{"id":34043,"date":"2015-12-29T02:00:39","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/?p=34043"},"modified":"2015-12-27T09:35:44","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T14:35:44","slug":"nicknames-in-the-british-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/2015\/12\/29\/nicknames-in-the-british-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicknames in the British army"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forces TV<\/a> on the widespread practice of renaming recruits when they report to their unit:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common enough in civvy street, but it seems that it\u2019s definitely standard issue in the British military. For decades, service personnel have had their names changed the moment they\u2019ve arrived at their first military unit. Usually by a smart-alec superior.<\/p>\n

Of course the fresh-faced recruit is too junior to protest, if s\/he even understands the black humour behind their re-christening. The nickname may stick with them for the rest of their career, and will be used all the more if it particularly upsets the poor soldier \/ sailor \/ airman lumbered with it. It may stick with them for the rest of their life: I\u2019ve heard many tales of only mothers still persisting in calling their sons by the name they chose for them; to everyone else they have become what the Army redesignated them. For good.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Former members of the military like to reminisce about these days in online forums. One of the more repeatable tales on the Army Rumour Service\u2019s website goes like this:<\/p>\n