You would think such a high ranking individual would know he needed ID to get in...

He was an aristocrat. They do not need such mundane things as ID or even money.

At least the average lot of them don't think they do.

hmmm interesting

well obviously he did or he would have gotten in... even the Regimental Sargent Major acknowledged that he did not have proper ID.. he just excused it. A true aristocratic thinker would not have tried to slid on the rules...

Methinks, you do not know about the aristocracy. But even here in England they are almost extinct now, in terms of social and political power. But this all happened back in the mid-seventies, when, whilst in terminal decline, they still had a lot of influence and society generally was very deferential.

hhhhm.... yes well, we don't have aristocracy...but every time someone slides the rules it leaves someone else's backside exposed...

Aristo means the best. And cracy means rule. The aristocracy were something like demi-gods. They simply assumed that their every wish and whim was for another to fulfil. They said want they wanted and it happened. Naturally, they have been reluctant to give up such advantages, so the overthrow of their rule has taken a long time.

I see...

During the Cuban Missle Crisis our base was on high alert. I was an Emergency Room medic and ambulance driver. One night returning to base in the ambulance with a Captain, a doctor from New York City, we were stopped at the gate, showed our ID's and told to proceed. The doctor laughed and said "Oh yeah, I feel safe now!". He showed me his ID card. It had a picture of Fidel Castro where his should have been.

That is fantastic.

And I bet they were not thrown in jail!

however.. the British Aristocracy had one great moment.. When they voluntarily voted themselves out of veto power.. even knowing that their way of life would be taxed out of existance but seeing the threat of Germany required such sacrifice.. the only instance in history.. see "the Proud Tower" by Barbera Tuchman.. but you are correct.. Arisocracy is a state of mind.. and not a good one..

They had no choice in the matter.

how did they have no choice?

The legislature is divided into two parts, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords had the capacity to prevent Bills becoming law. A bill was passed by the Commons reducing the Lords capacity to do this. The House of Lords could have refused to endorse the bill and threaten to do so. They were told the prime minister would respond by creating as many new lords as was necessary to have the bill passed into law. So the choice they had was refuse and have hundreds of new lords who would simply out vote them and it would be law anyhow, or give in gracefully to the inevitable and maintain their social exclusivity. They chose the latter.

I see...but what did the threat of Germany have to do with it?

Nothing.

I see...thank you for answering my questions...

This is good Steve. Really good.

It is really true.

Excellent - I think his brass hat must have been jammed on too tightly.

My Grandfather was an aircraft engineer/onboard mechanic his duty was much simpler, when a gunner usually tail or belly was killed he simply had to pull them out of their "bubble" and take charge of their gun. It's funny how different the officer's are between the US & Her Majesty's services, your story might have happened over here but, it's to be assured that a colonel would not likely have caused such an incident, a lieuie sure but not likely any over a major would complain that an enlisted man had requested documents they should have had but didn't. Here, having a hero in your lineage or a patron on the President's Staff, marks you to be held to a higher standard not for a life of ease. Elvis is a great example of how a dirt poor trucker/corporal from the mud flats can wind up with better duty than a full bird colonel. There's much discord between lieutenants & sgt.s simply because the lieuie ranks but the sarge happens to know what to do, as a rulle this ends u with the sarge getting his knuckles rapped & the lieuie getting a class on when to STFU and listen to a man who's been there. I think one of the major differences as I can glean from your account, is that your officers get/got their rank as a remark on their social standing, where as any rank over a Major in the US is almost impossible to achieve without combat experience, and there is no better way to build respect for the enlisted than to serve next to them as they die to keep you safe. Now if only the Regiment had told the guardhouse to expect said Colonel, your kiester might have been properly cooked. I know that when expecting visitors it's customary to put them on a list for the guardhouse at least in the US when under normative orders. Also under the federal preserve act delineating authority of servicemen on base, if you were a US sentry it would have been your duty to fire on the vehicle as it left without permission.

The Colonel-in-Chief is not a soldier. He is an aristocract. For example the queen is the Colonel-in-Chief of some regiment (I forget which). The colonel, who was furious, was the commander of the regiment, a soldier.

So some aristocrat who isn't even in the military gets to call themselves Colonel-in-Chief and I assume argue with the Colonel or just give him orders about the Regiment in question? Does he get campaign ribbons to match "His" Regiment's? If they earn the Victoria Cross, does he get a counterfeit for his jacket? I should be nicer he is after all someone's son but, unearned rank is just foul & fetid to my American nose. Our President is given the Rank of Commander-in-Chief but that's only so his Generals will obey him and he's the only civilian to hold rank in our services. There are scientists & other "skilled" personnel that are afforded the respect of a ranking officer but have no authority beyond their project and no rank in the service. As little as it comes to bear, any civilian on the street in the US is of higher social rank than a general on the same street, he after all works for us.

Yep, they get all the medals.

Oh yes, we also have National Guard militias which are each headed by the Governor of their particular state, The Governor is the Commander-in-Chief of that state's National Guard, unless they've been called up by the President.

I'm surprised you commoners didn't kill em all centuries ago.

There are many occasions when it was tried. The usual scenario was excellent progress, creating serious fear in the hearts and minds of the aristos, followed by deceitful negotiations, which, even if not believed, caused uncertainity and indecisiveness and divisions, enabling the aristocracy to reassert their authority and dish out exemplary 'justice'.

Amazing how reluctant we are to kill off what we know. I think that's one of the things that worked in our favor in the US when we revolted every one of us knew if we succeeded in ousting the King's Army and failed as a nation on our own we had the king to go back to if need be, but for you to get a try at going it without the Feudal system you have to not just drive out but, kill your feudal lords. Hmmm, Lucky us, so these Colonels-in-Chief still wield power over regiments... I assume? You'd think there'd be a better use for their time than "playing" soldier as a grown man. So while the House of Lords was still able to Veto a bill, the PM was just a monkey on parade?