Squadron Polo-Shirts etc are not a new thing they have been about for years and are generally very popular. Event T-Shirts if you choose to go that route are generally budgeted into the cost of the event.
My old unit when I was a Cadet had a Squadron Tie, it was presented as a gift to new CI’s and Cadets who were promoted to CWO and uniformed staff bought their own. Most of the people I was a Cadet with still have theirs, they are a nice memento of days gone passed.
Wow, you must have suffered in your service!
In my 12 years of cadet and staff service prior to becoming a CO and the 24 years since then, I have never served under a CO who set such rules or tried to get people to adhere to such rules when in charge. I have served in and commanded Squadrons in challenging areas where some staff were unemployed and bringing in such rules would have just highlighted the different circumstances of the members of the unit
I have No5s and have got good wear out of them. I have bought new No1s, due to expanding outwards, but again have got good wear out of them. But I was never pressured into these purchases and I was lucky enough to be able to afford them.
It is very wrong to enforce such “rules”, but if you say that is done, I can fully see your point!
I would counter by saying what’s wrong with expecting Squadron Staff not in uniform to not dress like a tramp at a formal event?
Now requiring an ATC tie is a bit much (unless we are going to start issuing them) but requiring a shirt and tie of some type (preferably not novelty) isn’t going too far is it?
So I decided to wear my VR tie to a course at work. I was approached by someone from a different Region who recognised the tie and we spent the breaks extolling the greatness of the Corps. Something that wouldn’t have happened without the initial recognition of the tie.
That is why I wear the tie on the odd occasion.
To everyone else in the course, it was a blue tie with strange stripes on it!
But it should never be a mandated purchase and no one should be ordered to wear it!
Does nobody else nearly cringe to death reading the subject of this thread…?
Get a pretty tie from M&S and, if you must, tell whoever you are speaking to what a great job you are doing in the Air Cadets.
