Face facts at one time military uniform was special and now it isn’t. You can acquire all of the bona fide clothing, badges etc from all sorts of places, wear it and no one checks or bothers unless you would try and get on a military establishment, it’s just another commodity, as the surplus shops would testify to.
But not security guards, builders or gardeners then? No. Thought not.
I’ve seen builders and gardeners with flashes and one with S/Sgt tapes. Whether they were on there when he bought them or put them on, but never the less.
As I said military uniform now is one step away from the rag box in terms of importance.
I remember seeing a security set up in a shopping precinct who were in RAF uniform and hats with epaulette tapes that at a distance weren’t too far from what are worn.
You are only likely to get into trouble if you actually try to pass yourself off as a member of HM Forces when you are not.
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This gives me concerns for my own position 
Good point. We all try and pass ourselves off as members of the armed forces.
Do we?
In a passive manner, yes.
Ignoring those of us who are actually members of the armed forces, our appearance and posture/position gives the impression of a level of involvement with the active armed forces that simply is not there in reality. People will assume a deeper connection and we tend not to pre-emptively counter it.
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Not for the purposes of my post. I have heard of people being arrested for actively posing as a member of the armed forces. We don’t, and our uniform is issued by the MOD anyway. When in uniform I don’t go up to everyone I see and tell them that I am not in the Army, nor would anyone expect me to. I will explain to anyone who asks, plus I wear ACF on my rank slide and an ACF badge.
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I would also hazard a guess that - being as we are officially members of an MoD-sponsored cadet organisation - that we count as ‘members of HM Armed Forces’ for the purpose of the law, or at the very least there is sufficient doubt as to whether we definitely don’t as to make defending someone a cakewalk for even the world’s worst lawyer.
The fact we are there (to the unintelligent) bolsters the RAF in the public eye which I think the ever reducing RAF needs. The majority of people’s ‘knowledge’ of the RAF doesn’t extend much beyond WW2 (Battle of Britain and a few bombing raids) and the Red Arrows. If they lost the latter as has been mooted several times, then the RAF will disappear in the majority of people’s minds.
If anyone I’ve had any dealings with over the years thinks I’m in the RAF they need sectioning, as will always say I’m an instructor in an organisation that happens to wear the RAF uniform and have a job that isn’t in anyway attached or affiliated to the RAF which I always point out. I do this after speaking to one bloke (many moons ago) who was astounded that I wasn’t a pilot or flew in aircraft, because I wore the uniform.
It will be interesting to see when officers lose the RAFVR(T) tag and go to ATC or CF Officer and as I’ve never used the corporate RAF Air Cadets rubbish on anything, the inference of being RAF will diminish over time.
I doubt it - Joe Public neither notices nor cares. They will still think we are Army.
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Sometimes I think people forget where in the RAF structure the ATC falls.
True if you spend most of the time in DPM one of the reasons we don’t do public events in cabbage. It gives the local Army cadets a good name!!
Everytime one of the local sqns gets in the paper the OC is invariably in DPM, even if the cadets aren’t. A mate at work asked if it was the same organisation as I’m in and why the bloke looked like he was in the Army. I can’t repeat my view online.
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I’ve been meaning to put that question to BTI and Wilf for a while now.
We were formed by royal warrant as a distinct organisation, with civilian committees and community engagement at the heart, though staffed by RAF officers. Policy and admin is the responsibility of the MOD and DRFC through 22Grp.
The CF as a whole, and Cadets & ATC SNCO/WO CFAV, are not part of the armed forces (JSP814 and others)
We deal with public and non-public funds. We are supported (somewhat) by the RAF in some areas while being left to fend for ourselves in others.
Despite the drive to fall under the RAF’s branding in recent years there is bound to be some devil in the detail
Absolutely and I bet the honest answer is, no one really knows either way.
The Royal Warrant would cover the “without her majesties consent” part of the Uniform Act, which is where these other organisations could in theory fall fail. (In fact outside of a way of getting believe fake charity collectors in while some more information is sought I’m not aware of the uniform act being used recently.)
No but actually the badges and uniform worn by some of these organisations is as near as dammit the same as worn by the 'officially recognised ’ cadet organisations, including officers cap badges , insignia etc.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
As an RAF WO, former long time ACLO and now an Asst ACLO, working as an advisor to ACLOs and the ACO in general, I find these forums very interesting. With regards to non MoD sponsored cadet organisation, the are a number including those you list about, which although not formally recognized, are listed in the Joint Service Publication which covers the MoD Sponsored Cadet Forces, as acknowledge. So all legal and above board there. As for wearing medals, there are regulations regarding the wearing of the authorized by HM the Queen; therefore those who have earned them, my wear them whilst in uniform, those includes those working within uniformed youth organisations. I could go on quoting regulations from the JSPs and QRs. If in doubt, get a member of the ACO staff to call me, some will be able to work who and where I am. I’ll chat with your CAC WO, next time I see him.
The history of some of these is interesting; for example, I believe the Naval Training Corps started out as a breakaway SCC unit. I first came across them, immaculately attired in no. 1s, at a D of E Gold presentation at St James’s Palace - if they are wearing RN uniform without authorisation then that is pretty ballsy. (I was in a suit - as was the ATC officer I chatted to.)
A small number of private prep schools run non-affiliated cadet units. I was asked once about donating ‘spare uniform’ to one - on the basis I wasn’t sure this was legal I politely declined and donated it to the ATC instead 