WRAF

[Pontius Navigator]

Inspired from a different thread, when the WRAF changed ranks from flt and sqn officer to lieutenant and leader etc, were they known as flt it (W)?

When the WRAF was subsumed into the RAF, did the ACW, LAC(W) etc get dropped at that time?

[MPN11]

She remembers the (W) suffix for a while, but no recollection of dates.

Same with my recollections ... it was an admin thing that finally disappeared, possibly when equal pay came in?

[Tankertrashnav]

Answering your first question I am pretty sure the answer is no. After flight officers became flight lieutenants (in 1968) I dont think there was ever a "W" after the rank, as was still the case with ORs (SACW) etc. This seems logical as in the latter case the abbreviations stood for aircraftwoman etc. The abbreviation "WRAF" did however appear after their names in the RAF lists of the period

I am not sure what happens with ORs now, but one day in Tescos I did ask a female naval rating who was wearing a "killick's" anchor on her sleeve what her rate was called now. In the days of the WRNS she would have been a leading wren, but as she could hardly be called a leading seaman, I wondered what the new terminology was. The very sensible reply was that they are all called "leading hands", whether male or female. Thank goodness they didn't decide on "leading person"!

[MPN11]

I shall get my Admin (Sec) wg cdr (Retd) to try harder to recollect!!

[ExAscoteer]

It started to change when we got female aircrew; they were transferred fro the WRAF into the RAF.

The WRAF continued to exist (with Officers having the WRAF suffix, although this was often shortened to (W) ) IIRC until 1994 when the WRAF was absorbed into the RAF and the (W) suffix was dropped.

[air pig]

PMRAFNS officers changed to the RAFs standard ranking in 1980 when male nursing officers were transfered from the RAF med tech branch or directly admited into the branch.