So would it be really unreasonable of me to.......

[McDreamy]

....tell a senior Army Officer exactly what I think of him the next time I see him at the bus stop?

I am thinking yes but he is really getting on my tits!!

I would never do such a thing! But I've come across so many Majors who think they are so special. But their wives are usually the worst. Passats and labradors spring to mind.

LOL at scaryteacher's Mrs CO!! You go girl

hf128219 - I like your style! McDreamy - tell him he had better hope to goodness that if he gets sent to Afghanistan or Iraq he doesn't get wounded - a huge percentage of the medical branch there are Navy....

No, majors are hoping for promotion, getting scared they're not going to make it and are definitely NOT senior officers...she says having had dinner with a Brigadier and a Lieutenant-General last week. Mind you, we were slumming it as we're Navy!!!

hf128219 - interesting your comment about promotion to Lt-Col by 40. The RN promotions have gone right, and I think the earliest you can get Cdr now is about 41/42 or so db says, who is a Lt-Cdr, unless you are shit hot; and promotions to Captain (Col is the Army equivalent) are now non-existent. I think it was 4 in the whole of the RN last year from Cdr to Captain. Lots of people at that rank are either coming out here to Brussels for a couple of jobs and a nice life style, as the MOD treadmill doesn't appeal, or they are getting out quick.

Well some Majors get promoted at 37/38 - but they are the creme de la creme. Competition is fierce too, particularly with the new merged, super regiments. There are still lots of promotions from Lt Col to Col though - but it is hard.

The thing that makes me laugh is that when The Pink List (promotion to Lt Col) comes out every June Majors' wives have been known to be seen crying with grief on the Patch. Get a life!!

And by the sound of it the RAF are a whole different ball game!! Very trade dependant here!

LL yep Army patches are VERY bitchy and Rank obsessed.

First time I went to M&T here, Iwalked in and the first thing the woman running it said to me was 'And what is your Husband'

The reply 'a man last time I looked' did not go down very well, and after a while I did become known as 'that snotty White Helmet wife'

I purposely don't let on who my DH is, I hate getting judged on what your dh does.

oooh good answer LL, I shall file that one

I will file it as well LL

Been here so long now, it is known NOT to piss me of with all the Army crap

Dont go to M&T wives club or any of it. Really cant be bothered with it.

Luckily DH is in the White Helmets, which means a small team, with only about 5 being married, we (the WH wives) tend to stick together as the DH's are away most of the time, and leave the rest of teh wives to get on with it.

I think with the army a lot depends on what regiment they are in.
Hubby is an ex Royal Engineer and have to say their officers are down to earth people as are most of the trade officers like REME, Med,Clerks, but get to the Infantry and Artillery and they are a different kettle of fish.

I used to be medical receptionist and sick parade was 7.30- 8.20 and the amount of officers who used to complain about having to sit with "their soldiers" was unbelivable.
The worst ones were the ones who wear hats like Thunderbirds and walk around with their crops.

In days gone by they used to pay to join certain regiments and have names like "Tarquin" FFS.

OK! as an army wife (hating it) and an ex army person myself i have to confess we breed a lot of plonkers > ask him when he was at staff college. if he says no, say (batting innocent eyelids) "oh, you're B stream then", if he says 'Yes' say 'so you like walking all over people then, I heard staff college is dying'. then ask him what his retention and colaberation policy is, and whatever his answer, tell him he is SEVERELT lacking. Hopefully this will spare you the expense of a dinner party.

When is this dinner then? You should invite some of us and our DP's.

My DH would get him drunk and then shave NAVY & RAF on his eyebrows. If his eyebrows aren't big/dark enough he would write it with permanent pen.

db is rapidly approaching 40 LL and he's a Low Slung officer like your dh. He twitches every time I mention promotion signals...dh just shrugs and points out the pay drop as a black tube man if he makes Captain...and we'd have to leave Brussels and the nice life style....

That's what's good about being here, there isn't a patch, it's private rentals which the UK sort out and we live in. You can be as much involved in the coffee morning/HIVE circuit as you want, or not. I haven't done any of that, I've got involved with the school and people I already knew. It does get bitchy here at times, but you just ignore it. I got told I drove an Officer's car - I pointed out it belongs to a teacher, and this was at a class reps meeting!

But you have to make sure you name the puppy correctly too. Very important for keeping up appearances. It sould be a chocolate lab too.

Or Pompey, Ludo or Kiwi. Horatio good though!

Flags? Better to be Ensign.

I see! So any thoughts on 'Officers' Cars'?