Hello, before I start may I say I am new to this forum so I may be misguided or posting in the wrong place, sorry!
I was looking over eBay and came across these rank slides, note how they’re cloth and not nylon like most rank slides and bear resemblance to the master cadet badge. I don’t think that the RAF themselves use this style of warrant officer rank slide. Are these some sort of weird RAF rank slide or are these actually made for cadets?
Thanks for your time.
I’m not sure I understand your point, I understand that they are CWO style rank slides but they aren’t in the regular nylon pattern that usually see cadets wearing. My question was more aimed at if these were meant for some other role initially, and now the company is just trying to sell them on or something? Sometimes I see MTP backgrounded rank slides aimed at air cadets but obviously we can’t wear those so would cadets even be allowed to wear these?
This style of badge is technically a merrowed-edged or close overlocked finishing.
You’re almost correct in saying just the Master Cadet badges are of this style, but in practice surely there are more …AFA/SJA FA qual / certain leadership badges / Cadet 100 / AIR CADETS combats zap and TRF.
In the RAF and it’s reserves, again the combats chest zap and TRF have a merrowed edge, as do the EAW badge, and the Union Jack.
The badge you’ve spotted is first and foresmost not a conventional silk-style rank slide. I have seen rank-badges similar to this (RAF Cpl/Sgt/FS) made with an overlocked edge just like this, and they had a white flat elastic loop behind them. They were intended for wear by techs on coveralls (tough, unwrinkleable, unmovable) but were also aimed at non-Regt SNCOs wearing greens (they did look a lot better than normal slippy slides when worn on greens, especially when you were doing wpn handling when on guard). I may have one lurking somewhere, if I find it, I’ll post a pic
Ah I see! I thought there would be some reason for them existing, thank you.
There is no mention of it in AP1358c as far as I’m aware so I guess there aren’t any restrictions on cadets wearing it? As long as they were ready to receive some questioning over it all the time!
Officially they shouldn’t be worn, since they aren’t standard RAF 1972 pattern slides. But they have advantages:
they ARE blue;
they are visually almost identical to official issue
they stay still on greens;
they’re are intended to still look smart even after a day on the range horizontally crushing your sternum into the FP;
they’re not stupid green toy tactical, they’re more like keen boy practical.
The only time I’ve seen these style rank slides, with the white elastic loops was when individuals or units purchased them from the old “Cadet Supply Department” shop which was at Chelsea Barracks up until the late 90s (I think it was called that anyway).
Certainly when I was a cadet in the mid '90s everyone around my way wore the standard type slides.
I’ve only ever seen one of this type rank slide once. No idea where it turned up from but it appeared in my store.
It didn’t have an elastic loop though, this one had a fabric loop.
I recall buying these awful things from Cadet Supply Dept back in the very early 90’s - hard-backed with elastic loops (that often broke). Cheap and nasty!
