51 replies to this topic

[CmdKeen]

Am I the only one who thinks that if so many people are fainting, perhaps they're doing something wrong? I fail to see why this should be normal.

How else are so many recruits going to pick up the nickname "Timber"? We had one go down in a 30 minute parade, inside, during the winter, with about 14 people. If you aren't used to parading then it comes as a shock to the system.

Play the numbers game and with >500 on parade some will always go down.

[Killicksparker]

I was in a parade in London (Mountbatten's Funeral) when a dismounted member of the Household Cavalry, in all his ceremonial armour, collapsed. It sounded like a pile of baked bean tins cascading to the floor!!

In days gone by you weren't 'helped' from the parade ground, you were dragged so that the toes of your boots, that you had spent months bulling to a mirror finish, were dragged across the parade ground

How much drill training do police officers do now? I know that regulars in our force do none whatsoever and are not even trained how to salute, which I suppose is indicative of the movement away from a militaristic style of policing. I know it sounds a bit daft but standing to attention for long periods of time is a skill that has to be learnt.

[Samson]

Most of us got 7 or 8 hours of training from starting with not drill experience at all, with a smattering of ex millitary and cadets. Obviously with thoses sorts of time limit you don't practice the standing around for hours on end in the sun. In the circumstances the only big thing we got wrong was the weather!

[Random~name]

Do you get sun up north?

Once every 70 years. Much like halles comet.

[Morse]

Am I the only one who thinks that if so many people are fainting, perhaps they're doing something wrong? I fail to see why this should be normal.

Doing something wrong. Yes common sense would tell you its the fact they are standing to attention in the blazing sun fully dressed in black. The human body is sometimes known to overheat. This has happened since Jesus was a boy so its hardly new.

[jay bird]

Doing something wrong. Yes common sense would tell you its the fact they are standing to attention in the blazing sun fully dressed in black. The human body is sometimes known to overheat. This has happened since Jesus was a boy so its hardly new.

Well said Morse. It WAS hot, they were standing around for a long time in full uniform. They had been there since early morning & the parade started at 1pm so most hadnt had anything to eat, they're not used to standing still for so long its hardly surprising some of them fainted. Or shall we just get rid of those that went down as clearly they're not up to the job (as Burnsy seems to be suggesting)?

[AK47]

One of those pics is of a good friend of mine who I have been Specialing with for the last few years. He's a good copper and is destined for great things... Even if they have to stretcher him off. Well done matey!!!! Dream come true!

[ococircusboy]

And also standing some probably with knees locked is bound to make faces pale and bottoms hit the floor.

[Nim]

Aw poor poppets. Some of them looked genuinely poorly. Is 6 or so out of nearly 600 so many? Is there an average of fainting officers per passing out parade that this was calculated against by some DM journalist with more time on his/her hands than he/she should have?? Do I really care? No not really.

[SkinSte]

There were apparently 12 collapses, 8 female and 4 male. A few crime scenes will soon sort them out!

[XRegulator]

Obviously, congratulations to all those officers. Hopefully they will all feel extremley proud of their achievement.

Standing on parade is never easy. The military become fairly used to it. 22 years ago, I was stood on the jetty at Singapore Naval Base at 08.00 in the morning with over 400 of my colleagues waiting for the British Ambassador to turn up and inspect us. We stood there in utterly stifling heat and humidity for almost two hours, although we did have the slight advantage of wearing our tropical uniform or 'ice cream suits' as we called them. It was unbelievably soul destroying just standing there waiting! Remarkably, very few of the guys dropped. Trick is, have a good meal before the event and take on some water and definitely do not have alcohol the night before!

[MacGregor]

I do feel sorry for them. Fainting on parade happens, which must be embarrassing enough, without it attracting national media coverage.

I suspect if it wasn't for the DM website, those of us in the far flung corners of the UK would never have heard about this. Not as if it is on the front page (I'd be surprised if it even made it into the paper itself at all).

[Marty McFly]

I suspect if it wasn't for the DM website, those of us in the far flung corners of the UK would never have heard about this. Not as if it is on the front page (I'd be surprised if it even made it into the paper itself at all).

is the daily telegraph a bit more credible for you?

http://www.telegraph...out-parade.html

[MacGregor]

is the daily telegraph a bit more credible for you?

http://www.telegraph...out-parade.html

I wasn't saying anything about the credibility of the Daily Mail, I'm not sure where you got that from...

[XRegulator]

Stop it pleeease! You're making me weep!

Next.......

[Burnsy2023]

Or shall we just get rid of those that went down as clearly they're not up to the job (as Burnsy seems to be suggesting)?

That's not what I was suggesting. If it was really that hot, why didn't officers have water to drink whilst they were out there or perhaps the ceremony should have been cut short? I don't think a ceremony should come before officer's well being.

[ococircusboy]

That's not what I was suggesting. If it was really that hot, why didn't officers have water to drink whilst they were out there or perhaps the ceremony should have been cut short? I don't think a ceremony should come before officer's well being.

It is a tradition, the parade is already much shorter than it was 'back in the day'. People's bodies are different and they cope differently under pressures. Some simply fell ill, not their fault at all but would have been looked after.

[Burnsy2023]

It is a tradition, the parade is already much shorter than it was 'back in the day'. People's bodies are different and they cope differently under pressures. Some simply fell ill, not their fault at all but would have been looked after.

My point is that if so many people are feinting, regardless of the tradition, the police aren't fulling their duty of care to the officers.

[Burnie]

My point is that if so many people are feinting, regardless of the tradition, the police aren't fulling their duty of care to the officers.

out of 567 people not used to long parades 12 fainting/feeling ill isnt a case of failing in duty of care. If there was no contingency to assist them when they do feel/are faint then they fail.

The military have been doing this for years and people still faint on parade. I mean look at the queens birthday parades - guardsmen experienced in parades and they still get people fainting.

With 567 inexperienced people on parade you work on the estimate that up to 25 will drop (up to 5%) for one reason or another. Normally because they dont listen to instructions and only do the anti-faint activities when they begin to feel faint (by which point its too late) rather than regularly through the parade.

Edited by Burnie, 01 July 2012 - 10:17 AM.

[Fry]

That's not what I was suggesting. If it was really that hot, why didn't officers have water to drink whilst they were out there or perhaps the ceremony should have been cut short? I don't think a ceremony should come before officer's well being.

I don't think a parade would quite be the same if you just had a group of officers stood about supping water in the sun and I don't think people were actually standing still for much longer than 30/45 minutes. Which really just leaves the idea of scrapping that particular form of ceremony, which I think would be a shame because I think a lot of the officers concerned/their families enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of it all even if the marching was atrocious.

[TroyTempest]

Parads, people fall down, for whatever reason. I was on parade at the cenotaph two years ago representing the TA in the Army group. One of the pipers was stretchered off under my nose, and we were there for hours. As is customary we were all nursing terrible hangovers.

People feint, film at 11.

[jay bird]

I don't think a parade would quite be the same if you just had a group of officers stood about supping water in the sun and I don't think people were actually standing still for much longer than 30/45 minutes. Which really just leaves the idea of scrapping that particular form of ceremony, which I think would be a shame because I think a lot of the officers concerned/their families enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of it all even if the marching was atrocious.

they were called to get in line at 1pm, they stood to the side of the parade ground while the band played & the horses walked round, then had to wait for Boris, the commissioner & other bigwigs, did their march & then stood still while the band played some more, through the speeches & Boris' walk around. I reckon they were out there a good hour and half. Those uniforms are heavy & my son said the helmet made his head sweat! By the way he wasnt one of the ones who fainted but I would have been just as proud of him even if he had.

[Fry]

they were called to get in line at 1pm, they stood to the side of the parade ground while the band played & the horses walked round, then had to wait for Boris, the commissioner & other bigwigs, did their march & then stood still while the band played some more, through the speeches & Boris' walk around. I reckon they were out there a good hour and half. Those uniforms are heavy & my son said the helmet made his head sweat! By the way he wasnt one of the ones who fainted but I would have been just as proud of him even if he had.

Standing to the side of the parade ground (and out of view for the most part) is different from standing to attention. People were loitering with intent from 1300, but formed up around 1315 and then marched (in a fashion) at 1330. Before moving on people had plenty of opportunity to fidget. In terms of the actual time stood out and not moving in the middle of the parade ground was about 30/45 minutes, which was the hard bit. Then the parade marched off, so I'm sticking with the 30/45 mins rather than an hour and a half. The uniform is warm on a sunny day (and I think it was warmer than 20 degrees in the sun) but it ain't heavy by any stretch of the imagination.

[Merlin820]

Do you get sun up north?

No. I have terrible ricketts.


Well done to all those officers!! Possibly nerves setting in, maybe one or two missed breakfast, low blood sugar, excitement, heat etc etc. Easy done.

I've fainted twice. Once on stage in a school show and on holiday in Florida due to dehydration. Not nice at all.

[SC Meerkat]

There's a few benny hill style helmets there! Do they not inspect the troops before parade?

Maybe there needs to be a MetHat course?

Last time I checked, trying to wear a custodian like a baseball cap was not the correct way