The Little World

Vs no reason at all.

If you want a history of design you have no further to look than the RFC/RAF roundels. Airborne identification is very sensible indeed – people bent on murder need to positively identify their enemies. The roundel, cross, star, or other symbol on an aircraft wing lets you see it at a distance and either attack or not. An additional symbol is often applied to the tail of the aircraft in case the wing is difficult to see.

The British settled upon a blue/white/red emblem and patch and applied it in various shades – early blues were a lot lighter than later ones. You would have thought that would satisfy the Air Ministry. No.

The roundel got bigger, smaller, brighter, sparser, and fatter as time went on. It lost the white for the upper wing of a camouflaged aircraft. It lost the red occasionally and took on a strange blue centre. It had yellow or silver rings at various points in time. It is now dull grey, having been pastel quite recently.

I should not be surprised if it was eventually embroidered or covered in sequins. And it would seem to be superfluous in a world of electronic IFF systems. But it’s still on ministry statute books somewhere…