Royal Logistic Corps

for the Army. It is the largest corps in the British Army.

History

The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on Monday 5 April 1993, by the union of the following British Army corps:
* Royal Corps of Transport
* Royal Army Ordnance Corps
* Royal Pioneer Corps
* Army Catering Corps
* Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Service

The RLC comprises both Regular and Territorial Army units.

Battle honours

The RLC is the only (Combat Service Support Arm) Corps of the British Army with battle honours, derived from the usage of previous transport elements (Royal Waggon Train, etc) as heavy cavalry. The battle honours are:

* Peninsula
* Waterloo
* Lucknow
* Taku Forts
* Pekin

Operational honours

Victoria Cross

The RLC has five Victoria Cross holders, these derive from the former Corps.

*Private Samuel Morley VC. Military Train. 15 April 1858.
*Private (Farrier) Michael Murphy VC (forfeited and re-listed). Military Train. 15 April 1858.
*Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton VC. Commissariat & Transport Department. 22 January 1879.
*Second Lieutenant Alfred Cecil Herring VC. Army Service Corps. 23 March 1918.
*Private Richard George Masters VC. Army Service Corps. 9 April 1918.

Albert Medal

The RLC has ten Albert Medal holders from its former Corps. Two of the holders exchanged their Albert Medals for the George Cross in 1971.

*Lieutenant SA Rowlandson. Army Service Corps. 21 May 1916.
*Staff Sergeant TM Walton. Army Service Corps. 21 May 1916.
*Private A Anderson. Army Service Corps. 21 May 1916.
*Private JT Lawrence. Army Service Corps. 21 May 1916.
*Major LC Bearne DSO. Army Service Corps. 22 October 1916.
*Private AS Usher. Army Service Corps. 22 October 1916.
*Private A Johnson. Army Service Corps. 30 June 1918.
*Driver A Horne. Army Service Corps. 30 June 1918.
*Lieutenant G Rackham. Royal Army Service Corps. 27 October 1918. (Exchanged for GC)
*Private WC Cleall. Royal Army Service Corps. 11 August 1919. (Exchanged for GC)

George Cross

The RLC has nine holders of the George Cross. Eight from the former Corps and one to the RLC.

*Lieutenant William Eastman GC. Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 24 December 1940.
*Captain Robert Jephson-Jones GC. Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 24 December 1940.
*Corporal James Scully GC. Royal Pioneer Corps. 8 July 1941.
*Major Kenneth Biggs GC. Royal Army Ordance Corps. 11 October 1946.
*Staff Sergeant Sidney Rogerson GC. Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 11 October 1946.
*Driver Joseph Hughes GC. Royal Army Service Corps. 26 June 1947.
*Major Stephen Styles GC. Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 11 January 1972.
*Warrant Officer Class 1 Barry Johnson GC. Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 6 November 1990.
*Captain Peter Norton GC. Royal Logistic Corps. 24 July 2005.

George Medal

*Staff Sergeant Gary John O'Donnell, Royal Logistic Corps. 15 December 2006LondonGazette|issue=58183|supp=yes|notarchive=yes|startpage=17359|date=15 December 2006|accessdate=2007-11-11] (O'Donnell was later killed by an IED, whilst serving in Afganistancite web | url = http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/WarrantOfficerClass2GarygazOdonnellGm11ExplosiveOrdnanceDisposalRegimentRoyalLogisticCorpsKilledInAf.htm | title = Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary 'Gaz' O'Donnell GM, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, killed in Afghanistan | accessdate = 2008-09-2 | publisher = MOD] )

Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

*Staff Sergeant James Anthony Wadsworth CGC ,Royal Logictics Corps. 7 March 2008

Queen's Gallantry Medal

*WO1 Eamon Conrad Heakin QGM, Royal Logistic Corps. 7 September 2004
*Captain Vincent Michael Strafford QGM, Royal Logistic Corps. 19 July 2007

"Bar to Queen's Gallantry Medal"'

*Captain Eamon Conrad Heakin QGM*, Royal Logistic Corps. 7 March 2008
*Captain Vincent Michael Strafford QGM*, Royal Logistic Corps. 7 March 2008

Available trades

*Ammunition Technician
*Driver/ Port Operator
*Seaman/ Navigator
*Marine Engineer
*Supplier
*Chef
*Driver
*Driver/ Radio Operator
*Driver/ Air Despatcher
*Movement Controller
*Postal and Courier Operator
*Pioneer
*Petroleum Operator
*Photographer
*Rail Operator

Units

Regular Army

*Army School of Ammunition
*1 Logistic Support Regiment
*2 Logistic Support Regiment
*3 Logistic Support Regiment
*4 Logistic Support Regiment
*5 Transport Regiment
*6 Supply Regiment
*7 Transport Regiment
*8 Transport Regiment
*9 Support Regiment
*10 Transport Regiment
*11 EOD Regiment
*12 Logistic Support Regiment
*13 Air Assault Support Regiment
**15 Air Assault Close Support Squadron
*17 Port and Maritime Regiment (includes 79 Railway Squadron)
*19 Combat Service Support Battalion
*21 Logistic Support Regiment
*23 Pioneer Regiment
*24 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment
*25 Training Support Regiment
*27 Transport Regiment
*29 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment
*ARRC Support Battalion
*The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment

*20 Logistic Support Squadron, London District
*44 Support Squadron (Royal Military Academy Sandhurst)
*89 Postal and Courier Unit (SHAPE)
*105 Logistic Support Squadron (BATUS)
*132 Aviation Supply Squadron 16th Air Assault Brigade
*Cyprus Service Support Unit (British Forces Cyprus)

Territorial Army

*Operational Headquarters Support Group
*The Scottish Transport Regiment
*Catering Support Regiment
*88 Postal and Courier Regiment
*150 (Yorkshire) Transport Regiment
*151 (Greater London) Logistic Support Regiment
*152 (Ulster) Transport Regiment
*155 (Wessex) Transport Regiment
*156 (North-West) Transport Regiment
*157 (Wales and Midlands) Logistic Support Regiment
*158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment
*159 Support Regiment
*160 Transport Regiment
*162 Movement Control Regiment
*165 Port & Maritime Regiment
*166 Supply Regiment
*168 Pioneer Regiment
*383 Commando Petroleum Troop
*395 Air Dispatch Troop

General information

In the 2004 Olympic Games held in Athens, the Royal Logistic Corps held the prestigious honour of having the most athletes from the British Army competing in the Games. These were Private Musa Audu (Nigeria), Private Seidu Duah (Ghana), Lance Corporal Josephus Thomas (Sierra Leone) and Corporal Joselyn Thomas (Sierra Leone). Private Audu achieved success at the Olympics when he was part of 4 x 400m relay final that won the Bronze medal for Nigeria.The current Colonel-in-Chief (an honorary position) is HRH The Princess Royal. The Deputy Colonels-in-Chief are HRH The Duke of Gloucester and HRH The Duchess of Kent.

The corps' cap badge is an amalgamation of the forming corps' cap badges:
* The star is from the Royal Corps of Transport
* The crossed axes are from the Royal Pioneer Corps
* The laurel and garter band is from the Royal Engineers
* The shield in the centre is from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
* The motto, "We sustain", is from the Army Catering Corps

The inscription on the garter band "Honi soit qui mal y pense" can be translated as "Evil to him who evil thinks". It is usually seen on the insignia of Regiments and Corps with 'Royal' in their title.

The corps is nicknamed "The Loggies", or the "Really Large Corps", since the Corps forms approximately 17% of the British Army. It is the Army's single largest component. Soldiers can belong to one of 18 trade groups.

The corps has the alliances with the logistic units of Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. It is affiliated with 4 Livery Companies of the City of London.

The Corps Headquarters is at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut.

Order of precedence

References

* [http://www.army.mod.uk/rlc/index.htm The Royal Logistic Corps]

See also

* Royal Logistic Corps Museum
* Royal Army Service Corps
* Options for Change
* Distance in military affairs
* British logistics in the Boer War
* British logistics in the Falklands War

External links

* [http://www.army.mod.uk/rlc/index.htm The Royal Logistic Corps]
* [http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_his_special.htm Royal Engineers Museum: Royal Engineers Transportation and Postal and Courier Services]