Tactical recognition flash

Red and blue tactical recognition flash of the Royal Artillery.

Tactical recognition flash (TRF) is the British military term for a coloured patch worn on the right arm of combat clothing by members of the British Army,[1] Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. A TRF serves to quickly identify the regiment or corps of the wearer, in the absence of a cap badge. It is similar to, but distinct from, the DZ Flashes worn by members of Airborne Forces.

TRFs should not be confused with formation signs or insignia, which are used to denote the formation (usually brigade or division or a higher headquarters) and are worn in addition to TRFs by a member of any regiment or corps serving in that formation.

Army

Royal Armoured Corps Army Air Corps Royal Regiment of Artillery Royal Corps of Signals Corps of Royal Engineers
See individual regiments
Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Royal Logistic Corps Intelligence Corps Royal Army Chaplains' Department Infantry
See individual regiments
Adjutant General's Corps Royal Army Medical Service Royal Army Veterinary Corps
See branches
Special Air Service Royal Corps of Army Music Royal Army Physical Training Corps Small Arms School Corps
None No data
Honourable Artillery Company

(Corps of Drums only, Special OP Sqns none)

Royal Armoured Corps

Regular Regiments
Household Cavalry Regiment 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Royal Dragoon Guards Queen's Royal Hussars
Royal Lancers King's Royal Hussars Light Dragoons Royal Tank Regiment
Yeomanry Regiments
Royal Yeomanry Royal Wessex Yeomanry Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry Queen's Own Yeomanry
SNIY TRF

Army Air Corps

1st Regiment, Army Air Corps 2nd Regiment, Army Air Corps 3rd Regiment, Army Air Corps 4th Regiment, Army Air Corps 5th Regiment, Army Air Corps
No data No data No data
6th Regiment, Army Air Corps 7th Regiment, Army Air Corps 9th Regiment, Army Air Corps
No data

Infantry

Infantry Regiments
Foot Guards Royal Regiment of Scotland Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (2014-Present) Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
None
See individual battalions
Royal Anglian Regiment Royal Yorkshire Regiment Mercian Regiment Royal Welsh Royal Irish Regiment
None
See individual battalions
Parachute Regiment Royal Gurkha Rifles The Rifles London Guards
See drop zone flash
Infantry Battalions and Sub-units
1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment

Adjutant General's Corps

Royal Military Police Military Provost Staff Military Provost Guard Service Army Legal Services Staff and Personnel Support Educational and Training Services

Overseas Forces

Royal Gibraltar Regiment Cayman Islands Regiment

Historic

Historic
Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusiliers King's Own Scottish Borderers Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Royal Highland Fusiliers TRF King's Own Scottish Borderers Tactical Recognition Flash Highlanders TRF
2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers King's Own Royal Border Regiment King's Regiment Queen's Lancashire Regiment Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers
Queen's Lancashire Regiment Tactical Recognition Flash
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (2006-14) Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire Green Howards Duke of Wellington's Regiment Tyne-Tees Regiment
LANCS TRF
East and West Riding Regiment 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment Cheshire Regiment
East and West Riding Regiment Tactical Recognition Flash Cheshire Regiment Tactical Recognition Flash
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment Staffordshire Regiment West Midlands Regiment Royal Welch Fusiliers Royal Regiment of Wales
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) Tactical Recognition Flash Staffordshire Regiment Tactical Recognition Flash West Midlands TRF
1st Battalion, Royal Welsh 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
D&D TRF
The Light Infantry Royal Green Jackets Royal Rifle Volunteers7th Battalion, The Rifles Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry Royal Hong Kong Regiment
Light Infantry Tactical Recognition Flash Royal Green Jackets Tactical Recognition Flash Royal Rifle Volunteers Tactical Recognition Flash
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Royal Army Dental Corps Royal Army Medical Corps

Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force Royal Air Force Police

Cadet Forces

Tactical Recognition Flashes are not to be worn by Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) or cadets of the Army Cadet Force and army section of the Combined Cadet Force irrespective of any affiliation to a Corps or Regiment.[2] Cadets and CFAVs do wear county and contingent flashes of the Army Cadet Force and Combined Cadet Force respectively.[2] Officers of the Air Training Corps and the RAF Section of the Combined Cadet Force wear the RAF tactical recognition flash, Adult Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers wear the RAFAC Staff formation flash, and cadets wear RAFAC Cadet formation flash.[3]

The Air Training Corps' tactical recognition flash, worn by all air cadet staff and cadets, introduced in 2023.









See also

References

  1. ^ JSP 336 (3rd Edition), Volume 12, Part 3, Pamphlet 15, BADGES, EMBELLISHMENTS AND HEADDRESS (now superseded by JSP 886)
  2. ^ a b "ARMY DRESS REGULATIONS (ALL RANKS)" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Uniform Dress and Appearance Regulations for the Air Cadet Organization" (PDF). RAF Air Cadets. p. 50. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.