Anybody Watching Royal Navy School On Channel 4?

mikeym

Its not as good as the Royal Marine Commandos programme but its worth a watch.

If anyone has Catchup on Sky you can download all the episodes so far.

Silvera

I've watched bits of it. Not great tbh.

tac foley

I watched for about ten minutes of my life that I'll never get back. It was SOOOOOOOO embarrassing that I think I'd rather stick a soldering iron in my eye than watch any more of it.

tac

mikeym

Ive watched all the episodes so far and they all got repetitive.

They seem to focus on a struggling Recruit most of the time.

The Devonport show on Quest is way better.

John_D80

Looks like I'm in the minority but I enjoyed the whole series immensely. Watched the last episode last night.

One thing that stuck out for me big time though is that there didn't seem to be the ''reverence'' for want of a better term, towards the NCO and Officer instructors, that I would have expected. Recruits seems to be very casual and a little bit ''pally'' with the NCO's when speaking with them. No harm in a bit of banter obviously if its initiated by the Instructor, but not the other way round.

Also, dont Royal Navy recruits come to attention when an NCO enters their barracks/room??

discus

Sure NCO's cannot even curse at recruits on TV without people talking **** about "lack of respect" blah blah blah, so of course they have to kiss recruit hoop.

mikeym

I think that the old school veterans wouldnt be familiar with the way Recruits are being continually assessed and given feedback or else a pep talk by their training nco's in a private quiet environment.

It also helps the instructor to identify any problems or issues that could impact the performance of any recruit.

As for the banter, banter is part of military life wherever you go but obviously you have limits.

Buona Fortuna

I watched it. Was a bit underwhelmed. 20K on Dartmoor was a big deal - really :eek:. The only thing that mildly impressed me was the HAVOC thing, simulating the sinking ship.

I've talked to old matelots in the past. Stories of them dragging a field gun around for the day. This was kit inspection city and I can see that, that would be wearing - but "do you want the job or not?"

discus

I watched it. Was a bit underwhelmed. 20K on Dartmoor was a big deal - really .

We bumped into them during an ex on dartmoor one time. **** me, you'd swear they climbed Everest. Shaking like ****ting dogs the lot of them.

tac foley

Dunno what the Navy gets up to these days, but in the Army it goes like this.

Quarter to eight - a knock on barrack-room door, and a corporal sticks his head in. 'Mornin', gentlemen, Corporal Smith here with your breakfast menu requests - I'll just leave them with you while you get up and washed up, 'kay? I'll be back around nine to collect them and hopefully see most of you over in the cook-house. That would be really great - me and the other corporals and Sgt Brown are really looking forward to seeing you, well, as many of you that can make it.'

Quarter to ten in the cook-house. 'Ahem, if I can have your attention, please. The RSM wants me to remind you that we are having a military-style walking tech-in on the square, and we'd just love it for you to join in the fun. Then, after a few gentle exercises, just to show willing, that he's holding a nature ramble over the hills that you may have noticed to the west of the barrack compound. There will, of course, be a snack truck following you around, just in case any of you get peckish whilst engaged in the activities that he has so thought fully provided for you in the form of ropes and ladders and an intimate little plunge pool.'

After your post lunch-time nap, at about four o'clock, Sgt Brown would really like to show you a little bit more about the rifle that he issued out to you the other day, just in case you ever have to use it, of course. You never know, these days, what might happen, so come along if you are interested. Bear in mind that it CAN get a little noisy though - so wear your hearing protection. We wouldn't want your precious little earoles to get hurty-wurtied, now would we?'

And then, you wake up....

tac

tac foley

John_D80 wrote: »

One thing that stuck out for me big time though is that there didn't seem to be the ''reverence'' for want of a better term, towards the NCO and Officer instructors, that I would have expected. Recruits seems to be very casual and a little bit ''pally'' with the NCO's when speaking with them. No harm in a bit of banter obviously if its initiated by the Instructor, but not the other way round.

I respectfully suggest that you come over to UK and spend a week with any basic training cadre. Gobbing an NCO will get you rapidly acquainted with what we used to call 'getting intimate with the square' - five hundred pushups in easy fifties, with a full Bergen onboard. On the other hand, if the training staff took a hate to you, it could get a lot less gentle.

tac

John_D80

tac foley wrote: »

I respectfully suggest that you come over to UK and spend a week with any basic training cadre. Gobbing an NCO will get you rapidly acquainted with what we used to call 'getting intimate with the square' - five hundred pushups in easy fifties, with a full Bergen onboard. On the other hand, if the training staff took a hate to you, it could get a lot less gentle.

tac

Not saying anything against the majority of recruit training institutions in the British armed forces, just this particular one. Just thought there was a lot of over familiarity between trainees and instructors that I have never seen before.

Still can't get over recruits not brining the room to attention when a officer or NCO instructor enters.

tac foley

John_D80 wrote: »

Still can't get over recruits not brining the room to attention when a officer or NCO instructor enters.

Me, too.

Totally inexcusable in ANY service.

If anybody had ignored ME when I entered their room they would have been 'horsed' for twenty-four hours, made to run around the square carrying a 24 pounder shot under each arm and a longboat oar lashed to their forehead, and then given 400 lashes with a wet wolverine with a pineapple up its a$$.

The men, of course, would have had nothing so lenient as that.

tac

Stovepipe

Foley, you lightweight...in my day...etc,etc

tac foley

Stovepipe wrote: »

Foley, you lightweight...in my day...etc,etc

What? Lightweight? By comparison with you, perhaps. I'm always happy to learn from folks with more experience in the Armed Forces than me.

tac

tac foley

Seems that you might be referring, according to Manic Moran, to a Monty Python sketch.

It saddens me to admit it, but I was out of the UK for eleven years in the sixties and seventies, and missed them all.

Having revisited the sketch on Youtube, thanks to our Mod, I have to agree with you.

You are forgiven that much.

Not happy at being called just 'Foley', though, and you'll have to take a black mark for that - unless you outrank/ed me.

tac