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UNUSED WW2 Pattern Black and pale blue Rank braid as worn by Officers in the ROYAL AIR FORCE, on the sleeves of Service Dress Jackets during the Second World War.
This has come from the stock of a Military Tailor - UNUSED - NOT the modern synthetic banding you sometimes see on ebay with a darker, wedgwood blue central band
The braid measures 3 feet in length, 1/4 inch wide.
Placement of RAF Rank Braid
From ‘Dress Regulations for Officers of the Royal Air Force’ 1935
Sleeves - Service Dress Jacket (Home Pattern)
All officers wear ranking lace in black and Blue (full width) ranking lace, the centre of the lace being 3 ¾ inches from the bottom of the cuff and the distance between each row 3/16 inch
Per AP1358 (Dress Regulations for Officers of the RAF -- Section III, para 33), rank braid is placed 3-3/4 inches from cuff to the centre of the rank grouping.
For single rows of braid (P/O or F/O), this means 3-3/4 inches to the centre of the braid.
For multi-rows of braid (F/L, S/L, W/C, G/C), "centre of grouping" means exactly that. For S/L and W/C, the centre of the centre row of braid should be 3-3/4" from the cuff.
Spacing between rows is 3/16 inches.
Rank Braid by RCAF Regs. 1925 and 1944
For the record, here are the specific instructions given in the two RCAF Dress Regulations manuals for the wearing of rank braid by officers.
Excerpt One - from Dress Regulations for the Royal Canadian Air Force 1925 (1939), CAP 6, 2nd Edition (Reprinted 1939 with amendments up to and including G.O. 171 of 1939)
PART I - GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS, Paragraph 4 - Badges of Rank, sub-para 3 - Width of braid.
Officers - Broad braid 2 inches: Ordinary width lace 1/2 inch, Narrow braid 1/4 inch. In all cases where more than one row is worn, the centre of the braid (i.e., the middle point of a line drawn from the upper edge of the top row of braid to the lower edge of the bottom row) shall be 3 3/4 inches from the bottom of the cuff and 3/16 inch space shall be left between successive rows of braid. In cases where one row is worn, the centre of the row shall be 3 3/4 inches from the bottom of the cuff. Pilot Officers (Provisional) - Ranking braid as for pilot officers.
Excerpt 2 - from Dress Orders for the Royal Canadian Air Force 1944, CAP 6, 3rd Edition
CHAPTER I - GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS, SECTION 1 - WEARING OF RANK BADGES
1.Officers (b) Rank braid is to be one of the following widths: (i) broad, 2 inches; (ii) standard, 1/2 inch; and (iii) narrow, 1/4 inch. (c) Where more than one row of braid is worn by officers on the sleeve, the middle point of a line drawn from the upper edge of the top row of braid to the lower edge of the bottom row is to be 3 3/4 inches from the bottom of the sleeve. A space of 3/16 inch is to be left between row of braid. Where only one row of braid is worn, the centre of that row is to be 3 3/4 inches from the bottom of the sleeve.
RAF Rank Braid and equivalent ranks
Single row of 1/4 braid for Pilot Officer(Rank equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant)
Single row of 1/2 braid for Flying Officer (Rank equivalent to Lieutenant)
Two rows of 1/2 braid for Flight Lieutenant (Rank equivalent to Captain)
Two rows of 1/2 braid, with Single row of 1/4 braid in centre for Squadron Leader (Rank equivalent to Major)
Three rows of 1/2 braid for Wing Commander (Rank equivalent to Lieutenant-Colonel)
Four rows of 1/2 braid for Group Captain (Rank equivalent to Colonel)
Rank braid on BD shoulder straps were to be 1/8th of an inch from the bottom and 1/8th of an inch between each rank lace strip. For Air Officers its 1/16th of an inch between rows and the rank starts at the base of the shoulder strap.
Note the central blue stripe is pale blue, copied from an original WW2 example.
This rank braid is intended for WW2 re-enactors, it is not suitable for serving RAF Officers
This is not the modern RAF type Officers Braid, which has a central stripe in Wedgwood Blue
New, Unissued condition. A quality item.
IDEAL FOR DISPLAY, FRAMING, RE-ENACTMENT etc
An Aviation Enthusiasts / Collectors piece.
This item is realistically priced - Don't delay -
BUY IT NOW !
This rank braid can be used with my Reproduction, Royal Navy Officers, Women;s Royal Naval Service, Royal Air Force Officers, Polish Air Force Officers, Merchant Navy Officers Cap badges, available in my Ebay shop
BUYERS OUTSIDE UNITED KINGDOM
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Postage and packing for ONE length of braid - £1.00 ONE POUND for UK buyers, £2.00 - TWO POUNDS to the Rest of the World. Extra braid postage is 10p per strip on multiple purchases
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