Top brass ain’t half hot under the collar because soldiers are getting too sunburned for duty.
Fed-up officers are ordering recruits to slap on protective sun cream during hot weather and keep sleeves rolled down.
Troops based at the Infantry Training Corps in Catterick, North Yorks, fell foul of the new anti-sunburn ruling during this month’s heatwave, when temperatures hit a record 40C.
A number were punished using an Army General Administrative Instruction, which can be a minor disciplinary or a more severe punishment.
An Army source said: “If a soldier has got badly sunburned and is non-operational, that means he can’t train or fight which makes him a burden to his unit.
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“The advice from the Army is that soldiers should always wear their sleeves right down to their wrists and if they don’t, and suffer sunburn as a result, they can be disciplined and even charged. Several soldiers have been charged because they have been so badly burned, they’ve been laid up.”
Soldiers face a constant struggle to stay fit and operational in extreme temperatures in the UK and around the globe.
This battle to keep cool was shown in the legendary 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum – set in a sweltering British Army camp in India at the end of the Second World War and starring Windsor Davies, Don Estelle and Melvyn Hayes.
An Army spokesman said: “Our personnel are our most valued asset, and we take health and wellbeing extremely seriously.
“Guidance is provided to all personnel on preventing heat illness including sunburn and heatstroke.
“This includes measures during periods of extreme weather such as regular checks, flexible duties and additional water.
“It is essential that soldiers remain operational and that means protecting themselves from the harmful effects of the sun.
“If they don’t do that and that affects their ability to do their duty then that is their fault and they can be disciplined.”
