RAF Police Association Ceremonial Dress Guidelines

The dress guidelines below, which are also detailed in Chapter 13 of the RAFPA Administrative Handbook, held by all Branch Secretary’s, National Officers and Association Trustees, have enabled the RAFPA to be readily identified when on parade and have given members a dress standard to aspire to. It is appreciated, however, that there are members of the Association who do not wish to purchase or wear the items of dress listed below. It is right and proper that their wishes are respected. Likewise all members who currently wear the beret, blazer, tie and badges do so by choice and their wishes should also to be respected.

The dress guidelines are as follows:

  • White beret, complete with the official, enamel RAFPA badge, worn with the band one inch above the eyebrows, badge over the left eye and the beret smoothed to the right side.
  • Black/Navy blue blazer, complete with embroidered RAFPA badge on the top left hand pocket.

(If a Standard Bearer, the Standard carrying harness shall be worn over the blazerand across the right

shoulder).

  • Grey slacks for men, and grey skirt or slacks for ladies.
  • White shirt with official RAFPA tie, whereon is displayed the printed RAFPA official badge.
  • Black shoes/socks for men and black shoes/dark grey hose for ladies.
  • During inclement weather, top coats may be worn for outside ceremonies (Standard Bearers to wear their Standard carrying harness over their top coats, with the harness worn across the right shoulder).
  • During inclement weather, brown or black leather gloves may be worn for outside ceremonies. (Standard Bearers to wear white gauntlets, Escorts to the Standard to wear white cotton gloves).
  • Full sized service medals and decorations, awarded by the United Kingdom armed forces and/or

HMG, must be worn over the left hand top pocket of the blazer, or, if wearing a top coat, on the

left hand side and adjacent to the lapel. Medals, awarded to ones deceased relatives may be worn,

on the right hand side of the blazer or top coat, alongside the lapel, as a concession for Remembrance

Day.

When we parade we represent the RAFPA membership, as a whole, and the parade dress we currently wear has evolved and adapted over several years and is worn with pride on Remembrance Parades in London, Edinburgh, The National Memorial Arboretum, Southwick Park and the many events and parades attended by our members around the country and indeed, around the world.

We are not a military organisation, however, we are a veterans’ organisation that has a “uniform” for those who wish to wear it. The formal and constant items of our dress are the white beret with RAFPA beret badge (the latter was designed to reflect the fact that the RAFPA is a non-rank organisation). There will inevitably be variations in all other aspects and these variations are acceptable whenever we gather.

All RAFPA members are to be aware that they are welcome to attend and/or parade with their colleagues whether they are wearing Ceremonial Dress or not. There are no exceptions to this.

Ted Hellewell

National Chairman