Falling into a parade

Everyone Uniform and Drill
1

Few questions here really which have confused me. (This is all assumed at a standard final parade)

  1. If I was falling into a parade already all formed up, I would march to the parade NCO and ask permission to fall in. But what side do I march past if I am marching behind the parade/squad do I go left/right then what way to fall in.

  2. Then to fall in what way would I go, left/right then behind everyone? Does this count for all ranks (Ie march behind then stamp into center rank [assuming I had previously fallen out] then left/right incline to be straight?). If I fall out of front rank to reieve an award do I just about turn, step (no swinging arms because <6 paces?) Into place and about turn?

  3. Unrelated to the above but if I salute an officer not on parade do I do the normal salute (up two three down) then await a salute back or do I “hold” the salute until they salute back?

  4. On the march, saluting to the left/right salute, does the marker salute (same for eyes left/right)?

Thanks :slightly_smiling:

2

I may be wrong on some of these, but I’ll have a punt.

  1. I don’t think it matters which way you approach a squad if you’re not part of it, (but it may look more ‘uniform’ if you march around the squad anti clockwise. (approaching the NCO from their left if they are facing the squad.) You always fall in towards the end furtherset away from the right marker. Again, anti-clockwise

  2. So, always go anti clockwise. So, if you are facing the squad, you go to your right, go around the end of the rank and fall in from behind it. You check your arms when you move inside the squad. HOWEVER, if you are in the front rank you can simply fall straight in and out. (Doing a right incline on the way out, stepping back and about turning on the way back.) At least, that’s how it was taught in the old drill DVD.

  3. You hold the salute for 3 if they are in front and you are stationary, 5 left, right and if you are walking, You don’t have to wait for an answering salute, otherwise you may be there all day as we officers don’t see every salute!

  4. Markers salute. (This one causes a lot of grief.) On a full formal parade there are extra people put in front of markers called guides. Guides don’t salute. I think this is where the confusion stems from.

Now, wait out while everything I just said is pulled apart by the drillies. Pay attention to what follows because the right answers will eventally come out. We just have to start the debate proper.

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3

So to clarify for number 2;
If I was marching into the center rank, march anti clockwise, behind the center rank and then stamp straight in and dress or stamp at an incline/90° and turn? Also when falling out from center rank where would you march? Straight forward after the right incline or march infront of center rank?

Thanks so much :smiley:

4

as far as i have always done and advise

round the rear of the rank you are falling into. some to attention and right dress (eyes only) and yes anti-clockwise

5

It is more complicated than this as the expectation mat differ depending on whether you are in a drill squad or on a parade but work has been done with the current sequence to clarify the matter.

If in a drill squad for training or a competition, everybody in the squad is expected to carry out the movement of saluting or complements on the march. Saluting as a squad will only really be done in this context.

However, in a ceremonial situation (a parade or a “ceremonial” aspect of some future competition where the NCO i/c is marching at the head of the squad) the front marker/guide* on the directing flank keeps marching normally while the remainder of the squad carries out the movement.

(*) By AP818 I think technically we are talking about guides when on the march. Quite often it seems we do not use separate markers and guides in ceremonial parades but just have a squad - in that case, the front person in the directing flank will be dibbed as marker/guide and remain eyes front.

6

You don’t happen to have a copy of the old Drill DVD do you? That was quite good on falling out of a squad.

7

I do have it somewhere but ACTO27 seems to disagree with it at the moment. Hopefully that will change though as the DVD had it right as far as I’m concerned.

8

ACTO27? What’s the issue?

9

Amongst various other things, the DVD had us all inclining and falling out in front of the rank but ACTO27 has us turning and falling out to the rear.

10

The only occasion when an personnel in a squad/flight/&c salute is the drill competition.
In the real world they would be given the order “eyes right/left” and the IC would salute.
There is therefore no real world occasion when a marker would salute.

Second point is that “Markers” are in the front rank; “Guides” are the persons covering them in the rear rank.
For parades they are normally placed outside the flanks of the squad (so nobody fills the centre rank position) and are named Right Marker, Right Guide, Left Marker, Left Guide.
When markers are positioned on a parade square for the flights to march on to, the Guide takes the front rank position and ‘guides’ the flight as they march on. As they approach the Marker the Guide moves over to their usual place and the flight is halted on the Marker.

11

But then, when the flight turns to the right in column dressing, the Guide is now in front right, and then, once the flight has wheeled left twice, closest to the saluting dais. I was then told that they don’t eyes right, because someone has to ensure the flight stays in line.

12

Yes, quite right.
They keen their head and eyes to the front for exactly the purpose.

13

And that’s where the bastardisation (Can I say that?) Has arisen from. People have taken what Guides do on Parade and applied that to squads marching about doing regular drill.

14

So, as a final question from me:
Middle of center rank at final parade and i’m called forward for an award of some description. Do I right incline and march right of the person who was infront of me or behind the front rank?

15

I would say go all the way to the right of the squad, don’t break through ranks.

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16

“Officially” (according to the badly written instructions at the end of ACTO 27) you should Right Turn (90 degrees) and march out behind the centre rank.

In reality, your squadron may be forced to amend this procedure due to local constraints on space.

(Just in case ACTO 27 doesn’t mention it enough, remember that the regulation pause between movements is equal to two paces in quick time :P).

17

is it just me who thinks that is a bit mental and that they’d be better falling out in the normal RAF manner and marching in front of their rank?

18

How do you fall back in under ACTO 27?

The advantage of the RAF Way is that at least if you have multiple awards being announced you have a sort of one way system going on.

19

To collect, they head off to the right flank. They return via the left flank so there is a one way sytsem.

No, it isn’t just you.

Considering they’ve decided that cadets in the front rank will march straight out and not go behind the rank I can see no reason whatsoever why the centre and rear ranks shouldn’t also do the same.
This would work fine in close order and would make infinitely more sense when in open order.

Personally I think the whole thing is overly prescriptive and unnecessary. Why do we need a whole page to explain (badly) an ACO-wide procedure for falling out to collect an award?
Why does the ATC require every eventuality to be written down somewhere?
On a formal parade a DI would be perfectly capable of making a sensible decision in line with RAF practice. On a squadron, anyone with an ounce of common sense can simply choose the most logical way to do it based on local circumstance.
Ultimately, why do we even need a specific, rigid instruction to be applied Corps-wide?
The RAF don’t worry about this rubbish, they just get on with it in a sensible way.

And why has it been tacked onto the end of an ACTO entitled “Drill Assessment”?

Waste of time if you ask me!!
But then what do I know? I’m only a DI of many years.

20

So this seems to be what my squadron do, i’m now curious if it’s the right way.

Fall in - Anti clockwise (right turn facing parade) and fall in. One thing im not sure about is to go behind all ranks to fall into center rank for example, infront of center rank or behind center rank?

Fall out - Right incline, front rank straight forward, all others march to the end at the right then anti clockwise

Markers with eyes left/right etc - With normal drill we do markers do not turn in the direction they’re on. Left marker doesnt turn left, right marker doesnt turn right.