Wall of Service General Information - Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia

Introduction

The Fleet Air Arm Wall of Service is a unique facility which records the names of members who have served (or are still serving) in or with the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm. This is achieved by means of bronze plaques affixed to a custom-built wall situated adjacent to the FAA Museum in Nowra, NSW. It is not a memorial wall – rather, it records the names of people who have served and/or continue to serve their country in (or attached to) the RAN Fleet Air Arm. You can be living or deceased.

There are 1064 plaques on the Wall (as of mid September 2023), with room for a total of 14,000. Having your name on the Wall is a wonderful way to preserve your little bit of history, or perhaps you might consider it as a special gift to someone who has everything. (Note, however, that plaques ordered by relations or friends must have approval of the Next-of-Kin of the member). You can also organise a plaque for a deceased mate – perhaps someone on your training course or a close friend.

Like everything else the cost of producing the plaques goes up from time to time and we have to adjust our prices to match – so the sooner you participate the cheaper it will be!

The plaques are simple. They are cast in heavy bronze and feature a ‘wings’ logo (modified) of the Fleet Air Arm Association with the acronym ‘RAN’. They display the person’s name (with decorations and awards); rank/rate; official number and their date of entry/discharge. They are half a brick in size and are permanently fixed to the wall.

Policy Regarding Plaques

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The layout of the plaque is ‘locked in’. No changes to the format will be accepted. This is to ensure the symmetry of the plaques and that everyone is treated equally. Please note also that ‘nick-names’ or other abbreviations cannot be accepted.

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Plaques are ordered from the foundry in lots of 10 or more, so there may be a significant delay from the date of your application until your plaque is affixed.

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Applications for a plaque must be made by the person whose name will appear on the plaque, unless they are deceased or the plaque is a gift in which case an application may be made by a third party but only with the specific approval of the Next of Kin.

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The Wall does not differentiate by rank and the plaques are mounted on a ‘first in, first up’ basis. An Admiral can therefore be alongside a Naval Airman (or Seaman in today’s language).

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When new plaques are fixed to the wall an article is placed in the next Slipstream magazine. You can be notified by email if you elect to do so on the application form.

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Groups of old classmates, relations or just good friends can be placed adjacent to each other as long as the Plaques are ordered at the same time.

Eligibility Criteria

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Must have been or is a member of the Fleet Air Arm, or

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Must have been/are formally attached to a unit of it – Store, Victualling, Cooks, Writers and Stewards were drafted to actual squadrons and as such qualify. CBGLO is also a qualifying posting but AJASS is not as they were not actual Squadron personnel.

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Allied Forces FAA personnel who were/are on a formal loan or exchange to the RAN are also eligible to participate in this program provided they were/are actually posted to an RAN FAA unit.

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Some Army and RAAF personnel will also qualify – these must also conform to the above qualifying criteria.

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Postings to ships’ companies, even if the ship was air-capable, do not qualify.

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Duration of Service is not a factor.

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You do not have to be a member of the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia (FAAAA) to qualify, but the plaque is cheaper if you are.

Cost & Payment

The cost of the plaque is AU$200.00 for FAAA members or $250.00 for non-members, but the non-member fee will include a minimum of one year of membership subscription to the NSW Division of the Association.

For security reasons we no longer put our bank account details on line. The process is:

If you are applying through the on-line form, click on the “Apply Online” button below, fill out the electronic form and click on the ‘Submit’ button. You will be contacted within a day or two with our bank details to enable EFT payment. Once your payment is received, your application will be processed.

If you are applying though the paper form, click on the “Apply by Mail” button below, download the form, fill it out and post it with a cheque or money order for the relevant amount. The instructions are all on the paper form.

Sorry, we can’t accept credit card payments.

Approval Process

Final approval for inclusion on the Wall of Service is granted by the Executive Committee of the NSW Branch of the FAAAA. The approval committee may request additional or more precise information to assist in their determination. If your application is rejected you will receive a full refund of your application fee. You may also appeal the decision by writing to the National Executive Council.

Notification

Once your plaque is affixed to the Wall of Service, notification is normally conducted via the next issue of Slipstream magazine, which is available to paid-up members of the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia. If you require an earlier notification you can select to have email notification by clicking in the ’email’ box towards the end of the (electronic) application form.

How To Apply For a Plaque On The Wall of Service

There are two ways to apply for a plaque on the Wall of Service: Electronically, or by posting your application in the Mail

Electronic application

Click on the blue button below to access a form to apply electronically. This is the preferred method of applying.

Once you have completed this form you will be contacted with payment details.

Paper application

If you do not wish to apply electronically (perhaps because you’d prefer to pay by cheque), you can fill out a paper form with your details, attach a cheque and post it to the wall administrator.
To do this, simply click on the yellow button below to download the paper form, print it and follow the instructions given on it.

Apply Online

Apply By Mail

Who is currently on the Wall?

For a list of people currently on the Wall (and where their Plaque is located)

Click Here