Oh my days this opens up some great possibilities.
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Many of these would make great mottos!
I would assume the Welsh would very much be the/an appropriate way to write the geographical designation in the circlet. I’d have to check to give you a firm answer though.
As for mottoes, in theory they can be any language (and that’s a useful way to get around the “no duplication” rule).
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The only authorised badge I can see on the register for a Welsh sqn is 271 (Colwyn Bay). There isn’t an image of the badge, but I assume that as the geographic designation is in English then the badge will be too?
Nothing like a Gizzit.
based on the weekly brief (No.94) and the advert for “RAFAC BADGES PROTOCOL LEAD”
how does this impact your role @OC.1324? (or have you stood down and this is the advert for your replacement?)
This genuinely caught me off guard!
Incredibly nice of you to enquire.
A bit too much all kicking off at the same time even for my liking, but otherwise doing well.
To answer the questions…
This role is the one that was previously held as a primary role by Sqn Ldr T.
There are obviously some key things that are different on the advert (secondary role, no rank advancement), but I can’t quite remember the detail of why that’s currently the case, so I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t risk botching an explanation.
In terms of how it affects me…
I’ve been holding a secondary project officer post for a few months (informally hard at work since January), which allowed me to start driving some positive developments:
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taking a look at policy and highlighting where we stray from the Inspectorate of RAF Badges’ authority
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providing support to regions, wings, and units across the UK to help them understand all the nuance and commence applications
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making the process as transparent as possible to keep people appraised of the difficulties / timeframes, with the added benefit of then eliminating all the enquiries that were going to the wrong parts of the organisation.
I would guess that my secondary role will evaporate once this one is filled.
I intend to apply with a view to keeping things moving and developing as a role, but it’s entirely possible there may be someone better-suited to it than myself.
If that happens, I’ll be a bit gutted to step away from it just as the wheels are really turning (and I have some awesome developments in the system), but I’d be very happy to ensure a significant handover and to support from behind the scenes.
After all, I want it all to continue going from strength to strength because I really do believe what I say when I talk about the importance of this stuff being done properly and really well.
If anyone wants to know more, I’m happy to perhaps host a dial-in when I get back from overseas to discuss the challenges etc (which I think is something you may need to comment on during the application, so it’s only fair that I take the time to loop people in if they’re interested).
The toughest bit is that it’s all incredibly nuanced and that simply does not fit well with what people expect in a uniformed organisation (it’s not my happy place either), and so much time has been spent trying to provide clarity in the areas where clarity can in fact be provided, and to adapt processes so that we can avoid creating problems for tomorrow.
A chief frustration is that people love you when you give them what they want and can be pretty harsh or even completely dismissive of the role when you’re “obstructive”.
But the feeling you get when you’re able to support one of the many units on the list to take a step closer to getting their own formal heritage really is awesome. It means the world to them, and it means the world to be able to help.
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For those who are interested in general progress, things are continuing to move in a steady manner.
Current processing rate, while the inspectorate continues to manage all the badge changes across the commonwealth (crown changes) is 1 per month, which obviously makes the queue a long one, especially as units continue to enquire as awareness has improved.
It is hoped that we may be able to double that rate by the end of the year, but nothing is certain.
The current tracker is now outside of MS Teams and available to all with SharePoint access: Sign in to your account
I encourage any unit wishing to attain a unit badge to email me and join the queue. Taking a couple of months to think about it now could mean a significantly longer wait later, if other units beat you to the back of the queue.
I have now finished re-making my formal register of badges in a way that is “public” to all in the organisation (assuming you can access Bader — I’m working on a genuinely public version slow time as part of another project).
SharePoint isn’t the best, so I think this is the most optimal way of doing it, but I welcome feedback, particularly if you’re a SharePoint ninja!
If anyone notices an error (such as a unit moving wings or a wing that no longer exists etc), can get me a missing scan / better version of one etc, I’d be most grateful for input.
https://rafac.sharepoint.com/sites/MediaHub/SitePages/Official-Register.aspx
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Just read the document on sharepoint. So complex and with every excuse under the sun not to permit anything I predict a load of mediocre and boring badges, if you can wait for 6 years and £650 for the privilage.
Hi, @MaxnBack.
I’m happy to engage but will need you to offer more specific feedback.
For context…
It is more complex because I’ve gone to great lengths to help people understand how it actually works and what the limitations can be (per requests).
The parent service follows the same rules because it’s the Inspectorate of RAF Badges’ process on behalf of the royal household, not a RAFAC process. Parent service badges are not necessarily uninteresting as a result.
My role is to support education, liaise with the authorities in question, provide SME advice to other elements of policy that touch upon this stuff, and ultimately support the orderly submission of applications and transparency on our end, which is why you can now see clearly how long the queue is and can trust that you’ll be kept informed.
The speed is entirely a result of processes and factors outside of our organisation’s control. I’ve slowed my own processes because I created my own backlog.
This transparency and clarity is a very positive step, though I’m very happy to have a constructive conversation on how it can be improved. Things can always be improved.
To manage expectations, I reiterate that we are not the authority on military badges. If we want to exploit that privilege and have cadet unit badges (which we don’t have to), we have to conform to the standards and processes laid down by the Inspectorate of RAF Badges, which is a part of the College of Arms.
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On the contrary, I would argue that without strict guidelines in place, many unauthorised RAFAC badges have ended up being boring copies of the ATC falcon badge with minimal distinctions, blatant copies of RAF badges, or gopping designs in the wrong colours with inappropriate elements such as cartoon characters or the armorial achievements of other organisations.
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The feedback I would take on this it perhaps the process might be a little over complex but that it to be expected due to the range of topic & artistic interpretation. I fully expect every design rule to states to have been broken & exemptions & exceptions made - this is the nature of Art & heraldry making it an OCDs nightmare.
If you have a good design that is slightly non-conformist to the rules then do the hard work & submit it but don’t assume automatically it will be accepted. The guidelines rules are to bring it up to minimum standard - a good artistic with a good historic background can push the brief a little.
The authority is the inspectorate of RAF badges or the college of Arms so appeal directly to them if you have an issue.
But let’s not be overly critical of those trying to but a general guidelines in or assume it will lead to mediocre badges. 
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No thank you!
All engagement comes through my role and needs to adhere to the formal process.
They’ll only bounce you to me anyway.
Part of the reason it costs money is because the institution is essentially built upon private practices, so the value in the service I’m providing is keeping them free to do what they do best by giving some of my free time.
Units don’t design their own badges. They propose concepts and ideas that have great meaning to them and then the inspectorate, with its many learned experts, turns that local knowledge and history into something that meets the exacting standards of a military badge.
They currently want me to distill it down into a core concept first, which I present as a provisional essay, but it’s more a vehicle for conveying the concepts rather than a design that’s going to be rubber stamped.
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Earlier this year apparently the Media Officers were asked to collate all badges in use within their Wings. I don’t believe we have used anything other than the ATC badge or RAFAC strap line so didn’t respond, but has any feedback been given? Or was that totally unconnected to the current work being carried out designing and authorising badges?
Hopefully, it was to identify any unauthorised badges in use due to misconceptions about their status and to instruct units to stop using them.
This was very much linked to my work and was an initiative of mine designed to try to take stock of everything in use and draw a line in the sand before then dealing with the situation properly and providing support (part of my broader strategy).
Underpinning this was then to be considerable time spent supporting a digital standardisation of the many inappropriate badges out there, if for no other reason than to show I genuinely want to help units out and find a way to make it all work.
I can’t really give you an update but, being honest, I’m quite desperate to be able to communicate clearly on this subject as it’s been a while and I apologise that it has gone quiet.
As the rest of my project is pretty much on wheels and now dictated by the speed of processing (external limitations), this is what I wanted to get moving on next.
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