Wiltshire Army Cadet Force - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

REME 245 · #1 07-12-23, 04:48 PM

The ACF has just published its latest dress regulations which in theory is meant to stop the 57 different varieties in the ACF named after the well known Heinz advert. Quite if it will be in line in the sand which some think it will be will be another question.

As part of this exercise they have checked to see if all Counties etc gained official approval for their current arm badges. Surprising Wiltshire which adopted its current badge in 1963 is one of those counties for which no evidence can be found. Presumably this must also affect a lot of Counties. Does anyone know the official approval process for ACF Badges. Do sealed pattern cards exist for the badges?

crest-insignia · #2 08-12-23, 06:51 PM

Is this, do you think, a by-product of ‘Project Tudor’ (i think thats what it’s called).

Apparently, there is a full review ongoing of ALL ‘current’, ie ‘on establishment’ badges and insignia across all branches of the UK military.

REME 245 · #3 10-12-23, 12:02 PM

I am not sure of any connection but Regional Command Cadet branch are just trying to establish their control over the organisation.

Only items issued through the system are officially meant to be worn. Many adults buy their own boots and barrack dress shirts so it will be interesting to see if they try and enforce this rule down to this level. When I first started in the ACF we were issued with regimental Rank Slides which were purchased at County expense. A previous Commandant stopped this as Cadet money should not be used to pay for items when the official ACF version is available free of charge through the system. The new regulations state that no adult can be forced to buy non-issue County specific Rank Slides but this will be very hard to prove either way.

They would like all Bands to be wearing the official ACF Blues rather than Regimental items. I believe they have already achieved this in Scotland but obviously there is only one Regiment left in Scotland.

You also have the new ACF and CCF Cap Badges to be worn at National Events as instructed. Some at National Level want a corporate ACF image with everyone wearing the same badges and no doubt one day this will happen.

Staffsyeoman · #4 10-12-23, 05:01 PM

This has been bouncing around for years. When I was a detachment commander in the late 1980s the idea of the red & yellow ACF title and a universal, common cap badge was floated, and we were all invited for an individual "interview without coffee" with the Commandant to "discuss" it. The feedback was universally negative, and the powers that be were not happy.

Different times, tight money... savings needed.

My comment was that links with local Regular and/or Territorial units of the same cap badge would be undermined and unless mechanisms were put in place, we could suffer from a lack of support, to much detriment. A colleague was badged London Scottish, and they fell over themselves to help. The guys and girls took pride in having a different badge and identity from other units.

It will be a sad but perhaps inevitable day when homogenisation is completed. Probably explains why ACF badges are shooting up in price of late.

REME 245 · #5 10-12-23, 05:45 PM

I think they just want a corporate identity for the ACF. Things like the signs out-side detachments and the paper work we use are all now ACF specific but I think it will be sad if we all end up wearing an ACF cap badge. We are not like the ATC where there is only one cap badge.

Mike H · #6 11-12-23, 04:49 PM

They will get round to it soon enough. All ACF units wearing a corporate cap badge,the CCF will get the same treatment.
The Brigade system in the late 50s was the forerunner to what has happened to the Regular Army of today. Big regiments ,and all the seemingly odd idiosyncracies phased out.

oc14 · #7 12-12-23, 11:02 AM

As a current ACF County Deputy Commandant and a CCF Contingent Commander, I for one would have no issue wearing either an ACF or CCF cap badge. I am no longer a member of the Army or Army Reserve, I am a uniformed youth leader in an organization that is funded by the MOD so why would I have any issue wearing the badges of those organizations.

As to support from our local regular and Reserve units, due to operational tempo and other commitments, that is practically non existent.

In my County, we have 28 detachments which between them wear EIGHT different cap badges:-
Royal Lancers
Royal Artillery
Royal Engineers
Grenadier Guards
Royal Anglian Regiment
Parachute Regiment
Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
With the exception of The Royal Lancers, NONE, NOT ONE of our affiliated regiments and corps provides any support whatsoever. I suspect that The Royal Lancer support is largely due to the fact that the day job of one of our officers is that of Assistant Regimental Secretary at Home headquarters Royal Lancers.

Regardless of the cap badge that they wear, ALL of our cadets follow the exact same syllabus (which is infantry based).

Are you aware that with regiments of The Royal Armoured Corps and Infantry there is now a concept known as "Agnostic Recruiting" ? That is, a soldier joining the Infantry no longer joins a specific regiment, he or she, joins the Infantry. At around week 8 of the Combat Infantryman Course they are assigned their regiment. They are likely to be allocated to whichever Battalion has the greatest need or a shortfall of establishment created by greater numbers leaving versus those enlisting. In other words, "regional recruiting" is no longer a thing. It is quite possible for a person from Cornwall joining the Infantry to end up in The Royal Irish regiment or Royal Regiment of Scotland, similarly, it is possible for a person enlisting into the Royal Armoured Corps in Aberdeen to end up in The Queen's Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry).

This may be the first step on the road to The Corps of Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps who knows.....

Paul

REME 245 · #8 12-12-23, 08:50 PM

Well we are already back down to some single Battalion Infantry Regiments which was one of the the excuses for the last round of amalgamations.

Real support from the then Territorial Army ended in 1967 when its strength was slashed by 80%. In my 14 years in the ACF I can think of 3 or 4 occasions when our badged units have visited Detachment.

Whatever happens I am sure the Household Division and a few other favourites will retain their identity.