Nobody would care if an SNCO wore an officers peaked cap either, but it does matter to the organisation who’s uniform, traditions, and insignia we nicked
Not all unauthorised badges are gash, but all gash badges are unauthorised, and it’s the gash ones that are causing the most issues
57 Sqn RAF had adopted Potters bar sqn in the late 70’s The ATC sqn would come to Marham every year for a visit. The ATC Sqn had the same blue phoenix as its badge with the blessing of the RAF sqn. When 57 Sqn RAF Disbanded in 1986 a lot of the Sqn memorabilia was given to potters bar. This included the Squadron Pheonix statue. This badge on their facebook page shows just the head of the statue,
27f have the same badge 27Sqn RAF I personally think its a good idea to maintain the link with the Parent Sqn. Go for the rubbish badges first please.
In which case 27F need to go from blue to red.
If there’s objections with using the same as the RAF they could always use a variant of an elephant e.g.just an elephants head or a crowned elephant above a wavy water (signifying Ching’s {Kings} Ford).
But it’s the blue surround that’s the main non-compliance.
There are more issues with that badge than just the colour, but the main infraction is using a made up RAF style heraldic badge with no authority from the Inspectorate of RAF Badges.
Do you think whoever created the 27F badge was a trekkie?
Shouldn’t the motto be “TO GO BOLDLY”?
I also agree with @daws1159 the RAFAC and the RAF in general has bigger problems than the colour of its badges. A slowly slowly catchy monkey approach should be used in changing unit badges. A though shall not will only get peoples back up.
We need a clear definition of what the right badge looks like and give a reasonable time scale to get then fixed. Finally and I feel quite strongly on this, no unit should be made to spend £600 of charitable funds to get the badge registered. I an sure that RAF Sqn badges are paid out of public funds, the same should be for the RAFAC. After all, we are one big RAF family.
Just get the badge surrounds matching first. We have all the guidance and regulations to support a Wing MCO doing that already.
The easiest way to do it is for someone else to do it for the unit. “Send us the highest resolution version of your badge, so we can tidy it up”
Wing edit the badge for them, keep a version at wing for wing publications, order the unit to use the up to date version under the media guidelines, then it becomes a disciplinary issue if you see the old one in use.
At this stage, don’t worry about what’s in the middle of the badge, deal with those on a case by case basis.
It’s one of those that a push to help those that want it will lead to there joining the band wagon “oh you got that done, it looks great I’ll look into it”.
Whereas the approach of “well if you don’t get it done you must stop using what you have because boring rule that most people don’t even care about” is going to have the opposite reaction.
I hated my last Squadrons badge because it had 2 glaring issues (coloured centre and reused the ATC motto), it never got changed as I had bigger fish to fry (as is the case for most units), but the more people gob off on this thread the more I’m sure I wouldn’t have changed it with the attitude of “you must”.
Using any unauthorised badge should be a disciplinary issue. We can’t threaten disciplinary action for using one unofficial badge but not another one.
Or maybe we should focus on something important rather than wasting everyone’s time with this sort of dross
Considering the complete failures of the parent organisation to keep up their side of things these days we come back to “would we be better off moving away”
& how would we discipline them? The badge & marketing are technically owned by the trustee board that is the civilian committee.
None of us are under service law & none of us can be given a lawful order, only a reasonable instructor (where it’s the recipient who decides if it is reasonable)
The only real recourse is legal cease & desist letters but lawyers are expensive….
This is quite common with the re-enactors & uniformed bands you see at various military shows including cosford airshow (which is why head dress isn’t worn but serving people not on duty)
How would you discipline a FS (RAFAC) for wearing Royal Marines colour sergeant rank slides, an SAS cap badge, and a Para Reg stable belt over their blue jumper: because that’s what some of these unauthorised badges equate to. They’re a combination of Waltism (stealing RAF badges without going through the official channels) and doing stuff that’s so wrong it stands out.
I don’t have an issue so much with the re-enactors wearing uniform …I love playing spot the mistakes 
…but what does make me annoyed is when they wear the medals / Ribbons that came with the jacket they bought off the internet somewhere and clearly do not belong to them!
In the US these people would be absolutely hammered by any ex-servers!
I don’t see wearing period-appropriate ribbons as any different to other items of uniform, such as rank badges or flying brevets.
If I was to make up some re-enactment rig for myself, I’d add the period-equivalent medals to my own, so a campaign medal, a GVIR coronation medal and whatever jubilee medals were around between the wars, an Air Efficiency Award (the single Service predecessor of my VRSM) with clasps, etc.
Exactly, most re-enactors have a character that they are playing, be it a real person or a fictitious person with a back story, nothing wrong with them wearing the appropriate ribbons for the character.
You want to take a stroll around the Goodwood revival …they are not playing any real person …just cobbled together bits of uniform …some of which are hilarious.
continuing the off topic-ness of period dress, the reinactors which attend the annual D-Day ceremony (as the local Home Guard) do so as themselves dressed up.
so their are veterans with “modern” campaign medals from time in NI and Falklands with one wearing a CFM and jubilee medals being a ACF CFAV
i don’t have issue with it - yes it looks odd seeing 1940s dress with a Diamond jubilee and CFM being worn - but the individual is entitled to - does it matter that they are in 1940s period uniform? only to those that know any different and care.
i know the group well enough that they are wearing genuine medals they have all been awarded personally, and feel appropriate to wear them “on parade” - no one is walting by wearing medals of a character who is highly distinguished.
(from the photos I have seen of them off parade, they do not wear their personal medals)
