Forum Activity for @gareth-williams

Siarad Cymraeg yn y Fyddin. Speaking Welsh in the UK Military

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Slow to change and we'll never truly get there, but do we really want to? I mean I actually like being mistrusted by the English!Kitchener was a knob, I just wish I could have lived back then with the balls us chavs have today and told him that straight to his face.It gets done these days, we can lament much of the old values of respect for authority etc but boys I ve led these days tell it as it is mate.If the boss is a knob, he gets to know about it!!! We dont take the shit no more and just cos the boss has a swagger stick and a golden lab and owns half of Essex, he s got to have a bloody good plan and be totally respected to be followed. And I dont care if he's toff, a chav or from a tanned corner shop owning heritage, a rasta or an f'ing martian, if he s got my capbadge and he's a leader of men, he' s a Welsh Warrior in my book and me n my boys would follow him.Kitchener was a pussy anyway, and a supressed gay from that tach he had. If he'd ave been outed he'd have been twice the man and twice the general, bit o man love would have totally chilled the boy out man, ye, go for itHaha

Siarad Cymraeg yn y Fyddin. Speaking Welsh in the UK Military

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Hey, Man of Harlech.Ye, it has changed but many miles to go yet and us Brits bein us Brits there is always going to be them and us and maybe thats how we like it.Am I an inverted snob perhaps?But if you cant beat em join em eh, looks like thats the way this old mans going with a change of mess!Good to hear from you buttGaz

Siarad Cymraeg yn y Fyddin. Speaking Welsh in the UK Military

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Seen a lot of changes in attitudes over the last 20 years.Strange about turns on stuff.Long history of usage, and was OK'd when it suited the establishment, ie going clear in Welsh on the net with another speaker to save time on BATCO as recorded examples in WW2 right up to Bosnia and even today. But back in barracks, I remember you could get a bollocking for it when on duty.Operationally, I've used it to get info through if I knew there was a fluent speaker on the other end that could translate.On a platoon net I'd be hesitant to worry and alienate non speakers of what was going on.MOD clear 'right on' policy on it now, everything to do with Wales Brigade, Welsh regiments and the UK Army in Wales is bilingual. Such is pressure upon them.Also, this brings me onto another topic for discussion - the changing structure of Welsh Officers or the leadership establishment of the Army.A new generation of young boys coming from the flagship Welsh elite schools and Welsh universities, with 'ap' surnames, ex head boys of schools like Glan Clwyd and Rhydfelen, going to Sandhurst after Uni (our West Point!)Many come from the traditional Welsh intelligensia home background of the nationalist middle class teachers, preachers , professors and so on, many's parents lifelong anti British militarism, some with convictions for protests from the 60s and 70s even. Their sons and daughters seem to have rebelled in a reactionary way to this home bred nationalist pascifist thing and see the future of an independent Wales differently.They do acknowledge their parental generations hard work in gaining our language rights and Assembly, but they are more pragmatic in their approach.These boys are up and coming flyers, I know of one who will make Colonel before 40 and is a card carrying Plaid Cymru member and Cymdeithas yr Iaith (tho he doesnt advertise it about too much!) and is looking to go into Welsh politics in the future. A guy Id vote for I tell you.This has all come about in the last 20 or so years, previously, the structure of a Welsh infantry regiment was a Welsh working class enlisted rank base with an English speaking and educated Officer classAs a proud enlisted man I am happy that these changes are taking place and that the Officers set above me will come from my hills and valleys.
updated by @gareth-williams: 12/17/15 02:43:08AM

BritWelsh

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My last post reignited an age old quandry.What am I?I insist on BritWelsh on all forms of identity, because Im more British than the English as far as Im concerned, my people were here first.But I tend to be parochial in the extreme, Im 'Angleswegian', which apparently is the correct English language term for us Mon islanders (and can anyone help me with how to put the 'to bach' on Mon on the computer?) but even worse than that, there s two islands, Mon Mawr and Mon Bach, Malltraeth Marsh (Gors Tryga) before it was drained and the River Cefni canalised in the18th century, cut the island tidally from Malltraeth point to Pentraeth. The Cefni then was the demarcation line between 'The Glorious Republic of West Anglesey'!! and Mon Bach.In Llangefni, the mooring rings for fishing boats were still there until 1950s where the 'farchnad' was, now Llangefni is 5miles from a tidal influence. The Cefni flows through and Lo-Cost was on the Mon Bach side of the town, we used to shop in Spar as kids so as not to cross that line to the culturally inferior Mon Bach! Haha,But as I say to soldiers who join my regiment 'I dont care what colour you are, green , pink, black, orange, purple, dont care what religion you are, or whether you like boys or girls, tea or coffee, where you come from, it doesnt matter, as far as Im concerned you are now a Royal Welch Fusilier which in my book makes you superior to anything else that draws breath on this planet'Works a treat for the old pride and morale!! And gets a chuckle
updated by @gareth-williams: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM

Olympic Welsh

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I remember a real warrior from that part of the world from a late 80s world cup, Cameroonian Roger Millar, 38 years old, you remember him?

Olympic Welsh

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Well done Nicole and Tom JamesBone of contention, would we be strong enough to go it alone, or should we stick to British strength and unity?I've no great feelings about it either way, as long as I was on the podium and there would need to be a Dragon up there somewhere, Id only compromise to the Jack so much.We certainly contribute way above proportion.Im not one of these who supports ANYONE playing England at sport, Saddam Hussein XI Vs England , go Saddam, no, not really, but a few of my compatriots would!!Ive one vastly talented cricketing friend who would not play for England, as Wales on the international scene is minor counties standard, yet Glamorgan in the English(!) counties has always been strong. So as a cricketing Welshman you'd have to play for England to get international recognition
updated by @gareth-williams: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM

Tim Rygbi Gogledd Cymru

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Ye, some fantastic players from our neck of the woods. Most had to leave to play their best though.From the outset, the social and economic base did not reach the levels of the South and the game did not ingrain into the culture. The North Wales Coast, strongly influenced by Liverpool and Manchester, became a Soccer stronghold. League did not catch on either.As a schoolboy it was tough to get through the trials system to last 30 or 60, first your county, then the North, then North and West then you were up against Swansea Valley, Cardiff Districts etc, lots of competition.In the senior game, Rob McBride aplied himself with a dogged determination, not a vastly talented player, but moved South and to all intentsand purposes became a Southie. Military or Student Rugby away used to be a way of raising your standard, Tony Gray, classic 60s example, Bangor Friars to Cardiff Coll to London.But the set up is there now, better youth development.Some great local talent up there, Bown boys etc.Mike Roberts made Wales in the 70s while his main club was Llandudno (guesting for London Welsh) but if you want to make it in the mens game at least you got to go to Sale Sharks or South

Brit image in the US

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Haha Dave, you are wpns mad, I tell you, if you'd ave joined up you'd ave finished up a Major through the ranks in the small arms corps, a highly elite bunch of old guys, no more than around coy strength of about 60 individuals with an average age of 96!!! They dont take straight entrant ruperts, half the corp are late officers the other senior snco s and wo's, in fact the lowest rank is Staff Sgt, the CO half Colonel, he 's always the only guy from a straight to Sandhurst background, all the others are ex rankers.What these boys know about every infantry wpn system on earth is awesome.They massively enthusiastic bunch of fogeys butt, usually done a 22 but not taken their pensh yet and pushing it out to 55. They have a lot of re-enactors and many of them get flown to Hollywood regularly on private advise jobs on filmsets. One of them once spent two hours going through the history of Russian bayonet systems with me and did it so well it felt like 2 minutes!!!

Brit image in the US

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I remember being quite shocked to find that the US military's perception of us British squaddies was an over exaggerated stereotype.My first visit to the states was a months exercise with the US Marine corps in Virginia back in the 90s when political correctness was starting its foothold over there.Our whole battalion of 600 or so had to undergo a lecture on behaviour and ettiquette which many of us thought was a bit patronising. Many of us had never heard of the phrase 'booty call' until that day and we looked at each other bemused as this young female hispanic Captain told us that we'd be in big trouble if we did a 'booty call'????Cotporal Thomas just had to ask for an explanation and we were all in bits rolling around laughing with this officer getting redder and more flustered.Anyway, it turns out that the US servicemen had been given strict orders not to drink or get involved with us at all costs, and avoid gambling with us especially and walk away from any potential conflicts. These were pre-coalition force days remember where we were not used as we are now to our differing little ways.Their initial image of us as portrayed by their authorities was pretty poor really and despite our potential to actually confirm this image we didnt do too badly, the beasts and scum of the earth turned out to be pretty gentlemanly!Our soldiers were so physically different too, all shapes n sizes, skinny, podgy, lanky, balding, prematurely old looking, bad teeth etc whereas the US Marines were all like Dolph Lumphgren, and they just shook their heads in disbelief when we beat them in every physical soldiering task that was given.And I experienced the colour divide, in civi sports kit I was walking past a bunch of black soldiers and I approached to ask directions to the PX, they looked uncomfortable as I approached then when I spoke they mellowed realising I was Brit. A white MP passed and shouted at me as to what I was doing like I wasnt supposed to be talking to them in case of conflict I guess, but even he on realising I was British smiled and seemed to understand that I was white ye but I was outside of things. These black guys were great with me, but they pretty much socially ignored most white US soldiers unless it was a tasking brief or order.I wonder how perceptions have changed over the last decade?
updated by @gareth-williams: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM

Penmaenmawr. San Fransisco of North Wales

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Well my good lady, I am nothing if not sexually secure.Like most things, I've never taken the whole sex thing too seriously and I certainly dont take myself too seriously, although I can be very very vain sometimes.No Im all for celebrating gayness. Im glad the world has moved on to a stage where a man or woman need not feel pressured to suppress their sexualty in order to conform and make two people unhappy and the kids.I had an aunt who married a man who in retrospect was gayer than a Maddona backing dancer but in the 50s he had to conform. Result= a highly unhappy marriage and massively disfynctional cousins of mine.So still, PENMAENMAWR????WHY????WHAT IS THE ATTRACTION?