Saluting trap
Encyclopedia
A saluting trap was a form of officer harassment practiced by conscripts in the British Army
during and after World War II
.
Given their general lack of control over their lives in the Army, and the long periods of boredom inherent in Army life, the men would grasp at any form of control they had. Conscripts were required to salute any officer they met, and the officer was required to return the salute.
To harass the officer, the conscripts would gather in a group, the larger the better, and wait out of sight for an officer. When a British officer appeared some distance away, the conscripts would set out, one by one after the British officer's direction. The object was to force the officer to salute as many soldiers as possible in as short a time as possible, hopefully making the officer's arm sore in the process.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Given their general lack of control over their lives in the Army, and the long periods of boredom inherent in Army life, the men would grasp at any form of control they had. Conscripts were required to salute any officer they met, and the officer was required to return the salute.
To harass the officer, the conscripts would gather in a group, the larger the better, and wait out of sight for an officer. When a British officer appeared some distance away, the conscripts would set out, one by one after the British officer's direction. The object was to force the officer to salute as many soldiers as possible in as short a time as possible, hopefully making the officer's arm sore in the process.