Rat, Ta, Ta, Tat, Tat, ----- Tat, Tat

[Arnie]

My Grandfather and my Great Uncles were all old soldiers of the Great War. They all had one thing in common that has haunted me one way and another for a long time. Whenever they visited or met in a pub etc they would tap on the door or table: Rat, Ta, Ta, Tat, Tat. to recieve the reply Tat,Tat,

Whe I joined the MMG Platoon many years later I found that one gun or one section would fire Rat, Ta, Ta, Tat Tat, and another gun or section would reply Tat, Tat.

I was told it was a Great War tradition among Machine Gunners on both sides to carry out this ritual. In some cases one side would Rat, Ta, Ta, Tat. and the other side reply.

Has anyone else heard of this and does anyone know how and why it started.

Arnie

Right and Left two Taps Lay!

[Staffsyeoman]

Yes, this did happen; a colleague has a number of press clipping from the 1960s from MGC men who admitted to doing this in WW1 (they claimed the Germans had trouble replying) and there's a reference to it in 'Machine Gunner 1914-1918' by CE Crutchley.

(I knew the rhythm when a small one as Q: 'Pom Tiddly Batchcake' A: 'Brown Bread'; in the US it's 'Shave and a haircut' 'Two bits').

[Tom Morgan]

If I remember correctly, Robert Graves referred to this in "Goodbye to all That."

Tom

[BeppoSapone]

If I remember correctly, Robert Graves referred to this in "Goodbye to all That."

Tom

He does, and he, or someone else I read, said that troops were warned to stop "fraternising" with the Germans by "playing" this tune, aka "Meet me down in Piccadilly etc" with their machine guns!

[Borden Battery]

Thanks for the interesting little tid-bit. I am researching the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade and this is the first mention of this item.

Regards

Dwight Mercer, Regina, Canada