I’m at Craven Cottrage watching the Fulham match. As it was the closest home match to 11/11, there was a Remembrance Service at the start of the match. The was an officer from the Navy and Army present. The RAF was represented by Staff and cadets from 344 (Fulham) Squadron. They looked extremely smart, escorting the Chelsea Pensioners.
Where else are the Air Cadets replacing the RAF in high profile events? Are the RAF recognising this?
Outrageous if the Army and Navy can be represented so can the RAF by proper RAF personnel, not come civvies in uniform. There must be a load of RAF officers in the MOD and living locally, not to mention Northolt, which is just a spit from there, with people to do this sort of thing.
Regardless of how smart they look etc etc I think Air Cadets fill in for the RAF far too much, especially now we are not in the RAF anymore.
Unfortunately we often seem to be treated as lesser members of the RAF family until the RAF want something covering / out of us. For instance, they obviously didn’t need us for the RAF 100 celebrations in London.
Is Craven Cottage really a ‘High Profile’ location?
There were loads of cadets at the RAF100 stuff…
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Yup. I was there with a load of our cadets
@pEp @Hola I think you missed the irony in @WhatWhat’s comment.
From everything I’ve seen you’d could rightly be mistaken that it was Air Cadets 100, with the exception of the do in London, but even then there was a lot Air Cadets involved, more than there should have been. This year has shown that the Air Cadets are the public face of the RAF. Yet we are treated in a similar way to the way we treat Staff Cadets; like adults when it suits and cadets at all other times, as such the RAF call on us to fill in for them where they can’t be bothered while all the while doing their best to distance us from them at all other times.
I suppose that’s debatable, but there were 25000 at the match most of whom would see them, plus people watching on sport TV channels and MOTD, as I’d imagine the Chelsea Pensioners would be shown on MOTD.
I still think they were being genuine, but happy to be corrected.
Have seen Air Cadets used for many years at football grounds in the North west. A club I was involved with has been allowing ATC and SCC cadets at the home game nearest remembrance Day for a number of years to support their fundraising efforts and on the pitch before kick off so don’t think this is something new for RAF100
I’ve seen them at various sporting events, but I think the point being raised was there were Army and Navy regular officers there and the RAF relied on Air Cadets to do it for them. When, lets not forget, we have categorically been told “we” are not part of the RAF anymore, just civilians in uniform.
There are a number of RAF personnel in and around West London who should have been at this football match. Personally I feel it would have been much better for regular personnel to escort Chelsea Pensioners, given that they were serving personnel and some of today’s personnel may well require the services of the Royal Hospital.
RAF personnel seem to be able to get to Wimbledon for a fortnight each year to do whatever it is they do on the courts. Perhaps down to the fact it a week day event and cadets are at school and staff are at work.
Apologies, I argued my point rather badly. I agree there were plenty out and about on the day, the point I was making is that the RAFAC weren’t to be on parade alongside their RAF family.
As for Wimbledon, the RAF have to use their own annual leave entitlement to cover this event on a volunteer basis.
It was live on Sky TV!
Wimbledon is very different. As WhatWhat says the RAF personnel have to take leave to attend, but they get very well looked after by the AELTCC. Even still, with the reduction of forces personnel, they now employ firefighters on leave from the London Fire Brigade, with the Armed Forces looking after Centre Court, LFB looks after No1 Court and Serco looking after the rest!!
The RAF get a lot of publicity from using Air Cadets to replace them on high profile events. They regularly replace the RAF at Twickenham and other rugby and football grounds. The vast majority of the crowds at these locations don’t know the difference and just think the RAF is looking very young!!
My point is that we are viewed as part of the RAF family when the RAF want, as there is not enough RAF to go around. But then treat us as an annoying money drain, clogging up their discipline system, when they dont need us!!
Nobody has told me that I’m not part of the RAF especially when I am using weapons and ammunition supplied by the RAF, using a RAF stn’s accommodation, watching cadets fly in military aircraft, wearing an issued uniform…you get my drift? What have the Romans ever done for us…?
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You didn’t hear a RC say at an OCs conference that “you are not in the Air Force and never have been. My hobby is driving trucks, yours is working with Cadets. It is just a hobby, nothing else”
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Fair enough. Which one of them was that then?
Central & East
I’ve seen them at Twickenham and Murrayfield, not sure about Cardiff.
I just wonder what the RAFs response would be if as a collective the ATC said no to doing this sort of thing?
OK so they give up holiday to do Wimbledon, what would wrong with giving up a day of their weekend, after all that’s what the ATC staff and cadets are doing. Or maybe that’s when someone in an office somewhere thinks that we work.
Thanks useful to know!