Rank/Trade Badges

[Duchess_Driver]

The photo is of DD Snr on leave sometime during or just after training. I know he was born in Feb 36 and joined as a boy entrant so this would date the photo at about 52/53. He went through Yatesbury and Cosford.



What’s troubling me is what are the badges, why is the single strip upside down, and am I seeing things when I see a slight chequered cap band or is it a trick of the photo/light?

[Pypard]

Looks like an Apprentice wheel on his shoulder: so most likely a Corporal Apprentice at Cosford.

[wub]

Definitely boy entrant insignia, the single stripe denotes junior entry and the hat band is chequered, probably red and white for RAF Cosford.

[longer ron]

Hi DD
As wub posted - junior entry stripe.

[Union Jack]

All colours of Apprentice Badges explained.

Jack

[Cornish Jack]

... and the 'cap mods' ... slashed peak and bent top ! Presumably, no longer 'in fashion.

[Arthur Bellcrank]

During the 1960s the apprentice uniforms at Halton differed from the standard RAF issue in that the apprentice wheel disc and the cap badge on the beret had a coloured plastic disc to denote the Wing, ie yellow for 3 wing, red for 1 Wing and light blue for 2 Wing, similar coloured hat bands on the SD cap denoted the same.