" Now Summer/Winter ball occasions at bases, they can be a right laugh if going with regulars as no-one takes their status too seriously."
Spot on, every regular mess function I have been to has been the right balance of formality and fun… The ATC/RAFAC ones have been a “ball ache” to the point where I actually formally complained after one dinner 3.5hrs without a comfort break… I also know an ATC WO got a formal letter from a Wing Cmdr many moons ago for going to the toilet under similar circumstances
Not at this location - or indeed any of the four other Sqn’s I’ve been a cadet or member of staff at - BBQ’s, skittles nights, film nights, takeaways…
We have a Christmas dinner in a local pub with a skittle alley - dress code varies from fancy dress to Hawaiian shirts to jeans and t-shirt depending on the cadet vote, with the only tradition being that everyone wears a label with their first name on their forehead.
We do a sector Easter or Summer week-long camp that’s mainly AT based for about 90 cadets - we’ll do a film night with fancy dress, and a BBQ or takeaway night during the week, as well as going to the seaside for an afternoon/evening.
Several of the Sqn’s in our wing do the whole formal dinner thing, attendance doesn’t seem to go over 65%, and none of the cadets or staff at my Sqn have ever said that they want to copy them - particularly after they’ve spoken to cadets or staff from those Sqn’s…
The majority of the organisers say they just about break even on the night, but only because the actual meal component is seems to be a maximum 55% of the ticket price. Which when you think if it’s £30 ticket it’s only £16.50 on the food and £13.50 on hire and music. When we go out for a meal we spend at most £60 on food and drinks for two of us and at least one of won’t be drinking. The £30 for dining-in doesn’t include drinks.
I’ve never known any do’s where you have to sit around until someone says you can go to the toilet, except the couple of ATC ones I’ve been to. We get a squadron invite to the Mayor’s dinner every couple of years and it’s come and go as you please during the meal and not treated like children at school.
They do, but they just tend to be squadron events for squadron members and a few choice people, given that those who are dining-in attenders wouldn’t want to go if they weren’t in “uniform”.
I personally enjoy a good night regardless of dress or activity what bothers me a bit is the creeping in of casual dress. By this I mean you get an invite and it says uniform: No5s and you go and there are staff in No5, interim, dinner suit, suit, no suit or just a shirt but the cadets have pulled out all the stops and ensured they are correctly dressed so why not staff??
If you are going to have a dress rule on the invite then you need to ensure that it’s enforced!!
I think though that having social events of various types and dress does bring cadets a different perspective for adult life. I have been to many award things through work or entertained clients in formal settings and feel pretty at ease doing it all because I have done similar when I was a cadet.
I agree with that big_g. I have not gone to a couple as the invite/orders said No 5 or Interim with no option for dinner suit. I didnt want to be uncomfortable in Interim, so it was a do that obviously wasnt for me.
We recently had a dinner with our SNCO, officers and a few selected supportive teachers. It was a great night, and give the senior cadets a great opportunity to develop the social skills they don’t necessarily use every day in a new setting. We all dressed up, as a female CI I wore an evening dress, teachers were in suits, all SNCO and officers were in uniform and I’d say we looked great. I love an opportunity to dress up and catch up with people I don’t socialise with every day too.
The cadets go in uniform because they have been told to and get it supplied so if they mess it up just change it. Every single cadet will have a white shirt for school, so if it’s cadet trousers and white shirt still no hardship to comply.
The couple I went to I did interim (young children doesn’t mean money spare to waste on other uniforms) and was conscious all the time of getting something down my uniform. It was plain to see some of the more senior staff who had no doubt bought their 5s when they were somewhat younger, finding things a bit too comfy. Where if the dress code wasn’t so ridiculous, they would have probably enjoyed themselves more.
I don’t see the problem with a more casual approach, what does being in a uniform bring to the event, other than some people flashing braid around and as I saw having people fawning all over them. That was what I imagine being reminiscent of courtiers trying to hoist themselves up the greasy pole by ingratiating themselves with whoever they thought might do them some good.
You couldn’t see a lot of the senior figures turning up to a do that was come as you are, as dining in night seem to be more about preening and display and lording it up than anything else.
One of the other things I witnessed was people getting overly loud through drink, reverting to teenagers and doing all sorts of stupid things. I was ‘invited’ to join, but declined with a couple of choice words to express my feelings, (normal language didn’t cut it) to which there was some playground type comments. I still avoid places with overtly loud drunk types.
I think you miss my point…
I have no issue about wearing uniform, suit, shirt tie, shorts and t shirt all I think
is that if you have a Sqn, Wing, Region, whatever sets a requirement then enforce it!!
in my area, a good number of the decent WSO’s would turn up as they are about mingling and having a laugh and interacting with people in a personal basis as opposed to dressing up and lording it out for want of a better description.
We are planning a Squadron Dinner, not because the staff want it but because the cadets want it. The cadets like putting on a bow-tie or a dress and if they are going to make the effort then I think as staff we should too.
Now if people don’t have a set of No 5’s that’s fine, I do and have had for years probably because I’ve been going to dinners since I was 15 so it was just natural to get a set. I appreciate how expensive they are & that not everyone can afford them. But that doesn’t mean staff should be turning up in scruff Order, they can save that for the summer BBQ.
Given the extravagant “proms” that schools have nowadays (it was simply a school disco in my day), I’m sure most kids will have a suit/ballgown suitable for a dining in night anyway if that’s the chosen dress code.
I held one on my sqn for the 75th Anniversary a couple of years ago.The cadets loved it and really made an effort.No alcohol of course but the staff had non alcoholic wine (which wasnt bad by the way) The cadets had soft drinks.Even had one of the junior cadets be Mr Vice which was hilarious and everyone had a really good time.The sqn is 80 next year so planning has started to do something to mark it along the same lines.