Thread: Stories!

Originally Posted by Ray

Tankie,

I was just pulling your leg.


Yes Ray , i know

Have you read the stuff about McAuslan?

No , can you direct me to it

Sir,

We all have "tankies" in our units. There was a case when 1CER ordered 100 pairs of snow boots to Saudi Arabia (a corporal there made a trade with the Dutch contingent).

You must have came across a few "tankies" in the Indian Army.

Originally Posted by Ray

Yes.

I was moving in a convoy seated in the co driver's seat from Pathankot to Srinagar ( three day journey!)

I was giving a morale lecture to the driver (they are from another Corps) about how they are disgraceful and creeps that they sell diesel from their diesel tanks while on such trips.

I warned him that if I caught him doing that while I was in the vehicle, he would get court martialled since I would arrest him immediately.

He listened very carefully and just shrugged in as military a fashion without being insubordinate.

He told me that he could sell diesel and I would still not be able to catch him and he was ready for the noose if I could!

I told him that it would be over my dead body and that he would be on the civvy street even before he could say, "Jack Robinson".

He said that he would do it just to prove the point. He upturned his pockets to show that he had only Rs 500 and nothing more and handed over the money to me for "safekeeping"!

We were moving up an incline in the mountains near a village when he suddenly stopped the vehicle and said he had to check the tyre behind since the steering wheel was wobbling. He had just before that made a huge charade of trying to control the vehicle.

He made me keep my foot on the brakes as he said the hand brake was not functioning!

I naturally had to comply since I did not want the vehicle to roll off the hill with a whole lot of troops in the vehicle and me included!

He 'repaired' the vehicle and returned to join the convoy which had gone past.

Beofre he entered, he handed me Rs 400!

He had sold the diesel!

And I could do damn all!

These troopers are more wily than foxes!

My favorite author, George MacDonald Fraser, writes a series of semi-autobiographical short stories about Private MacAuslan, John, aka The Dirtiest Soldier in the World. Get these books. Hilarious.

Almost as good as his Flashman Papers.

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

Sir,

We all have "tankies" in our units. There was a case when 1CER ordered 100 pairs of snow boots to Saudi Arabia (a corporal there made a trade with the Dutch contingent).

You must have came across a few "tankies" in the Indian Army.

In the British army we call them , engineers

Engineers don't get caught.

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

Engineers don't get caught.

i only got caught because i was pissed , and the german policemans luger (or whatever it was ) was a deciding factor in to my surrender

Originally Posted by Bluesman

My favorite author, George MacDonald Fraser, writes a series of semi-autobiographical short stories about Private MacAuslan, John, aka The Dirtiest Soldier in the World. Get these books. Hilarious.

Almost as good as his Flashman Papers.

I have the complete works of McAuslan.

Real humorous!

One interesting incident that happened to me when I was a cadet at good old RMC. I was at the mess and I was forced by my upperclassman (a cadet who really really didn't like me) to eat square drill and chant the school motto after every bite. My roommate after seeing this and who had already decided to drop out, decided to give me a break by pantsing this upperclassmen during the meal and yelling "go for it!" to me. In the ensuring chaos, I managed to eat a whole delicious plate of food while upperclassmen swarmed around him. The upperclassman in particular who had been pantsed was bleeding (it was a brutal pantsing; belt on) and he never messed with me again. My roommate left RMC and we are still friends to say the least.

RMC! Thanks for reminding me.

My buds and I could do 5 miles without breaking a sweat. So, the RSM made us do 15. Taught us a lesson. Never show off.

OoE, how were your experiences at RMC?
I've heard its changed a lot since I last attended but I can unequivocally state I had a pretty rotten time (maybe because I was an english major?). I learned a lot about myself during those years but at my tender age then, I really wanted to go to McGill. My parents were poor danish immigrants so I really didn't have a choice in that matter at the time.

Same boat you were in. Trying to goto University and pay for it. All I can say is that in my 3rd year, had someone told me that I could have transferred out, I would have done so but we were so brainwashed that failure was not an option that it never occurred to us to quit.

Alot has changed. For one thing, more females are there now (and the resulting reduction in physical requirements). The days the upperclassmen can do things with impunity are over. If they order you to do pushups, they have to do them beside you. Harsh language is also gone.

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

Alot has changed. The days the upperclassmen can do things with impunity are over. If they order you to do pushups, they have to do them beside you. Harsh language is also gone.

How PC things have become. Military training these days must resemble life in a holiday camp (but with the necessity to wear uniform on occasion)! Chee-Zuss-H-Kee-Rist, everythings changed. Well, what we went through was tough but considered to be character building. It didn't do us any harm.

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

You must have came across a few "tankies" in the Indian Army.

Yes.

I was moving in a convoy seated in the co driver's seat from Pathankot to Srinagar ( three day journey!)

I was giving a morale lecture to the driver (they are from another Corps) about how they are disgraceful and creeps that they sell diesel from their diesel tanks while on such trips.

I warned him that if I caught him doing that while I was in the vehicle, he would get court martialled since I would arrest him immediately.

He listened very carefully and just shrugged in as military a fashion without being insubordinate.

He told me that he could sell diesel and I would still not be able to catch him and he was ready for the noose if I could!

I told him that it would be over my dead body and that he would be on the civvy street even before he could say, "Jack Robinson".

He said that he would do it just to prove the point. He upturned his pockets to show that he had only Rs 500 and nothing more and handed over the money to me for "safekeeping"!

We were moving up an incline in the mountains near a village when he suddenly stopped the vehicle and said he had to check the tyre behind since the steering wheel was wobbling. He had just before that made a huge charade of trying to control the vehicle.

He made me keep my foot on the brakes as he said the hand brake was not functioning!

I naturally had to comply since I did not want the vehicle to roll off the hill with a whole lot of troops in the vehicle and me included!

He 'repaired' the vehicle and returned to join the convoy which had gone past.

Beofre he entered, he handed me Rs 400!

He had sold the diesel!

And I could do damn all!

These troopers are more wily than foxes!

but i dont think you read my post properly OoE , i said i bought it at a knock down price , now how was i to know it was swiped ?

Originally Posted by Bluesman

My favorite author, George MacDonald Fraser, writes a series of semi-autobiographical short stories about Private MacAuslan, John, aka The Dirtiest Soldier in the World. Get these books. Hilarious.

Almost as good as his Flashman Papers.

McAuslan in the Rough by George MacDonald Fraser

Hahahahahahaha, fabulous likeness "Tankie", just swap the clubs for your fishing gear. hahahahahaha