This is particularly poignant where it relates to No 3 dress which isn’t supplied at all, despite it being necessary for many activities.
3 Likes
The organisation that gets excited about cadets wearing mixed dress, yet still can’t supply our latest intake with ANY uniform, FIVE MONTHS after they joined! That’s the real uniform scandal here, not mixed dress or a protest resignation.
6 Likes
Wow that is bad! Where are you parented out of?
Indeed. Someone isn’t fighting your corner well enough.
Exactly @RearAdmiralScrinson.
Who out of anyone here would feel truly comfortable in telling said cadet. Even though you are cold. Unless you take that jumper off for the photo. You can’t be in it.
Why do corners need to be fought? Shouldn’t it just happen?
I would, or I’d plan a photo somewhere warmer.
Do you hand feed your cadets in the same manner?
I certainly would.
This is all rather bizarre. Look at it this way:
Do cadets always wear their uniform correctly (or at all)?
Was the photo to be used officially for training in how to wear a uniform?
With the answer “no” to each of above, the photo was a depiction of life as it is, not how someone with a rulebook would like it to be. In effect the pic becomes photo journalism and maybe in years to come even a historic record of how we were. I have a treasured photo of three Gliding School Staff Cadets, BD blouses undone, berets under the shoulder straps drinking pints in a pub at lunchtime. It was how we were.
If you want perfect shots, then take everyone to a studio, set the lights and background up, spend hours making everything perfect and get your shot. That may look good (and on occasions I do this), but it is not accurate.
I have shot photos and videos that have been made after requests from within the ACO to do them, later pulled because of slight infringements of minor rules. I even had one video pulled because “the quality was too good”. I have never had any of this nonsense from the units of the RAF that I have worked with; they have all accepted life as it is.
I haven’t resigned as a CFAV (yet), but I have decided that whatever talents I have as a photographer or videographer will no longer be used for the benefit of the RAFAC. I will not waste my time any more.
5 Likes
A significant proportion of the media output from HQAC shows slight infringements of the rules.
Odd! Was it causing a security or safeguarding breach?
I like to think that the quality of all of the video content I produce would be classed as “too good”! 
1 Like
You are right. But I was thinking more of said cadet being proud at seeing their picture and then going to show family/friends and seeing it taken down and being embarrassed/upset.
It’s just a bit extreme for a youth organisation. It’s not like it’s the QCS or some drill event.
1 Like
Which is why we need to get it right from the outset.
I’d say that, if unavoidable, there is definitely scope for a little leeway for action shots, where there is context and the practicalities of the situation are right to be shown (within reason), but there is little excuse for staged shots like this.
1 Like
Very, very unlikely given the circumstances, in fact during the filming a regular senior officer came over and offered me the window of his second floor office as a camera position.
I was never really given an explanation and it was my impression that the officer who relayed the information thought it was ridiculous as well. Of course, as it was a phone call (a phone call arranged in advance by email) there is no evidence of exactly what was said; that may have been the point.
Having read this lengthy and depressing thread at length, the only sensible conclusion I can reach is some people need to get a life.
11 Likes
Mainly those elements of the badge police whose favourite bedtime reading is AP1358C.
3 Likes
AGREED,
As has been said above but I feel it needs to be sais again. To impose dress regulations to clothing that we have to scrounge or private purchase and IS NOT ISSUED is a bit strong to say the least.
Incubus I think you are wrong, I agree, uniform as issued should be worn correctly but for uniform that is not issued then we do the best we can. Sometimes mistakes will be made, but to have a twitter storm over a Blue jumper over DPM in winter, People, come on, please, lets have some proportionality here. Anyway, my health and safety concerns will always trump your dress regulations.
DPM is not even British armed forces uniform anymore, it is just a multi-coloured cloth that the MoD used to issue to its armed forces clothing. It is not current. The RAFAC should either issued No 3 Uniform to cadets or Staff with a holier than thou attitude should wind their necks in slightly. There are more pressing issues to the RAFAC than a cadet wearing a blue woolly pully over their combats.
3 Likes
I’m simply echoing the corporate stance - a stance that needs to change.
However, it is where we are at so it is what we must endeavour to follow.
1 Like
to be accurate there is no “twitter storm”.
the photo was posted
there was then a comment later from the account holder than they have been told to remove it and decided to indicate in the comment they would resign immediately.
based on other comments above of those who seem to know the individual this is a case of straw that broke the camels back, certainly as the individual is a WO they have served their time either as an old school or promoted to WO neither of which routes given the length of service occurs by accident.
Having served that long there are bound to have been minor frustrations in that time of equal magnitude which have obviously not caused such a extreme reaction.
there is no “twitter storm” of comments surrounding the situation nor outragous debate…oh no, wait that is occuring the 80 comments on ACC I read (and now feed)
a fair suggestion, and we all know which is more likely to occur given what we are entitled to is not guaranteed…
1 Like
As Mr Bader said (or Harry Day, depending on who you ask…):
“Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.”
If someone, somewhere couldn’t apply a smidgen of common sense and a modicum of perspective, then I don’t blame that CFAV for choosing to spend his free time elsewhere…
1 Like