Tactical recognition flash

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Red and blue tactical recognition flash of the Royal Artillery. Royal Artillery Para Smock.JPG
Red and blue tactical recognition flash of the Royal Artillery.

A tactical recognition flash (TRF) is 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.

Contents

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 AAC TRF.svg Royal Artillery TRF.svg Royal Signals TRF.svg Royal Engineers TRF.svg
Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Royal Logistic Corps Intelligence Corps Royal Army Chaplains' Department Infantry
REME TRF.svg RLC TRF.svg Intelligence Corps TRF.svg Royal Army Chaplains' Department Tactical Recognition Flash.png See individual regiments
Adjutant General's Corps Royal Army Medical Service Royal Army Veterinary Corps
See branches
RAMS TRF.png
RAVC TRF.svg
Special Air Service Royal Corps of Army Music Royal Army Physical Training Corps Small Arms School Corps
NoneNo data RAPTC TRF.svg SASC TRF.svg
Honourable Artillery Company
GuardsTRF.svg
(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
GuardsTRF.svg QDGflash.jpg RSDG TRF.svg RDG TRF.svg QRH TRF.svg
Royal Lancers King's Royal Hussars Light Dragoons Royal Tank Regiment
Royal Lancers TRF.svg KRH TRF.svg Light Dragoons TRF.svg 1st RTR TRF.svg
Yeomanry Regiments
Royal Yeomanry Royal Wessex Yeomanry Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry Queen's Own Yeomanry
Royal Yeomanry TRF 2nd pattern.svg Royal Wessex Yeomanry TRF.svg SNIY TRF.svg Queen's Own Yeomanry TRF.svg

Army Air Corps

1st Regiment, Army Air Corps2nd Regiment, Army Air Corps3rd Regiment, Army Air Corps4th Regiment, Army Air Corps5th Regiment, Army Air Corps
No dataNo data 3rd AAC TRF.svg 4 AAC TRF.svg No data
6th Regiment, Army Air Corps7th Regiment, Army Air Corps9th Regiment, Army Air Corps
No data 7th AAC TRF.svg 9th AAC TRF.svg

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
GuardsTRF.svg Royal Regiment of Scotland TRF.png PWRR TRF.svg DLR TRF 2014.svg None
See individual battalions
Royal Anglian Regiment Royal Yorkshire Regiment Mercian Regiment Royal Welsh Royal Irish Regiment
None
See individual battalions 		Yorkshire Regiment TRF.svg Mercian TRF.svg 2nd R. Welsh TRF.svg Royal Irish Regiment TRF.svg
Parachute Regiment Royal Gurkha Rifles The Rifles London Guards
See drop zone flash Gurkhas TRF.svg Rifles TRF.svg GuardsTRF.svg
Infantry Battalions and Sub-units
1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
FIRST FUSILIERS TRF.svg FIFTH FUSILIERS TRF.svg
1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
1st R Anglian TRF.svg 2nd R Anglian TRF.svg 3rd R Anglian TRF.svg

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
RMP TRF.svg MPS TRF 2nd Pattern.svg MPGS TRF.svg ALS TRF.svg SPS TRF.svg ETS TRF Image.jpg

Overseas Forces

Royal Gibraltar Regiment Cayman Islands Regiment
Royal Gibraltar Regiment TRF.svg Cayman Islands Regiment TRF.png

Historic

Historic
Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusiliers King's Own Scottish Borderers Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Royal Scots TRF.svg Royal Highland Fusiliers TRF.svg KOSB TRF.svg Highlanders TRF.svg ASH TRF.svg
2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers King's Own Royal Border Regiment King's Regiment Queen's Lancashire Regiment Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers
SECOND FUSILIERS TRF.svg KORBR TRF.svg King's TRF.svg QLR TRF.svg Lanc & Cumb Vol TRF.svg
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.svg PWORY TRF.svg Green Howards TRF.svg DWR TRF 2nd pattern.svg TTR TRF.svg
East and West Riding Regiment 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment Cheshire Regiment
EWRR TRF.svg 1st Mercian TRF.svg 2nd Mercian TRF.svg 3rd Mercian TRF.svg Cheshire Regiment TRF.svg
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment Staffordshire Regiment West Midlands Regiment Royal Welch Fusiliers Royal Regiment of Wales
WSFR TRF.svg Staffordshire Regiment TRF.svg West Midlands TRF.svg
Royal Welsh Fusiliers TRF.jpg
2nd R. Welsh TRF.svg
1st Battalion, Royal Welsh2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
RWF TRF.svg 2nd R. Welsh TRF.svg Royal Welsh Regiment TRF.svg D&D TRF.svg
The Light Infantry Royal Green Jackets Royal Rifle Volunteers7th Battalion, The Rifles Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry Royal Hong Kong Regiment
Light Infantry TRF.svg RGJ TRF.svg RRV TRF.svg RMLY TRF.svg RHKR TRF.svg
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Royal Army Dental Corps Royal Army Medical Corps
QARANC TRF.svg RADC TRF.svg RAMC TRF.svg

Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force Royal Air Force Police
RAF TRF.svg
RMP TRF.svg

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] All members of the RAF Air Cadets, staff and cadet [3] , wear the RAFAC Cadet formation flash. [4]

Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) tactical recognition flash (TRF).jpg
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. 1 2 "ARMY DRESS REGULATIONS (ALL RANKS)" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "New Tactical Recognition Flash for the RAF Air Cadets — 1324 (Hawker Blackburn) Squadron | Air Training Corps (ATC) | Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC)". www.1324squadron.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  4. ↑ "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.
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