This may come as a shock to you but the Royal Navy doesn't need the "British" in front of it. The Royal Navy as the first organsied navy in modern times is simply the Royal Navy. Simialrly, the Royal Air Force as the first seperately organised airforce is simply known as the RAF.
And by tradition, the Royal Marines never stand for the Loyal toast (as they're RN personnel). There's a lot of arguing about it with the other branches but the best argument I've heard is 'The Navy is the senior branch of the forces, so you adapt to us, not the other way around.'
To quote a toast of my late father in law who served in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in the British Pacific fleet in WW2….. “Here’s to it and to it again, let him who gets to it and doesn’t do it, never gets to it to do it again”
I was a rum boson back n the late 60's on HMS Condor near Arbroath in Scotland. Tots were served either at lunchtime or at 5pm and much bargaining took place with "sippers' and "sandy bottoms" being traded for favours.
Grandpa Tom was Occifers' Mess CPO at Pompey a bit before that time. I have no recall how I know the taste as I only appeared in 55 - probably dippers.
My Grandpa, who served in the Queen's Regiment, informed me that the Regiment traditionally sat for the loyal toast as the Regiments that had been amalgamated to form the Queen's Regiment had served as Marines on RN Ships. Are there any other British Army Regiments that also have this as a tradition?
Thanks and very informative. By the way, there's no need for 'British'; there is only one Royal Navy ditto the Royal Air Force but.......the British army.
Ah, but the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, older than any, and the only unit doubly Royal. The Ordnance was based at Monmouth from the start, c1300.
Then there is the old 18th Century variation of the Loyal Toast: As they said "The King!" some would circle the glass above some water. They were toasting "the King over the water" or the Stuart claimant to the throne.
Very well done indeed - or as the RN would have signalled in WWII, "dog - george" which stood for "manoeuvre well executed", though most would have just said, "damned good!" On a side note, the Canadian Navy decided that the old toasts were far too aggressive for a fighting force, so Thursday is now "Our Navy" and Friday "Our nation." They also changed Saturday to "Our families", though, ironically the rejoinder still works for a sailor - may they never meet.
Up Spirits…….Stand Fast The Holy Ghost?…….posted this before it was mentioned. My Nephew a currently serving Stoker(Marine Engineer)told me when on exercise CSG21, they had an engineer across from the USS The Sullivans, they got him absolutely bladdered(drunk) they sent him back in the morning worse for wear, apparently he had a bollocking (severe dressing down) off his CO
My you yanks do like to tell a good story. Most of which must be made up.My family where many in the Navy going back to before Napoleonic times ,and no one here has ever heard of the...fluff you espounge... Yankee macaroni.
