Ops-Normal.org

Rossian wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:39 am

For UP. I've wondered for a while. WTH is a Catman and what are Battmen? When I was a young offcer (a long time ago) my batman kept me looking smart and brought a morning cup of tea at 0700. In Sharjah my "bearer" also brought a cup of incredibly sweet tea and referred to me as "My Lord" as he pulled the curtains. What were the roles of the chaps you're talking about. Only because I is curious you understand.

The Ancient Mariner

Undried Plum wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:08 pm

Rossian wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:39 am

For UP. I've wondered for a while. WTH is a Catman and what are Battmen? When I was a young offcer (a long time ago) my batman kept me looking smart and brought a morning cup of tea at 0700. In Sharjah my "bearer" also brought a cup of incredibly sweet tea and referred to me as "My Lord" as he pulled the curtains. What were the roles of the chaps you're talking about. Only because I is curious you understand.

The Ancient Mariner

Catman

Civilian Aid Team, alternatively Civil Action Team.

Battmen were officially called British Army Training Team. A deliberately misleading name.

Technically, it was illegal for MoD to fight a war without the consent of Parliament.

In the 1960s Harold Wilson had declared that henceforth there would be no more UK military force used East of Suez.

There was, however, a wee unit of the British Army very much actively involved in fighting two very different enemies in Oman. One was Moozlamic in nature, the other, later, further South, was Socialist in nature.

I'm heavily compressing and truncating History here, so please forgive me. I really should write a proper essay here on that history, and that of myself, and shall do so when the nights start to draw in next month.

When the new Sultan came to power in the early 1970s, in an almost bloodless palace coup, the Brits very quietly aided him in a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Omani people, especially in the South.

The Battmen and Catmen teams did that. I was one of two Catmen, working with a team of four Battmen.

The Army guys were from a small and then almost unknown regiment. Almost all Scots. Hence the "harrd basturtss, Surr" comment I quoted.

One was a medico. One was a signaller. Another was a "demolishions" expert who was brilliant at sculpting the landscape to make helipads and foundations for radio towers and water wells etc. The fourth was a linguist who spoke Arabic and Swahili and two or more other local Omani languages.

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll stop.

Please remind me in October to do a proper writeup. It really is quite interesting.

Ibbie wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:43 am

Morning folks.

21c at the mo. Blue sky day. The rain has been postponed until Thursday the science says.

Front of house hedge trimmed yesterday by a man who could, for €30.

boing wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:03 am

Reminds me of the yuppie insurance representative we used to work with. We were renewing my life insurance and he asked me if I exercised so I say "No, but I keep busy around the place". He says "Oh, what do you do?" I replied a lot of stuff and that I had just, for example, on my own, built a concrete block wall 80 feet long by 4 blocks high. He said "Yes, but do you exercise, jogging, go to the gym or anything like that?". Soft sod had obviously never done an hour of hard work in his life!

.

I had just, for example, on my own, built a concrete block wall 80 feet long by 4 blocks high.

I can spend most of the day in the garden and then herself will tell me that I haven't walked today and how do I expect to get fit

Ibbie wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:02 am

If you had followed the Science earlier this week you would have your plastic mac on, wondering why it was not wet.

Some of our members may recognise the airfield.

I see that the name Pac a Mac now applies to a range of 'normal' rainwear rather than just the original thin plastic garment in a pouch.