Boring old fart question about RAF no 1 rank braid
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
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If there was one aspect of our uniform that needed immediate change, I would say that it's our composite rank. Having to buy it by the roll and sew/staple/glue it together really cheapens the whole idea of wearing a uniform, in my opinion.
We should have proper ranks slide eppaulettes in the same way that the RN or RAAF have. That way, the actual rank would stand out far better and the army would have fewer excuses for not understanding our 'bar codes'.
We should have proper ranks slide eppaulettes in the same way that the RN or RAAF have. That way, the actual rank would stand out far better and the army would have fewer excuses for not understanding our 'bar codes'.
Oh the dreadful enamel badges for the raincoat!! Mrs O-D, who recently gave away her short Norman Hartnell mess dress - 1960s vintage - to a girl who goes oldtime dancing, replaced it with the blue tube. This had an enameled broach with the rank on it and was only marginally better than the raincoat tabs. She took her pension, married me and so had no requirement for the latest version - and IMHO - reasonably decent female mess kit.
As to the raincoat broaches, I once asked a scruffy young officer why he was wearing plt off broaches when he was now a fg off: his response was that nobody would notice the difference. When I reasonably pointed out to him, that I had noticed, he seemed to have no answer. When I was dined out a few weeks later, I had to speak and so mentioned the rank badge incident before presenting said officer with a pair of the correct fg off version - by morning he had lost them. Unfortunately, his career did not improve and he became something of a well known - for all the wrong reasons - entity until Her Majesty decided that her armed forces might benefit from being without his presence and this was duly arranged.
O-D
As to the raincoat broaches, I once asked a scruffy young officer why he was wearing plt off broaches when he was now a fg off: his response was that nobody would notice the difference. When I reasonably pointed out to him, that I had noticed, he seemed to have no answer. When I was dined out a few weeks later, I had to speak and so mentioned the rank badge incident before presenting said officer with a pair of the correct fg off version - by morning he had lost them. Unfortunately, his career did not improve and he became something of a well known - for all the wrong reasons - entity until Her Majesty decided that her armed forces might benefit from being without his presence and this was duly arranged.
O-D
