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#1
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Naval Parachute Wings
Hi all, Can anyone tell me the current uniform policy on the wearing of parachute wings in the Royal Navy?
In my time in the RN (1993 -2001) parachute wings were worn on the left cuff by officers and ratings in No 1 dress, (and a commando knife if qualified on the right cuff and /or marksman's badge and ships divers helmet) but in the last few years I have seen a number of both ratings and officers wearing wings on the right shoulder with a commando knife also on the right cuff on No 1 dress and on the shoulder on mess dress? The only exception I ever saw in my time was a PO MA who had done a tour with the SAS and re-joined the RN after leaving who wore SAS sabre wings on his shoulder and a submariner (who had served with the SPAG) who was wearing printed blue on white parachute wings on the shoulder of the (then) No 8 action working dress. So what is the current correct dress regulation and when did it change? regards Tony |
#2
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Naval Parachute Wings
Hi Tony
The following quote from DCI(RN) 131/03 (14th November 2003) should answer your question for you:- Reinstatement of Parachutist Badge for Wear by Qualified RN Officers and Ratings 1. As from December 1991 RN Officers and Ratings who had successfully completed a basic parachute course were no longer eligible to wear the Parachutist Badge. The Hobbs Review of RN Clothing Report (March 1995) recommended that wearing of the badge should be restored for all qualified personnel. 2. The purpose of this DCI is to announce that the wearing of the Parachutist Badge by qualified personnel is reinstated with immediate effect. The badge was formerly worn on the left sleeve but to avoid confusion with flying badges, and to bring the RN in line with the RM and the other two Services, the badge will be worn on the right sleeve. The badge is to be positioned 51mm below the shoulder seam. Pete |
#3
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Naval Parachute Wings
Hi Pete, That's really great, just what I was after, many thanks
Tony |
#4
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Is this for P coy trained personnel only ????
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#5
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That's an interesting point! Certainly in my time in the RN their were plenty of guys who wore parachute wings but had not undergone the horrors of P Coy, in fact the only ones I knew who had were all communicators who had volunteered to serve with 148 Cdo FO Bty and did it along with the AA Cdo course. I knew quite a few guys who were serving or had served with the Subsunk Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) and they wore parachute wings on mess dress and on No 1s when they were no longer serving with the group and no longer wore the large light bulb on their sleeve.
Not all parachute trained troops do P Coy (the RM Commandos don't!) but I would be interested in what the current policy is and which RN personnel are required to do so? Tony |
#6
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P Coy is pre-para selection and is only one way to get on a jumps course. There are a number of other courses that have been judged to have the same rigour and therefore enable a Para cse attendance. These include the Commando Course, the RAF REgt's own in-house selection course and SAS selection.
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#7
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Quote:
Tony |
#8
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Naval Parachute Wings
I agree with Alan O re who is entitled to attend the course at No 1 Parachute School at Brize Norton in order to qualify for Parachute Wings. Completion of P Company only qualifies you to wear a maroon beret. It is not necessary to complete P Company (despite what the Army like to say!) in order to qualify to attend the Parachute Course.
Incidentally, today there are members of the Parachute Regiment who have passed P Company but who are still waiting to complete their Parachute Course at Brize Norton. This is simply because there is insufficient money to pay for them to undertake parachute training. Since the Paras haven't actually had to parachute into action for years, this is deemed acceptable! It is also important to say who is NOT entitled to wear Parachute Wings. Having attended a civilian parachute course or having undertaken parachute jumps as part of Service AT (Adventure Training) doesn't entitle anyone to wear a military parachute qualification badge. In 'the old days' personnel who completed the Parachute Course but were posted to a unit that did not have an airborne/parachute role were only allowed to wear the Light Bulb badge (a parachute without wings). This was the badge that was originally worn by members of SPAG (unfairly I always thought considering what they do!), but I see that they now wear Parachute Wings. In fact it is a long time since I saw anyone wearing the Light Bulb badge at all. I don't know if this is the result of an official decision or not. Anyone got any information re this? Pete |
#9
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Naval Parachute Wings
Re my previous comments concerning the SPAG badge.
The introduction of this badge was announced on 24th June 1977 in DCI(RN) 378/77. I have enclosed an image of the badge below and its similarity to the Light Bulb badge can be seen. It was introduced for wear by RN ratings of the Subsunk Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) who had completed the special parachute course. The badge was to be worn on the right cuff of uniform jackets and tunics. All the recent photos I have seen of SPAG personnel show them wearing CS95 or MTP clothing and with Parachute Wings worn at the shoulder. Presumably they are now therefore entitled to wear Parachute Wings on their other uniforms. If so, do ratings still wear the specialist SPAG qualification badge as well as Parachute Wings? If not, when did they stop wearing the SPAG badge? Pete |
#10
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Naval Parachute Wings
From what I remember from the 90's only personnel actively serving with the SPAG wore the large light bulb badge. The SPAG is a volunteer draft and people only normally serve for 2 years or so, then get drafted back to submarine service. The SPAG (when not leaping out the back of a Hercules into the sea) work as staff at the Submarine Escape Training Tower (SETT) at Fort Blockhouse Gosport (formerly HMS Dolphin) and at the Institute of Naval Medicine at Alverstoke.
When I was a trainee Medical Assistant (2006) I done a 6 week placement at the medical centre at Fort Blockhouse with 3 weeks attached to the medical team at the SETT and at that time the light bulb was still worn on No 1 uniform (not parachute wings) but personnel who had previously served with the SPAG and been drafted elsewhere wore parachute wings! Whether this was officially sanctioned I don't know but it was the normal practice. What the current regulations are I have no idea - hence my original post. Tony |
#11
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Just to add to this, although not RN - ATO's serving with Alpha Troop also bypass P-Company and are eligible go on the jumps course due to the nature of their role, all wear wings once completed.
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