Tactical recognition flash

Red and blue tactical recognition flash of the Royal Artillery.

A tactical recognition flash (TRF) is a coloured patch worn on the arm of combat clothing by members of the Royal Navy,^[1] British Army^[2] and Royal Air Force as well as a number of other Commonwealth militaries to distinguish their regiment or corps in the absence of a cap badge. It is similar to but distinct from the DZ Flashes worn by members of Airborne Forces. The colours of the TRF are sometimes derived from the unit's stable belt.

The Light Dragoons Flash shown here is often called the Balaklava Flash, it is a distinction that was awarded by the Colonel-in-Chief Baden Powell.

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.

Naval Service

In 2007, the Royal Navy introduced a TRF, the RN corporate logo.^[3] This short lived idea was abolished in late 2008 by a decision of the Naval Service Clothing Committee, along with the large "Royal Navy" breast patch, and replaced by a curved shoulder patch with the same wording.

Army

Royal Armoured Corps	Army Air Corps	Royal Regiment of Artillery	Royal Corps of Signals	Corps of Royal Engineers
None[4]
Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers	Royal Logistic Corps	Intelligence Corps	Royal Army Chaplains' Department	Infantry
			No data	None[4]
Adjutant General's Corps	Royal Army Medical Corps	Royal Army Veterinary Corps	Royal Army Dental Corps	Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
None
United Kingdom Special Forces	Corps of Army Music	Royal Army Physical Training Corps	Small Arms School Corps	Royal Army Ordnance Corps
None	No data		No data
Honourable Artillery Company (Corps of Drums only)

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
9th/12th Royal Lancers	King's Royal Hussars	Light Dragoons	Queen's Royal Lancers	1st Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
Yeomanry Regiments
Royal Yeomanry	Royal Wessex Yeomanry	Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry	Queen's Own Yeomanry

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	Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Royal Anglian Regiment	Yorkshire Regiment	Mercian Regiment	Royal Welsh	Royal Irish Regiment
None			None
Parachute Regiment	Royal Gurkha Rifles	The Rifles	London Regiment	Royal Gibraltar Regiment
None
Bermuda Regiment
Former Infantry Regiments
Royal Scots	King's Own Scottish Borderers	Royal Highland Fusiliers	Royal Highland Regiment	Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders	Queen's Regiment	Royal Hampshire Regiment	Queen's Lancashire Regiment	King's Regiment
King's Own Royal Border Regiment	Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers	Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire	Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment)	Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Tyne-Tees Regiment
Infantry Battalions and Sub-units
1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	2nd 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
1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment	2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment	3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment	4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment
HQ, Royal Welsh Regiment	1st Battalion, Royal Welsh Regiment	2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Regiment	3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh 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

Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force	No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. II Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 26 Squadron RAF Regiment
No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 58 Squadron RAF Regiment	No. 63 Squadron RAF Regiment

See also

• Unit Colour Patch - Australian equivalent
• Shoulder sleeve insignia - American similar equivalent
• Drop zone flash

References