Not that Charlie so just keep reading Being on this great ride at the moment (Chix ) - and no one can explain to me why the tail man rider is called Charlie? Can anyone here explain? Cheers, GSDane.
It is a term that was regularly used in the army, that has been adapted to bikes. In a rifle section when on a patrol, the last man is called either; tail-end charlie or arse-end charlie. I believe it stems from the RAF, regarding either the last plane in formation or the rear end gunner. Here is a link: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tail_End_Charlie
That's all very well, but " the MAN guarding ".... On a chix ride it's clearly a reference the charles angels.
G'day Dorthe, "Charlie" was an old slang name used in (mainly) UK to refer to someone whose name was not known, much like the yanks used "Joe". There seems to be no real reason recorded as to why the name Charlie, instead of any others, was used So in the term "Tail End Charlie" it referred to the last man or plane in a group when the identity of said tail ender wasn't known to all in group. It became well known during & after WW2 due to it's use to designate the last aircraft in the bombing groups over Europe during that war.
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> Its from the etymology nomenclature from the avarian school of thought. Because so many birds were called Yellow Bellied Sap Suckers, it was decided by the Birdos that an appropriate Latin name should be given to the last bird in a flock (or gaggle, or parliament or murder). The name originally given was Charlieus Incredibilius Extremeius named by Lady Dorthe (always lagging behind) Kroghinberger a noted Danish Birdo in the 18<sup>th</sup> century who was infamous for always being the last person to arrive. This was ultimately shortened to Charlie. 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It just occurred to me to ask if there might be any connection to the Carl Gustov or "Charley Guts-Ache" recoilless rifle.
Hi Dave Thanks for the explanations... much appreciated. We did have the WW2-thought on the table - close but not close enough. The WW2-reference clearly makes sense... but like this one better GSDane
Well, well, well... GOP, thank you again for a very detailed explanation on a very interesting subject. Isn't it just amazing how much stuff old people know... D.
Hey Grandkid, Hope you have (or have had) a good flight back to DK & catch up on some sleep on the way home. Next time you're having coffee with that Tassie chick, say "G'day" for me. See you next year??? Yours in oldness & grumpiness, GOB