Well, that's interesting. As SRAFO (single RAF officer) I might introduce it...to myself!

They were wearing Omani uniforms though.

Ah, OK - of course. Hmmm. Might seek higher guidance.

Sorry, probably should have made that clearer in the first post.

TTN, further to Ian's, I was in a little village near Limasol, it is in Limasol now, in 1973 when the Greeks had a dress rehearsal for the invite to Turkey for round 2.

After the first couple of bombs we just used the excuse of the disturbance and then went to sleep.

Next day we drove round town rubber necking :)

Replacing LS&GCM
 

As ever our French friends set us an example we might wish to follow. 20 years military service is recognised by admission as a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur (titre militaire). This would equate to something like MBE (military division). Of further note, all must enter through this 'door' : ie you can't be a officer (officier) or commander (commandeur) until you have been a chevalier.

Admission is normally based on a simple application stating that one has completed the necessary 20 years. If your conduct has been good enough to still be in then award follows. Subsequent promotion requires a citation of some further merit which might include time or specific action, or both.

It would not be difficult to adapt the Order of British Empire (Mil div), replacing the LS&GCM, including officers (and getting more ORs into the Order).

Regards
Batco

medals on shirts
 

Wearing medals on shirts is nearer to us than Oman.

Firemen wear their Long Distance medal (and presumably any others they are entitled to) as an enamel brooch on the working shirt. Clearly the normal ribbon would not stand up to a daily soaking.

Chinook, ok, I do know the C130 flight checker was not allowed to dirty the tarmac with mud or rubber.

As we were the proving flight before the 'official' first flight and opening I didn't see the point. The captain even did an autoland even though it was not cleared; the same captain that did a short landing at Lyneham.

I really don't think so - not in military uniform. Next step would be to cover the ribbons in clear plastic, as some republics do. Terribly outre, I'm afraid.

Given that the locals here are dressed up like, err, Christmas trees (if they had them, of course) I might go along with local British Army practise and wear ribbons on my shirt. Sadly the Bush Jacket is an obsolete piece of kit; I soooo wanted to dress like Roger Moore...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/n...litary-service

New LS medal to be auth'd for all ranks....

Mum ... that says 'Nice for the VR' after 10 years.

Oh, and possibly 15 years for Regulars?

What about the regulars after 30 years full-time commitment? Will I get a gong after all? Or TWO???

(I bet it won't be backdated, so neither of us will qualify)

Bu&&er!!

Next week I pick up 2 x No 1 tunics; 2 x No 6 tunics and a ribbon bar for No 6A (yes - look that one up); as well as remounted full size and miniatures. At not an inconsiderable cost. Which I will have to repeat when this turns up in the post. So back to the tailors (who must be jumping for joy now that campaign medals have dried up a bit...).

Certainly won't be two, just a second award bar as currently happens when an OR reaches thirty years or, if commissioned after seven years in the ranks.

Whenurhappy,

I wouldn't be too despondent just yet. A very welcome move in the right direction, but there were rather a lot of 'mays', 'coulds' and 'will seek agreement' in the press release. At the moment it sounds aspirational, and whilst I have no reason to doubt Mr Fallon's intent in this case, the small matter of cost might be an issue. I'm hoping that the cost has already been factored in and the announcement was made knowing that cost isn't going to be an issue, even in these tough times.

Medallic recognition is one of the few areas left to us that visibly recognises loyalty and achievement, service and sacrifice and contributes directly to ethos and esprit de corps. I really do hope they manage to get this through the various staffing and budgetary chains in a timely manner.

Melchett

This has already been heavily staffed, I believe, but if it is anything like the inter-Service fight over the criteria for the Elizabeth Cross (the Army was, err, dead against recognition of training deaths, for example), there will be delays. At which point I shall have left the service and selling Big Issue or playing an accordion.

Good Lord! Does this mean that after nearly 28 years of commissioned service - which ended 19 years ago - I am finally going to get a gong next year?

My cup runneth over!!!:)

A great moment in my career when they forgot to award my 30 yrs LS&GC "Pip" and I had to go and pick it up from PSF........thrown across the desk to me by an SAC admin clerk with a "sign 'ere":rolleyes:

Snippy

Off course!

A story of long ago.

When 214 Sqdn did the In Flight Refueling trials, we initially only passed fuel back and forth between our own a/c.

When the trials were deemed to be successful, and we became the RAF's 1st operational Tanker Sqdn, we started training other Sqdns in the black art.

As a result some desk bound Group Captain in either Group or Command, whose purpose in life was to audit Avtur consumption noticed that 214 Sqdn Valiant's were 'consuming' more Avtur per hour than the other Valiant Sqdns.

He phoned our CO and when it was pointed out that we 'gave away' thousands of gallons of Avtur, his immediate response was; 'But who signs for it?' :ugh:

Sounds about right, in comparison with the Army I've always found the RAF to be very hit and miss on these things. My TELIC medal was delayed a year after a batch of applications were 'forgotten' about in Handbreak House. My HERRICK medal was processed inside a month but sent to Leeming for some reason I have yet to fathom as I've never been posted there, whilst the accompanying NATO keepsake was tossed across the desk in a broken box. As for my QDJM, I was told to pick that out of a carrier bag taped to the corner of the desk on the way out of the office!

My UNPROFOR gong turned up nearly 5 years after my first day of qualifying service - in my Sqn 'pigoenhole' with a crumpled certificate! I always imagined it had done a tour of all the NATO/UN nations before it finally arrived.

My NATO FRY was properly awarded but both my OSM Afghanistan and GSM air Ops Iraq arrived in the post. Her Majesty's celebratory medals arrived in the post as well.

As for the LSGCM, will this go to FTRS as well?

LJ