They need to advertise like the royal marines do and actually appeal to their target audience.
Join the army and risk getting damaged to facilitate war crimes and line the pockets of utter bastards?
No thanks. Let Sunak, Starmer, Johnson, and all their rich friends get their kids to sign up.
If I was young, looking for adventure and a cause worth fighting for, I’d be heading to ukraine.
I’m in the RAF currently and I can point out some pros and cons:
Cons:
Top heavy – too many seat-warming Officers stealing a wage and taking a fat pension from the pot without contributing much
Slashed bonuses – commitment bonuses were halved, then scrapped completely
Shocking accomodation – prisons are in better condition
Terrible food in the mess
Undermanned – doing the job of 3 people
Underpaid – why should you work on aircraft in the Air Force when you can get more more as a civilian and not have to go to shit holes in the middle east
Too many mandatory courses
No time for sport or days out places – see undermanned and underfunded
Floored promotion system
Keeping hold of the sick, lame & lazy yet endlessly deploying those of us who keep fit.
Work / life balance is terrible, double if you don’t have children
Pros:
Cheap housing, very good if you get a new build.
45 days annual leave
That’s all the pros.
Probably a minority opinion but I’m pretty relaxed about the UK having a relatively small force, especially the army. As long as we’ve got the troops to man our ships and planes, and then maintain the manufacturing capacity to produce shells, ammunition and future capabilities in case anything ever got really nasty.
I tried to join but my eyesight said no in the exam.
Sorry. I applied. They didn’t want me.
I wonder why men won’t sign up to fight for their country when said country continuously says the biggest problem with UK is white men.
The mystery continues. We’ll find the answer eventually. Maybe we just need to double down on our current strategy to make it better?
Good. It’s 2024, we don’t need lot’s of ground soldiers
Give me a 3 bedroom semi at the end along with my piss poor wage and I’ll do 5 years.
Kipling said it best (sorry, I can’t format the verses):
I went into a public ‘ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.
Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap.
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes,” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.
You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet that Tommy sees!
From what I’ve read lots of people want to sign up, but they can’t get past Crapita.
I was forecasting a decline in MIL personnel over an year ago. I was told to change my forecast to more positive numbers as it was deemed to aggressive of a decline and likely to increase… go figure!
Conscription. Works in the Scandinavian countries. Every able bodied person must register at 18, complete basic training and be available to be called up until 41. Probably be sensible to prioritise the long-term unemployed for first call-up too. Really never understood why we don’t do this.
Tories!
Come and get shot at, told what hairstyle you’re allowed to have, and get shouted at because you didn’t polish the buttons on your jacket.
All for 28k a year..
Sounds wonderful, I wonder why people aren’t signing up 😒
Currently in the RN.
There are various reasons people leave, some because they eventually get kids, wife/husband ect.
Others because they can do the same job on the outside without all the stress for alot more money.
You get sick of it quick if you work a full working day 8-4 then your on watch 4-12 to get 5 hours sleep to do it again. Thats without counting exercises, pipes being made, flying, special things you need to be up for. Drains the life out of you so people leave.
16 comments
They need to advertise like the royal marines do and actually appeal to their target audience.
Join the army and risk getting damaged to facilitate war crimes and line the pockets of utter bastards?
No thanks. Let Sunak, Starmer, Johnson, and all their rich friends get their kids to sign up.
If I was young, looking for adventure and a cause worth fighting for, I’d be heading to ukraine.
I’m in the RAF currently and I can point out some pros and cons:
Cons:
Top heavy – too many seat-warming Officers stealing a wage and taking a fat pension from the pot without contributing much
Slashed bonuses – commitment bonuses were halved, then scrapped completely
Shocking accomodation – prisons are in better condition
Terrible food in the mess
Undermanned – doing the job of 3 people
Underpaid – why should you work on aircraft in the Air Force when you can get more more as a civilian and not have to go to shit holes in the middle east
Too many mandatory courses
No time for sport or days out places – see undermanned and underfunded
Floored promotion system
Keeping hold of the sick, lame & lazy yet endlessly deploying those of us who keep fit.
Work / life balance is terrible, double if you don’t have children
Pros:
Cheap housing, very good if you get a new build.
45 days annual leave
That’s all the pros.
Probably a minority opinion but I’m pretty relaxed about the UK having a relatively small force, especially the army. As long as we’ve got the troops to man our ships and planes, and then maintain the manufacturing capacity to produce shells, ammunition and future capabilities in case anything ever got really nasty.
I tried to join but my eyesight said no in the exam.
Sorry. I applied. They didn’t want me.
I wonder why men won’t sign up to fight for their country when said country continuously says the biggest problem with UK is white men.
The mystery continues. We’ll find the answer eventually. Maybe we just need to double down on our current strategy to make it better?
Good. It’s 2024, we don’t need lot’s of ground soldiers
Give me a 3 bedroom semi at the end along with my piss poor wage and I’ll do 5 years.
Kipling said it best (sorry, I can’t format the verses):
I went into a public ‘ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.
Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap.
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes,” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.
You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet that Tommy sees!
From what I’ve read lots of people want to sign up, but they can’t get past Crapita.
I was forecasting a decline in MIL personnel over an year ago. I was told to change my forecast to more positive numbers as it was deemed to aggressive of a decline and likely to increase… go figure!
Conscription. Works in the Scandinavian countries. Every able bodied person must register at 18, complete basic training and be available to be called up until 41. Probably be sensible to prioritise the long-term unemployed for first call-up too. Really never understood why we don’t do this.
Tories!
Come and get shot at, told what hairstyle you’re allowed to have, and get shouted at because you didn’t polish the buttons on your jacket.
All for 28k a year..
Sounds wonderful, I wonder why people aren’t signing up 😒
Currently in the RN.
There are various reasons people leave, some because they eventually get kids, wife/husband ect.
Others because they can do the same job on the outside without all the stress for alot more money.
You get sick of it quick if you work a full working day 8-4 then your on watch 4-12 to get 5 hours sleep to do it again. Thats without counting exercises, pipes being made, flying, special things you need to be up for. Drains the life out of you so people leave.