Joined commissioned in 1974 and my service number has/had 7 digits and a suffix - xxxxxxxT

The PMs were always a separate organisation within the wider RAF and actually did not admit men until 1980.

When in sick bay at RAF Cosford 1960 the morning "rounds" were done by a Flight Officer from PMRAFNS and a Corporal Technician. Both had the same medical qualifications (SRN)

Shackman et al


The letter added to our numbers acted as a 'checksum' ie. if the number was entered incorrectly the machine would spot it (hopefully). It was all to do with our records going digital.


Somewhere in FZ towers I still have the algorithm for the check ... now that is sad! :sad:

You need someone still in the MOD who can check their systems ;-)

Shackman, the letter follows for officers.
Shy Torque letters were introduced for all serving officers regardless of commissioning date.

What I don't know is where the letter is for direct entry officers before they are commissioned. I believe the case for those commissioned from the ranks the letter is moved from front to rear.

Also a lot can be gleaned from the initial nuymber too - 423 was direct entry whereas 608 was Cranwell - and so on. Changing branches, commissioning etc didn't alter that original number.

FZ, the algorithm was aired on Pprune

Incidentally we had a C2 retired Lt Col who always answered the phone Colonel. As we were appointed C2 before him and held an active RAFR commission, we never called him other than Tony.

From the Army view and like the other two services, there are those that can't let go, I've been led to believe you can only use Xxx(Retd) in your substantive rank on relinquish/retire of a Regular Commission. Short Service, Temporary, Emergency, et al don't fit the criteria.

The eternal CS 'rank' debate depresses me. It seems an MOD problem as no other dept I've worked in has ever been rank focused - e.g. I spent months working with someone before discovering they were a 1*.

I think the issue is the military is a visibly judgemental hierachy, by which I mean when people in uniform meet, they surreptitiously check out the rank patches to determine how to act. My experience has been that some areas and military individuals struggle to cope with people who don't wear uniform or hold a military rank - particularly civil servants.

At the same time, the CS has had since its inception a perfectly workable and functional rank/grade structure which predates the current RAF and RN structures, and which shows the level of seniority a CS holds (e.g. an SEO is more senior than an HEO). This allows you to work out who reports to whom, and who is the boss. The problem has come because MOD has had to work out how the CS rank structure corresponds to the military one for reporting purposes. This has led to the abomination of a phrase 'XX Equivalent'. It doesnt mean person X is a Wg Cdr, it means they are an CS SO1 Grade, a subtle but very important difference.

My experience has been the people that say that they are a 'Wing Cdr' are doing it for two reasons. Firstly because they know just how easy it is to wind people up and get a bite with the military by doing so, and its very funny to watch. Secondly its because they are in the very very tiny minority of people who are a little bit strange and probably deserve our sympathy not abuse. A final category is the retired Officer, many of whom seem to make it up as they go (the old uniformed SO1 MSF who insisted on wearing his full Colonels rank tabs and being called Colonel was a classic in my experience).

Basically, extend the professional courtesy due to those civil servants promoted to the position in their system in the way they should show it to military officers in the same way. Then relax and worry about far more interesting things than the CS grade structure.Don't do as the Army has done, which is to recruit a CS Grade 7 (OF5 level) and tell them that their 1RO is a Major...

Breaking the law as they go...

On topic, I'm with Jimlad. If a CS Grade 7 needs to call themselves 'Colonel', they have enough problems to be going on with. Should a 'real' retired Colonel try to get Mrs Golf to call him Colonel (him, women are more secure in their skins) he'd be sorry! As for Sgt Golf (Retd), he's hoping for some fooling around with a G7 'Colonel' later!

CG

I have a GSM and when it arrived the prefix letter was wrong!

I'm not even Flt Lt in a mil organisation to which I belong.
Always said I didn't want to be a fifty year old flight lieutenant.

Interestingly, many believe that only Sqn Ldr or equiv and above may retain rank after leaving service.
MoD sent me a letter specifically saying that, even as a Flt Lt, I could retain the style.
They also said I couldn't wear my uniform to a fancy dress party which got me thinking I'd just spent the last eight years in a great party :ok:

Ricardian:

Indeed, men were in the medical technical branch and male nurse were commissioned into that branch, until the PMs were dragged screaming to commission males.

PN,

I believe that is the case. I was attested into the UAS and was told that although we lived in the Officers' Mess, we were officially Airmen in rank terms. My service number started with a letter and then 7 digits. Fast forward a few years and on commissioning I retained the exact same digits, but the letter had moved to the end of the service number.

That would appear to fit your hypothesis, the only caveat being I don't know whether UAS numbers were out of the ordinary in that sense. I presume not as it would get hellishly complicated if UAS numbers differed markedly what with numbers for sponsored / UAS students, direct entry graduates, direct entry and females all having different numbers.

Many years ago in local government we had a senior member of the County Council, who insisted on being called "Captain". then he was to be appointed a Deputy Lieutenant so they checked his record, to discover that he had been an acting captain, before he lost a foot on the Normandy beaches. We then a received an instruction that "in the interests of democracy and equality" he was henceforth to be known as Mr..... As he was a pretty arrogant person (one quote "I know what consultation mans, it is when I tell my pig man there will be a new pig unit and it is going there") there were waves of sympathy....not. Sad really.

Possible legislative action on its way in this area:
Fake military heroes would face jail under proposed 'Walter Mitty' law

Melchett, the Cranwell 608 series I mentioned was of course for College entrants for the 3 year course - imagine that now. UAS entrants had a different number but in those days they were a rare beast.

We had one at ITS, used to wander around on his own in a proper uniform just doing the odd thing to complete his training before Nav School. He made sqn ldr in 14 years and was our nav ldr on 201.

Distressing further, he decided he would check our logs and charts and we were to leave them in his office. My Nav 2 and I gave him a stiff ignoring, pointed out they were classified and he could peruse at leisure in Ops. Other juniors complied but he never challenged us nor did he check them.

In KSA we had an ex Flt Lt WSO and noticed that his mail was addressed to "Sqn Ldr xxxxxx". After a severe wigging from us, he reverted to what we mere mortals used.

Fat chance (literally - it seems to have shrunk a few sizes).