The Marines

They teach them (grown men!!!) how to shower?!!!

Why?

Oh! Perhaps you'd better not go into it. I am starting to understand.

#mustgetonwithsomejobs

Yes it was amazing they all had to stand and watch a Marine (with a wonderful body I must say) showering and which order in had to be done in - naughty bits last of course we don't want the bugs from down there getting anywhere else- he showed them how to clean their foreskin on TV!!! they were also shown how to shave and all had to stand naked in front of their beds facing each other before being given the order to get into bed. They were told they must always go to bed naked, freshly showered.

That's plain weird.

Can't explain it how SiL did but it's all done for a reason. He said you would be amazed at how sloppy some young recruits are with their personal hygiene. If you don't was properly when on active service you can get fungal infections etc. which may put you out of action. Hence the poor guy that got sent home because he had bad eczema.
Couldn't agree more about the corporal's language.

Sounds as though basic training has changed very little in the last sixty years... Showers? They gone soft or sunnink? Breaking the ice on the shaving water it was at RAF Padgate in my day...

Bizarrely we are right here in Lympstone on hols at the moment, with the marine training camp a mile or two away. I meant to watch the programme, but sitting on the terrace gazing across the estuary won out. And I missed learning how to shower!

It's repeated tonight on channel four at eleven p.m. for anyone who missed it and wants to see it.

Ooh! I might stay up for that!

(Sil was a marine bandsman a few years back, but I won't be asking him about the showering thing )

You've convinced me I might just watch it for the shower scenes

Rude

Yuk!

Mishap; you might bump into one of them in the street and say 'Oh, sorry; I didn't recognise you with your clothes on' [if you watch the repeat, that is]...

But isn't it good that we can be reassured that our troops have got clean balls? - I shall sleep more easily for sure.

mishap

I think making sure men know how to wash themselves probably does make sense in the context of elite fighting men needing to look after their health in what could be very harsh environments.
I remember my FIL talking about the difficulties of keeping clean when he was with the 8th Army in the desert in North Africa. Not in that sort of detail of course.
They were washing clothes in petrol it was more available than drinking water.

I also enjoyed seeing the food - it looked very good but they had to bolt it down and get on with it. The corporal had a more leisurely breakfast of SIX Weeabix.

Sounds good to me suebailey. #bloodydiet

My just 4 year old GS can wolf down 4+ Weetabix at one sitting - and he's only a wee fella! I think they have shrunk in size over the last few years suebailey1...........