Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on August 27, 2003 at 17:50:45 from 62.252.76.217 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Re: Formality or mistake? was Re: Question for the Scientists. posted by Peter H on August 25, 2003 at 15:10:52:
Even more off topic.
Traditionally you were addressed by the boss as you rose through the firm from office junior to deputy as:-
Jim
Smith
Mr Smith
Mr Smith
Smith
Jim
When I started in the 1960s we were still plagued with elderly people who insisted on being addressed by their Military, Naval or (especially) Air Force rank, despite this being utterly irrelevant to the job we were doing. Whereas the only person I knew who had done something gallant by any standards hated being reminded of it and never used his rank.
The other word that I always disliked was 'Sir' But when I got to a level where I could do something about it I found it extremely difficult to stop its use entirely - it really upset some colleagues to have to use a name!
Back to AR. At the climax of BS Mr Farland addresses Mr Tedder as 'constable' or by his surname. Perhaps strangely Mr Tedder neither says 'Sir' nor uses any name at all when addressing Mr Farland.