Len Trim Posted 30 November , 2019 Share Posted 30 November , 2019 Just as an aside I recently watched the movie of Woodstock. 1969 of course. Thousands of young people and not a fat one amongst them. Now I look around any shopping centre and at least a third are fat even obese. This includes fourteen fifteen year old teenagers. What have they done to themselves? Personally I put it down to lack of will power. Softness. Forty years on I am only ten pounds heavier than I was as a young paratrooper. Will power. Try telling that to the young ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 30 November , 2019 Share Posted 30 November , 2019 On 19/06/2010 at 08:13, Herekawe said: Hi Many people were pretty malnorished before WW1. My mother - who was a dietician, often said wartime rationing in both wars was good for the UK population, especially the children as for many poorer people it was the first time they had eaten a balanced diet including meat and milk products and consequently people were healthier and children grew better especially after WW2 as rationing continued for several years. There certainly seems to be a difference in height in many pictures of WW1 between officers and men. I am not sure whether this is factually true or she just picked it up during her career. James It is certainly true that a lot of people ate better during WW2 than before. However, much of it was, it was found, due to peer pressure. Before the war, people would choose to spend what money they had on cigarettes, beer, etc and no one noticed. Once rationing came in, and queuing, others would be gossiping, "She wasn't in the queue again today. That's three days running. What do they live on?" This was found, officially, incidentally. On 26/06/2010 at 14:31, healdav said: I have a now retired doctor friend. He said that he was sick of people coming into his surgery with complaint various all caused by obesity which they said they couldn't control as ,'it's my genes'. He said he always wanted to point out that there is no record of anyone failing to lose weight in a concentration camp because of their genes (and that was a big sample). Not the first time that I've heard a doctor say that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 30 November , 2019 Share Posted 30 November , 2019 There is an interesting passage in Charles Masterman’s ‘England After War’ (1922). Masterman was the Liberal MP and radical thinker who served as propaganda supremo during the First war. The passage (which is in the public domain) begins, “The war was a ‘good time’ for a great proportion of the working people, including, above all, the women and children ... “ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac101 Posted 30 November , 2019 Share Posted 30 November , 2019 These are officers of the 1/4th KOSB - Territorials - the large chap in the middle caught my eye, and they seem to have put the shortest and slightest fellow officer to set him off. Not seen many others of his size in any other photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 30 November , 2019 Share Posted 30 November , 2019 1 hour ago, gmac101 said: These are officers of the 1/4th KOSB - Territorials - the large chap in the middle caught my eye, and they seem to have put the shortest and slightest fellow officer to set him off. Not seen many others of his size in any other photos He seems to be a Lieut-Quartermaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 1 December , 2019 Share Posted 1 December , 2019 Volunteers required but cannot be 'Buffet Slayers'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac101 Posted 1 December , 2019 Share Posted 1 December , 2019 10 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: He seems to be a Lieut-Quartermaster. What are you suggesting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf mcm Posted 1 December , 2019 Share Posted 1 December , 2019 (edited) The Quartermaster is Edward Harry Follis, he was Quartermaster-Sergeant in the Scots Guards when he was discharged in 1910. At that time he was 6'6" with a 41" chest, expanding to 44". https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FWO97%2F4855%2F099%2F001&parentid=GBM%2FWO97%2F4855%2F559262 . When he enlisted in 1887, age 18, he was 'only' 6' 3 3/4 " with a chest of 35" and weight of 170 lbs. He certainly grew bigger with the Scots Guards. Regards, Alf McM Edited 1 December , 2019 by alf mcm 1887 details added Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullerTurner Posted 1 December , 2019 Share Posted 1 December , 2019 2 hours ago, gmac101 said: What are you suggesting? That he might have had a privileged access to combat supplies?? Including rations! 😉 He has the build and bearing of a Guardsman. Splendid specimen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 1 December , 2019 Share Posted 1 December , 2019 2 hours ago, gmac101 said: What are you suggesting? Just sayin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 7 December , 2019 Share Posted 7 December , 2019 The "List of Changes" for 1914 specified that "small, medium and large" web waist belts had 40, 44 and 48 inch lengths. By early 1915 two different "extra large" versions were introduced, at 52 and 56 inches. I don't know whether this was due to the incidence of more corpulent men among the Territorials or the Kitchener volunteers. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 9 December , 2019 Share Posted 9 December , 2019 A postcard from my collection Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 10 December , 2019 Share Posted 10 December , 2019 some ww1 soldiers still serving many years (and pounds) later - one of my favourite ww1 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heid the Ba Posted 10 December , 2019 Share Posted 10 December , 2019 Great photo', do you know the date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 12 December , 2019 Share Posted 12 December , 2019 Yes, what a photo - I'm struck by the number of men of such long service who apparently didn't achieve, or retain, a promotion in substantive rank. Like Frank Richards of Old Soldiers fame and other old sweats. Apologies for the digression from the thread but Coldstreamer, a stupid question - what's the O for in OQMS, etc.? The only thing I can come up with off the top of my head is Orderly, as in Orderly Corporal, but it seems unlikely somehow. Cheers, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 12 December , 2019 Share Posted 12 December , 2019 There is one Orderly Room Quartermaster-Sergeant (Garwood) and one Orderly Room Colour-Sergeant (Palmer). Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 12 December , 2019 Share Posted 12 December , 2019 Aha - many thanks Ron! OR = Orderly Room; I did do a desultory Google, but to no avail. Now you mention it, I recall several references in passing to this on GWF over the years, but I have a memory like a sieve... Much obliged. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 12 December , 2019 Share Posted 12 December , 2019 (edited) I am amazed the politico correctos have not flooded this thread with complaints about the degree of offence occaisioned by the mere mention of people being fat Edited 12 December , 2019 by David Filsell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 12 December , 2019 Share Posted 12 December , 2019 3 hours ago, Pat Atkins said: Yes, what a photo - I'm struck by the number of men of such long service who apparently didn't achieve, or retain, a promotion in substantive rank. Like Frank Richards of Old Soldiers fame and other old sweats. Apologies for the digression from the thread but Coldstreamer, a stupid question - what's the O for in OQMS, etc.? The only thing I can come up with off the top of my head is Orderly, as in Orderly Corporal, but it seems unlikely somehow. Cheers, Pat Frank Richards did not, in fact, serve for long. He enlisted in 1901 and took advantage of the one of the frequent offers of either shortening or lengthening his colour [as opposed to reserve] service in 1908/9. He went Home from India and on to Class B reserve at half pay. When his reserve liability ended in 1913 he volunteered for Class D reserve to retain his pay. He then served continuously from 1914 to 1919. In uniform some 12 years, employed by the army, some 18 years. E & OE .... I am away from my many references! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 13 December , 2019 Share Posted 13 December , 2019 (edited) L/Cpl Bottom I believe is 6717 E Bottom. Likely joined Mar 1906 so would make picture around 1933 Edited 13 December , 2019 by Coldstreamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 13 December , 2019 Share Posted 13 December , 2019 I would suggest that they are Guardsman through choice, not every one wants to be "in charge" and I commonly see the statement "reverted at own request" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 13 December , 2019 Share Posted 13 December , 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, Coldstreamer said: I would suggest that they are Guardsman through choice, not every one wants to be "in charge" and I commonly see the statement "reverted at own request" Fair point - I don't doubt it at all, and I certainly didn't intend any slight (the phrase is in my own grandfather's records, though he wasn't in the Guards). Just found it noteworthy, the Army has changed over the decades in that respect I believe. As to Big Dick, I think I was unduly influenced by his first book's title, and by association with "Old Sweats", rather than "Old Soldiers". He was a confirmed private soldier, like that other Regular WW1 diarist, Roe of the East Lancs (at least until striped greatness was thrust upon him), so my wider point stands... well, ok, kind of I appreciate the responses, chaps, as ever. Edit: Roe was another who was a Reservist on the outbreak of war, now I come to think of it, too. Edited 13 December , 2019 by Pat Atkins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 13 December , 2019 Share Posted 13 December , 2019 There is little or nothing in Richards's writings that suggest that he actively spurned rank or appointment. He quickly learned to toe the line ostensibly, whilst retaining the ability to offend secretly. That is, until he celebrated his decoration unwisely and well. We need to remember that to rise above private a man had to accept an unpaid lance appointment which gave him responsibility and took him away from his ranker friends. Lance-corporals were forbidden to associate with privates off duty: in 2nd RWF this was enforced policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 14 December , 2019 Share Posted 14 December , 2019 One Hull recruit 1914 sent home for being over the scales limit-to much hilarity-made it to the Hull Daily Mail. The shame of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Tattersfield Posted 24 December , 2019 Share Posted 24 December , 2019 Can I nominate Cyrus Peck to this thread. As I said on the article below he "wasn't built for speed". Besides being on the "large" size, he had somewhat individual views on the tactical use of bagpipes and was the only Member of Parliament (Canadian or otherwise) to be awarded the VC. https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/cyrus-peck-piper-paul-and-the-canadian-scottish-at-amiens/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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