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 The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. A TRF serves to quickly identify the regiment or corps of the wearer, in the absence of a

cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as w ...

. 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 A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

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

Infantry

Adjutant General's Corps

Colonial Forces

Historic

Royal Air Force

Cadet Forces

Tactical Recognition Flashes are not to be worn by Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) or cadets of the

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

and army section of the Combined Cadet Force irrespective of any affiliation to a Corps or Regiment. Cadets and CFAVs do wear county and contingent flashes of the Army Cadet Force and Combined Cadet Force respectively. Officers of the

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

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.

References

{{reflist British military uniforms British military insignia