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Following the take up of radio, the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) used a succession of radiotelephony spelling alphabets to aid communication. These have now all been superseded by the " NATO Phonetic Alphabet " actually the ICAO alphabet. They would be used in phrases to emphasize the aircraft identifcation, eg "H-Harry", "G for George". This letter was not the aircraft's serial number painted on the tail (two letters followed by three digits as in a motorcar license plate of the time) but was painted on the side of the aircraft in large letters following the two-letter squadron designation code and the RAF Roundel . This worked because no squadron had more than 26 aircraft. The first alphabet owes a lot to World War I Western Front trench slang. Only Ack, Gee Emma and Esses changed. Possibly these were lost because they were already in use in phrases such as Ack-Ack: AA, anti-aircraft (fire) and "ack emma", "pip emma" for AM and PM. The Royal Navy of World War I differed more from the later alphabet having Apples, Butter, Duff, Pudding, Queenie, Tommy, Vinegar, Willie, Xerxes and Yellow. ALPHABETS 1924–1942 Ace, Beer, Charlie, Don, Edward, Freddie, George, Harry, Ink, Johnnie, King, London, Monkey, Nuts, Orange, Pip, Queen, Robert, Sugar, Toc, Uncle, Vic, William, X-ray, Yorker, Zebra
1942–1943 Apple, Beer, Charlie, Dog, Edward, Freddy, George, Harry, In, Jug/Johnny, King, Love, Mother, Nuts, Orange, Peter, Queen, Roger/Robert, Sugar, Tommy, Uncle, Vic, William, X-ray, Yoke/Yorker, Zebra 1943–1956 Able/Affirm, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item/Interrogatory, Jig/Johnny, King, Love, Mike, Nab/Negat, Oboe, Peter/Prep, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra. 1956–present In 1956 the NATO Phonetic Alphabet was adopted. |
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