The First Parade.

[rubberguts]

Should you think I have an acute case of site posting diarrhea, my excuse is living in New Zealand for forty five years without coming across another "Catering Corps Wallah" has been a long drought.
Ramilies Barracks the Holy bastion where  ACC new recruits received their first taste of Army life.
Sergeant Baldwyn was our squad sergeant. A decent sort off duty, as were all the DI's but total Wankers on the parade ground, per requirement  of them.
 It may have been my imagination but all Di's seemed to be strangely the same height of around five eight, to five ten. Was this designed to insulate the Commissioned Officers from getting an inferior authority complex?
 The first parade. Who could forget theirs? After being pre-inspected, the Sergeant left us with no doubt in our minds we were a "Shower of Sh*t" and then waiting for what seemed to be an interminable length of time of quiet, Came the moment. Christ. My wildest nightmares could have never prepared me to expect anyone like this to appear.
From out of the Office stepped a bloody giant of a man, six foot three at least. On his feet were a matching pair of glistening black mirrors. My first glimpse of Regimental Sergeant Major Tierny/Tiernon? ACC Attached. Ramrod straight, and perfectly presented, complete with pacing stick. 
  Wrong moves were met with his roar of disdain, accompanied by pointing of the stick, "That man there. "Bandit"!  "Double him away Sergeant"
 Questionable who's pair of Daks suffered the effects of an unscheduled dump first, New recruit's or the Squad Sergeant's.
 For all his putting the fear of Christ in us. He was well liked, fair and just. A good sort.

 

[magpie24]

Yeah that first brush with authority really sticks in your mind.. What really sticks in my mind was the first locker inspection, I clearly remember half my stuff flying out of the window, and I was one of the lucky ones. 

[rubberguts]

Yeah that first brush with authority really sticks in your mind.. What really sticks in my mind was the first locker inspection, I clearly remember half my stuff flying out of the window, and I was one of the lucky ones. 

Ha ha. That seems familiar. Luckily I escaped that treatment but others weren't so lucky. I think it was the Officers act to get us rattled. It happened to all the squads.
 I decided to straighten my locker up  after a week. We had shirts on the top shelf with cardboard inside to square them off. Somehow my kit didn't look quite right and on pulling it down found I had acquired two pair of well worn socks that had been darned almost to oblivion. One look at the number told me the culprit was a re enlisted Reggie who had completed a spell in the cooler and had been back squadded into our squad. Needless to say I bided my time and returned them to their rightful owner in exchange for mine.

[Ian E Scott]

Jim Tierney retired as a Lt Col and was very much respected.  Sadly he is now on the Parade Square in the Sky.  Ramrod straight till the end.

[rubberguts]

Stunned to learn of that sad news. My memory of him is still as vivid as that first chill February morning in '54.
 He, along with the Officers and NCO's at basic training performed a sterling job of straightening out us Conscripts.  We went through the Army system and came out soldiers and comrades.
I know it made a better man of me and I'm still useless.