Uniform

[webofevil]

One of the few perks of doing national service in Norway is that you get a huge discount—I believe it’s 90 per cent—when you travel by train. Consequently I have always found it slightly sinister when travelling around Norway to find myself surrounded by uniformed soldiers. That’s not a sight I’ve grown up with here, thanks to the blanket ban on our own soldiers careening about in khakis that was implemented at the height of the IRA’s activities.

On the way to work today, however, on the petrol station forecourt at Vauxhall I passed a soldier in full uniform and, I’m pretty sure I recall, a maroon beret, which would make him part of the Parachute Regiment. He was just wandering into the shop, but the shock of seeing him was almost as great as if he’d pointed a gun at me. Has the ban been lifted? Can they tootle about in full view now? Or was he being reckless?

Comments

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

You quite often see uniformed soldiers at motorway service stations. Presumably they (and your fella) are on duty and in transit rather than going to Alton Towers or whatever.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Maybe he was on duty?

[randy-gibbons.livejournal.com]

Parachute Regiment plus other non-infantry units belonging to 16 Air Assault Brigade wear maroon berets, not to be confused with the scarlet ones of the Military Police.

As already said, he was probably on duty, or maybe Para TA.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

That solider in your picture, is he Hugo Chavez: The Early Years?

-x-

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

The ban was lifted a few years ago, however, the older etiquette still holds, so it's not good form to be wearing uniform off duty or when not attending formal occasions.

L Here

[(Anonymous)]

doesn't even compare with the (for me almost weekly) experience of travelling through US airports. Every trip you see desert camoflage uniformed soldiers going to or returning from Iraq, not on direct flights obviously, the New York-Baghdad red eye hasn't yet tempted any carrier, they're heading to cities close to their bases. The fact that they are mostly heart breakingly young and fresh looking just adds a certain ennui...
People always pay for their food and drink checks.