That font hurts my eyes!
Yes.
My Regular Commission scrol and my VR Commission scrolls are identical aside from the fact that the former says Acting Pilot Officer RAF and the latter says Flying Officer RAFVR.
Donât even get me started on the CFC scroll - itâs an UTTER POS.
It is a shame that the new scroll isnât of the same quality, and I think rightly people should be taking those complaints forwardâŚ
I think it is also a shame the relentless mud slinging about it⌠there will be plenty of new officers that will be proud to have navigated the minefield of a successful new commission (especially those pre-covid that have had to mess around with a full process inc. OASC) and this scroll will be proudly received.
It then takes a bit of gloss off when youâre told what youâve been sent is a âPOSâ when you might otherwise have been pretty happy to receive it.
Also, the change has happened. Times move on. Your commission has changed. Your rank slides have changed. The ship has sailed.
Maybe itâs time to get over it?
Sorry but the enforced conversion to the CFC required a DIN to be produced (because prior to that it was against QRs). It was TOTALLY unnecessary - all that was needed was an ammendment to QRs to prevent Redress of Grievance action going higher than the relevent cadet force Commandant.
If you actually ever bothered to read the original Commissioning scroll you might understand that, for many of us, the CFC is an insult.
Oh, and the fact that my scroll arrived at Wg HQ in an envelope as opposed to a cardboard tube and got torn as a result of it being thrust through the letterbox means that I canât even frame and display it. So, as i said, itâs an UTTER POS.
WRT to the rank slides, you know fine rightly that there was a poll held on BADER - RAFAC came third but it was foisted upon us - ie the decision had already been made and the poll was a total sham⌠I wouldnât have a problem with having RAFAC on the slide replacing VRT but to have RAF Air Cadets is another insult - I havenât been a cadet for 40 years!
And then factor n the slides didnât fit and were made in colours that didnât match the Wedgewood or Pullover. An UTTER shambles.
I may be being naive but I donât know what POS means?
I never had a VR commission. I have a CFC one (albeit waiting for my scroll). Iâm proud to have one and Iâm proud to tell people who ask what it is.
I do understand the anger towards losing the VR commissions from those who had one.
POS = Piece of s***.
If yours got damaged you can request a replacement.
The consultation, like all consultations the government do, wasnât a referendum. The staff views would be one thing to consider among others.
Having RAF Air Cadets isnât calling you a cadet, itâs saying that you work with the cadets. I donât think the ACF/CCF(Army) lot have ever cared that their rank slides had that on them, even when they had TA commissions.
I am sad that I just missed out on a VR commission (paperwork issues) due to the history, but in reality I donât see why we need reservist commissions. I think the way it was done was farcical and can understand the upset caused but the overall decision wasnât an entirely unreasonable one, albeit foisted on us by the MOD and implemented by Dawn in a rubbish manner.
Am I right in thinking the Sea Cadets were able to keep the post nominals RNVR?
However I know they had a honorary commission before the CFC.
They were, and that goes to the implementation point for us.
Personally I donât give two hoots which commission I have. Did it to be able to do more for the Cadets, not for me.
That said, the VR(T) is still framed and on the wall. CFC is in the tube (yes I got one!) stuffed in a draw never to see the light of day. Why? Because frankly, it looks utterly cheap and nasty, and on a par with one of those DIY legal templates you download from the Internet. The quality of the whole scroll is poor. The VR(T) scroll looks proper in all respects.
I feel for the people who only have CFC, as if they are all of the quality of mine, that is a sad way to formalise all the hard work they have put in to get to that point.
I think the quality thing though is not limited to CFC. Iâve heard similar complaints from the regulars about the quality of the recent issues. Itâs all down to government funding.
Wow. That really is sad if Regulars are getting scrolls of poor quality.
In theory, we should be able to get a higher quality copy of the original at private purchase from somewhere?
Is that a thing?
NOPE! Tried that.
They have ACF on their slides, in the same way that the Sea Cadets have SCC.
Because of the history of how the Corps was founded and continued.
I had this discussion with Dawn a few years back when it was all being mooted (Iâd known her since the 1991 Xmas Draw at St Mawgan (I served alongside her ex-husband). She was adamant that we get rid of the VR Commission. As I saw and still see it, she was all about style over substance, lack of support to the workers, lack of real leadership, and very damaging to the ACO/RAFAC. Then again what would you expect when you put a âScribblyâ in charge of âOpsâ.
I just got a replacement two weeks ago for one that had suffered water damageâŚ
Where did you try getting it from?
I see that having RAFAC on our slides would be in keeping instead of RAF Air CadetsâŚ
Otherwise whatâs the problem with having the wording on the slide?
RAFAC on the slide I can support. RAF Air Cadets is an insult.
Let me explain. 20 years ago the ATC was referred to as the âSpace Cadetsâ - this wasnât down to the Cadets but to the adult staff having little idea of how to behave on an RAF Station. I regularly flew kids on Nimrod, Hercules, Dominie and Jetstream and was happy to do so, but the StaffâŚ
This improved with Staff having to do OASC and ATF, but now, I perceive on Parent Stations / Camps we are a laughing stock again.
It makes little odds to me in the fact that (as an ex RAF Pilot) I wear the Flying Badge on my Uniform so current RAF Personnel know exactly where I come from but having the term âCadetsâ on my rank slides is, to me, a bloody insult.
I re-iterate I have not been a Cadet for 40 years.
Thatâs a really interesting point of view.
In my experience we are very well regarded and Iâve been treated with nothing but courtesy and respect by the regular and reservist staff.
They seem to have paid very little attention to what was on my shoulders and have just helped in whatever way required to help the cadets.
Iâm sure as an ex- regular that you may be able to share some interesting stories in the mess, and would be popular in the bar.
But claiming having wings makes you more respectable to our parent force than staff without⌠actually does quite the opposite, in my opinion anyway.
There are some insufferable muppets in the RAFAC. There are some insufferable muppets in the RAF.
Fortunately the majority of people in both the RAF and the RAFAC just want a successful outcome for the task in hand, no egos, just getting on with it.
Maybe you see what you want to see.
Similar,
Last time I was at cranditz a few SNCO came and joined us in the bar. They were interested and amazed at what we get up to, especially what we get in return.
Of course you get the odd throbber acting upon a station that will give a bad name⌠But Iâm convinced the majortiy just have a lack of understanding.
Anyway, this is all well and good, but not particularly helpful to our warrant officers looking to discuss their new warrant.
And how is the sourcing of T&L going?