Edited in deference to those far more knowledgeable than me (or the YouTube poster) - thanks all. Unfortunately it seems I can't edit the title. Thanks SP.


Title edited
SP

D120A. I joined as a flight cadet in Sep 68 (along with BEagle and Haraka) on 99 Entry, which, I believe, was one of the biggest entries for many years. Certainly, no-one at my school, or any other source, had advised going to university first, and it was a very big surprise when, on the first or second evening, we were all marched up to Whittle Hall and addressed by the deputy commandant, who announced that the MOD had decided that the flight cadet scheme was a dead duck, and that we should all go off to university. I seem to remember that we were given 2 weeks to decide, and could get a rail warrant to go home to discuss with parents if you wanted. Those who had good A-levels and still had a university place could go straight away, or you could stay for a year as a flight cadet, redo A-levels if required, and then go to uni in Sep/Oct 69 with a commission and a bag full of dosh. Those ungrateful ba******s who were determined to stay on as flight cadets would be allowed to, but were left under no illusions as to our place in the New World.
That announcement was the first that I, and, I suspect, all the other newly arrived recruits, had heard of this. It had obviously been under preparation for some time, so why they could not have informed us all by letter, in advance, rather than kicking in the slats on arrival. Perhaps it was just a good early example of how the RAF was run? Once this had got under way, the potential flight cadets for 100 and 101 Entries (Sep 69 and Sep 70 respectively) would have been informed of the scheme, hence the low number of applicants for those entries. An early introduction to Per Ardua ad Nauseam, perhaps?

...and it was real fun being Junior Entry for a whole year too! Although once commissioned as APOs, I gather a few scores were settled by some of 99 Entry with the 'Bitter and Twisted' 97 Entry cadets who'd just become Senior Entry and had been behaving like Flashman clones towards the Junior Entry for a few weeks.

I thought that this dilemma actually showed a possible future system. One year at Cranwell doing the IOT etc. would sift out the chaff BEFORE the RAF had to fund the successful through University, then effectively enabling them to go straight in to specialist courses on return. As it was those of us caught in the transistion effectively went through IOT twice. " Put it down to experience" I was told :).

Much earlier 'Green Shields'
 

I think the Green Shield problem started much earlier. I was on 77 Entry (1957 -60). As I recall it was in our last year that University suddenly became RAF flavour of the month. Graduates then started to join on a higher rank and better terms after three years at Uni than we did after three years at the Towers. We did have our wings, but still seemed to be on the back foot - despite all the marching!.

Cadetship, sir?
 

A thought-provoking thread.
I frequently think back to those days and their many 'sliding doors' moments. As 99 entry was assembling I was starting my last year at grammar school, heading for some deep A level disappointment. Optimistically seeking a cadetship (100 entry, perhaps?) at the bump that Christmas I watched the board shuffle their paperwork and cough a bit. A lightbulb glowed dimly above me. "How about a DEC", I blurted. Smiles all round and out came the rubber stamp. "Next!"
Fast forward 2 and a bit years to three Hunter air to air gunnery sorties on my 21st birthday and the end of course celebrations with my course-mates, some of whom, of course, took the stick-with-it option whilst on 99 entry. Thank you, gents, for your recollections.
Sliding doors aplenty.