While I will continue to take the Mickey, I do fully understand the amount of work you are putting in and that it’s really appreciated by the Squadrons who want to go down that route.
If I was still an OC I wouldn’t be one of them so I feel the need every so often (hopefully without putting down your work) to chip in on the behalf of the rest, unofficial logos and questionable uniform decision being in the finest traditions of the parent service (Jock Stirrup presented me an award in No1’s with red socks when he was CAS!).
I don’t feel we need to and that it would dilute the ATC brand that exists within the RAFAC brand.
Where relevant, the ATC or Sqn badge and RAFAC logo appear together, maintaining the identity of the unit (with the historical significance and recognition that holds locally) and connection to the umbrella / parent organisation.
This seems as good a place as any for this. A link to the alamy.com page on Al Carns MP. Its a public facing site so permission to use and sell images of cadets must have been approved? My main gripe is Baseball caps and t-shirts as uniform. In my opinion, it just looks gash. Also on one of the staff photos there is an “unusual” badge on the left blanking plate.
Don’t forget in that recanting of history that until very recently HQAC policy was to encourage units to use badges that followed the style guidelines, even though they weren’t approved by the College.
I’m struggling to find the images to which you refer. However, I’m assuming it’s from RIAT or another hot weather event, where the issued headdress doesn’t offer suitable climatic protection?
The impression I get is that the paid staff don’t care whether a badge is approved as long as it’s compliant.
Any attempt to enforce in current environment would just result in the accusation of HQAC focusing on trivial items rather than more important things like Sqn building closures.
It certainly would be a daily mail headline at any rate & if they did try the PR response would probably result in the ceremonial heraldry project being “paused”
People do like to forget that we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
We’re a massive organisation. Nothing has to be “a priority” to be sorted. That’s literally why you pick SMEs to run with stuff and leverage your volunteer SQEP.
Considering most people don’t understand anything about badges it’s not at all surprising that many don’t consider it important.
based on the wording on these items from those photos - this is the uniform of choice for NASC - and given that is held in August not a bad shout to adopt “summer” style attire
However because we are a volunteer organisation you have to play the politics off against each other with what’s achievable & what’s sensible.
It’s why so often the SME delivery method results in little competing empires and effectively cottage industry’s deliver a single persons viewpoint rather than something that works for everyone.
In short you have a battle of philosophy vs pragmatism where SMEs need to compromise & dilute what their ideal vision if they hope to deliver anything at all.
no disrespect to yourself but I understand that the previous person looking after the heraldry aspect of the ATC was a qualified & experienced Genealogist and Heraldic Researcher and works for many years at the college of arms. If they were not able to make practical headway then what hope does anyone else have.
What I was talking about was the idea that units were off almost as if on a frolic designing badges. But that was the approved policy up until recently.
If any internal policy document ever gave the impression that units could design their own badges in the style of those authorised by the Inspectorate of RAF Badges, then it was acting outside of its author’s remit.
