Sadly only too well. What an a@@e he was.

Many moons ago at happy hour R.A.F. Leeming, someone had the temerity to flush Jim S@rfl@@t’s cape leather ‘Snowbirds’ jacket down the loo. One of the best mass bollockings to assembled wives, sweethearts, quite senior officers, and most of the CFS senior staff, that I have ever heard, then ensued. Whilst it was drying out, probably ruined of course, well, someone did it again. This time with his Canuck chip shop hat in the pocket. Whether anything further was done to it I couldn’t say. However, cue much mirth, and yet another profane bollocking, to the extent that he was escorted out of the mess.
They never did catch the culprit(s), although the finger was firmly pointed at the RN contingent. Many years later I met up with him again, reminded him of the story and he stated that it had improved the hat !

I find it somewhat bemusing, and indeed amusing, that light blue officers refer to "hats" rather than "caps" as they are known to the dark blue, but invariably to "cap badges" rather than "hat badges"....:D

Meanwhile, back on track, I believe that Prince William's headgear looks just fine, especially since it actually fits him properly rather than being perched on top of his head.:ok:

Jack

I may be wrong but I recall the single rank chevron with 4 blade prop was to denote a Junior Technician qualification c1962 to about 1968.

I was a JT in 1972. Four blade prop was in use then.

Back to your “boat“ with your caps Union Jack :E

Is that not an apprentice wheel, making him a Leading Apprentice?
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Attended a direct entry, JT course, in 1970 and the four bladed prop was the chevron then. However the chevron pictured above is an apprentice badge.

IG

Not very clear in my image but the cap badge looks like it has a green disc backing it so as you say an LA.

From scratching around in Google I think the heraldic chevrons, point up, lower sleeve may turn out to show which "entry"/ seniority year the entrant was in.
False alarm for Good Conduct badges ........ in the good old days the RAF had the same system as the RN, up to three badges, carrying extra pay, and taking a good few years to accumulate. Although the army had a similar system dating back to 1836 or so, and men could have incredible numbers of badges, the extra pay was phased out in the years before the Great War.

I wore a cap at school….. but only in my early teens.

In the photograph the hat/cap band is chequered and the caption states "St Athan 1963". Boy Entrants wore chequered cap/hatbands and apprentices wore a single colour cap/hat band.The single stripe/chevron below the boy entrant/apprentice “wheel” indicates that the individual is a leading boy. The two inverted chevrons indicate that he is in the second senior (support entry) entry at RAF St Athan during 1963. This would make him a member of either the 48th, 49th or 50th entries ( plus or minus 1, I think)..

He is a Leading Boy with 2 GC stripes. I was an apprentice at Locking 61 - 64. GC stripes for apprentices disappeared around late 61. I passed out in Dec. 64 and we were the first entry to have the 4 bladed JT badge as opposed to the previous single inverted chevron JT badge.
Apprentice chevrons could be a sight to behold, a Drum Major Sgt. Apprentice would have 3 chevrons on each arm to denote his rank, 3 inverted left arm Good conduct and 4 inverted right arm to denote the Drum Major.

Gentlemen, many thanks, most enlightening.

My only mystery is when man-service GCB chevrons ceased to be worn ......... definitely still on show in WW II.

May I make a pedantic point and then wind my neck in?
CHEVRON is point up [French, as in the pointy things holding up a roof] in heraldry and therefore in badges. However, given that official documents often revert to "stripes" there is no point [see what I did there?] in labouring the chevron theme.

Question from the uninformed.

Back in post #26, there appears to be 3 different styles of cap badge on display.

Can anyone explain why the differences?

Different manufacturers. Same as the wings design. Quite a few variations out there. Far down standard.

The 'Spare' one looks like it's straight out of the box and is likely to go straight back afterwards.
You'll have to have a word with Kate though, Willie's collar is very creased.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....07834885c.jpeg
If you had Room 4 in that block, was your address Four Quinnell ?

AP 1358 requires that is mandatory with RAF No1 dress. However, the Royal Family continue to ignore this - presumably due to their attitude towards the late Duke?

Further to post 26, that last picture shows one officer with three medals, the other with only two. Surely that more than compensates for the elder brother getting an extra sausage.