Gareth Davies Posted 10 April , 2015 Share Posted 10 April , 2015 The tradition continues, I have taken my Ashplant with me to war three times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 10 April , 2015 Share Posted 10 April , 2015 . Service battalion or TF I'll wager. I will eat my hat if they are regulars. And the officer in the centre is smoking in leather gloves! Pioneer Bn, maybe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 10 April , 2015 Share Posted 10 April , 2015 The tradition continues, I have taken my Ashplant with me to war three times. I have only the once, but I did find it useful for dealing with Scorpions. The second time I spent my entire life staring at a computer screen and listening to endless PowerPoint presentations given to General Officers who seemed to think that their importance was decreed by how long the presentation was and how many were 'obliged' to attend. To my eternal embarrassment the British were by far the worst for this. An Ashplant might have been a dangerous implement for me to have to hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khaki Posted 2 December , 2019 Share Posted 2 December , 2019 I reread this thread with great interest, especially with the possible origon of the officers 'stick', it occured to me that the functional use in the days of Napoleonic battles that a mounted senior officer of an infantry battalion could direct specific manouvers that could be understood and carried out by Lieutenants/Captains etc. I can't imagine messengers being constantly dispatched unless it was at brigade strength and bugle calls could be acted on by the wrong unit. A form of battlefield command similar to the Drum Major with his mace on a parade ground? khaki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 2 December , 2019 Share Posted 2 December , 2019 Available online: By an officer of the Indian Police (H. G. Lang). The Walking Stick Method of Self Defence 1926 Archive.org. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 On 06/04/2015 at 17:15, Khaki said: I am sure I recall seeing a 'swagger stick' with a concealed blade, I would imagine then that walking stick swords were also known amongst officers. khaki Here's another for you. I've seen one more since; very similar, with much darker leather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Hall Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 (edited) On 10/04/2015 at 13:23, FROGSMILE said: I have only the once, but I did find it useful for dealing with Scorpions. The second time I spent my entire life staring at a computer screen and listening to endless PowerPoint presentations given to General Officers who seemed to think that their importance was decreed by how long the presentation was and how many were 'obliged' to attend. To my eternal embarrassment the British were by far the worst for this. An Ashplant might have been a dangerous implement for me to have to hand! Ah, "Death by powerpoint" Most of my service thankfully, was in the era of acetate presentations and overhead projectors. Bad enough. I'd rather spend 8 hours in the Invertron. (another Gunner blast from the past) BTW, And sorry to lower the tone -again, The stick as carried by the AcSM, we knew as the "F++k you wand" because if it was pointed at you, you were...... Edited 3 December , 2019 by Gunner Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Gunner Hall said: Ah, "Death by powerpoint" Most of my service thankfully, was in the era of acetate presentations and overhead projectors. Bad enough. I'd rather spend 8 hours in the Invertron. (another Gunner blast from the past) BTW, And sorry to lower the tone -again, The stick as carried by the AcSM, we knew as the "F++k you wand" because if it was pointed at you, you were...... Invertron....it always sounded to me like a word from Star Trek, or Doctor Who. I spent an unhappy two-years running the invertron at Support Weapons Wing, Netheravon. Every time we had foreign officers or politicians visiting, a special invertron ‘presentation’ was required. I felt like a performing monkey: Edited 3 December , 2019 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Hall Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 Two years! Dear God, what did you do to deserve that? I agree about the name, Invertron does rather conjure up an interesting image of Jane Fonda. I should have realised that the reality when I clocked the look of mirth on my OC's face. I always felt sick after a session, no idea why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 On 02/12/2019 at 12:47, Maureene said: Available online: By an officer of the Indian Police (H. G. Lang). The Walking Stick Method of Self Defence 1926 Archive.org. Cheers Maureen This reminds me of my only visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in the 1980s. I was unfortunate to get in the way of several little old ladies, armed with umbrellas, who used them with a sharp jab to move people away from exhibits that they wanted to see. I was quite annoyed, at the time, to get jabbed on three separate occasions during my visit, with each jab leaving a bruise. May be I should be grateful that the little old ladies had not come from Bulgaria! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 19 minutes ago, Sepoy said: May be I should be grateful that the little old ladies had not come from Bulgaria! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 Just picked up a copy of “instructions for the training of divisions for offensive action”, July 17. Flicking through it last night, and noted the comment on carrying of sticks. Thought it might be of interest. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 4 hours ago, Gunner Hall said: Two years! Dear God, what did you do to deserve that? I agree about the name, Invertron does rather conjure up an interesting image of Jane Fonda. I should have realised that the reality when I clocked the look of mirth on my OC's face. I always felt sick after a session, no idea why. I’m glad you replied, I’ve just realised it was only one year, but felt like two! I understand exactly what you mean about feeling bilious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 1 hour ago, Dave66 said: Just picked up a copy of “instructions for the training of divisions for offensive action”, July 17. Flicking through it last night, and noted the comment on carrying of sticks. Thought it might be of interest. Dave. The instruction not to carry sticks was felt necessary after the first 2-years of the war when it had been realised that so many officers had been targeted by German marksmen when distinguished by such sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Hall Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 2 hours ago, FROGSMILE said: I’m glad you replied, I’ve just realised it was only one year, but felt like two! I understand exactly what you mean about feeling bilious... I think my sick feeling was to do with having to peer through binoculars at a screen for hours in a darkened room trying to find a BRDM or BMP2 shaped blob emerging from a bigger blob meant to be a forest. Happy days. " Hello zero. This is romeo alpha 0, Fire mission battery.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 1 minute ago, Gunner Hall said: I think my sick feeling was to do with having to peer through binoculars at a screen for hours in a darkened room trying to find a BRDM or BMP2 shaped blob emerging from a bigger blob meant to be a forest. Happy days. " Hello zero. This is romeo alpha 0, Fire mission battery.... Exactly the same for me except that it was Fire Mission 4-Mortars. Not quite the same weight but with every round landing virtually vertically the lethality was through 360 degrees. Puts me off my breakfast to think of it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 3 December , 2019 Share Posted 3 December , 2019 For those of us without a military background a certain unofficial military encyclopedia describes the Invertron thus:- A great way to spend an afternoon in a hot stuffy classroom staring at screen, whilst you are being screamed at over the headset by a Company OC who is sitting only 5 feet behind you, wondering why you find it impossible to get rounds on target on time in the specified manner in a nice warm classroom. In the meantime whilst trying not to fall asleep on your nyrex, and leaving non permanent ink marks all over your face, you are wondering why the odd red shaped blobs on the screen turn black when hit and the battlefield is not permanently scarred with the awesome firepower you have just dumped on some poor Russian's head who happens to be sitting happily in a field somewhere near Bovey Tracey minding his own business. That said treated like a computer game its awesome fun! The Invertron, a hot stuffy room in which a screen, projector, speakers and many small monitors and radios are to be found all to aid in the training of Arty TAC parties. Every type of battlefield fire support is available from the 81mm Mortar to Naval Gunfire and the legendary Grid Square Removal System. A quaint piece of the UK or sometimes somewhere further afield is displayed whilst you attempt to bomb the hell out of it. No permanent damage is done to the display unless you are lucky enough to hit a bright red target which may turn black. All ammunition types in service are available and suitably poor graphical interpretations of their effects are displayed on screen. Particularly comical is airburst HE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Hall Posted 4 December , 2019 Share Posted 4 December , 2019 Thanks T8Hants, An accurate and evocative explanation. I’m feeling peaky just reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 4 December , 2019 Share Posted 4 December , 2019 The Mods have been very generous in allowing this big digression from the Great War. Or asleep. Swings and roundabouts, because I too have been given licence on occasion. [I had not heard of an invertron, and am still not at all clear of its purpose or function, but I can live contentedly in ignorance.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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