A Mars a Day….. Could get you Pissed !!!!

Ginna Phillips and I were on a bit of a mission. I can’t remember what it was exactly, but it had involved copious amounts of neat alcohol. We were in the throws of agreeing on the plan when we were interrupted by the figure of the RSM. He was steadfastly demanding to know why we were in a building with our magazines on our weapons.

Ginna and I turned to look at each other and then turned to see if the RSM was really standing in front of us. After all, we had not seen the said RSM since we had been in Aldershot. It was possible that he wasn’t really there and just a figure in our joint imaginations. Well we were pissed, very pissed in fact. So anything was indeed possible at this juncture in time.

I remember looking at the RSM and thinking that he was very clean. He had also bulled the toecaps of his boots. The epitome of a Regimental Sarn’t Major of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. It turned he was real, and he was waiting. Unfortunately bulled boots being as much use as a chocolate soldier in the Sahara desert. We didn’t rate him, but we took our mags off for the time being.

All in all, he was the RSM after all? That’s what we thought too!

The battles for Darwin and Goose Green were behind us, and for us the war was over we’d done our bit and we had been sent to a holding area. Waiting for the rest of 5 Bde to join us. They were to leapfrog through us, and start to open up the road to Stanley, 2 Para was being held in reserve (just in case).

Fitzroy was the new address that 2 Para could now be found temporarily residing at .The Welsh Guards and co were just about to off load from the two LSL’s that were mooring in Bluff Cove. And now apparently to top it all the RSM was here.

We were having a bit of a bad hair day. In more ways than one. Being such an observant individual, as only RSM’s can be. It was subsequently pointed out to Ginna and me that we were both in dire need of a hair cut. Also it would be appropriate if we were to have a shave somewhere along the line.  Due mainly to being pissed we decided he was really a figment of our imaginations and as we could all be dead by tomorrow. We decided to ignore the RSM and continue the mission.

Carrying on talking as if he didn’t exist we wandered off out the door and back towards our sheep shed. We once again fitted the mags to our gats. Changing course once we were out of sight, we went off up the hill. Heading towards the settlement’s shop we came across a little stumbling block, money, rather the lack of it.

Not to worry maybe we’d find some by the time we got there. Or find somebody we could borrow some from. Mere details, they didn’t bother us. We set off for a re-supply of booze, and maybe a Macdonald’s? Ah well, best not to get too carried away then.

Jim Love