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One rather colourful phrase that has always stuck in my mind and always makes me laugh when recalled was made during my time in Z coy about November 1969.

It was a very crisp frosty morning and our platoon sergeant Sgt Berriman (LI) was trying to teach us to form three ranks from two or something equally bazaar and apparently us poor 15 year old kids were just not getting it right at all.

Well old Berriman just lost it totally, completely flipped, if there had been medical people observing they would have taken him away. He was a ruddy faced chap anyway but went bright purple proceeded to smash his pace stick to smithereens on the square, then ran towards the squad foaming from the mouth and screamed at us

THE DAY YOU BASTARDS CAN EXECUTE THIS MOVEMENT CORRECTLY I WILL CRAWL NAKED OVER 10 MILES OF BROKEN GLASS AND STICK MATCHSTICKS IN YOUR SHITE.

I can only assume that he thought we would never master it?

JOHNO (Owestry 69-71