British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Recent Books by Forum Members

   

Go Back   British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum > British Military Insignia > Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force

 Other Pages: Galleries, Links etc.
Glossary  Books by Forum Members     Canadian Pre 1914    CEF    CEF Badge Inscriptions   Canadian post 1920     Canadian post 1953     British Cavalry Badges     Makers' Marks    Pipers' Badges  Canadian Cloth Titles  Books  SEARCH
 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-03-20, 10:33 PM
RCAF_Mike RCAF_Mike is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 446
Default Coloured Flashes for the Wedge Cap

As the title suggests, can anyone here shed any knowledge pertaining to the use of coloured flashes in the wedge cap? I know the White one is for trainees/officer cadets and there was a scarlet o e used in the early RAF for the Medical Branch, but I have seen pale blue, red, yellow, purple etc.... What were they for? I have been all over the RCAF dress orders and they mention none of them.
__________________
MIKE
Collecting RCAF Wings Uniforms Badges and Insignia
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-03-20, 12:09 AM
dragon166's Avatar
dragon166 dragon166 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 653
Default

I have all the Dress Regulations from 1935 - 2018 and the only official mention is for the white version, both for the RAF and the ATC. However other such embellishments, like cap bands and shoulder slides, were used at different units with permission of the relevant AOC. Maybe the items you have seen were instituted under such an umbrella - to identify different trades during training. Or perhaps they are Army items for their cadet brigades of 1917-1918??
Dave
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-03-20, 08:58 AM
RAY WALKLING RAY WALKLING is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 53
Default AIRMEN UNDER TRAINING FOR AIRCREW DUTIES

RAF dress regulations in 1940 introduced 22H/403- Peaks, cap, field service:- White (Flannel) to be worn. In view of the forgoing suggest the practice of wearing coloured peaks may have originated in the BCATP Canada where RAF Dress Regulations were widely flouted by trainees. These matters were usually resolved on the trainees return to the UK.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-03-20, 09:58 AM
mike_vee's Avatar
mike_vee mike_vee is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Uxbridge
Posts: 4,889
Exclamation

Quote:
Originally Posted by RCAF_Mike View Post
I know the White one is for trainees/officer cadets
From "A General for Peace" Leonard V. Johnson (1987), Referring to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan -

" Sunnyside Beach attracted airmen from Prince Albert and the girls followed. The airmen all wore the rough blue serge of air force battle dress, with wedge caps and a white flash conferred prestige and advantage in the competition for girls. Soldiers and other lesser men often spread the rumour that it designated a carrier of venereal disease."
__________________
British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative.

Poppy and British Legion Wanted
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-03-20, 10:27 AM
mike_vee's Avatar
mike_vee mike_vee is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Uxbridge
Posts: 4,889
Default

CANADIAN FORCES DRESS INSTRUCTIONS- A-AD-265-000/AG-001

Air force military police shall wear a scarlet band/ribbon on their cap/hat/turban service dress, a scarlet flash in the front of their wedge caps showing 1 cm (1/4 in.), and a scarlet cloth backing to their cap badges on the beret.
__________________
British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative.

Poppy and British Legion Wanted
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-03-20, 10:48 AM
mike_vee's Avatar
mike_vee mike_vee is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Uxbridge
Posts: 4,889
Default

Could the use of flashes be related to the RAF hat bands for "Boy Entrant" /Apprentice training in the Royal Air Force ?

"The only distinction from the regular service uniform that was worn, was the use of coloured on chequered hat-bands around SD cap to indicate which subject the boy was studying.

These chequered hat-bands were very distinctive with a wide variety of colour combinations: brown/white – Telegraphists, red/black – Radio & Radar ,red/yellow (blood & custard) – Airframes. Other trades had green/blue,yellow/orange, green/yellow, red/yellow etc"

History of the Boy Entrants



http://www.49th2sqn.org/?page_id=762
__________________
British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative.

Poppy and British Legion Wanted
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 07-03-20, 11:21 AM
dragon166's Avatar
dragon166 dragon166 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 653
Default

Mike, the cap bands did not indicate the trde being trained in, they indicated which training School/Wing the boys were at. Red/Lt Blue/yellow -RAF Halton. Brown/white - RAF Compton Bassett etc.
Dave
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-03-20, 01:10 PM
mike_vee's Avatar
mike_vee mike_vee is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Uxbridge
Posts: 4,889
Default

Thanks Dave , I was just going on the information from the site .

It looked to me like the "Wings" specialised in diferent trades etc. (example from RAF Cosford).

__________________
British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative.

Poppy and British Legion Wanted
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-03-20, 02:34 PM
dragon166's Avatar
dragon166 dragon166 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 653
Default

The trades in each Wing changed from year to year. From 1965 the Only band used at Cosford was green/yellow for all apprentices. I have written a book about these and other trainee insignia. Free to anyone interested.
Dave
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

mhs link

All times are GMT. The time now is 07:58 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.