Standards
 

Have changed……

Back in the 1970s, an officer who lived in the Mess at Lossiemouth had two suits made by a local tailor - one was orange and the other bright green. One Monday evening (it was compulsory to wear a suit for dining on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays with a sports jacket and trousers permitted on Wednesdays), he arrived in the bar wearing his orange suit. He was immediately counselled by the PMC who ordered him to change. On Tuesday he turned up wearing the green suit and was again reprimanded by the PMC and forbidden to wear the suits again. Wednesday arrived and the said officer was found in the bar wearing the orange jacket and the green trousers. On being scolded by the PMC who reminded him that he was ordered not to wear the suits again, he countered by pointing out that he was not wearing a suit because the jacket and trousers did not match. Of such things, 28 days Orderly Officer are born (although there is not much else to do at Lossiemouth on a winters' evening).

A certain 33 Sqn pilot (I will call him Rex Green) had an old number one jacket tailored down to a battledress style (when we were all in the Thunderbird days). He delighted in flashing the brilliant vermillion lining around the squadron, raising eyebrows* as he went!

CG

* A reserved character was Rex, never raising eyebrows otherwise. (Yeah right!)

Shocking! What next? Female Officers wearing trousers?

A certain RAF navigator of my acquaintance had a suit of canary yellow and one of lime green. Same story as the OPs, but the other end of the U.K.

SAME chap also managed to fall asleep in the suspended ceiling of the Officers Mess bar at RAF Aldergrove. The next morning his presence up there caused the cleaner some consternation!

His bear also flew with him.

lsh

The officer in Question at Lossie was posted to helicopters - I think Chinooks. No doubt the same person who had kept his wardrobe.

Some options here if anyone feels inspired: https://www.opposuits.com/men/suits.html

An ex-colleague had (actually, probably still has) a bright orange suit to show himself off as a proud Dutch bloke. Raised quite a few eyebrows amongst his UK colleagues. Nowhere near as bad as mustard-coloured socks of course....

I remember one of our instructors many years ago, expressing shock horror . "Cadet X has a steel-grey suit..and a red lining to his No1 jacket". I have a grey suit (not steel-grey) and my black going-to-funerals suit has a red lining to the jacket. In honour of the chap whose funeral I bought the suit for. Not the same man. Does anyone remember having to wear a trilby in civvies, so one could raise it to officers and their ladies? Man, I must be getting old.

I have a Tilley hat that I doff to ladies when I am out hiking. Scares the bejazus out of some them. :eek:

Had a boss who on a previous tour as a sqn cdr at Marham in Victor days had remonstrated with one of his flt cdrs. Said sqn cdr was not certain which was the greater offence: washing his own car on his driveway on the patch or failing to wear a hat while doing so.

The Nav in question (nice colour in suits) was on my crew on 8 Sqn for a while before I went rotary. He was also my 'co-pilot'/RHS when we took a Chinook up to 8 Sqn for an open day, with an ex 8 Sqn engineer down the back. The Squadron was more than a bit surprised to find an 8 Sqn crew on the 7 Sqn Chinook - but I can't remember what colour suit he wore in the mess that night.
There was only one M.G.

Drummed into us at Dartmouth [one couldn't "Go Ashore" without one.]. Likewise at Feltwell Comprehensive.

Late night IOT rations for the guys from Dirty Dick's caff across the road ... we would head out, with orders in writing, suitably attired. And then join in with 'Dick' in the kitchen, suitably divested of hats and coats, to generate mass frying to take Banjos various back to the Barrack Block. Bow ties optional. It was a great 'levelling' experience, and a valuable lesson in 'looking after your mates'.

MFCG was on Victors before he went to 8 Sqn. It was definitely yellow and green suits at Lossie and I thought that it was the station commander and not the PMC with whom he had the discussions. After Chinooks he fulfilled an Ops job on a squadron that I was on at a certain Wiltshire base until he retired. And along the way he married a Wing Commander! A phenomenal character and one of the nicest people I have ever met. I must get in touch again ….

If I remember correctly (no guarantee!), when we arrived at OCTU, Jurby, in mid 50's, we were asked if we possessed suitable civilian headgear, if the answer was no (pretty general!), the next day the Station tailor had a queue outside his "shop" and issued suitable headgear (trilby) to all. In hindsight it was quite a novel and amusing experience! Those were the days (I think!!!).

Bill

Our DS at Staff College, an Army Officer, assured us that should we ever see two of his colleagues dressed the same we could be sure that one was an imposter.

When I was DS at Staff College the Army said much the same thing about the RAF.

The RAF officers at Topcliffe c. 1965 certainly wore Trilbys ... there were several such events where attendance was deemed "recommended".
Fortunately, this civvy owned one: his father had deemed it essential when sonny boy left home.
After many mid-life hatless years, and much hair loss, I now rather like a hat with a brim: three of mine are German, such as Adolf Schicklgruber wore, grey, black and a sort of khaki.

Isn't there some excitement over standards of dress at Lossie at the moment? Something about sim drivers wandering around unzipped.

Upper or lower?