Key card querys.

[Rick W]

Just got the key card back for the jeep and Ive a couple of questions . The "converted from" number would be the wartime number, if Im not mistaken. Would this be the number stencilled on the bonnet for a jeep? In the unit from column I have SM2275, does anyone have any idea what that relates to? In the Unit to column Ive got a 72BVD, again same question, what does that relate to ? :?

[Richard Farrant]

Just got the key card back for the jeep and Ive a couple of questions . The "converted from" number would be the wartime number, if Im not mistaken. Would this be the number stencilled on the bonnet for a jeep? In the unit from column I have SM2275, does anyone have any idea what that relates to? In the Unit to column Ive got a 72BVD, again same question, what does that relate to ? :?

 

 

Rick,

 

The "converted from" number is the wartime census number stencilled on either side of bonnet and across back panel, 3.5" high letters / figures. The number is prefixed with M (eg. M1234567). S/M2275 is the Contract number, this was a batch order by the British Govt from the US. 72BVD was 72 "B" Vehice Depot, "B" vehices were any softskins, the BVD's were operated by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Sometimes on these Key Cards, there is a disposal date hand written in. the jeep may well have been disposed of direct from that depot. I am not certain of which location it was in, but there were many around at the time, one was Donnington Park, where the race circuit is.

[Rick W]

Thats great Richard , thanks. It has pencilled in the following-

36630 s/o MOS Disposal MKH/1/5/443, does that give any more clues?

Not overlt familiar with RAOC, were they primarily bomb disposal?

[Tony B]

RAOC, Royal Army Ordnance Corp, have dealing with anything that goes bang or doesn't as the case may be. There job is to provide technical back up for any ammunition or explosive used by the British Forces, this can involve checking stock and storage to actual disposal. I think they have now been absorbed into RLC. The Ordnance Board are a civil/military bunch responsible for fortifications, manufacture and maintenance. They are the one's with the three cannon badge ah- la Arsenal football club, 'cause they were originally formed at Royal Arsenal Woolwich. Also of course Ordnance Survey, originally undertaken by the Ordnance board with military and civilian surveyors. Next time you go through Heathrow Airport, through the entrance off the A4, you will see a wooden fence of the taxi holding area. One corner of the fence has a let in with a Cannon cemented into the floor. this is the original datum point of the Ordnance survey. If you can find it, Peter Gurney's book 'Braver Men Walk Away' has a lot of stuff on RAOC, he was in them before going to Met Pol as the bomb disposal. Damm good book anyway.

[REME 245]

I seem to remember there was a vehicle depot at Market Harborough?

 

Could this be the MKH on your disposals informarion.

[Richard Farrant]

RAOC, Royal Army Ordnance Corp, have dealing with anything that goes bang or doesn't as the case may be. There job is to provide technical back up for any ammunition or explosive used by the British Forces, this can involve checking stock and storage to actual disposal. I think they have now been absorbed into RLC.

 

To be accurate, the Rag And Oil Company ( as it was known to the troops!), did much more than supply of armaments and explosives, they were the Storekeepers so to speak and anything required came through them, be it food and rations, fuel and oil, parts, vehicles, weapons, clothing, bog paper, it all had a Stock No. and was issued from an RAOC Depot. They were absorbed in to the royal Logistic Corps, along with the Royal Corps of Transport (RASC before that) and I think, the Army Catering Corps.

 

 

[Tony B]

They did all the training of the ATOs Amunition Technical Officers didn't they?

 

[Richard Farrant]

They did all the training of the ATOs Amunition Technical Officers didn't they?

 

 

 

Quite true, and of course bomb disposal, now known as EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, but any bombs found below the surface are dealt with by Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal teams

[Tony B]

I wodered what the diffrence was. thanks.

[AlienFTM]

To be accurate, the Rag And Oil Company ( as it was known to the troops!), did much more than supply of armaments and explosives, they were the Storekeepers so to speak and anything required came through them, be it food and rations, fuel and oil, parts, vehicles, weapons, clothing, bog paper, it all had a Stock No. and was issued from an RAOC Depot. They were absorbed in to the royal Logistic Corps, along with the Royal Corps of Transport (RASC before that) and I think, the Army Catering Corps.

 

 

 

 

I knew one guy who called them Rissoles Arrseholes Omelettes and Chips. They merged, as stated above, with Rickshaws Camels and Taxicabs and Andy Capp's Commandos.

[Tony B]

Where do squaddies come up with these nicknames?

[AlienFTM]

Where do squaddies come up with these nicknames?

 

 

If you read too much Andy McNab, Chris Ryan, Bill Parris et al, you will believe that (in the former two cases) "The Regiment" means 22 SAS or (in the latter case) the RAF Regiment and that the rest of the world agrees with their sentiments. These are the narrow views of people who really ought to know better and think "their Regiment"is "The Regiment". In fact to them it is true and understandable. I am currently reading "Greed" by "Chris Ryan" aka a ghost writer who 1. doesn't have a clue and 2. did not think when late on he changed a reference to MI5 to MI6, he ought to go through and change occurrences of "Five" to "Six" to match. He quotes "MI5" or "MI6" agents referring to SAS as "The Regiment" whereas ONLY 22 SAS refer to 22 SAS as "the Regiment" (despite, as I say, whatever McNab and Ryan try to tell you.

 

However, I spend I lot of time on the ARRSE RAC forum for obvious reasons and we regularly get visitors asking, "I want to drive a tank. Which is the best regiment?" This ALWAYS kicks off a slagging match, particularly between chav cav - I mean RTR and cavalry and between the whole of the RAC and 9/12L Phantom Recce Regt, so phantom that many believe it only exists on paper so that the government can claim bounties for them. Recently, one such argument was abrubtly stopped when it was pointed out that whichever regiment you join, THAT is the best regiment. End of. FACT.

 

Then there is the question of combat and support arms. Needless to say, combat troops (like the Recce Regt at the pinnacle, obviously) look down on blanket stackers, but even among support arms, "Ours is better then yours" gets the reply "Ours is bigger than yours" and so on.

 

There is a thread on ARRSE here:

 

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=2995/highlight=nicknames.html

 

which will list you nicknames of ALL regiments and corps. Since in the case of each arm the majority post derogatory names for the few, there are many, many more derogatory names than pleasant ones for every regiment or corps.

 

WRT SAS.

 

To SBS they are either Stores and Supplies. Saturday and Sunday or Spring and Summer (the latter especially of the two TA SAS regiments). See? No matter how renowned the regiment, they still get the treatment and sneared on by other "better" regiments.

 

These days to the green army, SAS are simply referred to as THEM.

 

Edited because I found the link.

[Tony B]

One favourite we had at Main was winding up the Forign and Commonwealth Office. Know as the 'FO'. We used to abbriviate FOC/OFF

[ArtistsRifles]

<snipped> He quotes "MI5" or "MI6" agents referring to SAS as "The Regiment" whereas ONLY 22 SAS refer to 22 SAS as "the Regiment" (despite, as I say, whatever McNab and Ryan try to tell you.

 

<Snipped>

 

WRT SAS.

 

To SBS they are either Stores and Supplies. Saturday and Sunday or Spring and Summer (the latter especially of the two TA SAS regiments). See? No matter how renowned the regiment, they still get the treatment and sneared on by other "better" regiments.

 

These days to the green army, SAS are simply referred to as THEM.

 

Edited because I found the link.

 

 

Almost correct!!!

 

To the SAS - all 3 regiments are collectively referred to "The Regiment". No one usually diferentiates unless it's an operational reference. Progression to senior rank in 22 is dependant on having spent some time on attachment with either 21 or 23.

Uniquely in the British Army - the reserve unit, 21, is the senior regiment of the three. Normally the regular unit, in this case 22, would be the senior one. Purely internally we were/are rather proud of that!!

The "THEM" reference is justified - as far as the Regiment is concerned if the other person is not a wearer of the magic hat then they are the enemy!! Mainly because the operational zone is behind enemy lines so there are no friends...

Of course - with regards to the SBS - one of the "afffectionate" (and repeatable) names for them was "Stupid B*gg*rs Sink".

[Rick W]

I think we've gone a bit off topic here guys! ;-)

[Tony B]

Yep, start us off we ramble. ;-)