Her Majesty's Armed Forces' Traditions Quiz

Answer: Red dye was the cheapest

The wearing of red coats started during the English Civil War, with the New Model Army of Parliament needing to buy the cheapest kit possible for their soldiers. Blood does in fact show up on the red coats, but as a dark stain.

Answer: The title "Royal" is awarded to individual Regiments/Corps in the Army

Individual Regiments/Corps have to earn the Royal title (such as the Royal Engineers or the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards). It is nothing to do with the origins of the professional British Army being Cromwell's New Model Army that fought against the Royalists - the Royal Navy also fought for Parliament.

Answer: Drowned

The shot that proved fatal passed through his lungs and lodged in his spine. Over the next few hours his lungs filled with his own blood, causing him to drown.

Answer: 1st April - April Fools' Day

It may sound like a bad joke, but the RAF was formed on April Fools' Day 1918. Over the course of World War I the Royal Flying Corps started with just over 2,000 men and ended the war (as the RAF) with just over 110,000 - that's larger than the entire British Army in 2011 (not including TA).

Answer: Royal Navy

Although you might think that you need an army before you build a navy, English kings did not keep standing armies (that is to say an army was created as and when there was a need), but the early 16th Century saw the introduction of a standing navy, called the Navy Royal.

The first professional & full-time standing army in England was the New Model Army that was formed in 1642, although the Royal Scots (now 1 SCOTS) can trace their formation, as part of the Scottish Army, to 1633. The Scottish and English armies merged in 1707 to form the British Army.

The Honourable Artillery Company were formed in 1537, making it the oldest regiment.

Answer: France

France and Britain were not at war (for a change), but the French had recently signed an armistice with Nazi Germany, causing concern that the French fleet could be used by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy). Churchill gave the French an ultimatum - if you don't either hand over your ships to the Royal Navy or ensure that the Germans cannot use them (by sailing them to a neutral port or scuttling them) then the Royal Navy will do it for you. The attack resulted in almost 1,300 French killed.

The same day Royal Navy personnel boarded several French ships (including the largest submarine in the world) that had taken refuse in British ports such as Plymouth and Portsmouth. This was all part of Operation Catapult and resulted in a propaganda coup for the Germans and strained relations between France and Britain. However, it did demonstrate to the world (and the USA in particular) that Britain was determined to continue the war against Nazi Germany.

Answer: Ludo

Uckers is nothing more than Ludo. Jack-speak is the slang used by the Royal Navy following hundreds of years of tradition.

A Pongo is a soldier, the slang originating from a hairy African sand-ape native to the deserts south of the Med (not because where the army goes, the "pong goes").

A Crab is a member of the RAF, although the origin of this is disputed - it could be a reference to aircraft landing sideways in strong crosswinds or the colour of the RAF uniform resembling the grease used on the ships guns that was called Crab Fat.

Answer: Staff Sergeant

Many cavalry regiments still call SSgts, "Sergeant Major," meaning that the Warrant Officers (unless they are a SSM/RSM/etc) are called Mr. This is thought to originate from Troop Sergeants Major, an appointment created in 1813, but superceded by the introduction of Squadron Sergeants Major.

Answer: Tank

The British had seen concepts for an armoured, steam-powered fighting vehicle as far back as 1833, but it wasn't until 1916 that realistic designs were put forward, following the stalemate on the Western Front. 15 September 1916 saw the first use of tanks at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (not Cambrai as some believe).

The last war-fighting conducted in tanks by the British Army was during the Iraq War in 2003, which saw 3 armoured regiments involved in the war-fighting phase (the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the Queen's Royal Lancers and the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Tank Regiment).

Answer: Spurs

This is actually stated in standing orders, perhaps due to many of those transferring into the RFC from regiments that still wore spurs as part of their uniform and the potential damage a spur could do to a soft-skinned air-frame.

Interestingly, it was also decided that pilots would not be provided with a parachute as it may encourage them to abandon the aircraft in an emergency. Many pilots would not have worn a parachute anyway, due to the extra weight and the effect it would have had on the manoeuvrability of their plane.