RAF Regiment Special Forces Medal
R.E.M.E "Rough Engineering Made Easy".
Before anybody bites me, I have the T shirt and I am entitled to wear it.
I wish I still had the version worn by the mechs at one army air corps squadron.
The globe on the R.E.M.E badge was replaced by a lemon!!!!!!
T shirt banned by the army air corps following a sense of humour failure.
Before anybody bites me, I have the T shirt and I am entitled to wear it.
I wish I still had the version worn by the mechs at one army air corps squadron.
The globe on the R.E.M.E badge was replaced by a lemon!!!!!!
T shirt banned by the army air corps following a sense of humour failure.
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R.E.M.E "Rough Engineering Made Easy".
Before anybody bites me, I have the T shirt and I am entitled to wear it.
I wish I still had the version worn by the mechs at one army air corps squadron.
The globe on the R.E.M.E badge was replaced by a lemon!!!!!!
T shirt banned by the army air corps following a sense of humour failure.
Before anybody bites me, I have the T shirt and I am entitled to wear it.
I wish I still had the version worn by the mechs at one army air corps squadron.
The globe on the R.E.M.E badge was replaced by a lemon!!!!!!
T shirt banned by the army air corps following a sense of humour failure.
S-D, II Sqn RAF Regiment are not SF nor regarded as such. They do provide a number of officers and gunners to SFSG.
However I can reveal the real 'ard gits were 37 Sqn RAF Regiment (86-89) who kicked the collective arses of an RE Sqn in the famed Battle of the Bruggen Bop. This was part of the vicious turf war that developed when said RE Sqn were deployed permanently to Bruggen. You had to be there man!
PS We won the battle and the war and all was well.
However I can reveal the real 'ard gits were 37 Sqn RAF Regiment (86-89) who kicked the collective arses of an RE Sqn in the famed Battle of the Bruggen Bop. This was part of the vicious turf war that developed when said RE Sqn were deployed permanently to Bruggen. You had to be there man!
PS We won the battle and the war and all was well.
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I remember said angst at the Crossbow very well, was it really thirty years ago? It involved on one occasion, two urinals ending up in the cavity above the suspended ceiling, something which amazed and impressed me in equal measure (for the ingenuity alone).
I was a flight commander on 37 in from 65-67 and things had obviously changed between then and 86-89. In my time the Friday afternoon chamber music recitals were always well attended and the evening wine-tasting sessions were much appreciated 
Seriously, is there an actual definition of Special Forces? My blokes were pretty tough nuts - the big difference is none of them ever wrote books about their time in the Rocks or made a career out of being ex Special Forces.
Seriously, is there an actual definition of Special Forces? My blokes were pretty tough nuts - the big difference is none of them ever wrote books about their time in the Rocks or made a career out of being ex Special Forces.
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Great story about the Bruggen Bop. I remember hearing a story about something similar happening in the Penn Club (Akrotiri). Something to do with Para's v the resident Rock Sqn (34?).
S-D
There was also the Night of the Stolen Tanks (CVRT) which owing to a neutral turn over the RHAG and a crushed ILS thingy turned the premier Tornado Wing into a useless collection of aircraft hidden in HAS. Not our finest moment!
It was particularly funny watching an RAFP Landrover, complete with flashing blue bulb, and the rotating light, attempting to chase a Spartan round the ring road and blocks.
I am actually chuckling now at the memories of the skullduggery that occurred during my time there.
TTN, HQ Flt were questioned by the Stn Feds regarding a night of ridiculousness and to a man we (ahem) THEY all answered as agreed, "I could hear it going on but there was nothing I could see as i was in the toilet at the time sitting down." Very good we thought. The cunning Feds in act of suprising professionalism collated our evidence and the message was passed back to the Sqn WO, "There are only 4 traps in the toilet, send them all for re-interviewing."
Halcyon days
Rocky Goodall was the Stn Cdr and we always got the impression that despite our daftness he liked "His" Rocks.
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The 'Rocks' at RAF Wahn were a fearsome lot and we sqdn chaps kept well out of their way. Thankfully they were banned from the Malcom Club and consigned to the NAAFI, where all the furniture was bolted to the floor! Mind you they did get our applause when they took over a block and refused to come out. When SPs raided it they turned the fire hoses on them
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SS,
Meat Morris was driving the tank that night (C Flt - the flight that I was on), and Bernie Winters was commanding. They were both dressed in drag and decided to carve themselves a new crash gate, and as you say they took out the RHAG. The vehicle eventually stopped, and they were both arrested just over the border; Meathead claimed (not unreasonably you might think) that he was fed up and was simply trying to find the local Foreign Legion recruiting office. Apparently, and to this day I find it hard to believe, alcohol was a factor. He is still serving by the way, a Flight Sergeant (make your mistakes early!).
I was later posted back there early 90s, and the tour was great, but it never seemed to recapture the tension, dare I say it, of what was at stake in those 80's TACEVAL days. I was on 34 and then 15, and we were in and out of Bruggen all the time. Good times - we played hard but we worked very hard too. Akrotiri in the 80s was just as mad, I seem to recall one occasion when one of the OH pilots intervened, inexplicably, in a riot involving 34 and 2SG, and was hospitalised. All hell broke loose, the US ambassador pitched up from Nicosia. Tables were thumped.
Meat Morris was driving the tank that night (C Flt - the flight that I was on), and Bernie Winters was commanding. They were both dressed in drag and decided to carve themselves a new crash gate, and as you say they took out the RHAG. The vehicle eventually stopped, and they were both arrested just over the border; Meathead claimed (not unreasonably you might think) that he was fed up and was simply trying to find the local Foreign Legion recruiting office. Apparently, and to this day I find it hard to believe, alcohol was a factor. He is still serving by the way, a Flight Sergeant (make your mistakes early!).
I was later posted back there early 90s, and the tour was great, but it never seemed to recapture the tension, dare I say it, of what was at stake in those 80's TACEVAL days. I was on 34 and then 15, and we were in and out of Bruggen all the time. Good times - we played hard but we worked very hard too. Akrotiri in the 80s was just as mad, I seem to recall one occasion when one of the OH pilots intervened, inexplicably, in a riot involving 34 and 2SG, and was hospitalised. All hell broke loose, the US ambassador pitched up from Nicosia. Tables were thumped.
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Tankertrashnav
Yes, there very much are definitions as to what special forces are.
The British use Tier 1 and Tier 2 classifications. The SAS (regulars) and SBS (regulars) are tier 1. SAS, SAS signals and SBS reserves are tier 2 from memory. The SRS are tier 2 I think. The Royal marines, Paras and RAF regiment are not special forces. With regards to those three although 2 sqn RAF regiment have a good reputation its training regime and five miler of death fall way short of the other two units...............A five mile run just isn't in the same league as the thirty miler a commando would do!
While the pathfnders are 'ordinary forces' some people would consider them as tier 2 level. The same applies to soldiers who are patrols qualified*
Going back to SFSG, while it comes under the director special forces, only soldiers in the unit could be considered as tier 2 soldiers, soldiers in normal RM, Para or rockape units are very much ordinary forces.
*The British army has three arduous training courses:
Special forces selection
P company
Patrols course (it has a newer name, but is often called patrols course)
Yes, there very much are definitions as to what special forces are.
The British use Tier 1 and Tier 2 classifications. The SAS (regulars) and SBS (regulars) are tier 1. SAS, SAS signals and SBS reserves are tier 2 from memory. The SRS are tier 2 I think. The Royal marines, Paras and RAF regiment are not special forces. With regards to those three although 2 sqn RAF regiment have a good reputation its training regime and five miler of death fall way short of the other two units...............A five mile run just isn't in the same league as the thirty miler a commando would do!
While the pathfnders are 'ordinary forces' some people would consider them as tier 2 level. The same applies to soldiers who are patrols qualified*
Going back to SFSG, while it comes under the director special forces, only soldiers in the unit could be considered as tier 2 soldiers, soldiers in normal RM, Para or rockape units are very much ordinary forces.
*The British army has three arduous training courses:
Special forces selection
P company
Patrols course (it has a newer name, but is often called patrols course)
Tankertrashnav
Yes, there very much are definitions as to what special forces are.
The British use Tier 1 and Tier 2 classifications. The SAS (regulars) and SBS (regulars) are tier 1. SAS, SAS signals and SBS reserves are tier 2 from memory. The SRS are tier 2 I think. The Royal marines, Paras and RAF regiment are not special forces. With regards to those three although 2 sqn RAF regiment have a good reputation its training regime and five miler of death fall way short of the other two units...............A five mile run just isn't in the same league as the thirty miler a commando would do!
While the pathfnders are 'ordinary forces' some people would consider them as tier 2 level. The same applies to soldiers who are patrols qualified*
Going back to SFSG, while it comes under the director special forces, only soldiers in the unit could be considered as tier 2 soldiers, soldiers in normal RM, Para or rockape units are very much ordinary forces.
*The British army has three arduous training courses:
Special forces selection
P company
Patrols course (it has a newer name, but is often called patrols course)
Yes, there very much are definitions as to what special forces are.
The British use Tier 1 and Tier 2 classifications. The SAS (regulars) and SBS (regulars) are tier 1. SAS, SAS signals and SBS reserves are tier 2 from memory. The SRS are tier 2 I think. The Royal marines, Paras and RAF regiment are not special forces. With regards to those three although 2 sqn RAF regiment have a good reputation its training regime and five miler of death fall way short of the other two units...............A five mile run just isn't in the same league as the thirty miler a commando would do!
While the pathfnders are 'ordinary forces' some people would consider them as tier 2 level. The same applies to soldiers who are patrols qualified*
Going back to SFSG, while it comes under the director special forces, only soldiers in the unit could be considered as tier 2 soldiers, soldiers in normal RM, Para or rockape units are very much ordinary forces.
*The British army has three arduous training courses:
Special forces selection
P company
Patrols course (it has a newer name, but is often called patrols course)
Thanks for the definition of special forces.
I used to have a shop selling militaria which attracted both serving and former military types who liked to chat. I could always tell the ones who hadn't been in special forces, they were the ones with big bellies who used to tap their noses, wink and tell you they weren't allowed to talk about what they had done in the forces!
I used to have a shop selling militaria which attracted both serving and former military types who liked to chat. I could always tell the ones who hadn't been in special forces, they were the ones with big bellies who used to tap their noses, wink and tell you they weren't allowed to talk about what they had done in the forces!
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Thanks for the definition of special forces.
I used to have a shop selling militaria which attracted both serving and former military types who liked to chat. I could always tell the ones who hadn't been in special forces, they were the ones with big bellies who used to tap their noses, wink and tell you they weren't allowed to talk about what they had done in the forces!
I used to have a shop selling militaria which attracted both serving and former military types who liked to chat. I could always tell the ones who hadn't been in special forces, they were the ones with big bellies who used to tap their noses, wink and tell you they weren't allowed to talk about what they had done in the forces!
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TTN ... I have met a few of those too. One giggles quietly inside.
I have known a few real ones as well. They are also fairly easily identified.
I have known a few real ones as well. They are also fairly easily identified.
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The Oberon.
You mention the AACC. Thats a Royal Marines course (so Royal Navy) as you say, so NOT an army course like the three ARMY courses I mentioned deliberately in my post
You mention the AACC. Thats a Royal Marines course (so Royal Navy) as you say, so NOT an army course like the three ARMY courses I mentioned deliberately in my post