On the UK TV show, “Bad Lad’s Army” detailing life as an elisted serviceman in the British army during the 60’s, badly behaved recruits were often sent to the Provost Sergeant for a “beasting”.
Does this still happen anymore, or would it be classed as bullying in a 21st Century army?
I thought they were sent to “The Hill”.
So what is it, another word for a beating?
I don’t think the term “beasting” ever applies to a physical beating but a different form of punishment. For example, Prince Harry was given a beasting that took the form of all of his kit and equipment being dumped on the parade ground whilst he was out on an exercise and being given 10 minutes to get it all back into his room.
If you do a Google search for ‘military beasting’ you will find various examples of the tests given, which supposedly increase morale amongst the troops by forcing them to work together in extreme circumstances, the idea being that once they have completed the seemingly impossible they develop a strong bond with each other.
A memory just popped up of something that could be regarded as a “beasting” from a previous series of Lad’s Army or Bad Lad’s Army. One of the recruits was ordered to paint a large amount of coal with white paint as punishment for some minor offence. Not a physical punishment, IIRC the recruits from his section helped him out so he could meet the deadline and avoid a further “beasting”.
Bee stings?
There’s a glossary in the back of my copy of *Inside the British Army * (Anthony Beevor). It defines beasting as “intensive drill on the square or PT, either to lick recruits into shape or as a form of collective punishment”. A beastie, BTW, is a fitness freak.
So if this is reliable, the classic “drop and give me twenty!” would count as a mild beasting. (That’s twenty push-ups, if you were thinking of something else. If you were, do tell us what it was. 
) So would that classic coaches’ punishment, running laps.