Hexamine blocks group buy - probably uneconomic

[Toadflax]

As I wanted some hexamine blocks, I thought I'd see if a group buy might be worthwhile, but it probably isn't due to postage costs. I found one place that would supply a 72 pack box, which would mean that each pack of blocks would be just under 90p per pack...

...but the cost of buying jiffy bags and the actual postage costs (even second class) for something like this that is fairly heavy would put it up to somewhere near £2.50 per pack to BCUK members, which is comparable to the price in local surplus stores.

I think the only way it would work would be for me to buy a 72 pack box and bring it to a moot - only I can't get to the Summer one.

Oh well, seemed like a good idea at the time.



Geoff

 

[bloodline]

The other places to buy them cheap are military shows etc on the surplus stalls I picked up a load a couple of tears ago at the Detling showground.I wish I had got more though as ive got back into using them alot.

 

[spamel]

I'm sure they never used to smell as fishy as they do now! And the perfect way to clean your messtin after using hexy is a used teabag. Everybody knows that. So why did they stop putting teabags in the rations? Powdered tea just doesn't work the same!

 

[Toadflax]

They have powdered tea now? What is the world coming to?

We used to call them tea pillows.

And this is going completely off topic now - before the press made "yomp" a household word we had loads of slang expressions (can't remember too many of them now). I wonder if they are still in use.

When you were tired, you had to "get some gonk" (sleep) in your "gonk bag". Kit that fell of the back of a 4-tonner was "buckshee". Your groundsheet poncho went in your "b*m roll" (asterisk in case the word filter removes this word!) - this was well before b*m bags came into fashion. I've seen "cheese posessed" mentioned in other threads. When you came back off exercise, you were "minging" - well before the modern term "minger" came into use.

And, of course, there was radio chatter: "Charlie meet Sunray at RV, over". We used to talk to each other in radio chatter. Mad. And did anyone ever get any good at Slidex or Mapco?



Geoff

 

[spamel]

They have powdered tea now? What is the world coming to?

We used to call them tea pillows.

And this is going completely off topic now - before the press made "yomp" a household word we had loads of slang expressions (can't remember too many of them now). I wonder if they are still in use.

When you were tired, you had to "get some gonk" (sleep) in your "gonk bag". Kit that fell of the back of a 4-tonner was "buckshee". Your groundsheet poncho went in your "b*m roll" (asterisk in case the word filter removes this word!) - this was well before b*m bags came into fashion. I've seen "cheese posessed" mentioned in other threads. When you came back off exercise, you were "minging" - well before the modern term "minger" came into use.

And, of course, there was radio chatter: "Charlie meet Sunray at RV, over". We used to talk to each other in radio chatter. Mad. And did anyone ever get any good at Slidex or Mapco?



Geoff

I remember trying to explain the different uses of minging and minger to friends mum. It went totally over her head. This was at the beginning of the 90's and it wasn't in general use then. It will only be a matter of time until military slang makes it into general use as the blokes go home on leave and spread the phrases! I wait in eagerness to see the first use of "Thredders" on the telly!

 

[Jodie]

What's 'thredders'? What's 'cheese possessed'?
Over.

 

[spamel]

What's 'thredders'? What's 'cheese possessed'?
Over.

Thredders is a term used when you are incredibly P'd off! Cheese possessed is a play on words, it is actually cheese proccessed, but nobody calls it that! Most rations that are minging get a derogatory name, like treacle track pad, or fruit dumplings in cat vomit!

 

[spamel]

Sometimes the good stuff gets a nick name aswell though. Who remembers Babies heads?!!

 

[Jodie]

Thanks for clarifying

 

[Toadflax]

I love babies heads. And no, I'm not a cannibal!

Never came across thredders - must have been after my time.

But a throw-back to an earlier era, at Chatham Barracks daily orders had afternoon tea posted as "tiffin". And we had one Major who was nicknamed Major Tea-Meal - 'cos he called our evening meal "tea-meal".



Geoff

 

[spamel]

I believe Thredders comes form the Royal Marines, and has made the leap from them to the Army.

I also loved babies heads, but couldn't never get them warmed all the way through. The centre was always cold!

 

[Ogri the trog]

I also loved babies heads, but couldn't never get them warmed all the way through. The centre was always cold!

Aahhh the old "Conk de L'enfant!"........
They were supposed to be eaten warm - ahhh that explains a few things - I thought they were meant to be like a swiss roll - tepid outside and stores temp inside! No wonder I found them gack!
As for earlier militaryisms, one that I found amusing, though hasn't caught on yet is "Getting a shed on!" as in "getting drunk" I don't know the origins, but there was a hat-sized shed in Lot 22 for years - only to be worn by the nominated "Shed-head"
Cheese Possessed realy was made from the Devils earwax
And what of the good ole' "Anti-personnel biscuits"

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Eric_Methven]

I used to end up with TONS of cheese possessed after every exercise (ACC). I used to keep it until we went on a scheme with the Canadians or Americans which was quite a lot as we used to do missile escort. They loved the tins of cheese, especially the ham flavoured ones. I'd exchange it for large tins of fresh ground coffee, which went straight into the four tonner and was backed up to the veranda of my quarter and offloaded on the way back to the camp at endex.

Who remembers SOXMIS cards?

Eric

 

[spamel]

Sometimes the most horrid things turn up in rations. Tinned pilchards for instance. Now, I actually don't mind pilchards, but what the hell are you meant to do with them? One guy told of how he used to hide an opened tin behind the NBC fans in a 432 APC. He'd do this just before the end of the excercise in Canada, and so the next guys into the 432 would have a stinky fish wagon to drive around in for the next month. If they didn't find the can, it would get steadily worse as it cooked off in the heat!

 

[Toadflax]

No connection, etc. with them, but I've just ordered 10 packs of hexy tabs from strikeforcesupplies.co.uk for £15 (includes postage) - i.e. £1.50 a pack.

I don't feel that this is too bad a price but it does gall me when I think back to the packs of hexy tabs that I used to throw away at the end of an exercise...



Geoff

 

[spamel]

No connection, etc. with them, but I've just ordered 10 packs of hexy tabs from strikeforcesupplies.co.uk for £15 (includes postage) - i.e. £1.50 a pack.

I don't feel that this is too bad a price but it does gall me when I think back to the packs of hexy tabs that I used to throw away at the end of an exercise...



Geoff

True! What we used to once take for granted......!

 

[Eric_Methven]

Aye, true enough. I've thrown cases of hexy cookers away before. I've binned decent combat jackets, gas masks and cases, water bottles, jerrycans and a whole heap of other buckshee kit. The kit I left the mob with bore no relation to my 1157 whatsoever. I was allowed to keep all my kit on demob because I was going straight into the TA. That lasted just a few weeks as I joined the DLI and I'd never done Light Infantry drill. I was expected to take a drop in rank as well so I binned it. They never de-kitted me and I just chucked most of the kit in the bin.