Work Stories

Pete999 · Feb 28, 2016

Sat here minding my own business, thinking about past glories, get the picture? good. I was on a posting to Cyprus up in the Mountains so it wasn't very sunny, snow, never seen anything like it.

Being probably the only bloke there who was handy with tools I was every ones Friend, well these Yanks turned up on detachment for a few months, and so git told them who could supply and fix some heating, me as it happens, I had some room heaters left over from a refit and as I was my own boss, I thought why not?

Wired em up fitted the heaters the Yanks were over the moon, how much Pete? nah your OK some beer would be great, (Cypriot beer consisted of Keo or Karlsberg that was it, so some Yank brew wouldn't go amiss would it) OK Buddy anything else? well wouldn't mind some of that winter gear you bloke have, no probs bring your truck over and we will stick it in the back. Jesus I thought as I went to drive back to my gaff how the hell am I going to get that lot home? two crates of winter clobber and I was only there for a year, still you know what Yanks are like, bless em, got loads more tales in a book I have written. Thats for another day. Anyone got any daft tales to entertain US the forum is a bit slow lately

edexlab · Feb 28, 2016

Not exactly a work story but from a guy I met working in US recently. .....
He was a US marine and I mentioned I'd been a Royal Marine.....
He was excited by this and said "you know what I've waited 27 yrs to tell a brit marine this story,

He'd been on shore leave in Torranto (?) Italy in the early 80's and he and his mates met up with a load of Royal marines and spent the evening getting hammered together

At the end of the night he had the idea of swapping uniforms ie US for British and found an equally drunk Brit roughly the same build .......
Uniforms swapped he turned a corner realised he was alone ,staggered back and everyone had vanished , so he looked for a while and gave up as he had to return to his ship....

On his return the shore patrol (naval police ) stopped him boarding and were in the process of arresting him for being improperly dressed!

He tried to explain but they were having none of it and called for an officer to come down and take him to the brig

Another yank seaman also slightly worse for wear came by and fell off the quay into the water prompting calls of man overboard,
The two shore patrol guys said "Do not move" and went to retrieve the bloke in the water

The guy promptly legged it onto the ship, hides the uniform and falls asleep.

Next morning all hands were called on deck for the two shore patrol guys to try and ID the improperly dressed marine
He said luckily they never recognised him so he got away with it........

He said he's still got the uniform (its framed , he showed me a picture on his phone)
and wanted to apologise in case the brit got into a load of trouble for the same reason!