New To British Army

[Megami]

Hello

Just a quick intro. My DH has just transferred to the British Army from the Australian Army. We have previously lived in the UK (2002-03) but this is our first time living the 'Army life' here. Also this time we have our son, who is four, with us.

I know that yes, supposedly everyone is meant to be going the other way (UK to Australia) but would love to know if there are any other 'foreigners' on this list, or just generally get to know you all.

No idea - didn't go, not my "thing"

dh knows better as well... it's the others you have to watch out for

when we got engaged the OC invited us round for dinner and i made an unwise joke about flower arranging to his wife.

oh, how we laughed. not. her lecture clearly preceded the adj's...

that said, it has just occurred to me that i'm now in the position of being able to do the same to the current issue of brides-to-be... a whole new world of possibilities has opened up!

Tut tut ladies - we really must take our wively duties more seriously.

haven't read it for ages, must try and find it...

never been invited to a napkin folding morning, but someone did give me a booklet on the same subject once... it may even have been an official publication...

and i still have my 'customs, etiquette and social responsibilities' book...

I knew a woman once (I still shudder when I think about her) and her DH went from being a Sgt to being an Officer. of course it didn't make him any better, but she thought it did. One day she said to me
"It must be so hard for you being on low wages, its so much better for us bnow X is an officer" another time
"See saltire when you become an officers wife things are expected of you, and wandering aorund in jeans and a t-shirt is not one of them"

i am such a failure.

madwoman - this one was horrid.
Another time her daughter said to DS1 "my dad is far better than yours now, he's an officer, and that means we are better than you"

Another time she said to me "I like to give junior ranks wives the job of childminding my children, I feel then I am doing my social welfare bit for those less better than us"

That was said when she came to see me about CMing her DDs. DH heard her and put her out the house!

my favourite wifey was an RAF Wg Cdr's wife. she was a very proper wifey who eventually confessed that when he was a Fg Off she had been banned from the mess for swinging on the velvet curtains that went the whole length of room (apparently you needed a good run-up to make it that far), and during his command she buggered off to volunteer on a hospital ship heading for africa for 6 months and left him to do his own entertaining.
i liked her a lot.

Another time this woman said to a friend of mine - who's DH was a Group Captain

"DO you think its wise for you to be so friendly with Saltire and those women she ahngs around with, it won't do your DH's career any good"

'that means we are better than you'
eek!

i don't think the dcs have the faintest idea tbh - i suspect that they'll be a bit more twittering when we get submerged again, but i quite like it that dd1 is 9 and hasn't a clue really whether he's commander land forces or makes the tea. daddy is a soldier. it will be very interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years lol!

DCs don't have a clue

Ds2 once when he was about 4 saw a picture
similar to this of someone in a naval hat, and said to DH "Is that what you do because you wear a white hat".

i'm wheezing now, saltire, you need to stop making me laugh

I am reading this and laughing to myself.
My Dh is in the RAF and tells everyong we meet to be careful as I can even make Station CO's cry.
God knows I need a table to crwal under every tims

Then there was another time when I was having a cuppa in teh coffee shop, and along came the Stn Cdr, a Group captain. I had met him previously and knew him by his first name . Anyway, he came in and siad "helo saltire". So I said "helo x". This woman looked at me as if I was mad and said "don't you know who that is".
I said yes, it's X(his name)"
She then started tutting and muttering to her friend about junior rnaks wives being despicable. Anyway, he went out then came back in and came sidling up to me and said "I don't know the number to get through the gate, I usually drive round, can you tell me what it is".
So I said "oh do you have any formal identification on you,I can't just go handing the number out willy nilly", whilstlaughing (him and me)

Anyway, this woman came charging over "saltire, I'm ashamed at you, thats the Station Commander and you are talking to him like he's a personal friend"
I said "well he's not my station commander is he, I'm not in the RAF" to which she replied "its a good job there's a selection process for Officers"

i remember asking AOC 2Gp for his id.... not quite as embarassing as my friend who didn't salute the queen - as broadcast by the news at ten...

at the end of the last dining in night i had the slightly surreal experience of finding myself one of the last left in the bar along with four newly promoted group captains trying to outdo each other in terms of drunkenness and outrageousness. it was when they started snogging each other i decided it might be time to leave...

oddly, they are all v nice to me these days... i suspect i could them most things and get away with it lol...

call them most things lol

So this is not the part where I mention the two times I have had a conversation with the former Chief of the Army (Australia) I was slightly tipsy, and he had only been drinking on one of those occasions ....

Or that his wife and I once spent a pleasant evening bagging out people who follow their fathers into the Army (all their children are accountants), including mentioning people in the room as examples?

At least I have the advantage over the next few years of playing the 'dumb Australian' card and prentending not to know about this stuff. Though I was also planning on just going the eccentric route, you know 'Oh, Megami, oh don't worry about her, she's a bit mad but harmless really'. Seriously, the more people think you are a bit odd the more you can get away with. A good trait to cultivate I find.

ssshhh. don't let them all in on it! it'll make life much more difficult if we all pretend to be barking...

Okay serious question: does anyone know how much entertaining French Naval officers do? Given that dinner parties are a national pastime and etiquette is très compliquée even in non-official company.... And bearing in mind that "oh don't mind her, she's British" isn't going to work.

I'm reconsidering this "yes, of course, go ahead and climb the greasy pole darling" thing I currently have going. Is my career going to end up as 'dinner party hostess'? madwomanintheattic please lecture me. I'm terrified it's all going to be done in French and I won't understand a word!

french etiquette? rofl
i can barely get my head round the common or garden british stuff lol.

i will ask dh who knows a couple. i'd be more worried about what to wear i think
you can always buy in catering lol - it'd be a bit much to buy in a body double with the requisite style factor...

ask hf - i'm sure she's had a few round round for dinner

shame ll has gone - (i assume she has?!) she could have done a round-up in the available company and conducted some sort of focus group for you - bound to be loads of 'em lurking in the near vicinity!

round round?

more than once, clearly...

I don't really know re the French! Although my BIL is - but not a naval officer.

I would have thought sophisticated but quite simple - in an elegant way. No faffing when things go wrong - focus on the food and the wine. Good cheese/pudding.

And wear a Hermes Scarf tied at a jaunty angle