RAFC Sword of Honour / Sword of Merit

The RAFC Sword of Honour is awarded by the Air Force Board of Defence Council to graduated officer cadets at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. The recipient is recommended by the Commandant as having most distinguished himself in leadership and in general influence for the good of the College. The sword was first awarded in 1921 and presented at a Passing Out ceremony by Winston Churchill in the role of Secretary of State of War.

The sword was not awarded during the Second World War.

From 1971 to 1975, the sword was also awarded to graduate entrants. The first graduate entrant recipient was F/L. Mackay. The sword was presented by A/C Marshall Sir Dennis Spotswood, Chief of Air Staff.

The sword was reformed after 1975 for budgetary reasons and again awarded annually as permanent prize to cadets.

From 1980, as the Sword of Merit, it was awarded on each Initial Officer Training Course to the most outstanding graduating officer. The name was changed back to Sword of Honour in December 2006 and awarded as a permanent prize on each course through the generosity of Mr Robert Pooley and Pooley Sword Limited.

Description:
The sword is based on a light infantry patern with a 7/8 inch (2.2 cm) dumb-bell shaped blade, 32.5 inch (82.5 cm) in length, embossed with the eagle and the Royal Coat of Arms on the other. Both sides are embossed with Scroll work and laurel leaves. The winner's name and rank are also embossed on the blade.

The hilt is a half basket type of infantry pattern, gold plated to a quality of 18 microns. The eagle backstrap is unique to the Royal Air Force, with a Royal Air Force Cartouche on the hilt. The grip is covered in bleached fish skin bound by 3 turns of wire - 2 thin and one thick.

List of recipients (until the 1940s):
1921: Colin Falconer
1922: D. MacFadyen & N. Carter
1923: G.L. Worthington & G.C.A. Armstrong
1924: H.R.D. Waghorn & G.R. Beamish
1925: T.N. McEvoy & E.B. Webb
1926: B.C. Yarde & J. Clarke
1927: F.R. Worthington & A.W. Hunt
1928: N.E. White & G.P. Charles
1929: G.R.A Elsmie
1930: P.B. Coote & H.A.V. Hogan
1931: C.W.M. Ling & R.H.E. Emson
1932: A.N. Combe & R.V. Rolph
1933: John Badger & G.C. Eveleigh
1934: P.W. Ashton & H.M. Styles
1935: H.E.C. Boxer & M.P. Skinner
1936: Howard Burton & Paul Chamberlain
1937: T.M.N. Pike & P.G. St. G. O'Brian
1938: B.P. Young & Henry Breese
1939: T.N. Stack
1948: J.E.Y. King
1949: P.V. Pledger, W.J. Herrington & J. Edmonson-Jones