Lost_Warrior Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 I'm reading Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow (review coming soon!) and they made mention of "latrine duty" which basically entailed...standing in crap and scrubbing out the inside of the latrine...did they really do this? I mean, maybe as a really grotesque punishment or something, but regularly? How gross is that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germanicus Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Yes they did. If you had the cash though you might have bribed your commanding officer for a better duty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted May 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 WHY did they do that?? Seriously. It's not neccesary with modern latrines, why was it neccesary then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germanicus Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I'm not up with the actual details of latrine duty, scrubing the walls of the latrine ? I don't know. I always envisaged latrine duty as either filling in the exsisting latrine, or digging a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 With any organised army, both ancient and moern, latrine duty gives a centurion yet another task to keep soldiers busy. It also has the advantage of being unpleasant and therefore something of a punishment. It also provided centurions with another way of extracting cash from their men. Officers of course were suitably impressed with the cleanliness of the men. Permanent barracks would usually have normal toilet facilities where-ever possible so latrine duty was nothing more than mopping up and scrubbing down. In marching forts or barracks without running water it really was a matter of getting your feet dirty and digging the stuff out to be disposed of elsewhere. I wonder if a few soldiers made some denarii on the side selling it for fertiliser? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 (edited) Times never change only the nature of the duty. I cleaned my share of heads (latrine for you land lubbers) when I was in the Navy. Everyone did... but of course the 'dirtbags' (i.e lazy, lowsy workers) got to do it the most. Edited May 30, 2006 by Pantagathus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted May 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I've cleaned them in Girl Scouts. But it was just cleaning. They didn't smell all THAT bad (relatively speaking) and the worst part was the enormous spiders. LOL yea, that would be quite the punishment. I can think of a way or two that could be used to completely eliminate the need for swimming in crap, but what fun would that be for the officers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I would like to suggest that Roman latrines were cleaner than ours-in a permanent Fort/settlement, they always had all available used running water moving through them at all times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil61 Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 I'm reading Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow (review coming soon!) and they made mention of "latrine duty" which basically entailed...standing in crap and scrubbing out the inside of the latrine...did they really do this? I mean, maybe as a really grotesque punishment or something, but regularly? How gross is that?? And it's always the lowest ranking guys throughout any army thoughout history. Latrine detail. During the first Gulf War that involved pulling the barrels out from under make-shift wooden latrines, mixing the 'contents' with diesel and burning them. Until more permanent facilities were built, things didn't change during Iraqi Freedom. And it really didn't matter how far from eveything you had them, the wind always seemed to blow that burning mix smell towards the direction of wherever you were standing. Oh, the memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 I take it you didn't make any denarii on the side then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronhaag3@gmail.com Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Just signed up for this site. Regarding latrine duty: early in his 12 month tour in vietnam my brother "screwed up", as they say in the Army, so was assigned "latrine duty." Just like that scene in Oliver Stone's film "Platoon" he had to burn the shit that had been deposited in the tops & bottoms sawed off from oil drums. First he had to pour diesel oil on the poops then some gasoline & ignite it. I guess burning didn't reduce the odor & produced a lot of dark smoke. There's a funny scene in the second "American Graffiti" film where "Toad" disillusioned from his tour of duty in Vietnam tries to self-inflict "a million-dollar wound." His poor attitude gets the attention of his company commander who stays above harms way in a chopper while his grunts risk their lives in the firefights below. So Toad's company commander relegates him to latrine duty again & again. Later there a scene where a Congressman visits there to commend the Captain's for racking up a high enemy "body count." There's a cutting of a cake to mark the occasion so Toad see's his chance for revenge. He gather's up a load of explosives & a remote detonator & deposits the explosives in the latrine pit. As the moment arrives to cut the cake there's a big "kaboom" & shit starts raining onto the Captain, the Congressman & the cake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 How clean were Roman latrines? I think assuming they were very clean is something I would avoid, for some obvious reasons. None of them were self flushing and that's why they employed running water whenever possible. Nonetheless as with any drain sometimes the channels would get clogged and needed clearing, especially sine the drainage system of the Roman Empire generally is a little exaggerated and in particular those of a Roman camp are likely to be primitive. Clean superficially, given they were regularly mopped out, but let me take this moment to remind everyone that cleaning a soldiers backside was done by a sponge on a stick, shared among the men, and cleaned by swishing it in a water channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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