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Albatross or Eagle.

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Have just been browsing through Goatpedia and noticed on the Swinderby entry a picture of a 1986 pass out parade.

I noticed that the steely eyed killers were sporting the Albatross flash on there shoulders.

I cant for the life of me remember that being a proscribed flash in 1986.................or indeed up till 1990 when i left.

Is my memory going?..........or is the date of the photo wrong?

I can only remember it being on greatcoats.

Also as i surfed looking for an answer on wiki the RAF entry said the flash was in fact an eagle and not an albatross.

I had always been led to believe it was later.

So i have 2 questions.

1:when did the flash re appear on No 1 uniform?.

2;is it an albatross or an eagle?.

Thanks in advance 252
 
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Mike is correct about it being a sh1tehawk. We had it on the hairymary battledress in the early '70's. I always thought that rocks wore it. I'm sure someone will correct me.
 
Shytalk it is,

Was called thus during Battle of Britain also.

Before grit chimps existed:PDT_Xtremez_14:
 
252 said:
Have just been browsing through Goatpedia and noticed on the Swinderby entry a picture of a 1986 pass out parade.

I noticed that the steely eyed killers were sporting the Albatross flash on there shoulders.

I cant for the life of me remember that being a proscribed flash in 1986.................or indeed up till 1990 when i left.

Is my memory going?..........or is the date of the photo wrong?

I can only remember it being on greatcoats.

Also as i surfed looking for an answer on wiki the RAF entry said the flash was in fact an eagle and not an albatross.

I had always been led to believe it was later.

So i have 2 questions.

1:when did the flash re appear on No 1 uniform?.

2;is it an albatross or an eagle?.

Thanks in advance 252
Click to expand...

Trying to rack my elderly brain but I seem to recall that it reappeared on No1 dress early this century.

It is very definitely an eagle. Always has been, always will be. Those who insist that the emblem is an albatross should read up on the official description, and heraldic approval, of the Service's emblem.
 
Climebear said:
Trying to rack my elderly brain but I seem to recall that it reappeared on No1 dress early this century.

It is very definitely an eagle. Always has been, always will be. Those who insist that the emblem is an albatross should read up on the official description, and heraldic approval, of the Service's emblem.
Click to expand...

I remember the first time i saw it i assumed(correctly it would now appear)that it was an eagle only to be laughed at and told by all and sundry to get some time in and that it was in fact an albatross.
An eagle is a lot more flash than an albatross.....................i wonder why people championed that idea?.
 
True Blue Jack said:
According to this it's actually an albatross/eagle hybrid. :PDT_Xtremez_09:
Click to expand...


According to your link which seems to be well informed its defo an Eagle regardless of how ornithologically accurate it is.

Link also states that it wasn't re introduced until 1998..........so it appears its the date on the goatpedia entry which is wrong.
 
Sh1thawks were always on the shoulder when I was in ('60-'71). And we were told it was an Albatross.
 
252 said:
According to your link which seems to be well informed its defo an Eagle regardless of how ornithologically accurate it is.

Link also states that it wasn't re introduced until 1998..........so it appears its the date on the goatpedia entry which is wrong.
Click to expand...

Well I'd suspect that date's a load of shyte too as I had them on my shoulders when passing out of Halton in '97
 
True Blue Jack said:
According to this it's actually an albatross/eagle hybrid. :PDT_Xtremez_09:
Click to expand...


According to AP1358 it's an eagle:

All airmen of FS rank and below wear the same style jacket, incorporating the eagle shoulder badge.
Click to expand...

As are all other similar badges on RAF uniforms (buttons, NCA ranks, Air Rank epaulettes, PTI badge, officers and WOs cap badges etc).

All relating to the Royal Air Force Badge:

" In front of a circle inscribed with the motto Per Ardua Ad Astra and ensigned by the Imperial Crown an eagle volant and affronty Head lowered and to the sinister."
Click to expand...
 
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the Marine Craft section badge was always called the sh**e hawk and anchor. Here is the ASR?MCS badge with the hawk on!
 

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We have defo established its an eagle.

It was apparently withdrawn from the uniform as a shoulder flash in 1973.................when was it re introduced?
 
252 said:
....when was it re introduced?
Click to expand...

We definitely didn't have them when I got married at the end of '95. I know we had replaced the staybright cap badges before I was best man in early '97 and I have a feeling the eagles were brought back at the same time as the cap badge change. Which must mean it was sometime in '96.
 
I was always told it was an albatross, hence the name of Odiham's NAAFI, The Albatross Club, or the Albert Ross as we called it.
 
Firstly, the 'eagle' or whatever it is wasn't on our No 1s when I passed out from Swinderby in 1986. Also, wasn't it introduced when the new No 1 was brought out? I certainly had them on in 2002.
 
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