Hi all,
I know that technically we are not supposed to fly an ATC ensign inside the squadron. Having said that, how do people generally deal with it? Is it a permanent fixture (sadly not available for us as we share the drill hall with ACF) or do you march it in/out each parade night?
Thanks
It should really be stored away hung up on a horizontal mount with the flag draped back over the pole and covered. This stops it becoming creased, dirty, faded and worn.
Pulling it out every night is going to wear it and isn’t necessary really.
That sounds to me like you are talking about a banner rather than an ensign.
We fly our Ensign on the flag mast outside the cadet centre during Daylight on parade nights.
This means that we don’t fly it at all in the winter.
When we aren’t flying it we store it in a locker, properly folded.
If it is wet we’ll dry it over a bit of string or something before putting it back in the locker.
Thanks Rob - yes it is an ATC ensign I am talking about, not the Sqn banner. We cannot fly it outside so I was considering a floor stand or a wall stand for the parade hall. Do you do the full raising & lowering routine each time?
We do the full raising and lowering procedure each time.
The way we do it simulates the way the RAF do it. It is raised with “normal” ceremony and anybody caught outside when this happens stands to attention facing it (and officers salute).
I don’t see an issue with doing it inside and I’ve not seen any regs prohibiting it (though I invite anybody to show me some). I’ve always understood that it should not be flown in darkness, though I can’[t find that in writing at the moment. Even if that is the case I’d think that being indoors will remove that restriction.
I know some units raise/lower the ensign as part of their first/final parade and I know others who have a tatty ensign hung in their unit which never comes down. Neither of these prepare cadets for being on an RAF station.
I was always on the assumption that the first/final parade for a ATC unit was no different to the start/end of the “working day” on an RAF Station and so followed suit with the Ensign…?
My apologies, I did misread the above!
When have you ever seen the start and end of a working day on an RAF station look anything whatsoever like a formed-up parade at an ATC unit? 
I think I know what you mean, but 08:00 - 18:00 is certainly far longer than the typical RAF working day 
We do first and final “parades” for admin purposes at the unit as do most squadrons.
What we don’t do is include the raising and lowering of the ensign as part of that. Instead it will happen as a separate event (before first parade and before or after final parade) and formally involve 2 or 3 cadets only, though others can be caught up in it.
Rob - I seem to remember a recent-ish mail from WExO about flying ensigns inside but alas cannot find it…
Ignorance is bliss!
Unless they have different rules the local SCC have a free standing flagpole and raise and lower inside every night.
It is probably not worth trying to understand the systems of flags, bells and whistles used by our floaty brethren!
when?
MOD ST Athan do it (did it in 2007) on a Monday morning as a “start of the week parade” where all the students are out on parade
we, ATC, we a separate flight at the back and watched proceedings
we too have the ensign raised/lowered separately to parades…but can understand why some units include it in the formality of the parade
So, not a proper RAF station then
haha ok…i will accept that…but it WAS an RAF parade!