Valedictory Letters - Oh sorry, here's a certificate instead
 

Heard today that the traditional valedictory letters that you get having put your arse on the line for Queen and country for how ever many years is being scrapped in favour of certificates.

Now given that my primary school used to dish out certificates for learning your multiplication tables and that my commissioning scroll was covered in dodgy printed signatures rather than the proper hand written ones, why do I get the feeling that this will turn into another disaster with dodgy printed certificates knocked up on MS Word (PPoint if you're lucky!) ?

Smacks as being the ultimate kick in the teeth for people leaving after many years service and no doubt will look so impressive as a reference for future employment. Or is it just that there are so many people leaving now and requiring these letters that the high paid help just don't have time to produce them any more? :*

Actually I think it is a great idea.

Gus Walker didn't write and congratulate me on joining and I just got a squiggle in my logbook on graduating.

At least I got a very nice letter from the Commandant of the Staff College on passing the ISS. I even got a very nice letter from a sqn ldr for an LG Groves entry.

As for my valedictory? I wrote it myself. I thought my boss was sort of OK until after I left and I emailed him in the Falklands, as requested. Zilch.
Now a framed certificate from Betty would be something I could hang, without embarrassment, on my I Love Me wall in the garage.

I spent a good deal of time whilst I was a Sqn Flt Cdr in drafting them. It was the only bit of staff work that I actually enjoyed because I could ensure that my people got a proper thanks on leaving.

If all you now get is an addition to your cycling proficiency certificate for 16/22 years service then the RAF has finally become a joke. Or is it so short staffed that it can't be done?

The email saying that as from 1 Sep 07 the valedictory letters are no longer required, to be replaced by certificates instead, circulated around here earlier this week.

Having read the email trail, from PA to Stn Cdr downwards through all the blunty PA's and admin staffs, I was disgusted to read them all saying how great it was that there was no more need to write these letters etc etc. As we have eased the workload on our scribblies can we now assume that at least a few of them will be leaned as there is not so much work for them to do now?

It just so happens that one of the guys in our office is due to leave later this year after 20 something years of service. Just last week his boss was writing his valedictory letter, agonising over it for ages. Now he has been told that he does not need to write it at all! I sincerely hope (and am sure that) he will still get his letter.

Yet another small piece of the RAF being eroded.

Y_G

I would rather have had a watch and a thank you from the staish. At least he said thank you at the dining out but not everyone even gets that.

My daughter got a certificate at Yeovilton yesterday, and she hasn't even joined yet. Four trips in the Dunker was all it took. And she's only just 16 :D

Hope it's as nice as that f****** stupid 'Equal Opportunities Course' one I received.

Which will be framed in one of those 'my favourite hamster' pink fluffy frames used by little kids - or so I'm told.

A go in the dunker, some sh1tty EO course and 16 years service. What do they all have in common ..... I rest my case.

Next time I have to write a thank-you letter to some high paid help, think I will send a certificate instead. Maybe then they'll get the message.

A while after I had retired (1977) I wrote to enquire why I had not received a valedictory letter. The response was a grudging recognition of 34 years service from Staples/Stables/Prat (I never could remember his name he was so unconvincing). I'm a bit old now but I wish I could get back to help out - despite the bums rush on my exit!

To echo the sentiments already expressed, these are a time consuming, thought provoking, difficult to write administrative burden. However, I have put as much effort into drafting these for my CO as I have for every report I've written.

I hope that they're continued and any Sqn Cdr worth his salt should continue to send these, regardless of the 'requirement'.

Incidentally, my Boss sends these to people who aren't technically 'entitled' to them when leaving (PVR, options etc) which I think is excellent work.

Come to think of it, can I swap my extra fitness test per year to spend a couple of hours writing valedictories?:E

Is this something us baldricks should be worried about :eek:

SFFP, that depends if your boss thought anything of you. :rolleyes:

Blooming typical, I only recieved an email asking me if I wanted one just two weeks ago, dunno why I bothered to reply. :(

Oh well, not many days left to get shafted.:):):)

In his concluding sentence my Boss wrote "His departure is a great loss to the Royal Air Force" Yeah, dead right. Spot on. :ok:
I can't see any dodgy, mass produced certificate saying things like that... :p

The RNZAF, as might be expected, did many things, and still does probably, which were identical to those in the RAF, and one was that personal letter from CAS when you left...except in my case they had the name and rank wrong! Given the size of the RNZAF, total numbers of officers etc, let's face it, we all knew each other almost, I was mildy peeved to say the least! The CAS at the time was new, so I wrote back enclosing said document and I might have included some comments on Chief Executives only being as good as their underlings allowed them to be and that such errors as appeared in my letter were really quite unacceptable...:=

To his credit I got a very personal response, correctly addressed:D

Recently left the RAAF after 32 years service.
Got an e-mail a few weeks before, asking me to confirm my service record (units etc) was correct for my Certificate of Service.
2 Days prior to departing was presented with same. Large certificate with Rank, name, number etc and a list of all the units I had ever served in, and personally signed by CAF (whom I know personally). Its quiet a good looking certificate.
Only issue was that it arrived unframed. The RAN Commodore I worked for in my last job thought this was quiet wrong, so ensured that said certificate was professionally framed (and paid for from his corporate funding I understand) and as he was away that day, arranged for a suitable senior officer from the RAAF to present it to me. Unfortunately Binny (another personal friend) was away that day as well.
It does look good on my "I love me" wall. :eek::eek:

(edited to correct spelling....)

"Smith could be relied upon to identify issues that had escaped a less enquiring mind. His peers will miss him greatly as they do their work."

Moaning b:mad:r, without his constant whining and bickering we will get the work done in half the time.

:}

All I got when I told Gp Capt Ops at 38 Group that I was leaving under one of the early Sqn Ldr redundancy schemes was 'Good idea, Tim'!

Pontious Navigator wrote:
Now there was a true gentleman, PN! A colleague had the honour of flying him when he was Inspector General of the RAF. He would spend the time en-route being briefed by his hard working ADC, who had prepared a "rogues gallery" of those of any rank that had served under him before, that he was going to meet on arrival. Walking down the guard of honour, he would suddenly stop in front of an airman, "lot of water passed under the bridge since you used to drive me around Gibraltar, Smith!", or some such. Smith of course was suitably impressed, as were his colleagues. Old style man management. Anyone else remember it? He could also be b. minded, though always for a good reason. He attended a Guest Night at Cranwell while CinC FTC, I think. The guest of honour was a German Luftwaffe General, who had served in the same rank under Hitler. Gus ignored him all night, despite sitting next to him! For those who don't know, he lost an arm attempting to rescue colleagues from a crashed Lanc while Stn Cdr Syerston.

Chug, he also, as AOC 25 Gp (I think) offered me a flight back in his helo from an inspection. My brief had been quite specific however, I was to RTU asap. To accept his offer I would have had to night stop with the AOC in Borrowdale.

To my continued chagrin and regret I followed orders and caught the train back. Apart from the Rate 1 for an overnight journey the AOC got back before me. :(

At least I learnt not to turn down offers in future.

Valedictory Letters
 

Looking at some valedictory comments here: http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Walker_G.htm
your example was only too typical of the man, Wader. Surely the sign of a true leader, he had a natural empathy with his subordinates and was ever mindful of their welfare. When one compares his like with the MOD apparatchiks that purport to have succeeded him, we are surely the poorer!