RAF Blue

[JMcMillan]

The Armour School arms worry me a bit. The South African army never had WW1 tanks, indeed it didn't have any armoured formation until February 1943 and that didn't see action for another 15 months. I suppose, at a stretch, one can accept the use of a WW1 tank as generic. The British Royal Tank Regiment uses a WW1 tank on its cap badge, but then their parent unit the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps did use such tanks.

As Marcus notes, this badge does indeed derive from that of the RTR. As does that of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, which also had no armored formations until WWII.

I am afraid that the Defence College arms must surely have been borrowed from a company manufacturing ice cream. If one can struggle past the ice cream cone symbolism, what colour are torches 2 and 3? bleu celeste and azure?

Yes--as Marcus says, red for army, light blue for air force, dark blue for navy. Same as in almost all British-influenced defense forces.

[Chris Green]

Same as in almost all British-influenced defense forces.

But the RAF doesn't use air force blue in any coat of arms that I've ever seen.

[JMcMillan]

Same as in almost all British-influenced defense forces.

But the RAF doesn't use air force blue in any coat of arms that I've ever seen.

That hardly means that it isn't used to symbolize the RAF. In the British joint service emblem and flags, for example. In any case:

Royal Air Force Staff College

Argent on a Cross engrailed per pale Sable and Gules a Spear in pale surmounted in the fess point by an Annulet between two Bucks' Heads caboshed all Or; On a Chief per pale Argent and Bleu Celeste to the dexter three Pales Sable and to the sinister a representation of the Constellation Aquilla Or all in a Bordure per chief Sable and Bleu Celeste. Crest: On a Pilots' Helmet proper within a Wreath Argent and Bleu Celeste out of an Astral Crown Or the 'Hawk of Horus' proper. Mantling: Bleu Celeste doubled Argent. Motto: Visu et nisu - By vision and effort.

[Chris Green]

The CoA you show was allegedly that of RAF Staff College Bracknell (opened 1945, closed 1997). But you will note that it has a modern pilot's helmet as a helm. The question is whether that was really the CoA of the staff college (it certainly wasn't in 1945 as pilots didn't use such helmets then). Has the College of Arms ever granted a modern helmet? As far as I know Bracknell had a badge, as has/had virtually every RAF unit rather than a CoA:



The RAF College at Cranwell certainly has a CoA, but the helm is traditional:



Although the Cranwell arms are illustrated as a blue that one might best describe as bleu celeste, according to the Cranwell website it is supposed to be "blue", by which I understand azure.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcranwell/about ... ofarms.cfm

[Chris Green]

AIr force blue and bleu celeste are not the same colour, though. 'Air force blue' is the greyish blue colour of the RAF uniform; 'bleu celeste' is sky blue.

Indeed. One can see the RAF blue in the badge of RAF Staff College Bracknell. Which is another reason why I question the alleged CoA of Bracknell which clearly uses bleu celeste.

[Jeremy Kudlick]

Argent on a Cross engrailed per pale Sable and Gules a Spear in pale surmounted in the fess point by an Annulet between two Bucks' Heads caboshed all Or; On a Chief per pale Argent and Bleu Celeste to the dexter three Pales Sable and to the sinister a representation of the Constellation Aquilla Or all in a Bordure per chief Sable and Bleu Celeste. Crest: On a Pilots' Helmet proper within a Wreath Argent and Bleu Celeste out of an Astral Crown Or the 'Hawk of Horus' proper. Mantling: Bleu Celeste doubled Argent. Motto: Visu et nisu - By vision and effort.

The CoA you show was allegedly that of RAF Staff College Bracknell (opened 1945, closed 1997). But you will note that it has a modern pilot's helmet as a helm.

The blazon does not call for a "modern pilot's helmet", it calls for a "Pilots' Helmet proper" which leaves the emblazonment up to the interpretation of the artist. However, the helmet depicted is not a modern pilot's helmet. The chin bar present in this particular depiction is not present in modern helmets due to the need to wear tight-fitting oxygen masks; the chin bar would simply get in the way. The helmet appears more like a full-faced motorcycle or skier's helmet.

[Chris Green]

... the helmet depicted is not a modern pilot's helmet ...

My question is not whether this CoA depicts a modern pilot's helmet, but whether the College of Arms authorised this achievement. My second question is whether it is indeed the CoA of RAF Staff College Bracknell. I have yet to find it in any reference work.

[Jeremy Kudlick]

According to the RAF Heraldry Trust website, Staff College Bracknell has a badge and a full achievement. http://www.griffon.clara.net/rafh/badge_s.htm

Mary Denton, the artist who painted said emblazonment, states that in 1970 "[f]ormer students and staff at the RAF Staff College, Andover subscribed to the cost of this, the fourth Patent of Armorial Bearings to be granted to the RAF, to mark its amalgamation with the RAF Staff College, Bracknell and is based on a design submitted by the College. It incorporated the 'Hawk of Horus' and the College motto 'Visu et Nisu' as well as elements from College Founder and Marshal of the RAF, the Viscount Trenchard's personal Arms ( three Pales Sable) and those of its first Commandant, Sir Robert Brooke-Popham ( the Cross). The use of the Constellation Aquilla represents the RAF Motto 'Per Ardua ad Astra' and, in a major departure from tradition, the then Garter King of Arms, Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, personally approved the use of a Pilot's Flying helmet instead of the Knight's helmet to surmount the shield." http://www.marydentonstudioz.co.uk/apps ... =109696377 The date falls in the middle of Garter Wagner's tenure. It is, perhaps, a starting point for further research.

[Chris Green]

Thank you Jeremy. That answers a lot of questions, though not why Wagner approved a flying helmet, nor what he thought a flying helmet should look like. My guess is that the achievement as depicted in the LP had a WWII type leather helmet, perhaps with oxygen mask.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/images/ ... 27658.aspx

[Jeremy Kudlick]

Possibly, but leather helmets were rarely used in 1970 when Andover was absorbed into Bracknell. *shrug* Unless Garter Wagner's notes regarding the grant are made available, any guess as to his reasoning would be pure conjecture.