I think we've got about as far off topic as it's possible to get. This is about RAF Regiment and the rank of Lance Corporal, and not what it was like to be various techie grades in the 1950s, yet many seem determined to keep it about the hallowed and rather rubbish rank of J/T.
Jackanory this is not.

Can someone put this out of it's misery?

Lots of folk talking about and reminiscing about being a "J/T" and very few folk with any interest at all about the new L/Cpl rank, there is a 'kin huge big clue clue there :p

No chance....
I've waited years to vent my spleen and nows my chance...

Time promotion? Time promotion? What was that.... Oh yes I was on it too - or so I thought.
5 years to get fitters courses that had 250 mechs fighting for 24 places a year.. 3 years as a J/T, now i'm late 20's. Nothing happens. Pop's down to SHQ... Where's my tapes? Hang on a minuite please replies the Admin fella, and pulls out my file.
Admin: Ah.... You know when you extended in May 1986? Well that was post Revised Engagement Scheme.
Me: Ok... so what?
Admin: You lost your rights to time promotion.
Me: So now what?
Admin: When theres a vacancy in the rank of Corporal you will be considered on Merit.
Me: Vacancy??? Vacancy?? (my face turns red as the full horror of the situation hits me) The Airforce is full of DE J/T's who, on that basis if they signed on before April 86 get promoted after 3 years.. I'm screwed 28 years old with 6 years left as a J/T!
Admin: Looks that way.

But I'm not bitter.
(And thanks to whoever at Innsworth picked this up a number of years later, was outraged on my behalf, took it to the powers that be, who reinstated the whole thing, backpaid me to '88 and signed me on to 22. That was one helluva Christmas present :ok: There is a god)

But back to the original point... Given the job that they do, I'm suprised that the REGT never had the rank earlier. The absence of JT probably makes it easier to implement.

Having the rank structure in place is going to make the Regiments transfer to the Army a whole lot easier (once Afghanistan is done with ....);)

Possibly about the same time the last FJ is grounded and the army take over the rest of the RAF's aircraft as well?

I heard they were considering introducing the rank of Lance-Corporal into the RAFP, until it was realised that more canines than people would deserve the stripe :E

If the Regt understand the need for L/Cpls as they work in a similar way to the Army, then shouldn't they also introduce the WO2 rank and reduce all their sqn WOs to match army CSMs?

But do the Army want the responsibillity of RAF Bases?

The reason for the birth of the Regiment, during WWII, was that the Army didn't want the job.

Of course, if they take on the RAF as an entity........:sad:

That'll start a whole slew of threads complaining about fitness tests won't it... http://www.hqrafregiment.net/images/smilies/tease.gif

RAF Regt sqns are independent (ie not part of a battalion), and the Sergeant Major of an Army independent sqn will be a WO1, not a WO2, and referred to as RSM, not CSM/SSM. WO2 sergeant majors have their place in regiments and battalions, not independent units. The RAF Regt is more like an Army Corps than a regiment. Perhaps a place for them at the RAF Regt depot though.

35!!!!! Were you a late developer? It's called not jumping any ranks and being a plastic sneck. (not jealous before you ask)

As most of the RAFP are acting Cpl's, maybe the mutts deserve 3 stripes. They are obviously the brains of the outfit.

In the mid sixties the RAF's recruiting slogan was 'Become a Technocrat'.

A can of paint and a couple of bedsheets found plod's office at Cottesmore one morning draped with 'Become a Plutocrat'. It stayed up longer than I expected.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...untitled-6.jpg

While occasionally there has been some thread shift, basically this has turned out to a rather lively little topic. What is also interesting is it suggests there are more than a few serving/ex military techies and grunts etc. who are visitors to PPrune and which has prompted me to wonder if more topics with a slant on issues impacting or of interest to present/former ground based types would be well received ? Any thoughts out there ?

AR1
I had the good fortune to work with a couple of guys in the same situation. Brilliant guys! Bit of as downer when I came into the section and then got promoted to CPL. These guys had no chance of obtaining the lofty heights of CPL. In my trade it wasn’t uncommon to stay in that rank for 15+ years. It was a case of dead man shoes or if you knew the right people

Learnt my lesson then, that's it's not what you know, but whom...

Then you should have joined the Regiment. If you were good at your trade then you wold have got your FT1 and FT2 had you wanted it. Nothing to do with "who you know".

Actually I was good at my job and so were most of the guys I worked with, but when you are one of the 80% of CPLs (and a smattering of JTs) in the trade, promotions were few and far in between. SACs were unheard off and only came into the trade towards the end

As for the “who you know” principle – it has a lot to do with it. Even nowadays! If your face doesn’t fit, well...

SimWes
 

;)

May I ask what your trade was?




Philrigger.

First part of my user name gives it away....