Classic British Flight Sim

From my personal recollection - 30 years in the Army - I believe that Queen Victoria didn't like the look of the Lance Coproral's single stripe and so the Guards Division brought in the 2 stripe. If I remember correctly it isn't the stripes that denote Corporal or Lance Sergeant, it is the gold lines on the peak of the cap. I do remember being run-in and put in front of the Grenadier Guards - our host Regiment at the time - Guard Commander who wore 2 stripes. So I called him 'Corporal' instead of 'Seregeant' at every juncture and so p1ssed him off that I was chucked into a cell for a couple of hours! Happy days?

Again - fast forward 20 years - my Brigade Commander was a Guardsman and had a Guards Coporal/Lance Sergeant and he had the delightful choice of belonging to either the Corporal's Mess or the Sergeant's Mess.

I sometimes wondered, with all the different regimental customs and historical practices - how we ever won the Falklands - or even got to the right port for embarkation!

As for the RAF, I always regarded the rank of SAC as equivalent to Lance Coporal and treated them as JNCOs.


ATB


Allan

I also seem to remember that a Corporal of Horse is a sergeant, or did I dream that! Also, (so they do not feel left out) that the stripes given out in the Royal Navy denote long service, not rank......possibly! So three stripes mean experience and a clean nose, not the equivelant of a sergeant.

Overall, its a bit of mess isn't it, and who can use what mess is another can of worms! Sorry, sarge, worms are off! You'll have to have 'toad in the hole' instead.

That should keep our overseas members guessing!

This thread brought back happy memories:

In the early 70's, while a Senior Aircraftman (SAC) in the RAF, I spent a few years at the Army Air Corps Centre at Middle Wallop. I was one of only six of what the 'Pongo's' called 'Blue Jobs' and other (un)complimentary titles on the whole camp, 3 LAC's, 1 SAC (me), 1 Corporal and 1 Sergeant.

The army didn't seem to understand the RAF ranks, and so to them, LAC's were privates, SAC's were Lance Corporals and of course, corporals and sergeants were corporals and sergeants (they understood those two).

As an NCO(?), I did fewer guard duties ( and those I did do were less arduous), and I had my own room, while the LAC's were put in 14 man billets.

I was going to tell them they had it all wrong, but somehow never got round to it .

I was going to comment earlier on behalf of the RN but chose not to. However, as we've been dragged into this furore.. stripes issued in the RN (when I was there.. much seems to have changed now) were not strictly 'long service' but also 'good conduct'. It was possible to lose one before you qualified to get one.. I know through bitter experience!
However, to keep it simple for the 'junior services' to understand.. each stripe (we called them badges) issued in the RN denotes 4 years service/good conduct up to a maximum of 3 from the age of 18 (or after if you joined older than 18yo).
Colours were red for your No.2 suit or gold for your No.1 (best) suit. We used to have a saying.. 3 badges gold.. far too old
So.. it was possible (common) to have Leading Hands (the equivalent of a Corporal) wearing 3 'badges' and Petty Officers (Sergeants elsewhere) or Chief Petty Officers (particularly the Artificer (tech) branch) to have only 1 or 2 badges. I left after 16 years service as an LRO (Leading Radio Operator).. Scale A (passed for Petty Officer/Radio Supervisor) with 3 badges gold (or red.. or none depending on the time of day/part of the world/duty). They could have been 'blue' had I been in the tropics and rig of the day was 'whites'

I hope that's clear enough

ATB

DaveB

There are some oddities in the Regiment and even the central band.

I see quite often, in the RAF Central band, some people with four of the tapes, instead of the three a Sgt would have AND they are upside down. What rank is that?
The central band does have a Cheif Tech, I asked one of them why, as it's not a techy trade and he said it is a techy trade. Plus most of the band people who are airmen, have degrees and could all easiy be comissioned, but chose music. Of course, that's what they want to do.

Ant1981 wrote:There are some oddities in the Regiment and even the central band.

I see quite often, in the RAF Central band, some people with four of the tapes, instead of the three a Sgt would have AND they are upside down. What rank is that?

i seem to think its' civvie voluntary members with stripes for longevity as per the 'fisheads' (sorry Dave), we used to have some in St Athan band, which was (still is I think) a voluntary band open to MOD employees and service dependants as well as regulars.

I got my tapes after 5 years, but then did pass out from Halton as JT, it was the 'detachment only' promotion to Sgt
that was fun when visiting some foreign climes...

ttfn

Pete