  Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
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| ABOUT SIR NORMAN WISDOM'S
1945 SERVICE DAYS IN NORWICH? In his recent autobiography, Sir Norman tells of his last months of Army Service in Norwich in 1945. He tells an amusing tale of how he managed to stop a loud and bullying CSM from making his life hell! B&C 100 |
| ABOUT BBC RADIO 4 UK THEME While the Norfolk Editor is not known for early rising, preferring the Night Shift, at 0530 hours BBC Radio 4 opens with 'The UK Theme', a compilation of: 'Greensleeves', 'The Lass of Richmond Hill', 'Men of Harlech', 'Scotland The Brave' and 'Danny Boy'? It concludes with Rule Britannia! Click to hear the Regimental March 'Rule Britannia' B&C 100 |
| ABOUT THE KING TAKING TEA AND
COFFEE B&C 98 Jun 02 related a tale from Maj Tom Eaton of King George VI visiting the 4th Bn in 1940 at Gt Yarmouth and coming across a stuffed bear, looted from the funfair. On that visit he took tea in the Officers’ Mess. The CO, Col John Jewson, had arranged for the late Lt John Barratt (click here for his obituary) to procure some of his mother-in-law’s special blended tea. ‘I promised to report on how the King enjoyed her tea. The delicate blended tea must have been boiled up like ‘Cha’. It came out of the teapot nearly black and the King asked for some hot water to be added to his cup. The 2IC, Maj Knights, poured from a hot water jug which contained coffee. I turned away.’ (From ‘On His Majesty’s Service 1939-1945’ by Capt John Barratt TD.) B&C 100 |
| ABOUT A LACK OF PRINCIPALS Sir Maurice Bowra, Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, defined the heads of colleges variously named Dean, Provost, Master etc as ‘A lack of Principals’. A poet and scholar supreme, the Fellows tired of his learned treatises on all manner of subjects at the Master's Table. They hatched a plot and, choosing the most obscure subject, swotted up on Peruvian Pottery. Come the dinner, the Fellows earnestly discussed their expert topic. For once, Bowra sat silent. Rising to leave, Bowra commented: ‘Glad to see you chaps have read my article in Britannica! B&C 100 See below for Collective Noun for Colonels |
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| A COLLECTIVE NOUN FOR
COLONELS? When Col Paul Raywood was Hon Col of A (Royal Norfolk) Company there was a meeting at Bn HQ in Bury St Edmunds of the Hon Cols and OCs of A (Royal Norfolk), (B (Bedford), C (Essex), D (Cambs) and HQ (Suffolk) Coys. Awaiting the arrival of the last one, the Norfolk Editor mused aloud, wondering what the collective noun was for TA Deputy Colonels. (A tab?) A memorable part of CVHQ (Central Volunteer HQ) TA Training weekends was the outdoor assembling of 200 Watchkeepers awaiting transport to the Gas Chamber or Range. I had long sought a collective noun for us on the lines of: a sloth of bears, watch of nightingales, muster of peacocks, fesnying of ferrets, skulk of friars, wandering of tinkers, implicity of subalterns, subtilne of sergeants, drunkenship of cobblers or a truss of hay. My best offerings were: a clasp, lurk, skulk, smoke or snore of watchkeepers. An appeal in the CVHQ Christmas Newsletter was made to obtain the best definition with an offer of a CVHQ tie to the contributor of the winning entry. ‘A vigil of Watchkeepers’ was the winner. B&C 100 |
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Editorial Rule However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied. |
Site edited and maintained by Major
John L Raybould TD |
Editor, Norfolk Section, The Britannia and
Castle
B&C Norfolk Editor