Paperbackwriter
"Yes it is barbaric, but it definitely got you to follow orders." Surely there is no place for a 'but' here? It IS barbaric and was surely always illegal!
Another instance that used to occur regularly on morning inspections, the lance corporal would kick you in the shins if your uniform was out of place. He wore hob nailed boots, so it hurt. He went too far one day when the soldier he kicked was the son of a major general, who complained to his father.
