We are soon to get a new Sqn Banner due to the wear and tear of our existing one.
Both staff and CivCom want to do the right thing and lay the old banner up in the local church (padres own church), and then get the new one blessed…
Does anyone have a service template or guide on how it’s meant to be done?
Any suggestions for hymns/things to say?
Try the College Warrent Officer at RAF Cranwell, he/she may have adivsed on the protocol. Many colours are laid up in the Rotunda in College Hall Mess, so there must be a protocol to follow.
Your padre should have the information for this. I am sure there is something in the Padre’s handbook.
You cannot “Lay it up” formally as it is just a banner, but you can do something analogous.
What you can do with it is detailed in ACP20 PI108, para 3b. (No idea why it is in there, but there it is)
How to actually do it may be elsewhere, or you can invent something yourself and get it approved.
there is an RBL process for this found in the ceremonial handbook - ask someone at your local branch and they might be able to help offer you a template format to work off…
Handy for the RBL and their standards, perhaps, but not automatically relevant to us.
They should speak with their wing or regional chaplain if they want to do a chaplainy thing with an old banner.
agreed and why i suggest a template to work off not the process to follow verbatim - just trying to help
Apologies. Having seen RBL and RAFA influence contaminate the RAF(AC) drill that we do, I am very cautious about pointing any of our people towards the RBL for advice lest they lack the savvy or experience to weigh it against our own processes but adopt it wholesale.
I would highly recommend talking both to the chaplaincy and the WWO for advice before speaking to an external agency.
Sound advice. I routinely ignore the RBL as much as possible. I am still trying to stop local detachments using gauntlets with banners. 
What is the problem with gauntlets? Other than price.
Being leather or similar, they offer much more purchase when wielding a standard than the silly gloves. They tried to make us wear gloves for continuity arms drill and we refused, as the rifles slipped too much.
We always used gauntlets as cadets when carrying standards. Then a few years ago someone with too much time on their hands said cadets couldn’t wear them anymore. I know the SNCOs come back from SNCO meetings and say they’ve moaned about cadets wearing gauntlets again. Apparently the question got asked, if they’ve been asked by the organisation on the day what to do. The response take gloves just in case, which got a snotty reply. Ironically those moaning are not at the event, but rely on social media. It does seem the best thing to do, don’t put things on social media.
So nothing real then, given dress regs can change on the whim of one or two people.
Don’t really care what the regulars do or don’t so.
The leather is smooth on all the gauntlets I’ve worn
How they look is purely down to personal opinion.
Doesn’t get around the lack of purchase from cotton gloves.
No more real than anything else you choose to with the organisation, and this particular rule has been consistent for decades.
Bin the gauntlets. Gloves work fine.
Not that many decades, don’t give some old rubbish about timescales, as I can remember the fuss about this just when I was bowing out as a CO.
Our Sqn WOs and COs when I was a cadet were sticklers and I am sure if 40 years ago it wasn’t allowed, we wouldn’t have done it and neither would I have continued with it.
You have been told what the rules are now. They are easy to follow, but if you choose to ignore them I question your worth.
The OP has been given advice for the question they asked and the trolls have come back. I think this thread is done.
Agreed