Uniform
The Air Training Corps is a military organization and therefore
a certain standard of dress is required.
Wearing of Uniform
Members of the ATC are entitled
to wear uniform only when attending authorised ATC meetings or parades
or when specially authorised.
Standards of Dress
There are several standards of dress,
which are worn on different occasions. These are detailed below.
Working Dress
1. RAF Shoes (Purchased Separately)
2. Socks/Tights
3. Trousers/skirt
4. Belt
5. Dark Blue Shirt
6. Jersey
7. Brassard
8. Beret
Shirt Sleeve Order
As above but without jersey and
with sleeves rolled up to elbows. The cuffs of the sleeves should
be used to ensure sleeves are rolled up evenly.
Wedgwood Dress
As above, but with Wedgwood blue
shirt.
DPM Uniform
1. Beret
2. DPM Jacket
3 . DPM shirt
4 . DPM trousers
5 . Combat boots
Only the beret is issued. The rest
can be purchased from most army surplus stores.
Items of Uniform: Dress and Care
Beret
When issued with your beret you
should shape it to fit your head using the method explained on the
lining. The beret is to be clean and is to be worn with the band
horizontal around the head and 2.5cm (one inch) above the eyebrows
and the badge above the left eye. Loose material is to be drawn
to the right and the badge clearly displayed in a position directly
above the left eye. The badge must not be obscured when viewed from
the front. The band around the beret should not be frayed and any
loose adjustment chord at the rear should be tucked into the band.
The beret material should be free of loose threads and fuzz.
Jersey (Blue service issue)
The jersey is to be kept in a clean
and good state of repair. The jersey should be lightly ironed in
a downward direction, pulled down and not folded over at the waist.
The cuffs should be worn turned back. The jersey should be free
of snags and holes and of the correct length in arms and body. Jerseys
should be regularly shaved, lightly, to prevent a build up of fuzz.
It should be dry cleaned or washed on a delicate wash, but never
tumble-dried.
Brassard
The Brassard should be clean and
worn on the right arm. It should be kept in good condition by gentle
warm ironing without introducing creases. All badges are to be neatly
sewn on by the Cadet and in the correct position (see badge position
diagram) with black thread. The badges should be free from loose
threads or lifting edges. In shirtsleeve order the bottom of the
brassard should be worn outside the rolled up shirtsleeve.
Shirts
There are two types of shirt issued
to Cadets, the ‘Working Blue’ and ‘Wedgwood Blue’ shirt.
The working blue shirt is dark in
colour and should be worn with the top button undone and both pocket
and epaulette buttons fastened. The dark blue shirt is worn without
a tie and when worn with a jersey the collars are worn on the outside.
Wedgwood shirts are light blue in
colour and are worn with a black tie and collars worn inside the
jersey. They should only be worn on ceremonial occasions.
All shirts including olive green
shirts should be cleaned and well ironed at all times with a single
crease in each sleeve. The shirt should be in a good state of repair,
with no loose threads or missing buttons.
Black Tie
The tie is only worn with the Wedgwood
shirt and should be tied with a Windsor knot. It should not be tucked
into the shirt. When a tie is worn, the shirtsleeves should be down.
Trousers (Blue service issue)
Trousers should be of the correct
length and are to be kept in a clean and well-pressed condition
at all times. Creases are to run down the front and back of each
trouser leg. Pressing should be undertaking with a damp cloth to
aid the pressing. The iron must never be allowed to touch the trouser
material to prevent burning. The edges of the pockets should not
be frayed and there should be no scorch marks. Blue service issue
trousers should be dry cleaned only.
Skirt
Skirts should be in good repair,
and of the correct length (down to the mid knee). The skirt should
be pressed to ensure a creaseless finish to the front and back.
The sides of the skirt should be pressed with a damp cloth to ensure
good creases run down both sides. The iron must never come into
contact with the material. The skirt should be dry cleaned only.
The skirt is always worn with tights, the current regulation colour
being ‘barely black’.
Trouser Belts
The buckle of the trouser belt should
be regularly polished with Brasso to ensure a good shine. It should
be free from scratches.
Jeltex foul weather Jacket
The Jeltex jacket should only be
cleaned with a damp cloth. The jacket must not be ironed or dry-cleaned.
It is worn fastened however; the top part should be left undone
and folded over.
DPM Jacket & Shirt
The DPM Jacket should be worn fastened
with the top button undone and tied at the waist and bottom. The
pockets should remain fastened and there should be no missing buttons.
Socks and Tights
Socks should be black and in good
repair. Tights should be barely black in colour and seamless; they
should not have any snags or ladders.
Footwear
Cadets are not issued with shoes
so private purchase is necessary. They must be black, preferably
laced with a toecap. RAF issue shoes are available from most Army
& Navy stores. Boots and shoes are to be kept clean at all times.
The first priority is that the main body of the shoe needs to be
clean and polished. Following that the toecap can be bulled to a
high shine. Laces should be straight across and neatly fastened.
How to Bull your Shoes to a High
Shine
What you will need:
1. Kiwi Parade Gloss
2. Cloth. (E.g. old white t-shirt) or cotton wool.
3. Water
4. Lighter or candle.
Take your cloth and wrap it around
your index finger. Then, dip your cloth into the water and then
add a small amount of shoe polish. Be careful not to soak the cloth.
Rub the polish into the leather in a circular motion. Next, take
your lighter and heat the polish on the shoe for a few seconds.
Dip the cloth in water and adding another small amount of polish,
rub the polish into the leather in a circular motion making sure
that you cover the whole toecap. Continue rubbing until all the
polish has gone into the shoe and a high shine is achieved.
If this is the first time you have
bulled your shoes it may take a few attempts until a really good
shine appears.
After a period of time, the polish
on your shoes may begin to crack and become dull. You should strip
the polish from them by gently heating the toecap using your lighter,
and then using a cloth to wipe off the polish as it melts. Do this
until you reach the leather; your shoes will now be in a good state
to shine again.
Personal Effects
No trinkets, earrings or unauthorised
badges are to be worn. Plain wedding rings only may be worn. Tiepins
may not be worn.
Hair
The hair of the head is to be well
cut and trimmed. Female cadet’s hair is to be arranged so as not
to fall below the bottom edge of the back of the shirt collar or
show below the front of the beret. It is to be retained by a plain,
black hair band and hairnet.
Shaving
Male cadets are to be properly shaved.
Beards or whiskers are not to be worn except on approved medical
or religious grounds. If a moustache is worn the upper lip is to
be entirely unshaven and the moustache trimmed neatly for length.
Exaggerated or “handlebar” whiskers are not to be permitted.
Cleanliness
The face, ears, neck, hands and
fingernails are to be clean. Cadets should not wear make up or nail
polish.
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