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Remembered Today:

'Bending'


Nayles

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The following is an extract from my Great Granddad's diary:

"Le Havre 16 February 1917

Disembarked 6am. Name of boat Edward Vll. Marched to camp at Harfleur (6 Kilos). After numerous parades and inspections was detailed to signaller's lines (L troop 11 camp). Second day had tests on buzzer, flags, disc and lamp. In charge of tent. Gym for 2 hrs each day on hill disgusted with system of 'bending', practiced by gym instructors. Had 1 day gas course on hill. Weather cold but bright. Route march up Seine. On draft for line 23 Div. March 2nd. Party Haggis, Keen, Saunders, Cooper, Accleton, Shoey and self. 2 days rations travelled civi coach. Saw dirigible flying up Seine estuary. Splendid view from top of hill"

Does anyone know or hazard a guess as to what 'bending' was?

A little background: Bert was in his early thirties, married and a father of two. He was an insurance salesman and therefore very much a civilian soldier. In which case he may have been disgusted by something a regular soldier wouldn't have thought twice about.

This question has always interested me and I hoped one day I'd find out exactly what he was refering to.

Cheers,

Matt

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Could be as simple as the old all too familiar touching your toes exercise. Raise your hands above your head, keeping the knees and elbows rigid bend over and touch your toes, hold it (length of time depends on the sadism of the instructer), return to the hands above head position - repeat ad nauseum.

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Or deep knee bends. Be hellish if your knees weren't good, or if your balance was bad.

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Could be as simple as the old all too familiar touching your toes exercise. Raise your hands above your head, keeping the knees and elbows rigid bend over and touch your toes, hold it (length of time depends on the sadism of the instructer), return to the hands above head position - repeat ad nauseum.

I can't imagine he'd be disgusted by something so elementary... and then take the trouble to note it in his diary?

But your guess is as good as mine so it could be.... I was always under the impression however that it was something more sinister. He describes it as a 'system' which is what gives me this impression.

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I can't imagine he'd be disgusted by something so elementary... and then take the trouble to note it in his diary?

They probably hasd to do it in full kit! I'd be pretty disgusted to be made to do that.

Ron

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I can think of all sorts of jolly japes PTIs could get up to when a squad of men were at their mercy. This was the sort of thing the ' canaries' were cursed for at the Bull Ring. Some of their humour could be on the earthy side. My grandfather was a married man with family who worked as a manual labourer in a textile mill. Not your average shrinking violet but he complained to my Gran in a letter about the incessant swearing of NCOs while training.

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Hello chaps,

From the "Manual of Physical Training - 1908 (reprinted 1914)", allow me to quote the introduction line from "Group - G... Lateral Excercises".

Quote... 'This group consists chiefly of the excercises of turning the trunk and bending it sideways'... End quote. I've written the line exactly as it appears.

Its actually a turminoligy that is still used today, and you will be surprised at the familiar excercises it refers to. Before doing an physical excercise today, one carries out 'Stretching'..... another term and a modern meaning for 'Bending'. During the WW1 period, most of what we would class as stretching excercises, were used as the main excercise at that time. I've illustrated with a couple of excercises from this section of the book. The excercises are designed to keep the torsoe supple.

I'll be honest here.... this chap sounds like a he wants a real easy time of things, and is not perpared to put the time in. If he were in my section, I'd work him harder! Give him something to really write home about. However, since the very first infantryman appeared way back in the depths of history... he's complained about something.

Seph

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Thanks for the ideas... all food for thought.

I do however remain unconvinced about it being merely stretching exercises for the following reasons:

He had just undergone a period of training in the UK and therefore it is surely highly unlikely that he wouldn't already have come across stretching exercises.

He subsequently underwent a pretty strenuous time at Ypres and in Italy 'running the line' which would suggest he was fairly fit and classified A1.

He describes it as a 'system' and is 'disgusted' by it which suggests something along the lines truthergw aluded to in his post I think.

He was successful in his civilian job which suggests he was no slacker.

I'd hoped someone else had come across complaints by other men of the same or a similar thing who were more specific. I'm not sure as to what it is I imagined 'bending' to be but perhaps my expectations are blinding me to the bleedin' obvious and he was just having a bit of a moan about a long session of stretching and bending exercises.

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Brings me back to the time when I told a recruit communicator to go outside the classroom and send semaphone

for 5 minutes. He thought that was easy until I added "with a brick in each hand". Strangely never had any more

trouble with that boy :rolleyes:

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Nayles... I'll admit, there are PTI's who can be real B******s when they want to be, and really put one through the mill, and then there are those who's PT sessions are rather boring. In fact, one could get more of a swet-on by the simple act of putting on ones equipment.

A soldier is never happy, and I'll always remember my first coy sgt-maj mentioning that... "The day you lot stop b****y complaining about something, I'll start to worry!" Going through the ranks myself, I started to feel sorry in a way for that sgt-maj... as the myrid of complaints started landing upon my desk.

When a chap goes on a PTI's course, part of his itinerary is make up new and more imaginative excercises that will attack every muscle group. Some you keep, some you throw away, but they all go to expand the standard groupings. Your chap has most probably just been introduced to something more strenuious than the norm, which has most probably made him actually break into a swet. The two which I illustrated from the official HMSO manual are basic moves.

As you mention, your chap was most probably having a bad hair day, so was venting to his diary. We've all done it!

In line with 'rqartillery's post. As a young section commander, I had a triathlon competer in my section who was always striding off in front on his own. He would continiously ignore my commands to cut his pace and stay in formation. Well, one particular field excercise... volunteers were called for to help out in coy-hq, and I was asked for one of my section. I volunteered him for the anti-tank gunner--- carrying a Carl Gustav portable recoiless anti-tank weapon. After the excercise, I saw him enter the pub I was in and was instantly ready for a little.. ahem.. excitement. He sat with me, bought me a pint, and said.. "Sorry Seph, I've learnt my lesson".

Seph

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Thanks for the reply Seph,

Yes, you are probably right. I'd imagine that troops arriving in theatre for the first time were perhaps treated to some 'tough love' in order to prepare them for the privations shortly to come once they got to the sharp end.

I have my own experiences of enthusiastic PTI's and have even got on the wrong side of one or two so I understand exactly what you mean when it comes to sadistic inventiveness. :devilgrin:

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Thanks for the reply Seph,

Yes, you are probably right. I'd imagine that troops arriving in theatre for the first time were perhaps treated to some 'tough love' in order to prepare them for the privations shortly to come once they got to the sharp end.

The infamous 'Bullring' at Etaples is a classic example of the PTI's Sadistic Inventiveness!

Seph :huh:

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