Last modified: 2005-07-16 by rob raeside
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located by Ian Sumner
From
Aeroconservancy.com
See also:
At http://www.aeroconservancy.com/rfcpennant.htm is a command pennant
that the site claims dates from 1915. It is similar to that of a modern
Group Captain, but longer, with the dark blue lines parallel to the red,
rather than following the edges to a point. It is embroidered with the
letters RFC and a set of pilot's wings, in white.
Further down the page, there is a reference to the book by Hering on
Customs of the RAF, concerning the adoption of the three colours of dark
blue, light blue and red. When the RAF enquired of the War Office if
they had any information about the choice of colours, the reply was in
the negative, but an order of July 1917 was quoted, which stated that a
flag in the three colours, with the letters RFC in black on the red
stripe, was adopted for the headquarters of the RFC in the Field. The
design of the flag was based on the brassards (armbands) worn by RFC
staff officers.
But if the date of the pennant shown is correct, then the date for the
introduction of the colours must be at least two years earlier.
On the page showing RAF rank flags on, Roy Stilling suggests that the
choice of light blue reflected the colour of the RAF's full dress
uniform. In fact, this uniform was introduced only in the early summer
of 1918, and abolished in July of the same year. Given the existence of
the Order of 1917, and this pennant in the photo, the uniform cannot be
the source of the colour.
If I were to guess, I would say that the dark blue and red almost
certainly did come from the colours of the RFC's pre-war uniform,
which was dark blue with red facings. The current grey-blue uniform
dates from September 1919.
An RFC order, current in March 1918, gave the rank flags as -
RFC HQ: two red stripes
Brigade HQ: one red stripe, swallow tailed
Wing HQ: one red stripe, triangular pennant
Squadrons, Army Aircraft Parks, or Aircraft Depots: one red stripe,
pilot's wings above, squadron number below
This was changed on 1 April 1918 for the RAF to Major General, Brigadier
and Wing Commander respectively. There was no provision for squadron
commander's flags until May 1918. In other words, the flags had changed
from indicating a headquarters to indicating rank.
Air Ministry Order 782 of 1918 changed Wing Commander to Colonel.
Lieutenant-colonels were given a pennant with two narrow red stripes;
the old squadron commander's flag was now a Major's.
Army ranks were replaced by Air Forc