I was wondering why the British Army is called what it is (without the "Royal" preceding it) unlike the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. I found this on Wikipedia: In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include "Royal" in its title, because of its roots as a collection of disparate units, many of which do bear the "Royal" prefix, such as the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. Is this explanation correct?
I was wondering why the British Army is called what it is (without the "Royal" preceding it) unlike the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. I found this on Wikipedia: In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include "Royal" in its title, because of its roots as a collection of disparate units, many of which do bear the "Royal" prefix, such as the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. Is this explanation correct? We used the fact that it was not a royal army to wind up the squaddies
We used the fact that it was not a royal army to wind up the squaddies Alright, Morse, you gotta translate for your American cousin (a good portion of my ancestors were Scots). What is a squaddie?:wow:
And the fact that a standing army pre 17th century had this nasty little habit of mutinying when bored. No monarch wirth their salt are going to claim that lot. A Squaddie is the nickname of a common soldier.
Is "squaddie" not post-war slang ? Whatever, it's a pongo as opposed to a matelot. Does this help ? Alright, now you're messing with me.:icon_crash: And no, it does not help . Found this about this about a matelot. Royal Australian Navy Gun Plot - What is a Matelot A Matelot is not born, he is made out of leftovers! God built the world and the animals and then recycled the gash to create this dastardly weapon. He took the leftover roar of the lion, the howl of the hyena, the clumsiness of the ox, the stubborness of the mule, the slyness of the fox, the wildness of the bull and the pride of a peacock - then added the filthy evil mind of the devil to satisfy his wierd sense of humour. A Matelot evolved into a crude combination of John Dillinger, Errol Flynn, Beau Brummel and Valentino - a swashbuckling - beer-swilling - lovemaking - LIAR! A Matelot likes girls, rum, beer, fights, uckers, runs ashore, pubs, jokes, long leave, his mates and his ticket. He hates officers, rounds, divisions, saluting middies, naval police, painting the side, jaunties, navy scran, his turn in the barrel and signing on! A Matelot comes in four colours; white, off white, dirty and filthy - all looking alike under a tan and a uniform. He is brave drinking beer, abusive playing crib, brutal defending his pride and passionate making love. He can start a brawl, create a disaster, offend the law, desert his ship, make you lose your money, your temper and your mind! He can take your sister, your mother, your aunt, and when he is caught get his captain to vouch for his integrity. A matelot is loved by all mothers, sisters, aunts and nieces; hated by all fathers, brothers, uncles and nephews. He has a girl in every port and a port in every girl. He breaks more hearts, causes more fights and begets more bastards than any other man, yet when he is off to sea he is missed more than any other! A matelot is a mean, hard drinking, fast running, mealy mouthed son-of-a-bitch, but when you are in strife he is a strong shoulder to lean on, a pillar of wisdom, and a defender of the faith and cause. He fights for his mate, and dies for his country, without question or hesitation! ---I'm guessing it's a swabbie. Looking at what he is made from above, an Aussie sailor is a 3/4 American (Dillinger, Flynn and Valentino)? I suspect goes over like a turd in a punch-bowl.
maybe been culled. Slip, if a Squaddie is a soldier and a Matelot is a Sailor, then a pongo is.... ZOOOOOOOOM===============> It's going over my haid. Either a jar-head or a flyboy? <shrugging sholdiers>
Pongo/matelot = sailors Squaddie = Basic soldier Rupert = Army officer (but also used elsewhere) Flyboy/nutter = Airmen
Kitty you are wrong. A PONGO is a soldier NOT a sailor. Never has been never will be. Pongo is sailors slang for a Royal Marine or a soldier in general but specifically for a RM. Read this or saw it in a movie many years ago.
Pongo is sailors slang for a Royal Marine or a soldier in general but specifically for a RM. Read this or saw it in a movie many years ago. It comes from the old saying: "Where the army goes - the pong goes"!
Slip, initially the army was composed of a number of regiments, some of them raised by individuals who actually owned them and were their colonels. Other regiments were raised by the Crown and bore the title Royal, where the Sovereign or some other Royal would hold the title, see the 25th or Kings Own Borderers or 10th Prince of Wales Own Hussars, for instance. As such, only a number of regiments were Royal but not the entire army. Indeed, these regiments were considered by their owners as ventures, there to make money for their owners. It was like that over most Europe. By the way, for a time these Royal regiments were easy to identify as they wore dark blue facings (at the time facings were worn, that is). As for the ships in the Navy, they were all owned by the King, so there's no doubt about it, they were all Royals, hence the Royal Navy. By the way, the German regiments were commanded by an Oberst, who actually went to the field with the regiment, but the actual owner might be some other panjandrum, who carried the title Inhaber = Owner. Thsi later became ceremonial only, but at the time was a very serious matter. Here's my two Euro cents.
