I had the exact opposite ... constant criticism for self-promotion, however well-justified :D

Alemaobaiano, the son of a friend of ours is in the Rifles but has served as a Cpl but out of battalion. To get promotion he needs endorsement by the Bn CO. The CO does not know him and would prefer men who will serve with him.

That has a familiar ring to it, nobody really understands the orphan ;)

To be fair, I was fully aware of the repercussions when I went off on my first tour with the RAF Regiment. For my personal development it was a great experience and I learned a lot that paid off in later life. It was another 12 years before I put on a blue suit again, so there is only one person to "blame" :O

I do think the services could look at some way of balancing the scales, attached personnel are essential for many units and the prospect of missing out on promotion could be keeping good people away from some very interesting postings.

TTFN

I wonder if those that had both confidential reports and open reports noticed a difference. And from early confidential reports (1960s) to later more enlightened times when it was often read out to you as you were not allowed to read it?

Did you find where some ROs had lied and others, who you did not know, acted as 2 and 3RO?

Not military but Mrs PN was once described as 'reasonably' honest or possibly 'usually'. With honesty you either are or are not honest. So how many had carefully chosen adjectives that negated the plus point that succeeded it. 'Always 5 minutes late' - no argument. 'Usually a good time keeper' - from time to time fails to turn up.

PN. Damming with faint praise. Like " He has done everything asked of him". In my case many years ago from a Wing Commander who was noticeably absent whenever decisions had to be made.

Haraka, quite, which is why I would have liked the opportunity for upward reporting, both on your RO and on the guy preceding in your job. You know the type, walked on water, brilliant, promoted out of the job. You open the cupboard and get buried in trivia etc.

PN, in my early days (mid 70s) it was made very plain to us that disputing anything in the narrative or numbers would lead to a few one way interviews in best blues.

Ten years later everything was much more relaxed and comments were allowed, and IIRC, were even entered into the official record.

By the time I left in the 90s there wasn't much difference between the RAF process and performance reviews in industry that I was subject to.

PN & alemaobaiano,

I'm ex Army but we share similar experiences. Finally got my paperwork, the Annuals later on were a combination of the "orphan syndrome" (I trained as a pilot mid career but wasn't AAC) and plenty of comments written by officers who had never met me but felt able to pass judgement.

27 years after I left I'm in touch with a former OC by accident who was, to use the plum stones in the cheeks vernacular, a total nincompoop. He couldn't manage men, fly safely under combat conditions or even dress properly. But he's made a success of the security advisory business in East Africa. Maybe he learned late........

Water under the bridge I guess; too late to change anything and I didn't do too badly afterwards.

NEO

NEO, on 'never met me' I have had reports where the 1RO drafted the 2RO report. I have written 1,2 and 3 RO for one person. They didn't complain - they got promoted.

How many RO talk with the subject? Do they ever ask what you did in the year, especially no drama success early in the year.

Many years ago (late '70's) at an airfield near Wallingford, it was Airmens Annual Confidential Reporting time. The F6442.

Griff, our hero, had had a good year and was quietly confident of a good outcome.

Eventually, it was his turn to be summoned into the presence of WO Eng to hear the good news.

Without being invited to sit, Griff was astounded to be vilified by the WO debriefing him on his tardiness, sloppy appearance and poor performance of his duties.

Griff, stunned at this, could only stand there with mouth agape.

Eventually, the WO finished and said "Now get out and send Griffiths in".

"But I am Griffiths" was Griff's response.


To this day, Griff has no idea whose F6442 he was debriefed on.

This is why I haven't bothered asking.

What was said about me then, doesn't matter now.

Ian, it would confirm sh1ts were sh1ts, good guys were sh1ts, sh1ts were actually good, and good were good.

I know who most of these were. My very first sqn cdr broke all the rules. "Here is your 5000 series, go away and read it."

PN, your #46. I long held the view that 'upward reporting' in some form would be a good thing. I saw it as perhaps being mainly of use as a 'tie-breaker' on promotion boards, which might help prevent the 'self-promoting bone idle brown-nosing barsteard' from slipping through the net ;)

PN

In my brevity, I maybe lost the clarity.

What I failed to amplify was the part.

"That's strange, MPW said his ROs said they couldn't recognise an exit with the hangar doors wide open, but they said he was the most astute planner and brilliant officer. Better be safe, don't promote him.".

:)

Sent off for my records after reading this thread.Got an e mail about seven days later asking me to clarify my request for my medical records. I await expectantly.It's the early years, 72 to 80, I'm most interested in. Most of it was spent in an alkifrolic haze!
With ref to 6442s etc: Wasn't there a saying back then something like:- There are two types of airmen in the RAF:Those who play golf and those who DON'T get promoted.

Glad I sent for them, after all it's a free service (under the FOI legislation I guess) and it was almost cathartic after all this time to remember some of the idiots that got a commission in those days. Hopefully the "old school tie" and Daddy's money/position don't mean quite as much now as they did then.

NEO

I got a large package today - it gave me a good chuckle. Most of it was fair enough, though a number of 2 RO & 3 RO disagreed with the 1 RO (too generous). Professional ability (i.e. flying duties) seemed to count for little.

Consistent Cons: scruffy, short (lack of military bearing), scruffy, unconventional, lazy (unless challenged), scruffy, artistic bent (:hmm:), short & scruffy
Consistent Pros: professional, crew loyalty, determined (when challenged), tactical flair & imagination

I was well looked after following 2 RTA's and a rugby injury. Probably not surprising I took a PVR.

I had an unsuited to RAF life. I got Spec Aircrew two years later and served another 20 years.

Data access is not FOI, but instead Data Protection Act. What you are required to fill in is a subject access request.

You can use it whilst serving too to dig up any information held by the organisation on the individual, whether that is official reporting or not.

Oh, it's an offence to destroy reporting (official or unofficial) on an individual. The law states that it belongs to the individual and not the organisation.

Applies to any organisation, not just MOD.