dunkirk. Nor the 4 chaps I knew who were in Japanese/Italian PoW camps, other than to say they were prisoners.

Different generation. Nowadays it would be all over Facebook and Twitter.

[Billy Jean King]

Yanks will be up to third tomorrow.
Ra Sellick now on the board.

It won't matter a f**k if we decide to still measure the pandemic in new cases which for some bizarre reason seems to be the direction of travel. BBC this morning floating the notion that running nose and sneezing might get added to the symptoms prompting a test ffs. We will be testing (and hence finding) tens of thousands more 'cases' if that happens.

Once we get well into this vaccination program surely new cases become irrelevant and it all becomes about illness serious enough to require hospitals ie strain on the NHS. Even Sunak is commenting on the clear shift of emphasis.

[Jacksgranda]

4 minutes ago, KnightswoodBear said:

I've got my Granpa's campaign medals in a box.  I keep meaning to get them mounted and display them.  Not because I have any kind of raging hardon for ARE BOIS, but as a memory of what he went through.

I think you should, tbh. My brother has our Dad's medals (and Uncle Jimmy's), but I've no idea what he has done with them.

[Hillonearth]

5 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

What about Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served, was he also conning us on prime time TV for years?

I imagine back then it would have been shorthand for him being a faux-posh social climber...the joke of him being a retired army captain probably would have resonated a lot more in the 70s when a much greater proportion of the population would have had served in the military at some point, whether it was WW2, national service or the fact that the UK had a much bigger standing army than it does now.

[Billy Jean King]

Posted at 9:00

Significant return to normality' possible after vulnerable vaccinated - scientist

Today Programme

BBC Radio 4

Prof Andrew Hayward - a member of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) - says that, once the most vulnerable in society have been vaccinated, a return to normality is within reach.

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "Once the most vulnerable people, particularly those over 50 and those with chronic illnesses, are vaccinated then yes I think we can see a significant return to normality.

"That, in addition to the fact coronavirus is a seasonal disease, I think will make a big difference and allow us to open up.

"I think what we'll see is a phased opening up as the vaccination levels increase, and then we will be more or less back to normal for the summer, I would imagine."

I wonder how much Sturgeon will continue to drag her feet, though. 
I think Sunaks comments today are aimed at Westminster who appear to be following the exact same ultra cautious line.

[KnightswoodBear]

3 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

4 minutes ago, KnightswoodBear said:

I've got my Granpa's campaign medals in a box.  I keep meaning to get them mounted and display them.  Not because I have any kind of raging hardon for ARE BOIS, but as a memory of what he went through.

I actually have some bits and pieces of my grandads including his flight logs. It's not the most interesting content but like you say, it's a memory.

This is the one thing that I have of his that he brought back.  He got a hold of a Luger and some American had this and begged him to swap it.

My Granpa got the much better deal imho.  The leather case is really lovely and the flask is crystal with a silver cap.  

*Wee hands.