WWI British Army

[Guest newworldmember]

Can someone please tell me what the following terms mean:

1.) swaddy. I've seen this word used in books on the British Army, and I assume it refers to an average soldier in the period, roughly, from 1885-1918 and maybe even later.

2.) square bashing. I believe this relates to drill by British soldiers, but I'd like to know if there's a more complete explanatiin of it.

Any help received will be greatly appreciated by a Yank member.

[Kate Wills]

'Swaddy' is a new one for me. Is it a variant on 'squaddie' = ranker?

'Square-bashing' is indeed drill; 'square' being the parade ground, the victim of the relentless bashing from heavy boots.

[CROONAERT]

1.) swaddy. I've seen this word used in books on the British Army, and I assume it refers to an average soldier in the period, roughly, from 1885-1918

I think there is an explaination of this word somewhere else on this forum (But, I can't remember where!!!). - It's certainly older !

Dave

[Raster Scanning]

In "The Reality of War", S Dollimore uses swaddy to describe a private soldier in WW2.

"It's easy to talk of glory friend, and say we are in the right,

And shout "God strafe the enemy, and lets put him to flight".

But let us first consider, before we start to fight,

The reality of War.

Did you ever stand by the Troopers rail, and hear the klaxons blare,

And hear the boom of impending doom, and see the Tanker flare.

And hear the screams of her drowning crew as they swum in a sea of flame.

That my friend is War.

Did you ever stand in the desert sand close by a refuelling troop,

And hear the crack of an eighty eight, and see the Stuka swoop.

And see the flash of exploding bombs as the Valentine brews up.

That my friend is War.

Did you ever stand on the minefields edge, and watch the Sappers creep,

And see them make their one mistake, and the deadly Tellers leap.

Then see the mangled Swaddy as he lay in his lasting sleep.

That my friend is War.

Did you ever stand midst falling walls, as the Dorniers made their pass,

With the firemen sticking to their posts among the splintering glass.

Then helped dig out infant bodies in the grisly aftermath.

That my friend is War.

So talk no more of war my friend or couple it with fame,

It never was a pleasure, and certainly no game.

So let us pray to God above that war may be no more.

And that Peace may reign".

John

[Jock Bruce]

'Swaddy' was used in WWII. Hamish Henderson's great poem/song 'The 51st Highland Division's Farewell to Sicily' has the line 'Pair bluidy swaddies are weary'.

Jock Bruce

[Frank_East]

From memory the name nickname "Swaddy" was in use in the 1950s to denote a member of the British Army.The other collective term was "the brown jobs "or "a brown job".I would add that these terms were used by the other services and civilians alike.These were the days when RAF personnel were termed "Brylcream Boys",a term originating from WW2. You can still hear the term "Swaddy", "Swaddies" in the area of a British Army garrison and is in general use by civilians to denote army personnel.

These were the days when the British Isles was an armed camp and the majority of young men were in uniform. In ones early service life ,one was obliged to wear the uniform and hence run the risk of being pulled up by RAF Police on some minor dress code infringement and being charged.Needless to say everyone looked forward to be able to wear "mufti".

Regards

Frank East

[Joe Sweeney]

"Swaddie" was a slang term for a ranker. "Squaddie" is no earlier than 1933 and directly derived from "Swaddie".

"Swaddie" can be documented in the sense of "soldier" as early as 1812, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, evolving from the centuries-old colloquial "swad" ("a country bumpkin; a clodhopper; a loutish or clownish fellow; a common term of abuse").

Joe Sweeney

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Square bashing/drill - I still remember my first pair of boots and the age old line that had been told to soldiers since the day of Napolean - They don't bend but your feet do!

Ian