Many years ago I attended a CAS Commendation ceremony, there were about 10 recipients. I can’t remember each in detail but amongst those awarded were: a pair who were 1st on the scene on a serious RTC prioritised the casualties, gave first aid, organised others to control traffic and generally managed the scene until ambulance/trumpton/police arrived; a Sqn Ldr VRT with 50+ years service at Sqn, Wing & HQ levels; and a WO Mess Manager who’d organised a Summer Ball in the WO&Sgts’ Mess.
Seems like in order: well deserved, a little low but still deserved, sounds like just doing their job (guess it must have been a phenomenal evening in the OAP’s Mess!)
The decision making can appear unbalanced, I’m told that Cadet Forces are each limited to 1 MBE per list usually for Wg Cdr or equivalent, sometimes it’s just a case of right time right place or maybe who writes the citation…it’s a subjective system
Interestingly the BEM is mentioned in ACP 3, which appears to have been last updated in 2019. However, it is in a separate section to the “range of state honours available to RAFAC personnel” bit.
Can’t quite make sense of it. Feels like a copy paste from a MOD document on the topic as it mentions RAFBF and SSAFA which have little to do with our core role as CFAV.
Not listed on the gazette as RAFAC, all marked Royal Air Force, whereas the VCC and ACF people are marked that way. Mind you, it could be RAFAC not completing paperwork properly
On civilian list there’s 3 mentions of cadet when you do a search:
BEM for the chair of Sunbury and Walton Sea Cadets
BEM for President of Newton-Le-Willows Sea Cadets
BEM for commanding officer Whitehaven Sea Cadets
Maybe the ATC should be nominating their civilian committees more.
There have been a couple of 6th clasps given out this year that were shared all over Facebook. I was very much hoping those people had been put forward for at least a BEM. They are certainly deserving of such.
Very many congratulations to him! Let’s hope next time we can get more than one name on the list, and not just at MBE level… I can think of about twenty worthy names off the top of my head, and I’m sure others would have their own names to add to it
once again, we’re non-military when we’re given our CFCs, but we’re “military” for this? I’m all for being explicitly non-military, but let’s just have everything one way or t’other
I can’t see how CFAVs can any longer be considered part of the naval, military or air forces. Perhaps covered, though I don’t agree, by “those serving under Administrative Headquarters”, but that would then mean all MOD civil servants should surely fall into the military division as well.
My view is that since the removal of the reserve commissions CFAVs are being appointed to the wrong division. You may say it’s a matter of semantics, but I feel that it means we miss out on good people getting appointed because the moment the honours committee read “cadet” they whack it over to the military lot, who don’t understand cadets and also don’t take into account other (non-cadet) volunteering work. (I know I’m a stuck record on this point, and at some point I’ll have the time and inclination to write to the relevant committee chair)
