RAF early cadet
 

On going through some misc photos I found this one of an early RAF Cadet looking very smart with his swagger stick.
Harry

RAF Cadet
 

He looks like he's wearing an RAF W/O's cap badge.

Any explanations?

Rob

pilot cadet training, with white band to hat.
cheers
steve

The white band is not for pilot cadet but officer cadet, and remains so to this day. Men later entered as officer cadets with the representative rank of Warrant Officer (hence the cap badge) so that they did prospectively outrank many whilst they were training. See this still of Kenneth Moore as Douglas Bader in 'Reach for the Sky'. He is an officer in training and wears the Warrant Officer badge. I think previously they entered with no rank hence the airmens pattern uniform in the header photo.

During WW2 many officers were drawn direct from recruits and so they wore an Airmens pattern uniform with white armband and a white band around the base of their side cap to denote an Aircraftman (or Leading Aircraftman) in training as an officer. A white peak flash was used by Other Ranks in the side cap to show that he was 'aircrew under training'.

The fact this chap has a swagger stick leads me to think he was a senior cadet, squad leader or something like that.