They’d get their “A flight” or whatever. If I knew this was going to be needed I’d be pre-briefing that individual. It’s not likely to be performing this without knowing it would be needed.
Your last line applies to most cadets doing most moves, tbh.
That’s no help, because the squad designation doesn’t warn as to the order.
See, introductories are important.
Context clues, rehearsal/briefing, lack of other cautionary.
This isn’t a move likely to be performed “off the cuff”.
I think this blank file does something different stuff is . Even with an introductory it would look off. If you want the squad to look normal again after an about turn, issue a left or right dress command when back at the halt (only problem there being there is imminent kerfuffle when a blank file is involved in a dressing command)
It’s hardly nonsense, it’s right there in the manual, the same one that doesn’t have the introductory for the About Turn.
I think that this year’s drill comps should require a blank file just to test the teaching of this valuable part of the AP.
Genuinely cannot tell if this is sarcasm or not 
Not a bad idea.
The ACF and CCF(A) now have AC72147 which is the Drill and Turnout Manual, including foot drill, rifle exercises, banner drill, pace stick and turnout training for cadets and CFAVs. They’ve really invested in creating useful manuals that are easy to read and understand with lots of images for visual learners too. Would be nice if we had something similar.
Yeah, that’s anyone’s guess. The lesson in Part 1 says “without intervals”. The section in Part 2 says “shoulder to shoulder”.
Not so. In practice (versus when training by numbers) “two” is called when the foot returns to the position of attention. Checking the arms at that point is too late.
They are checked momentarily after the second “one”, as the right knee comes through the bent knee position.
That’s why the second “one” is often accentuated when calling timings - “one ONE two” - to give a cue to check the arms.
Here’s the bottom line… AP818 isn’t the book that many in the RAFAC want.
In the RAF things evolve. Practices change. The updates are passed down the chain by the people who are responsible for drill. There’s no great urgency to update the AP because everyone just gets on with it and does whatever the current practice is; or whatever is deemed the most appropriate for the occasion by the person responsible for each particular parade/event/&c.
In the RAFAC we follow what the RAF do, but we are often behind the curve on those updates because we don’t get told about them. We’re the last to find out.
That is further compounded because we often don’t trust our DIs. Too many people are constantly trying to fact check the SMEs by pulling out the AP and claiming that what is being taught is “wrong” because it’s not what 818 says. We need to get away from the hard and fast devotion to what is - in reality - a reference guide for drill instructors, rather than a bible from which anyone can learn.
Current drills are not always exactly as written and we must get used to that.
I certainly see the point in having a “cadetized” drill manual, especially seeing as a lot of drill and calling of drill seems to just be passed down from instructor to instructor. It would be nice to standardize drill in the RAFAC.
Yeah I certainly see the reasons as to why AP818 isn’t the be all end all and that many in the RAFAC do not like it. A lot of drill does seem to be passed down a lot and with that, adaptations are made and often details are omitted, it makes sense that AP818 is just a reference guide - a standard set of drill, layed out clearly would still be nice imo.
With that being said a lot of instructors I know stick to the book as close as possible when teaching drill, with only things like the “guides” omitted. Genuinely have no idea what their role is in a squad.
With the halt I believe they were told to check their arms on the very first “one”, and yeah thinking about it now it is sorta between the “one two”.
Guides are for formal parades only. They show the flights where to halt in the parade square as they are already in place before march on, they then guide the flights on the march by standing and matching in front of the flight, and it’s them and only them who don’t turn their heads for compliments.
I see, whenever we do complements on the march or salutes to the left/right on the march, marker never does it. I’m guessing that’s incorrect then, or at least an adaptation to work a bit better with cadets due to there being no guides usually.
Exactly. And as I said above, it doesn’t make sense. You need guides for a formal parade because the eyes right is held for a long time, and the person giving the command can’t see the flight because they’re behind them. It’s then held far longer than you’d ever do an eyes right for in practice, or on camps, and on the parade square for practice, you don’t need the markers to guide the flight, because the flight commander should be able to see what the flight is doing and where they are going.
It’s a cadetism that isn’t needed because it teaches bad practice, as opposed to one that teaches good practice. By telling your tallest cadet they don’t need to practice the compliments because they’re always the marker you disadvantage them when they get to camp and they’re not the tallest.
Exactly.
Another thing I think is often cadetized is “in column of route”. Even I’m not sure of its correct use. Some people have said that when you’re turning a squad from the “flight in line” to face wherever you’re marching you should include “in column of route” in introductory, which makes sense as long as the flight commander then dresses to the centre column 2 paces infront.
Some people say that you turn the flight normally, then dress off and use “by the centre in column of route, quick MARCH”.
Have even heard some person say it does not exist (though it does appear in AP818 in part 2)
It doesn’t exist. It’s a dressing, and can only be given before a command to turn left or right at the halt. If you double check part 2, it never comes as part of a marching order. Only turns.
The idea that shouting ‘in column of route’ before ‘quick march’ means you don’t have to give turn or wheel commands on a route march is nonsense, and a definite cadetism.
Yep. It’s a kind of “oi, you lot that aren’t in the main formation, you need to move because we’re off in a moment and you’re not where I want you”.
“into line” being the reverse.
Performed properly with all posts, there’s a fair bit of movement including whoever issued the order. Looks slick though.
Ah right, so if you wanted to properly do it, you would call it with a turn, dress off infront of the ight and do a normal march command?
Ignoring other posts for a moment, for a single flight practice, the drill commander turns with the flight (so would turn right of the flight turns left), pauses, and marches to a central position in front of the first file, before then issuing the march command.
There’s spacings, other posts, diamond, etc and to consider for a full by the book.
When they halt, if the command is “into line”, the bod at the front turns, pauses, then retakes position in front of the front rank.
I love the complexities of cere stuff…