BAFO

My father was at Air HQ (Ops) BAFO, RAF c/o BAOR at Buckeburg in 1946.

What does the BAFO stand for?

British airforces of occupation according to google.

TEABAG,how old is your royal signals badge?only asking cos i found one in a box of medals and badges i found when my dad died.graham.

Not really sure Graham. Picked it up in a curio shop. I had the more modern one when I was in of course, and to be honest I am not sure when they changed to the jimmy on his own. I know they had that one in the war anyway.

Jimmy is the name the Royal Signals call Mercury.

thanks TEABAG that makes sense,thought it was an old one.graham.

Click on the link below guy's .. all the gen on Jimmy


http://www.qsl.net/vk2dym/radio/through.htm

Len (Ciphers)

Good one that Len. I never realised that the new style badge came into being so early (1946). The only problem with the later one's was they got caught up on cam nets etc and used to break off at the leg very easily. I think the oval one is better personally.

I had mine with Kings Crown for 16 years, was almost worn away with polishing, the crown was almost flat with no definition, Jimmy shone like a torch and the motto Certa Cito was hardly legible. The funny thing was that after all the many postings, BS parades and ceremonial guard mounts I did over the years I was never told to change it as it was a Kings Crown and most of my service was done under 'Liz', if you get my meaning. It is now mounted on a tankard less the crown, my wife had it done as a birthday present and didn't think the crown was necessary.

Len (Ciphers)

I once served in a Royal Signals TA unit. The squadron had its roots in the Yeomanry Cavalry.

The 2 dress hat and beret capbadge was a 'Jimmy' with Middlesex Yeomanry collar dogs on the lapels of 2 dress.

In barrack order, we wore a scarlet and green cavalry 'chip bag' cap with Middx Yeo capbadge and stable belt (red, gold and green - very Rastafari!).

The rank chevrons worn on working dress were as per normal army practice. However, in No 1 dress (very rarely worn) and mess dress, things became a little bizarre. Lance Jacks and Full Screws had two chevrons and a crown. Sergeants had three chevrons and a crown. Staff Segeants and SQMS had four chevrons and a crown. I believe that this harked back to the cavalry escort provided to Queen Victoria by the Middx Yeomanry when she passed through the old county of Middlesex en route from London to Windsor.

Just to confuse things still further, with 2 Dress was worn a green and gold lanyard. This was a historical reference to the role of the squadron (then a regiment) as Airborne Signals during WW2.

All very T.A. (but before you take the pee, we do have a posthumous VC to our credit!)

'Jimmy' was sometimes referred to as 'Jimmy on a rock cake'. The Int Corps capbadge was slightly less affectionately referred to as 'A pansy resting on its laurels'.

Fantastic that. Something to treasure and obviously a lot stronger than the modern stay bright that we had. You can keep the polishing though Len.

Edit to say also very interesting Claymore. Any colour photo's as you must have looked good? All sounds a bit Blues and Royals in regard to badges of rank. I could never figure them out with their Corporals of Horse but three stripes etc. That was another Victorian thing I think as Sergeant means servant and she wouldn't allow "Her Soldiers" to be called servants. That's the story I was told anyway.

They can also salute an officer without having to wear head gear. Confused me terribly when I worked with them on a local recruitment drive once.

There's another tradition of one cavalry regiment (can't quite remember which one, but it's not a Household Cavalry regiment) that they remain seated and talking through The Loyal Toast.

Someone here will know which mob it is.

thanks guys ,great info as usual.the older badges were much more impresive.graham.

Liverpool show this weekend coming Graham. White helmets amongst others appearing. Think I will pop over from the Wirral.

For those scaleys and non-scaleys who may not already know, the Royal Signals was founded in 1920, arising from the ashes of the Royal Engineers Telegraph Battalion (later RE Signals Service).

The Corps was founded at a place called Maresfield Camp in Sussex. I've plotted the location of the camp. It can be found on co-ordinates 51° 0'3.53"N, 0° 4'59.44"E in Google Earth.

It was an old WW1 army camp, closed and demolished in 1923 and is now a residential estate.

Another Maresfield Camp was constructed during WW2 about 1 mile SW of the original camp and served as the Depot of the Int Corps before their move to Ashford, Kent. This camp has also now long gone, although traces of it can still be seen.

Although this is the RC Sigs hatbadge worn up to 1977 it is not the first, which was re-placed with a new Communications Badge (unification raises it's ugly head). The RC Sigs. have have had 3 badges the one here is number 2. Number 1 ended up being our collar dogs.That badge had a beaver and crossed signals flags in it. I'll scan that later and post it. The RC Sigs were formed in 1903.

Funny how this topic went from British Air Forces of Occupation to the Royal Signals and their counterparts in other countries. Good here innit?

Anyway It is very interesting to know that the RC Signals were formed in 1903 yet it took our lot another 17 years or so plus one world war of course. I suppose it is arrogance but we tend to assume wrongly that we start everything and the "colonies" follow.

I did an exercise with the Canadians at one time and was surprised to see they were still running around in WW2 jeeps. Some had dirty great chains padlocked to the steering wheels to stop them getting nicked. At the other end of the scale, they had a mobile cookhouse which was fantastic. Big articulated wagon and you went in one end and out the other. Big beautiful steaks etc. This was the mid 70's.

Teabag wrote:

Funny how this topic went from British Air Forces of Occupation to the Royal Signals and their counterparts in other countries. Good here innit?

Anyway It is very interesting to know that the RC Signals were formed in 1903 yet it took our lot another 17 years or so plus one world war of course. I suppose it is arrogance but we tend to assume wrongly that we start everything and the "colonies" follow.

I did an exercise with the Canadians at one time and was surprised to see they were still running around in WW2 jeeps. Some had dirty great chains padlocked to the steering wheels to stop them getting nicked. At the other end of the scale, they had a mobile cookhouse which was fantastic. Big articulated wagon and you went in one end and out the other. Big beautiful steaks etc. This was the mid 70's.

Yup we called them flying kitchens teabag. And the jeeps weren't quite WW 2 but were designed off that pattern, just up dated. The dirty big chain on the steering wheel was to keep your buds from borrowing the jeep. Especialy after they had a few brews.