Lt. Colonel Johnny Thompson of the Scots Guards and Handsome Men In Kilts **Appreciation Thread

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#1,816
RomeGirl said:
Aw. Thanks, that is very kind. I do worry that I don't spoil this lovely space and your enjoyment of Jonny with the dry behind the scenes stuff.
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The "dry behind the scenes stuff" you are sharing with us has elevated this space into an extraordinary place for us to gather. You do not seem to mind sharing your knowledge and valuable time with us. We love it when you actively jump into our chats. You are helping us learn, point us in new directions to explore, and cheer us on. We absolutely appreciate you and all of the "dry behind the scenes stuff"! Please keep sharing - We love it! :smile:
 
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#1,817
La Rhumba said:
I thought a Dirk was the dagger worn down the sock?
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No, it is the Sgian-Dubh (black or hidden knife) worn in the sock/hose.

It is accepted this evolved from the almost never now seen sgian-achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit or up the sleeve. That was used in the 1600s and 1700s when the custom was that when entering your enemies home/castle you deposited your arms at the door. However, trust was not high in those days and so concealed arms became the norm.

Not sure if anyone spotted it, but recently, when Jonny was on duty, and for the first time doing Tony's usual job (Master of the Household Sir Anthony Johnstone-Burt), introducing everyone in the receiving line to the King - under the watchful eye of Tony!! - he was so flustered beforehand he forgot to put his sgian-dubh in his sock - Ooops!!! Technically, out of uniform. Doubt anyone put him on a charge though :biggrin:

Some quick screen grabs, a bit blurry but you can clearly see his hose without sgian-dub.

IMG_2853.jpgIMG_2845.jpg

Just shows we all become nervous when we are doing something new and don't want to mess it up.
 
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#1,818
jessie32 said:
Thank you. I never realised how complicated an officers position and career was. Are officers able to transfer between regiments or is their training solely focused on their current position. I’m asking this as if Jonny leaves The King is there a position available for him in RRS or will he be posted elsewhere. Does he have a choice or is he just reassigned?
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The RRS is an Infantry regiment, as such Jonny could easily transfer to another Infantry Regiment or Division, should he request it and was granted leave to do so.

For some time he did serve in 3UK Div while still attached to the RRS. This would have been to expose him to training and operational opportunities not available to him at that time in RRS.

As a serving Officer he is also required to go wherever he is posted or transferred to, without question, unless extraordinary circumstances would prevent it.
 
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#1,819
RomeGirl said:
No, it is the Sgian-Dubh (black or hidden knife) worn in the sock/hose.

It is accepted this evolved from the almost never now seen sgian-achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit or up the sleeve. That was used in the 1600s and 1700s when the custom was that when entering your enemies home/castle you deposited your arms at the door. However, trust was not high in those days and so concealed arms became the norm.

Not sure if anyone spotted it, but recently, when Jonny was on duty, and for the first time doing Tony's usual job (Master of the Household Sir Anthony Johnstone-Burt), introducing everyone in the receiving line to the King - under the watchful eye of Tony!! - he was so flustered beforehand he forgot to put his sgian-dubh in his sock - Ooops!!! Technically, out of uniform. Doubt anyone put him on a charge though :biggrin:

Some quick screen grabs, a bit blurry but you can clearly see his hose without sgian-dub.

View attachment 5861183View attachment 5861184

Just shows we all become nervous when we are doing something new and don't want to mess it up.
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OMG - How did we ever miss that! Too focused on our lovely Jonny and missed that detail. Shame on us. Hard to believe Jonny was nervous as he always seems to have it together. Thank you for sharing the photos.
 
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#1,820
La Rhumba said:
I'd like to ask Romegirl about the uniform. The RRS clothing is so elaborate and detailed, do Officers have help with it? Like a Valet to lay everything out to be worn on Ceremonial occasions, to clean and press his uniforms or does Jonny have to polish his own brogues and metal clasps on his belts? I kind of suspected he could leave his spats outside the bedroom door at Windsor or Balmoral overnight and they'd arrive the following morning spic and span but perhaps not?

Also for the Mess Dress Regimental Dinners, do Officers keep their white gloves on during eating and drinking? And one thing Jonny will have to adapt to when he returns to the Army is, instead of the Toast being TTQ, he will have to say TTK!
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I think we can safely assume that Jonny does indeed have help in maintaining his uniform. Just whitening his gaiters would be time consuming! There is a laundry and dry cleaning service provided at Buckingham Palace which I presume he uses.

As for doing his ironing...? I would think that is done for him, but like every officer, he would be very experienced in keeping his own uniform fit for inspection and I imagine on trips away he probably has to use the hotel ironing board to get out the odd crease!!

Everyone who saw the Sandhurst videos will be familiar with all the new cadets arriving with their ironing boards in hand. And them all being required to look after their own uniforms. Once learned, never forgotten.
 
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#1,824
lizle said:
Seeing how sweetly he worked with the Late Queen and does with Charles and Camilla, I believe that and would be disappointed if he was anything less.

Maybe he will give a small wave or nod to the cameras to say "Hi!" to his followers during this week's France visit! I love the way he looked directly at the camera during Charles' Balmoral Royal Honour Guard's greeting. :heart:
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I doubt you will see any sort of acknowledgemnt from Jonny - especially in uniform during a State Visit. He is there to support the King and Queen, not to be conspicuous or noticed in his own right.
 
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#1,826
lizle said:
Questions for Rome Girl

While Jonny is serving as King Charles' Equerry, does he also have to maintain a required level of Army physical fitness and maintain qualifications such as shooting, etc. If so, how does he manage to squeeze all of his regular Army requirements into his Equerry schedule?
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Yes. There is a minimum level required. There will be times when Jonny is not seen for a couple of weeks at a time (when everyones speculation increases and mild panic sets in!). During some of those periods he would be having 'Army Time'.

Apart from that he does work hard on his physical fitness... being quite fond of his food (!!!), exercise is necessary! :giggle:
 
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#1,830
lizle said:
La Rhumba gave us some really nice marching photos of Captain Jonny and it inspired me to sift through things and look for more. I do not know which march this is but, based on information RomeGirl gave us, I am guessing that it is from 4 Scots around 2008 or later and he has returned safely from his Middle East deployments as shown by his medals.

View attachment 5860662
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7 Scots at this point.
 
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