Use of ex-Service rank titles

[pigsinspace]

Originally Posted by BEagle

as a courtesy title in civilian life, your substantive rank providing you are of the rank of Flight Lieutenant or above and have completed at least 3 years on the Active List. If you have held higher acting rank you may qualify for retention of that rank under QR 3002 which gives the general rules.

Thats fine if civilians understand the RAF rank structure... probably only about 5-10% understand it.
The other 90% percent could not give a toss and if you carry on with your rank will be given the title of Pompus old pratt..

Gone are the days OF WW2 when the "ranked" war heros were alive.

this is 2006 no one outside cares if you were a Flt Lt or above IAW QR blah blah blah.

leave the service leave the rank...move on ...2 years to go here

[Flight Detent]

Hi all,

On this subject of retired rank, as an ex serviceman myself, is that only "Air rank", "General rank" or "Admiral rank" may be used after retirement in the form of "....-retired"

Thats the way its always been as far as I am aware!

Cheers, FD

[Controversial Tim]

A little insecure perhaps?

Yes, I'm an ex-SNCO, who was just fascinated by navigation electronics--and remain so. ..... My choice, and my career ambitions have been realised elewhere, in civilian life as a director of several companies.

So you're not allowed to use your old rank 'cos you were never important enough, but you're desperate to tell us how important you think you are now - and are hacked off at another ex-Serviceman who is still proud of what he/she had achieved!

You could guess that some people are still proud of our Armed Forces. Take a deep breath and get over it.

[The Gorilla]

Ahh yes but it could prove to be a tadge counter productive today!!

Being a proud member of Tonys killing machine isn't something that looks good on your CV!!

[LFittNI]

Oh dear....another one.

Not so controversial really, Controversial Tim. Read the thread properly and you will see that I was replying to petitfromage's false assumption.
Gosh....it's a disgrace that commissioned officers are not trained in rhetorical discourse or retrospective logic...wouldn't have happened in my day.....I blame all these comprehensive schools.....

[Controversial Tim]

Read it from the beginning. Posted on page 1.

Would have thought a 'Director of several companies' would have a better ability to assimilate and retain information.

But then again, you are just an ex knoccer so allowances must be made.

[LFittNI]

Oh dear, yet another

My point proven, I see!
Well done CT, you are hereby awarded another CSE to go with the Needlework!

[Controversial Tim]

No. You were not just replying to littlecheese. You started the thread. Read your initial post again and don't be ashamed of your time in uniform, nor criticise others if they weren't.

PS Thanks for the CSE. I'll keep it somewhere really special.

[Krystal n chips]

Originally Posted by Talking Radalt

I tend to find with any custom like this those who deserve it most tend to shy away from the attention, whilst those who don't, remind everyone at every oppportunity and insist on the ettiquette being applied.
"Do you know who I am?!!!"
"No, now fcuk off"

Or, having mentioned this thread to her this afternoon,you could follow the example of a lady friend of mine in the medical world who, when she met her new manager a couple of years ago was greeted with "Hello, I'm Sqdn Ldr xxxxx "--to which the reply was, "Well I used to be a Flt. Lt.----so f$$king what----tea and coffee are over there by the way ". As she said, start as you mean to go on although she wishes she had a video to capture the shock on his face at the time.

[Tourist]

Krystal.
He was merely demonstrating his lack of social awareness/life.
She however demonstrated an enormous chip, plus very poor forward planning.

[L J R]

So in 2006 we are more likely to be introduced to Flt Lt PVR'd instead of Flt Lt Ret'd (or Sqn Ldr PVR'd, in stead of Sqn Ldr Retd etc...).

I actually REALLY did see a 'FLGOFF Ret'd' once.....


My favourite is WOFF Retd. They are a 'special' breed.

[LFittNI]

Not so fast, Controversial Tim! Read my post to PetitFromage re. the "class warrior" comment--that's what the reference infers.
So glad you like the CSE--perhaps you can find a place to keep it along with the earrings, other bodily piercings and the tattoos!
Do try to keep up old boy, it spoils things for the rest of us.......

[Wwyvern]

wwyvern

Slight change of direction. What happens to your post nominals, ie, DFC, OBE etc when you leave the service?

[Mystic Greg]

You keep them, so instead of writing to you as:

'Group Captain J J Wwyvern OBE DFC RAF'

I might write to you as:

'J J Wwyvern, Esq, OBE DFC'

And congratulations on your fine set of gongs!

[covec]

...and terrorists love to gain easy int...

[DC10RealMan]

My father is involved in organising travel arrangements for a group of army veterans and he has noticed that certain members of that group are very particular in making sure everyone knows their "rank" when it comes to superior accomodation and/or upgrading of the flight cabin. In itself it is not a problem but they expect the other members of the group to pay for it all as well!. Fortunately they very rarely succeed.

[chippy63]

One of my best recruitments was a retired RN signals CPO. He ran our global communications division like a swiss watch. He trained people up and kept them in line. He always insisted that I never introduce him by his service rank, and it was only by checking elsewhere that I learnt that he had a CGM.

[FormerFlake]

I happened to notice written somewhere when i was in the procces of sorting out ressettlement etc that.......... At the rank of Flt Lt or above you get to keep your rank. I didn't look into it further as I have no intention of using my old rank, but i can confirm it is official and in an AP somewhere.

[Pontius Navigator]

It is not only just a rank thing either.

First, in India I was introduced to a doctor at a hospital - Wg Cdr ....... - so they do it too.

No the other thing is headdress. At the various veterans gatherings the army, Navy and RM all wear their berets and the colours alone tell a tale - white, tan, green, navy, red and that in one Royal Navy assemblage as several had gone from RN to Para or RM to RM Cmmando. Add an airman and you can add RAF blue. Add an RAF officer and what do you get?

RAF Officers cannot parade with ORs and therefore cannot parade in the RAF beret with the proper badge. For that reason the RAFA has a non-service frage cap!

Also an addendum. The president of an association to which I belong was always Captain Lawson. Only when I saw his obituary last month did I discover he had retired as a Commodore but always said he had been over-promoted. Double modesty.

[airborne_artist]

Only when I saw his obituary last month did I discover he had retired as a Commodore but always said he had been over-promoted. Double modesty.

Actually quite correct, as Commodore was not (at the time) a substantive rank - it went with some senior RN captain's jobs, particularly where they had a NATO interaction, as there was no direct RN equiv to a 1*/Brigadier/Air Commodore. On relinquishing the post, you lost the acting rank.