Oddly enough it happens that the judge who presided at Sgt Nightingale's hearings, Judge McGrigor, is a keen biker who has a Triumph 1050 and has been known to get out on a circuit. He and I rode across to Germany together on our bikes one time. But he is not a Circuit Judge!
What speed limits? We were on the autobahns first to Hohne (N of Hannover), then to Paderborn, then back to the Belgian border - so no limits!
Ah, down the route 7 to the 352 past Hannover, the Route 2 to to the 33 to Paderbourn then the 44 all the way to the border, i did that trip several times, but it was more interesting comming off north of Hameln and going cross country to Paderborn, fantastic roads. I do miss Germany but 18 years was too long aparently!!!!
Todays news,Danny will almost certainly not like this private letter being put out to all as it was addressed to his lovely wife,however Sally has deemed to make this public in order to show to others his feelings over this matter.I know that some of you will make judgements over this but frankly would rather that you all got a measure of this man over some pre conceived ideals.Thanks again for looking. Sergeant Danny Nightingale's first letter home from prison - Telegraph .
Since ex-Sgt Nightingale and his wife must both know perfectly well that he is not in prison but in military detention, it is interesting that he claims untruthfully to be writing “from prison”. Why would he say this? It could only be intended for publication, and for purposes of misleading readers. Surely this sort of deceit can only reduce our sympathy for him.
Bit too literal and pedantic there mate, his liberty has been taken. I would use the generic term "in prison" ........PS cant you type in slightly bigger font please.....
His letter seems to take have a fairly selective relationship with the facts of the matter as well. Seems very cynical and aimed at a wider audience that may not have any greater understanding of the situation than misleading headlines in the Mail and Telegraph As a matter of interest there's a 60+ page thread on the ARRSE forum where the consensus from serving and former soldiers seems to be he got off lightly, the law applies to everyone and that he should wind his neck in, shut up, do his time and crack on with being a soldier when he comes out,
As far as putting a case through court goes..........in the words of a defence brief as she was dancing across the court floor, "it's only a gameshow!" with the true crime being the costs and expenses of most tied up in process after process they create! So if the release of this letter is all just a choreographed direction, then so be it, good luck to him,...........as its probably just the second or third act of a show after the ice cream.
The ones I 'met' referred to it as 'The Glasshouse' and that's how everyone around Colchester knows it.........I lived about two miles from it..... It's situated in an area called Friday Woods, which was occasionally used for maneouvres....but open to the public most of the time....and that's where as a kid I watched Dave Bickers and many others doing what was then called scrambling.....it was a regular main venue for many years. AL
Having just taken the trouble to read it through, I see the ARRSE thread starts off with dimwitted ravings based on the misleading newspaper reports, strands of sense start to appear, the Court Martial transcript gets posted and read, then people who know what they are talking about post rational views. Eventually there is a near consensus that N was lucky to be treated so leniently, and a sensible debate about the merits or otherwise of the Firearms Acts. Pretty much what you would expect, actually.
Most defendants facing a custodial sentence are most keen to argue strenuously in mitigation that they should not go to prison, but to detention in MCTC instead. If it was true that they thought MCTC was prison, they would hardly bother, surely?
Indeed, most would definitely choose to serve their time in a military environment rather than a state prison, but it is most definitely a prison. A Junior Rate who worked for me served a period of time at Colchester following a few occasions of drunken violence. I know the lad extremely well, as he worked for me before being sent "over the wall", and came back to the same unit after. The time he served there was very much a prison sentence.
Not quite sure why you've put "met" in bold and quotes. When I mentioned members of the Forces I have met I am thinking of a few I have known and worked with over the last 22 years in the Forces. The only time I have ever heard Colchester referred to as the Glasshouse is by a much older National Service generation! In the RN it is almost always called DQ's (pronounced Deeks) for Detention Quarters. I grew up in the Colchester area and can remember my Dad taking me to watch the Scrambling :smile:
Sorry but no, MCTC is most definitely not a prison. For example: (A) The regime for inmates is comparable to that of recruits in basic military training, nothing like that for prisoners (B) Inmates live in barrack rooms, not cells (C) The level of security is “behind the wire” like a camp, not a high wall like a prison (D) Inmates’ training includes weapons training on the firing range; prisons never allow prisoners access to firearms (E) Inmates can earn a half-days’ leave per week in Colchester town if they progress well, unlike prison (F) Military detention does not have the stigma of prison; former inmates are often promoted and have successful careers later. There used to be a military prison at Shepton Mallet, Somerset, but it closed in 1966 and there are now no military prisons.
