The Captains Curry

[afcmoore]

Hi All. I Confess.
I once worked as an officers orderly in 1962 at Captain Casey otherwise known as the kipper Casey .The house was just to the
right of Plunkett dining and next to a Commandant Gallagher from the Collage. I was left one day to clean the house while his wife went out for an hour. I was also told to stir and turn off the
curry in half hour it was in a saucepan on the range. Now i had
never at that time hear of curry much less tasted it. Well of course i had to sample it one sthingy led to another until half of it was gone and never mind that i liked it so much i was tempted to eat the lot. I then starter to panic charge guardroom glasshouse P.a.s. Anyway i added some water bisto gravy and raisins and mixed it all up well. I was thanked by mrs Casey when she came in for looking after the curry.I was told i could go early i was in a sweat in case i was called to task but nothing was ever said. Who knows maybe it was their first curry and it put them off for life. Me i thank them for the sample i am now a curry connoisseur for life. Cheers Anthony

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Hi Anthony,

Loved your story, now can you tell me this, did you have a choice in becoming an orderly, do officers still have them to-day?
I always thought an orderlys duty was to valet to the offficer, did your duties include cleaning the house or did you just have no choice in the matter. Know that my Dad was an orderly at one stage.

Rose.

[Kentgal]

Fantastic taste of reality!!!
Loved it.

Is an 'Orderly' a different role to 'Bat Man'?

[afcmoore]

..Hi Rose.
Thanks for your response ,No you didn't have a choice .Your job was to do and die not to reason why.Doing orderly to a single officer was okay .I think it is a bit like a bat man tidying his room and getting uniform pressed buttons shined shoes and belts polished.Doing it in married quarters was a different ball game.I felt like a maid to the officers lady wife's.I can remember with one such lady cleaning all her pots inside and out till they shone with Brillo pads.Taking books down and dusting them and making beds.Hovering the house cleaning shoes.I would also split wood and bring turf for the fire.Been an officers orderly was okay but to his wife i don't know how others felt ?I really didn't mind doing except where the ladies were high handed and snobbish.I found the ones who thought they were ladies treated you badly were only letting themselves down.I found Mrs Gallagher to be a real lady and always seemed to have an interest in you as a person.I can remember to this day her saying her last orderly had wrote to her from England to let her how he was getting on.and she was delighted.I cant honestly say that would have happen with any of the because they thought we were second class.I don't know if they still have orderlies today? Cheers Anthony.

[Matt McNamara]

Well to answer your question Anthony, no there is no orderlies today in the Defence Forces. It like a lot of things was phased out a long time ago. At the time it was done, although not a particularly nice job, it was part and parcel of army life, and you either liked it or you didn’t. I could imagine trying to get our young men and women of today’s Defence Forces to do that job as been impossible and rightly so. In the modern and much downsized Defence Forces than you served in there is little time or personnel for that kind of stuff. They are far to busy in training and performing duties in “Aid to the Civil Power”. The era in the Defence Forces in which you refer thankfully is gone for good.

Looking forward to your next installment from that time in Defence Forces history which is so closely tied with The Curragh History.

All the best Anthony

Matt

Dessie I do hope that this answers you worries.

[afcmoore]

Hi Kentgal
Thanks for your kind comments.I never did sample the second
cheers anthony.

[afcmoore]

Hi Matt.
Thanks for the update re orderlies.
Cheerio Anthony.