If the unit is anything like mine, then it is likely they dont have any to provide him.
I have placed 3 orders within the last 12 months and have received nothing. As @AlexCorbin mentioned the RAF are short of supplies and until this is resolved the Air Cadets are not a priority.
I get the frustration that the sizing is off but its better than having nothing and that unfortunately is the position of some of my cadets.
A question we ask regularly.
From your sizes, the best standard order would be 72/72/88 from my looking at the options. This would be big (particularly the seat).
As mentioned above, special order is possible although lead times are 6 months plus (by which time they will likely have grown).
ā¦ or the closest size we have in squadron stores, knowing that ordering standard sizes can take 2-3 months (up here at least).
So much this ^ .
We definitely take the approach that itās better to have some uniform than none.
I agree. Your sonās squadron staff probably also agree. Unfortunately, there really isnāt much we can do.
You could write a formal complaint letter to your sonās OC to pass on up the chain. If you do this, please talk to your sonās OC first and acknowledge it isnāt their fault, but that you would like your concerns passed on to Wg Cdr upwards.
Whatās the size on the label? There are sizes close-enough to not look as bad as you suggest these do as per @Squirrel although the closest we have available on unit without putting a request in is 72/72/88.
First thing is to double check with the squadron, but please remember they are volunteers at the bottom of a very long and bureaucratic chain.
Itās worth asking if there are any swap and request sites on Facebook or elsewhere - some Wings have these set up to help alleviate uniform issues. In a wing that doesnāt they might still have local enough and friendly units they can reach out to.
Yup. Change.irg petitions are routinely ignored. Get one going on the Parliament website that reaches the 10k threshold for a response and they start paying a little bit of attention. But really until it hits the 100k threshold to trigger a debate you wonāt see any change
The trousers are 77/72/100 , ladies. I do appreciate it is not any individuals fault. The point I was raising is why do they not make uniform to fit cadets. The uniform is not made in child sizes yet you can be a cadet from age 12. How quickly are they expected to grow inorder to fit into adult uniform. Has this question been put to the appropriate people in the RAF. If the question has never been asked it will never even be a point to be considered. If lots of people feel this way this should be discussed. I am sure a company could make uniform in child sizes and as a parent I would be prepared to pay for it, yet this does not appear to be an option.
Just reiterating what some people have said here reference getting hold of uniformā¦
It can be difficult to acquire even for regulars. I have not been able to get new size 38 (one of the most common size) short sleeve shirts for nearly a year now. Iāve been cutting around in 2C, much to my WOs disgust.
I am also currently away right now, and are without sufficient kit for the environment as stores can not/will not supply it.
Whilst the petition is all well and good, regulars like myself have been struggling to get the kit they need. And when push come to shove, CF are right at the bottom of the pile. Especially since you canāt have the last one as someone might need itā¦
Contracts did change over reasonably recently so that may be why some people are finding it difficult.
Thatās leg/waist/hip, so I can see why they are so baggy - Iād say itās unusual for womenās slacks to be deliberately issued to a male cadet unless requested. There are some odd, older sizes still knocking about a few places, but the standards in the range right now that youād be looking for are:
Itās not uncommon for the seat to be too large due to the body shape of young and slim cadets but is rarely comically so if correctly judged, and the level of adjustment for waist with the buckles is typically non-problematic, leg is generally easiest because they arenāt too bad to take up.
Your most ideal options would be to try a 69/72/84 and see how they look worn a little lower than usual, or bite the slightly baggy bullet with 72/72/88. Those options should be good enough (bearing in mind that āgood enoughā is exactly how everyone else, including the RAF, operates).
Youāre probably right that thereās a good argument to be made that instead of us piggy-backing off the RAF contract it should be the other way around or with better allowance for our youngest cadets - who are now up to a year younger than those joining 10 years ago. Unfortunately I donāt think there is a solution ideal and cost-effective enough to deal with every edge case. The diversity of body types and sizes that we get through the door is far to broad to maintain a manageable and economical standard range to cater for all. For every short and very slim thereās a short and very large. For every slim waist and large hips/seat thereās someone whoās the opposite.
Add into that that most of the time, at that age, itās not long before they have longer legs so we could be catering to a size thatās only required for 6 months in the majority of cases and the lead time on special order makes it incredibly likely that growth occurs in the meantime.
Shirts, howeverā¦ yeah they can be a bigger problem even for adults due to the regular cut and iffy sleeve lengths. I wear a short sleeve with a technically too small neck because itās open collar, and avoid as much as possible wearing my long sleeve without jumper or jacket. Despite how baggy my long sleeve is around the chest and waist the sleeves themselves are too short.
Having recently found a pair of the smallest available trousers albeit taken up a bit (and then remembering the cadet they were issued to) the situation isnāt quite as dire as it might seem and I think youāve simply come across an error or major supply issue (i.e. issue from stock in lieu of waiting for supply).
Iām sure if you send him in with trousers in hand, explain the situation, and ask if they can double check, ask around, or find out when their next order will be, the unit staff will do what they can to rectify.
It does seem a lot like some female trousers have ended up in the wrong pile, and someoneās read the sizes and thought they were about right.
I did accidentally issue a female shirt to a male cadet the other month. Only found out the other week when they came back complaining it was too small 
Didnāt he have problems buttoning it up?
Before we rush any further headlong down the āThe RAF only make adult sizes that we press into cadet serviceā route and end up trying to petition Her Majesty, shall we pause for a moment to consider?
Actual supply of items can sometimes be a problem for sure, but to say that the RAF donāt make child sizes is really not true.
The smallest trousers available in standard stock are 66/68/76ā¦ Thatās TINY and unlikely to fit any RAF airman Iāve ever seen.
A 68cm waist? Iām a 6ā average build guy and my THIGH is 63cmā¦ 31cm shirt collar? That wouldnāt even button around my calf!
Those ARE childrenās sizes.
Hereās what M&S reckon an average waist size in the āboysā trousers range should be:
The problem here is simply that this lad has been issued (for whatever reason, be it supply problems, or error) the wrong sized uniform.
While itās true, thereās also the bell curve of uniform distribution to consider.
Some very small sizes are made (and, in fairness, I started IOT with some extremely small men and women, so they do kit out regulars with it), but itās also true that very very few of those sizes are made in the first place. Getting them through the supply process that we have to deal with (especially noting the fact that weāre all volunteers and canāt give up huge amounts of time, not always understood by parents!!) is not easy.
I have been told by his squadron that the smallest size available is 72/72/88 which they have ordered but is unavailable. I would also like to point out that every body comes in different sizes, big and small and should not be discriminated against for their size. I find M & S childrenās sizes to be way too big, on their measurements my son would need age 11 clothing. Also his dad at the age of 45 is still a small person with a chest size of 36, so my son will always be small. He could spend his life waiting to grow into his uniform!
66/68/76 |5|
69/72/84 |7|
72/72/88 |3|
I guess weāve got them all having deliberately held onto those sizes specificallyā¦
One way in which parents are really helpful is they pay to have trousers tailored to fit and or take them up by cutting the excess off.
The trousers come back and when you reissue, match the size required to the label and the label doesnāt match the measurements.
Itās well and good the RAF making all these things in all the sizes, itās having them in the right place ie our parent stattion to issue them.
I would sooner we order direct from the central store and get them delivered direct to us.
Thank you for your response i have communicated with the squadron who agree he can not wear these trousers and say they have requested the 72/72/88. It is just a little soul destroying for my son who has been so looking forward to getting a set of Blues when other cadets who started at the same time with him have them and their uniform fits and he has to wear civvies like a newbie. It would be good if as a parent you could have the option of buying the uniform, making it made to fit. I think I might have found somewhere to have this done and will look into this more. Being a cadet you are part of a team and donāt want to be the odd one out not in uniform. Especially when he is so proud to be a cadet and full of enthusiasm for it. It does feel like he is discriminated against for being small! Something unfortunately encoutered his whole 13 years, being the youngest at school and the smallest in the class etc
Try eBay, or https://www.fieldtextiles.co.uk/
Might not be able to guarantee new, but if the smaller sizes are in stock, thatās one way to get them.
I wish sometimes parents would get onto the lot in HQAC on their SM, itās public facing and ignored at their peril. Parents hold far more sway over things that we ever would as CFAV. If parents donāt pay for their children to be members of groups, the groups donāt exist. Itās worth bearing mind only one in ten actually take the effort to ācomplainā, the other nine just stop, buying, using etc Business understand this which is why a complaint ot adverse comment get freebies, price reductions etc, as this gets good press.
I donāt understand what ypu have written here.
He does that.
What he means is that it would be nice if more parents raised these issues on the Organisationās main social media pages. Headquarters are VERY precious about the engagement being positive on their Facebook and Twitter posts, but when we, as volunteers, complain on their posts, they just delete our contributions and tell us to follow the āchain of commandā in pursuing our issues.
Thank you for explaining that. As a parent I do not know any of these sites you mention. We have a squadron Facebook page and i posted if there was a parents face book page to be told no. I asked if one could be made and the reply was that most of his squadron parents have access to this squadrin face book page and no parents responded. I was then given a warning for saying i found this page and sharing the petition and my post was removed! How can i find the other parents? We drop our children off outside the barracks and have to leave immediately then pick them up in the dark. Never get to meet anyone! I want to have a parent community not just for moaning but for tips and advice. Very little information is given to me as a parent!
