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Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:36 pm
by ozzy72
The regimental goat of the 1st Battalion Royal Welch has been demoted - after refusing to keep in step at a parade to mark the Queen's birthday.
Six-year-old William Windsor, otherwise known as Billy, got a dressing down because of his "lack of decorum" at the event at the Episkopi base in Cyprus.
Fusiliers will no longer have to stand to attention when Billy - demoted from Lance Corporal to Fusilier - passes by.
Monarchs since Queen Victoria have presented the regiment with a goat.
Billy, a Kashmir goat given to the 1st Battalion Royal Welch by the Queen in 2001, was on his first overseas posting.
The parade on 16 June was held in the presence of a number of invited dignitaries including the ambassadors of Spain, Netherlands and Sweden and the Argentine commander of UN forces on Cyprus.
His handler Lance Corporal Dai Davies, 22, from Neath, South Wales, dubbed the goat major, found he was unable to keep him in line.
"Billy can be badly behaved at times but I didn't think there was anything wrong myself at the time," said the regiment's Captain Crispin Coates.
"However, after the parade he was reported through the chain of command and accused of disobeying a direct order."
But the loss of prestige could be temporary.
According to Captain Coates, Billy is "extremely well known" on Cyprus and highly liked.
"His situation is currently being reviewed and he could regain his rank," he said.

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:45 pm
by C
Oh dear... What a shame... ;D

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:01 pm
by Omag 2.0
What did he do? Poop on the commanders shoes? Nible on the host's uniform?  ;D  ;D  ;D

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:14 pm
by C
[quote]What did he do? Poop on the commanders shoes? Nible on the host's uniform?

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:49 pm
by cspyro21
[Sigh]

It's a flaming goat!! It's not meant to "follow orders" - it's meant to eat grass and live on a farm!!

[/sigh]

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:50 pm
by Mushroom_Farmer
How many demotions are needed to turn him into a nice stew?  ;D  :-X

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:00 pm
by Woodlouse2002
[quote] How many demotions are needed to turn him into a nice stew?

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:56 pm
by H
Excuse an American who's not meaning to get your goat, guys; however, he might not be in that predicament had he been allowed to butt out to begin with.

8)

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:42 am
by expat
To the rest of the world, the British army must seem barking mad at times. Only Brits could have a passing understanding of this ::)

Matt

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:50 pm
by BFMF
I would have a hard time standing at attention and/or saluting an animal ::)

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:56 pm
by C
I would have a hard time standing at attention and/or saluting an animal ::)



Looks at it this way (in a practicle sense). Often we salute/pay compliments to an object such as a standard/flag etc, so in this respect an animal is used in a similar context as a figurehead, in this case as a regimental mascot. As a L/Cpl he's one of the lower ranking ones that I know of...

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 2:26 pm
by ozzy72
Not the worst though, that still remains to be beaten by Bruneval the Parachute Regiment pony who kept being demoted for ****ing on graduation parade grounds. Whilst in Cyprus he got busted down to Private for various little errors of judgement (like eating the COs flowers) and then an attempt was made on his life by the Devon & Dorsets 'cos a Para had shot their mascot by accident. Three memebers of the D&D ended up in hospital when Bruneval kicked 10 bells out of 'em ;D Para trained evil bugger 8) ;D

Re: Silly Billy!

PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 1:38 am
by H
I would have a hard time standing at attention and/or saluting an animal ::)
You've undoubtedly saluted more animals than you'd ever dare admit to -- and a few may have been old goats. ;D

8)