100th aniversary of the Royal Air Force today

[air pig]

Raised in the House of Commons today, that today is the actual 100th aniversary of the RAF, in that the Act of Parliament founding the service was presented to the House and was voted through unopposed.

The Royal Air Force as we know came into physical existance on the 1st April 1918.

Those serving past and present happy birthday and those serving at home and on operations stay safe.

[SASless]

Hand Salute!

What a tremendous history the RAF has...due to those who have served and those who continue to carry on the traditions of service.

[NutLoose]

Happy birthday and roll on the 200th when the by then 200 remaining RAF personnel can celebrate in style.

[Bob Viking]

Post #3. Well done.

BV

[MPN11]

Happy Technical/Administrative Birthday to us ... but I'll wait until 1 April 2018, if that's OK.


And a Happy 13,000th to NutLoose ;)

[Wander00]

Does he get a cake too?

[Top West 50]

Apparently, we are going to "commemorate, celebrate, and inspire." In these days of bomb and go home capability, I wonder what there is to inspire?

[ORAC]

Raised in the House of Commons today, that today is the actual 100th aniversary of the RAF, in that the Act of Parliament founding the service was presented to the House and was voted through unopposed. Doesn’t quite work that way. As the joke goes...

Worker knocks on boss’s door on Monday and says, “boss can I have tomorrow off?”.

“Why?”, asks the boss. “Because my wife is going to have a baby”, he replies.

“Certainly!”, the boss replies, and off the man goes with a smile on his face.

Wednesday the boss goes round to the workers desk and finds him looking tired but happy.

“Well?”, he asks the worker. “What?”, responds the worker.

“The baby”, the boss replies testily, “boy or girl?”

“Don’t be silly”, the worker replies, “we won’t know that for another 9 months”......

[newt]

Does anyone know what celebrations are being organised for next year?

[Danny42C]

I still think 1st April is a more appropriate date, all things considered !

[jindabyne]

Raised in the House of Commons today, that today is the actual 100th aniversary of the RAF


It is the 1st April 1918. Ignore political dates that today's HoC babies would prefer to choose :ugh:

[gums]

Salute!

A group that I was honored to associate with for an aviation career, including one instructor and another exchange pilot in my fighter squad and all the staff folks later in my life.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"

What a tribute.

So from a colonist, I offer my old flight's toast as we down some Jermiah Weed. It comes from a British toast with our own modification.

"So hold your goblets steady, for we come from a brotherhood that flies,
Here's a toast to the dead already, and a low fast pass for the next man that dies"

Gums sends...

[sitigeltfel]

Does he get a cake too?

Piece of cake (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piece_of_Cake_(novel))

[air pig]

It is the 1st April 1918. Ignore political dates that today's HoC babies would prefer to choose :ugh:

No Act or Parliament would have meant no Royal Air Force, we’d have all been wearing brown for the past or nearly 100 years.

[jindabyne]

air pig

No Act or Parliament would have meant no Royal Air Force, we’d have all been wearing brown for the past or nearly 100 years.


Regardless. The formal anniversary of the foundation of the RAF was 1 Apr 1918; its anniversary, accepted as such in perpetuity. As will be well celebrated next year. As you well know.

When I walked into the pub tonight, people said that I must be celebrating the 'anniversary'. Sadly, they had been 'duped' by nouveau politicians in the HoC.

Let's not rearrange history.

[Innominate]

Not having a copy of the Act to hand, I can't be sure, but I believe it set out the mechanism by which an Air Force would be formed - i.e. by an Order in Council. A draft Order had been prepared by 13 December 1917.

If Jan Smuts' report was effectively the conception of an independent Air Force, the Air Force Act might be regarded as the ante-natal class preparing for its birth on 1 April.

It took me a long time to realise that the choice of 1 April may represent the start of the Civil Service's financial year, and thus a new budget line.

[Obi Wan Russell]

No Act or Parliament would have meant no Royal Air Force, we’d have all been wearing brown for the past or nearly 100 years.

Not true. Half of you would have been Dark Blue...

[jindabyne]

On 29 November 1917 an Act of Parliament establishing an Air Force and an Air Council received the Royal Assent. The Royal Air Force came into existence on 1 April 1918.

From the raf.mod.uk website

[Easy Street]

Fret ye not, there is plenty planned for the ‘proper’ anniversary year. As the weather is not likely to be terribly good on 1 April, the main event is on 10 July (https://www.raf.mod.uk/raf100/whats-on/raf100-parade-and-flypast/) - the first day of the Battle of Britain. Together with a special RIAT it should make a decent centrepiece. More events listed at the link, and the whole thing is meant to be wrapped up by early autumn to allow a respectful gap between our celebrations and the marking of 100 years since the Armistice.

As for tonight: there is a Parliamentary reception being held in honour of the RAF; in the middle of a difficult review anything that raises the service’s profile at Westminster must be welcomed!

[BEagle]

newt asked Does anyone know what celebrations are being organised for next year?

Perhaps a Typhoon through Tower Bridge?

I was on my Flying Scholarship when Al Pollock did it on the occasion of the 50th anniversary...:ok:

[jindabyne]

Some of us were far more adjacent to him!

[Cazalet33]

we’d have all been wearing brown for the past or nearly 100 years

The reason why we wear/wore blue has got bugger all to to do with the colour of the sky.

HMG was in possession of a huge amount of blue serge which had been made for the Czar's Guard. It couldn't be delivered due to local difficulties at the time, despite having been paid for, so the stuff was available pretty much buckshee and was consequently imposed upon the upstart service.

[iRaven]

Not true. Half of you would have been Dark Blue..

...also not true. About 1/6th. Some 55,000 in the RNAS and 290,000 in the RFC if I recall correctly?

[iRaven]

Cazalet

The original blue was somewhat different to what we ended up with - luckily!

http://www.britairforce.com/images/raf_uni_1918_lb_a.jpg

And also a brown one for a while as well

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1524/1342/products/on3588__21.jpg?v=1505557787

[switch_on_lofty]

To detract from all the misery at the moment; another good news story this week after the news of the royal engagement.
The 100 year experiment is shortly to draw to a close with a year of celebrations all round.
Looking forward to wishing my RAF chums bon anniversaire!

[Cazalet33]

Yup. That's the colour, jRaven.

The shape shifted a bit, but not much.

The drill was based on Pongo stuff. Though the army limit of three steps sidewards escaped the new drill manual, so we got got our unfortunate nickname.

[air pig]

Not having a copy of the Act to hand, I can't be sure, but I believe it set out the mechanism by which an Air Force would be formed - i.e. by an Order in Council. A draft Order had been prepared by 13 December 1917.

If Jan Smuts' report was effectively the conception of an independent Air Force, the Air Force Act might be regarded as the ante-natal class preparing for its birth on 1 April.

It took me a long time to realise that the choice of 1 April may represent the start of the Civil Service's financial year, and thus a new budget line.


Ahhhh, always follow the money.

[jolihokistix]

A big all-round congratulations.

[Tankertrashnav]

Early RAF uniforms are very interesting, with several changes in the first year or two of its existence. At one stage officer rank was indicated by bars on the cap. Army officer ranks were used until 1919 I believe, and I have certainly seen WW1 medals named to a Lieutenant RAF (not RFC). I also once had a George V LS&GC named to a Sergeant Major, RAF - not sure how long that rank lasted until it was replaced by WO 1 and 2.

On the subject of officer ranks one set of rank names which was proposed was this rather fanciful list - Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal. Apparently 'ardian' means "bird leader' in Gaelic!

Any retired Reeves or Bannerets on here? ;)

[99 Change Hands]

Some 55,000 in the RNAS and 290,000 in the RFC if I recall correctly?

Presumably why the officers got the Naval rank titles and everyone else the Army's.

[jolihokistix]

Superb uniform shots above. I have a button off my grandfather's RFC uniform, only issued for what, about 4 years?

[ORAC]

No Act or Parliament would have meant no Royal Air Force, we’d have all been wearing brown for the past or nearly 100 years. People celebrate their birthday, not their moment of conception.....

[ORAC]

The Order in Council was finally signed on 22nd March 1918.

Archive Material (http://www.rafweb.org/General/Archives.htm#LG2-4-18)

[Ogre]

newt asked

Perhaps a Typhoon through Tower Bridge?

I was on my Flying Scholarship when Al Pollock did it on the occasion of the 50th anniversary...:ok:

The only way I see that happening is if said Typhoon was stationary on a boat as it travelled up the river.....

[Basil]

Yup. That's the colour, jRaven.

The shape shifted a bit, but not much.

The drill was based on Pongo stuff. Though the army limit of three steps sidewards escaped the new drill manual, so we got got our unfortunate nickname.
I understood it was due to the grease applied to the exposed ferrous parts of embarked aircraft being known by the sailors as 'crabfat'.

Both credible stories.

[Herod]

Or perhaps due to the fact that RAF personnel embarked aboard the RN's finest always walked sideways, back to the bulkhead!

[NutLoose]

Does anyone know what celebrations are being organised for next year?


I heard they are going to have a full 5 hour airshow featuring the RAF... but I am buggered if I know what they will pad out the remaining 4 hours 50 minutes of the airshow with..

[Bing]

People celebrate their birthday, not their moment of conception.....

I mean you could celebrate both, unless you feel you should only enjoy yourself once a year?

[Wander00]

NL - Sad to see such cynicism in one so young but you may just be correct.....

[Tankertrashnav]

Superb uniform shots above. I have a button off my grandfather's RFC uniform, only issued for what, about 4 years?

Even scarcer are the RNAS buttons which followed the naval pattern with the rope around the rim. I believe these were sometimes worn on early RAF uniforms, although not on the examples illustrated by iRaven above.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rnas+buttons&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB739GB739&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRwb2y6ebXAhXHB8AKHVhmC-EQsAQIKA&biw=1366&bih=662

[Warmtoast]

So what happened to "The Penguins"? (see cutting from The Times 22nd March 1918 below).


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/WRAF%20from%20the%20Times%2022%20March%201918_zpsildsfqdj.jp g

[ricardian]

I read somewhere that there was a proposal for new ranks in the RAF to have this structure:
Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal.
A further suggestion was a variation on the above:
Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Wing-Leader, Leader, Flight Ardian, Squadron Ardian, Wing Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal.

Ardian (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ardian)
Reeve (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reeve)
Banneret (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/banneret)

[ORAC]

I understood it was due to the grease applied to the exposed ferrous parts of embarked aircraft being known by the sailors as 'crabfat'. From the material I have read it was because the blue of the original uniform matched the ointment the RN medics to kill the “crabs” the ratings encountered “down below” so to speak....

[Basil]

From the material I have read it was because the blue of the original uniform matched the ointment the RN medics to kill the “crabs” the ratings encountered “down below” so to speak....
Now THAT seems credible :E

[99 Change Hands]

I agree with that one, it was known as 'blue unction.'

[Tankertrashnav]

I have certainly been referred to as a "penguin" by our brown clad brethren, (even though I was never in the WRAF!) and the term was often used by rock-apes to refer to non-Regiment RAF personnel, but I never knew the origins.

Warmtoast's cutting proves that it was there from the outset, but doesn't explain - "why penguins?"

Ricardian - I mentioned that system in post #29. Only ever made "flight leader" myself, although the only time I led a flight was when I was a flying officer (at which time I didn't fly!).

[ExAscoteer]

Penguin = Flightless bird.

Alternatively:

Penguin = All flap and no fly.

The Rocks may think the term theirs to refer to non Rocks, but my late Father (a wartime glider pilot and post war fighter pilot) always said that the term refered to the non flyers of the RAF.

Given that the Rocks are only 75 years young, I'd suggest the aircrew use of the term well predates theirs!

[ORAC]

RFC Crossley - Page 4 - Pre WW2 vehicles - HMVF - Historic Military Vehicles Forum (http://hmvf.co.uk/topic/9952-rfc-crossley/?page=4)

According to the Oxford Dictionary a "penguin" was "a non-flying flapper in the RAF"

PRECEPTS FOR PENGUINS.

By One of the W.R.A.F.

1. Thou shalt have no dealings with Cadets 1 Thou shalt not give them the " glad eye " ; nor seek to attract them with thy smiles—lest thou be called flighty”, always remembering that thou art a Penguin and canst not fly.

2. Thou shalt not try to find favour in the eyes of any man by offering unto him a " second helping," for I say unto you : He that can eat a ' second helping' in these days loveth dearly his ' Little Mary,' and can have no love for another."

3. Thou shalt not exceed thy rations, for sufficient unto the day is the food thereof as allowed by the good Lord Rhondda; and shouldst thou eat more than thy allotted share, then surely someone shall receive short measure.

4. Thou shalt not smash the crockery, but walk warily and watch thy step, lest thy foot slip, and thou shouldst break 101 plates. If such misfortune should overtake thee, then shalt thou throw up thine arms, crying, " Oh Lord! Oh Lord! What have I done ? ".

5. Eight inches from the ground shalt thou wear thy frock - not more than these eight inches—nor shalt thou wear a lemon-coloured stocking, lest, perchance the Cadets should see a golden calf (a well-fatted one withal), and, like the Israelites of old, should fall down and worship it.

6. Thou shalt not wear a " trench coat," lest thou be taken for an officer, and thy comrades beholding thee should say: "Lo! Here is our officer." And they would give thee the salute, which would be a pity, for it would be wasted.

7. If thou shouldst meet a motor transport driver wearing the cloth of an officer, then shalt thou turn thine eyes away and give not the salute, for she is not an officer! (No, certainly not.)

8. Thou shalt not powder thy face I If thou wouldst secure unto thyself a husband, and one that is a soldier, I say unto thee, he that hath already " faced the powder " careth nought for the powdered face. It appeareth unto him even as a camouflage!

9. Thou shalt at all times wear thy uniform—the coat, the hat, the frock that has been given unto thee. Thou shalt not receive on Saturday morning a parcel bearing the legend "Laundry," which containeth not the snowy raiment, but, rather, a suit of blue serge, and a blouse that is of silk, to be donned secretly and at night when thou goest out to meet thy friends.

10. At the hour of nine-thirty shalt thou be in thy billet - not later than this. If, perchance, thy watch hath deceived thee, or the tram hath broken down, seek not to enter thy hostel with loud knocking on the door and ringing of bells; but, rather, get thee to the back of the house, where thou mayest enter by the scullery window—silently and without noise - having a care that thou disturbeth (?) not the slumbers of those that are within. Then " all shall be well with thee."

11. At least once a month shalt thou have thy photograph taken (by Breach or another) that thou mayest send it to thy relatives and friends in the north, the south, the east, and the west, that they may behold thee in thy uniform, and say unto the neighbours : " See 1 This is my daughter, and she is a Penguin!”

12. And when it shall come to pass that the war shall be over, thou canst return to thy home, feeling proud that thou hast done " thy bit " for King and Country, for in ministering to the needs of these Cadets thou hast helped in a measure to bring about the end of the Great War. Wherefore, go thy way and dwell in peace. Thou hast done well, my child !

Thou hast done well! - Roosters and Fledglings.

ROOSTERS AND FLEDGLINGS : THE MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE CADETS, CIRCULATING IN ALL WINGS OF THE R.A.F. CADET BRIGADE AND SCHOOLS OF AERONAUTICS (LBY E.J. 1041) (http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1506003096)

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/styles/fullsize/public/raf-cadets-journal.jpg?itok=hQP3XIcX

https://www.abaa.org/book/1016085739

[Haraka]

I was given to believe that the term "crab" came from the old crab fatting apparently used to caulk between deck planks -it being the same colour as the RAF blue serge.

[NutLoose]

It brings it all home when you think the RAF is 100 years old and Puma has nearly been in service for 50% of that time.

[iRaven]

Nutty

The Hercules is over 50yrs old as an RAF type - since Aug 67 so it is 4 years older than Puma! :eek:

[pr00ne]

iRaven,

The Hercules in RAF service now are NOT the same as the ones you are talking about.

[Engines]

I was given to believe that the term "crab" came from the old crab fatting apparently used to caulk between deck planks -it being the same colour as the RAF blue serge.

Haraka,

I ‘m happy to be corrected on this, but my understanding is that the term ‘crab’ isn’t derived from the stuff used for deck caulking. You’re quite right that ‘crab’ is a contraction of the old term ‘crabfat’ - my late father (ex Navy) used the latter term all the time. However, my understanding is that the original ‘crabfat’ was a paste that British troops used in WW1 to combat lice infestations in their nether regions. This paste was a blue grey colour. When the RAF uniforms appeared, using a blue grey serge (originally manufactured for a massive contract for pre-revolutionary Russian troops) the similarity in colour (‘crabfat blue’) immediately led to the term being applied to the wearers.

As an aside, deck planking was traditionally caulked with a mixture of tar and shredded hemp called ‘oakum’

Again, I’m happy to be corrected on this one - there is a lot of ‘urban myth’ stuff out there.

Hope this helps, best regards as ever to all my good RAF friends out there.

Engines

[jindabyne]

iRaven,

The Hercules in RAF service now are NOT the same as the ones you are talking about.

Neither are the Pumas, the 'same' - no need to shout.

[iRaven]

Thanks Jindabyne, you beat me to it. I tried to use “as an RAF type” to ensure this wouldn’t be brought up, hey ho...

[pr00ne]

But the Mk 2 Puma is a converted Mk 1 Puma. The Mk 4 and 5 Hercules are brand new very different aircraft and cannot physically be converted from the Mk1. And I wasn't shouting, it's called emphasis.

[jindabyne]

Still NOT the 'same' though!

[iRaven]

Plus a C-130, Hercules or Fat Albert is still the same type...:p

[Herod]

Always said that the only thing that can replace an old Hercules is a new Hercules.

[Tankertrashnav]

Taken as an overall type, I dont think anything has achieved longer service than the Canberra which was in RAF service from 1952 to 2006. Taken as an individual mark, the PR9 survived from 1960 until 39 Squadron disbanded in 2006. Put into perspective, it's a bit like me seeing Vickers Vimys still in service when I first joined in 1964!

[NutLoose]

But the Mk 2 Puma is a converted Mk 1 Puma. The Mk 4 and 5 Hercules are brand new very different aircraft and cannot physically be converted from the Mk1. And I wasn't shouting, it's called emphasis. Yep, that is why I didn't add the Herc, as they are still the same Pumas, wear the same serial numbers, just refurbed, the Hercs however are total newbuilds.


..