Old RAF recruiting ads & more

[PPRuNeUser0139]

Gawd.. this (http://www.aviationancestry.com/Recruitment/RafRecruit/) all looks such a long time ago now..
And this (http://www.aviationancestry.com/) will keep you occupied on a rainy afternoon!
sv

[avionic type]

I joined March 1949 as a regular,4037283 SIR!! pay was I think 7 shillings [35p] a day with 6 pence[ 21/2p] per daystoppages for savings, finished in 1954 with 10 shillings [50p] a day as a S.A.C elect mech air, ah heady days after demob joined a civil airline and got £15 a week. But would not have missed it for the world.:D:D:D

[BEagle]

Any pay rates quoted pre-1970 aren't strictly comparable due to the introduction of the Military Salary scheme.

As a Flt Cdt at RAFC Cranwell in 1968, I think I was paid about 17/6 per day. But food and accommodation were free - you just paid a small extra messing charge. 5 yrs later, as a Plt Off Graduate Entrant, pay was about £5 per day but if you lived in, you had to pay for your food, accommodation and extra messing.

The rules on living-out were also brought into the 20th century in 1970; no longer were singlies expected to live in the Officers Mess. This was a godsend in the harsh financial climate and rampant inflation of the mid/late-1970s as 3 or 4 people sharing a house would also share many of the fixed costs, so those of us who did this enjoyed a pretty good lifestyle - especially after the Labour Government was booted out in 1979 following the 'winter of discontent' and we had yet another payrise!

[FantomZorbin]

... mmm. Just looked at the Ad. that sucked me into the RAF and then compared it with what I left many decades later - any chance of 'doing Them' under the Trades Description Act!!?:sad:

[Blacksheep]

The "Military Salary" was implemented in full for Scalies in April 1970 but single men and women only received 50% of the pay rise and were obliged to continue to "Live-in" until one year later - although the rent deduction for mess/barrack accommodation began immediately. The official line was that if we single men received the enormous increase in salary in one go we'd drink ourselves to death. Such was the archaic view of 'Their Airships' in days gone by. :rolleyes:

[Krystal n chips]

We have a poster at work of a Sgt, standing under sun kissed palm fronds ( in puttees no less ) enticing the innocent to join up....only the format changed over the years...I never got to see any palm trees despite my best efforts...

As an aside, the more formal literature ( those A5 size booklets ) were identical in content and layout for the R.N.Z A.F. .....my uncle, a Gp Capt Ed King...for any Kiwi's on here..kindly sent me the literature as moving there always had a strong appeal.....I chose to remain here....possibly the worst mistake of my life....some you win, some you lose as they say.

[Blacksheep]

Seems like I saw your share of the palm trees then. ;)

[johnfairr]

Back in 73/74ish there was an ad for the RAF with a picture of a Nav getting into the back of an F-4 in Germany with the strap-line something like "Executive openings for graduates. Transport and driver provided"

It just reaffirmed my choice . . . . :ok:

Couldn't see it on that list. :suspect::suspect:

[Lukeafb1]

I recall that back in the early 60s, there was an advert in the press, aimed at recruiting airmen. The advert was of a young SAC standing next to a transport aircraft (Comet/Britannia?). The text said "I'm going to the RAF's own island in the sun". When he duly arrived at Gan, a Guard of Honour was drawn up from the TASF flight to clap him off the aircraft. He spent a year regretting that he was persuaded to model for the ad. :D:D