Positive move

Quoted from LH

Well they aren't going to advertise the days on end sat in the tea-bar waiting for something to happen, standing in the wind and rain guarding tents in a field, getting shouted at by some old guy who's been in 30 years because your sideburns and hair are too long or having your bedroom inspected annually and being told you are beneath dogshit because they found some dust behind your radiator etc etc etc are they?

I'd been to the barbers just before a big parade and got a No2 short back and sides and some twit balled me out on first parade saying I needed a hair cut  

Use the cloths you put in the dryer to wipe down any surfaces, it makes the surface repel dust  

That doesn't make him a conscientious objector.

Agree on the pay.

Dresden wasn't a retaliation. It was a bloody long time in coming if it was. At best it had a dubious claim to morality (and that's not belittling the brave bomber crews), at worst a war crime involving the unnecessary massacre of 10,000s of civilians that did little to bring the war to an end. Had the boot been on the other foot, then Bomber Command would have been facing trial and execution (like Goering). The ostensible aim of the bombing of Nazi Europe was to degrade the enemy's ability to wage war. It always caused "collateral damage" but by 1945 the high command seemed to be blasé about it and almost gave up the pretence of targetting the war machine - the best that can be said is it diverted some German war fighting capacity into home defence.

As for the chemical weapons he probably means this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleged_British_use_of_chemical_weapons_in_Mesopotamia_in_1920

Quoted from LH

At Benson there was 40 blokes on my shift and 4 of us lived within half a mile of each other up here.

I know what you mean, where ever I have been there has always been someone from Grimsby and the funniest one I met was a fella whose surname was Codd  

When i joined up in 89 there was 3 of us from Grimsby waiting at the station for the train to Plymouth ready for basic training.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

That doesn't make him a conscientious objector.

Agree on the pay.

Dresden wasn't a retaliation. It was a bloody long time in coming if it was. At best it had a dubious claim to morality (and that's not belittling the brave bomber crews), at worst a war crime involving the unnecessary massacre of 10,000s of civilians that did little to bring the war to an end. Had the boot been on the other foot, then Bomber Command would have been facing trial and execution (like Goering). The ostensible aim of the bombing of Nazi Europe was to degrade the enemy's ability to wage war. It always caused "collateral damage" but by 1945 the high command seemed to be blasé about it and almost gave up the pretence of targetting the war machine - the best that can be said is it diverted some German war fighting capacity into home defence.

As for the chemical weapons he probably means this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleged_British_use_of_chemical_weapons_in_Mesopotamia_in_1920

A large portion of the population of Dresden was working for the German war machine, over a 100 factories and major rail links.  The bombing was designed to cause as much damage to that infrastructure and strike fear in to the Germans.  Coventry, London and other places in UK suffered more civilian losses than Germany.

How far back are we going to go to vilify how UK Forces act through Westminster's orders.  The fact that the poster in question keeps bringing up the negative or what would be classed as controversial with today's agreements and bans clearly suits the label given.

Lets not discuss how UK Forces personnel have given aid to countries in need through droughts, major earthquakes, tsunamis, war and currently going to help with Ebola.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

"Homes fit for heroes. And Only heroes could live in them*," as my old history teacher Gordon Taylor used to joke.

* Probably not fair really as I'd happily live in an inter-war house right now (council or private).

My least favourite teacher at school but got to know him some years later through work and he his a really nice fella.

Quoted from moosey_club

My least favourite teacher at school but got to know him some years later through work and he his a really nice fella.

He came over as a right old stickler at first but his true qualities shone through after a while. We still quote his old anecdotes and sayings 35 years on!

"kicked out of the SS for cruelty"
"a united Ireland. United under the Union Flag".
Admiral Jellicoe's talk in Grimsby.
The one about the Soviet factory he worked at and 'stop all cycles'.
And the one which ended with his dad saying, "We filled our pants lad. We filled our pants".

Quoted from Marinerz93

A large portion of the population of Dresden was working for the German war machine, over a 100 factories and major rail links.  The bombing was designed to cause as much damage to that infrastructure and strike fear in to the Germans.  Coventry, London and other places in UK suffered more civilian losses than Germany.

How far back are we going to go to vilify how UK Forces act through Westminster's orders.  The fact that the poster in question keeps bringing up the negative or what would be classed as controversial with today's agreements and bans clearly suits the label given.

Lets not discuss how UK Forces personnel have given aid to countries in need through droughts, major earthquakes, tsunamis, war and currently going to help with Ebola.

You can still object to certain acts in war, or even to certain whole wars, government mandated or not, but still believe that war is a legitimate tool. So none of that makes him a conscientious objector.

You could even accept that UK armed forces do good work, over and above providing valuable defence, and still not agree that members and former members should be given free tickets etc.

Re: WWII bombing. Many more German civilians were killed by the RAF (and USAAF) than British ones by the Luftwaffe. 60,000 Brits versus 300-600k Germans. We killed more in 2 raids (Hamburg and Dresden) than they killed Brits. And we (us and Yanks) even killed more French than the Germans killed British. I admit it's not a black and white issue, but the bombing campaigns are even controversial from an efficacy angle - would we have won the war quicker with a different strategy?

Personally, I think it is right that we use Nov 11 to remember and give thanks for all the sacrifices made over the last hundred years.

Quoted from LH

Well they aren't going to advertise the days on end sat in the tea-bar waiting for something to happen, standing in the wind and rain guarding tents in a field, getting shouted at by some old guy who's been in 30 years because your sideburns and hair are too long or having your bedroom inspected annually and being told you are beneath dogshit because they found some dust behind your radiator etc etc etc are they?

Just like
being at home then?

Quoted from BIGChris

[/b]

Just like
being at home then?

It's a nice break coming to work to be honest.