The Royal Armoured Corps of WWII.

[leigh kitchen]

When WWII began, Britain had 79 modern tanks, with 65 small but heavily armoured infantry support vehicles, 1,000 light tanks armed with machine guns, & some Vickers Medium Tanks dating back to the 1920’s.

Aware of but lacking commitment to the need to modernise for the requirements of land warfare, the British army continued in its traditional approach as per colonial policing, based on operations involving infantry, cavalry & small units of armoured cars or light tanks.

In 1933 the 1920’s assumption that there would be no major war for 10 years was abandoned, but rearmament, such as it was, concentrated on air & sea forces.

Under tight financial reins, the Tank Design Department was closed, leaving Vickers with, in effect a monopoly on tank design. They produced the first reliable new tank for The Royal Tank Corps – cheaply - & followed up with a range of light tanks & tankettes.

[leigh kitchen]

The first (in the world) experimental mechanized force for independent operations was established due to the study & development of armoured doctrines during the late 1920’s – early 1930’s.

In 1935 emphasis had shifted to mechanization of the traditional arms, infantry were to be given tracked carriers with heavily armoured tanks for close support. The cavalry were to get light tanks & scout carriers for reconnaissance, as infantry divisions & mechanized cavalry were to be grouped with tanks into mobile divisions to carry out the traditional cavalry task of screening & exploitation.

Light tanks continued to be the type produced more than others, new types of infantry tanks with emphasis being on protection were developed for the infantry support battalions & fast & more mobile cruiser tanks for tank brigades of the mobile divisions – British tanks were heaviliy armoured but slow, or fast but lightly armoured.

[leigh kitchen]

From 1935 conversion of cavalry regiments from horse to armour began, & in 1937 the First Mobile Division was formed, consisting of two poorly equipped light armoured brigades (as the cavalry brigades were now designated) with First Tank Brigade & support troops which included two motorized infantry battalions.

With perhaps the most mechanized army in the world, the British still held to traditional concepts of operations.

In 1939, there were two regular & four reserve armoured divisions

First Armoured Division’s organization was changed to two armoured brigades, each of three regiments, a total of 321 tanks 213 of which were cruisers & 108 light.

The division included a support group of a motorized infantry battalion & a motorized artillery regiment & engineer company.

In early 1940 a second motorized infantry battalion was added, along with an anti-aircraft / anti-tank regiment.

[leigh kitchen]

When actually deployed in France, however, the division fielded 264 tanks, 134 of which were light, & it lacked its infantry & other important components.

The British lost 700 tanks in France & Belgium in 1940, their armour could do little other than cover the retreat of The British Expeditionary Force.

[leigh kitchen]

Following the campaign in France & & successes in North Africa (of which there were more against the Italians than the Germans), more armoured divisions were created, each having 340 tanks & 14,000 men, the infantry component now being 3 battalions. Although the addition of more infantry helped balance out armoured divisions, they were still had “too many” tanks, which counted against all arms co-ordination.

British industry geared up for tank production in order to meet the new requirement for tanks & by 1939, after a faltering start, production overtook that of the Germans, in 1942 Britain produced 8,611 tanks, Germany 4,198.

Many British tanks however, suffered from engine & other mechanical problems & were’nt reliable, although during the early part of WWII the armour of British cruiser tanks was usually on a par with that of the enemy, & they were often faster & were resistant to the enemy tank & anti-tank guns. Losing an outright armour advantage as the war progressed, British infantry tanks still had good protection & mobility to help counter their lack of firepower.

[leigh kitchen]

During 1941-42 British defeats in North Africa were due more to the practice of throwing tanks into battle without support from other arms & leaving them vulnerable to anti-tank weapons than to the deficiencies of the machines themselves. Lessons were learned & initially in this theatre of war but becoming standard, the organization of armored divisions was altered & all arms co-operation improved, .

One of the armoured brigades within an armoured division was replaced by an infantry brigade (of three battalion) & the division’s artillery was increased to four regiments.

The reconnaissance element was changed to a tank equipped armoured regiment in 1943, self-propelled guns began to be added & by 1944 the armoured division establishment was 306 tanks & 15000 men.

[leigh kitchen]

From 1941 American tanks were adopted in increasing quantities as British manufacture could’nt keep up with requirements, they were more reliable & had better armament – The Grant / Lee provided a good dual purpose weapon, the first which could engage anti-tank guns as well as tanks, the Sherman a better all round tank which became the most numerous type during 1943-45. Other American & Canadian armour was imported, the British became noted for adapting various tanks for specialized purposes, mainly with a view to the invasion of europe.

Following the invasion of Normandy in 1944, the allies faced an enemy their equal & often superior in technology & tactical skill, & were forced to use numbers in a slow moving war of attrition. Armoured brigades were now deployed individually in an entirely mechanized army.

[leigh kitchen]

By the time WWII ended, Britain had produced 25115 tanks & Germany 23487.

Total British tracked vehicle productions being 85340.

[leigh kitchen]

The Royal Armoured Corps was formed on 4/4/1939, to combine all British army armoured units & initially consisted of the 18 mechanised cavalry regiments, 8 battalions of The Royal Tank Regiment (prior to the formation of the Royal Armoured Corps the RTR was titled The Royal Tank Corps) & 8 yeomanry regiments which had been mechanized as Armoured Car Companies of The Tank Corps, later Royal Tank Corps (TF) in 1920.

Although the RTC battalions carried on as battalions of The RTR, they were officially renamed as regiments, which in effect they already were, in September 1945.

The RAC was responsible for recruiting, administration & training of the armoured regiments although they retained their own insignia & uniforms.

[leigh kitchen]

The 18 mechanised cavalry regiments were:

1st King’s Dragoon Guards, which had been mechanised in 1938 & initially served as an RAC armoured car unit in the Western Desert.

The Queen’s Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards), mechanized in 1938, initial RAC service as a tank regiment in The Western Desert.

3rd Carabiniers (The Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards), converted from horsed to a light tank regiment in 1938, served in Burma.

4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, converted to armour in 1938, served in France in The BEF, the first mechanized cavalry regiment to land, & was the first to land in France on D-Day.

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, mechanized in 1938, saw service in North West Europe.

3rd The King’s Own Hussars, served in the Western Desert & Italy.

4th Queen’s Own Hussars, served in the Western Desert & Italy.

7th Queen’s Own Hussars, served in Burma & Italy.

8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, served in the Western Desert & North West Europe.

9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, converted to armour as a light tank regiment in 1935, served in France with the BEF in 1940, Egypt, the Western Desert & Italy.

10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales’s Own), served with the BEF in France, & in the Western Desert & Italy.

11th Royal Hussars (Prince Albert’s Own), converted to armour in 1928, served in the Western Desert, Italy, North West Europe – the first British armoured unit to enter Berlin.

12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s Own), converted from horse to an armoured car regiment in 1926, served with the BEF in France, North Africa & Italy.

13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s Own), served with the BEF, landed in France on D-Day.

14th/20th King’s Hussars, served in India, invasion of Persia, remained in the Middle East until the end of 1944, when it went to Italy.

15th/19th The King’s Royal Hussars, served with the BEF, & in North West Europe.

16th/5th Lancers, mechanized in 1939, served in Tunisia, & Italy.

17th/21st Lancers, served in Tunisia & Italy.

[leigh kitchen]

The Royal Tank Regiment, whose black beret was adopted for wear by virtually all of the units of The RAC, had expanded from 6 to 8 battalions during the late 1930s, the 7th Bn being formed in 1937 & the 8th Bn in 1938. During WWII it expanded to 20 battalions.

The RTC / RTR cap badge in white metal, a cast brass version with very faint traces of silver coloured plating (in brass the badge was that of the band), & an officer's bronzed Service Dress collar badge:

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

Twelve of them, numbered from 40th - 51st Battalions, were converted infantry battalions, all of which adopted The RTR badge:

40th (previously 7th Bn The King's (Liverpool) Regiment)

41st (previously 10th Bn The Manchester Regiment),

42nd,

43rd (previously 6th Bn The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers),

44th (previously 6th Bn The Gloucestershire Regiment, converting to RTC in early 1938 & rebadging as RTR in 1939)

45th (previously 7th Bn Leeds Rifles, The West Yorkshire Regiment which had been combined with 8th Bn & converted to The 96th (Leeds Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Brigade Royal Artillery in 1936, resumed a separate identity in 1938, converted to RAC in 1940).

The remainder were similarly activated & converted to RAC in 1939:

46th,

47th,

48th,

49th, (a duplicate of 6th Bn RNF, in 1944 becoming 49th Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment RAC)

50th

51st.

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

The 8 Yeomanry Armoured Car Companies of the RTR were all activated & expanded to regiments, transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps & ceased to have any connection with The RTR, other than that they & The RTR were now units of The RAC.

[leigh kitchen]

Between December 1940 – February 1941, 6 new cavalry regiments were formed as part of The RAC:

22nd Dragoons, raised on 1/12/1940, served in North West Europe, disbanded 1/12/1945.

23rd Hussars, raised December 1940, served in North West Europe, disbanded January 1946.

24th Lancers, raised in December 1940, took part in The Normandy Landings, disbanded in July 1944 due to heavy casualties, its personnel transferring to 23rd Hussars.

25th Dragoons, raised in India in January 1941, served in the Arakan & Burma, India, again Burma.

26th Hussars, raised in India, never saw active service & was withdrawn from active duty in December 1943.

27th Lancers, formed as an armoured car regiment, served in Egypt, The Western Desert, Italy & Austria

[leigh kitchen]

In 1941 The 1st The Royal Dragoons joined The RAC, having been mechanized as an armoured car regiment in 1940 & seeing service in the Western Desert, Syria, Italy & North West Europe.

In 1942 The Royal Scots Greys joined The RAC, having been converted to an armoured unit in Palestine in 1941. As a tank regiment it served in the Western Desert, Sicily, & North West Europe.

[leigh kitchen]

In November 1941 & July 1942 a number of infantry battalions were converted to armoured units of The RAC, some adopting the insignia of The RAC, others merely its black beret.

By 1942 year The RAC comprised 104 active regiments (33 of which were converted from infantry & 15 additional yeomanry regiments to the original 8) & 11 training regiments.

[leigh kitchen]

During the war the following infantry battalions were converted to RAC regiments:

107th Regiment previously 5th Bn The King's Own Royal Regiment

108th Regiment 1/5 Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

109th Regiment 1/6 Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

110th Regiment 5th Bn The Border Regiment (converted to armour in September 1941, retaining its Border Regiment cap badge until disbanded in 1943).

111st Regiment 5th Bn The Manchester Regiment (reformed as armour after returning to England following the fall of France in 1940, resumed the infantry role & the wear of The Manchester Regiment cap badge in 1943

112th Regiment 5th Bn The Sherwood Foresters (converted to armour in 1941, continued to wear the cap badge of The Sherwood Foresters, disbanded in 1944).

113th Regiment 2/5th Bn The West Yorkshire Regiment

114th Regiment 2/6th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

115th Regiment 2/7th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (served in the infantry role in France in 1940, converted to RAC in 1942, resumed the infantry role in 1944 & rebadged as 12th Bn The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment).

116th Regiment 9th Bn The Gordon Highlanders

141st Regiment 7th Bn The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

142nd Regiment 7th Bn The Suffolk Regiment

143rd Regiment 9th Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

144th Regiment 8th Bn The East Lancashire Regiment (converted to RAC in 1942,later redesignated 44th Royal Tank Regiment)

145th Regiment 8th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

146th Regiment 9th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

147th Regiment 10th Bn The Hampshire Regiment (raised in 1940, converted to armour in 1941, continued to wear The Hants Regt cap badge).

148th Regiment 9th Bn The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)

149th Regiment 7th Bn The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (converted to armour in October 1941).

150th Regiment 10th Bn The York and Lancaster Regiment (converted to armour in 1940, adopting the RAC cap badge, but resuming The North Staffs cap badge in 1944 although still remaining in The RAC).

151st Regiment 10th Bn The King's Own Royal Regiment – in December 1943 retitled 107th Regiment RAC, & discarding the RAC cap badge for that of The KORR).

152nd Regiment 11th Bn The King's Regiment

153rd Regiment 8th Bn The Essex Regiment (converted to armour in 1941, retaining the cap badge of The Essex Regiment).

154th Regiment 9th Bn The North Staffordshire Regiment (converted to armour in January 1942).

155th Regiment 15th Bn The Durham Light Infantry (raised in 1940, converted to armour in 1942, wearing the RAC cap badge in the beret but the Band & Bugles the cap badge of The DLI, all ranks wearing the badge of The DLI when walking out in the Field Service Cap).

156th Regiment 11th Bn The Highland Light Infantry.

157th Regiment 9th Bn The Hampshire Regiment (formed in 1940, transferred to RAC in November 1941).

158th Regiment 6th Bn The South Wales Borderers (reverted to infantry in 1943, resuming the SWB cap badge).

159th Regiment 10th Bn The Gloucestershire Regiment (converted to RAC in July 1942 & wearing The RAC cap badge, reverted to the infantry role in April 1943 & resumed its original designation & front & back cap badges).

160th Regiment 9th Bn The Royal Sussex Regiment

161st Regiment 12th Bn The Green Howards (returned to an infantry role in October 1943 as 161st (Green Howards) Regiment, The Reconnaissance Corps, wearing The Recce Corps cap badge).

162nd Regiment 9th Bn The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment

163rd Regiment 13th Bn The Sherwood Foresters

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

The converted infantry battalions which retained their old badges were:

107th Regiment, previously 5th Bn The King’s Own Royal Regiment (which wore The King’s Own cap badge but in chromed metal instead of gilding metal & without the red backing). The regiment was disbanded in 1943, & in December the 151st Regiment RAC (previously 10th Bn KORR) was renamed 107th Regiment RAC & changed its RAC cap badge to that of The KORR.

108th Regiment 1/5th Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

109th Regiment 1/6th Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

110th Regiment 6th Bn The Border Regiment (converted to RAC in September 1941, disbanded in 1943).

112th Regiment 9th Bn The Sherwood Foresters (converted to RAC in 1941, disbanded in 1944).

141st Regiment 7th Bn The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

142nd Regiment 7th Bn The Suffolk Regiment

143rd Regiment 9th Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers

144th Regiment 8th Bn The East Lancashire Regiment(converted to RAC in 1942,later redesignated 44th Royal Tank Regiment, it retained its East Lancs cap badge for a time prior to adopting that of The RTR).

147th Regiment 10th Bn The Hampshire Regiment

153rd Regiment 8th Bn The Essex Regiment (converted to armour in 1941).

155th Regiment 15th Bn The Durham Light Infantry

(which wore The RTR badge on the black beret, but The DLI

badge on the khaki Field Service Cap)

156th Regiment 11th Bn The Highland Light Infantry

160th Regiment 9th Bn The Royal Sussex Regiment

162nd Regiment 9th Bn The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment

163rd Regiment 13th Bn The Sherwood Foresters

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

In 11/1/1944 the 26 regiments of The Reconnaissance Corps were transferred to The RAC, retaining their own cap badges, & it was’nt until spring 1945 that all units had finally discarded the Recce Corp’s khaki beret for the RAC’s black beret which should have adopted upon joining The RAC.

The Recce Corps had been formed in January 1941, officially on the 14th, but some units (initially termed battalions, but later regiments, a term some of the battalions had been calling themselves anyway following the cavalry tradition) dated their formation on the 8th, & one on the 1st of January.

Originally conceived as The Infantry Reconnaissance Corps, it had been raised to fill the gap for armoured reconnaissance in infantry divisions, there being insufficient cavalry to do so.

Generally, the battalions / regiments of The Recce Corps served with the infantry divisions which bore the same number eg 1st Reconnaissance Regiment served with 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment with 3rd Infantry Division, 46th Reconnaissance Regiment with 46th Infantry Division.

Edited April 30, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

1st Reconnaissance Regiment served in Tunisia, Italy & Palestine

1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron served briefly in Italy in 1943 as 1st Air-Landing Squadron, at Arnhem in September 1944 it was virtually destroyed along with 1st Airborne Division.

2nd Reconnaissance Regiment was formed from 6th Bn The Loyal (North Lancs) Regiment, & served in India from June 1942, at Kohima in 1944 & in the advance into Burma, 1944-45.

2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry was’nt officially part of The Recce Corps, but was in effect an “honorary” member assigned to 51st Highland Division in January 1944 & serving in North West Europe 1944-45. The Commanding Officer of 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry was Lt Col W. P. Serocold, who had been Chief Instructor at The Recce Training Centre. The 2nd Derbyshire Yeomary continued to wear their own regimental insignia rather than thos of The Recce Corps.

3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was formed from 8th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, landed in France on 6/61944 & served in North West Europe 1944-45.

4th Reconnaissance Regiment served in Tunisia in 1943, in Italy in 1944 & in Greece in 1946.

5th Reconnaissance Regiment was formed in 1941 from 3rd Battalion The Tower Hamlets Rifles, The Rifle Brigade, which had been raised in 1940, & served in Sicily in 1943, Italy 1943-44, Palestine 1944, Italy 1945 & North West Europe 1945.

6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment was formed from Light Tank Squadron, 6th Airborne Division & designated a reconnaissance regiment in January 1944, landed by glider in Normandy on 6/6/1945, served in Belgium 1944-45, & Germany.

15th (Scottish) Reconnaissance Regiment, landed in Normandy on 6/6/1944, served in North West Europe.

18th Reconnaissance Battalion was formed from 5th Bn The Loyal Regiment (North Lancs) in 1941, & was captured in Singapore in February 1942. It was termed a Reconnaissance Battalion & not retitled as a Reconnaissance Regiment as it was captured prior to the adoption of the cavalry nomenclature by Recce Corps units.

43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment was formed as 48th Recce Bn from 5th Bn Gloucestershire Regiment. Landing in Normandy in late June 1944, the 43rd absorbed a squadron of 161 (Green Howards) Recce Regiment in June 1944 to replace losses & served through the North West Europe campaign.

44th Reconnaisance Regiment served in North Africa from July 1942, it was a mine clearance unit for XIII Corps at El Alamain in October of that year. The 44th transferred to 56 (London) Division in January 1944 when 44 Division was broken up as reinforcements for other units, & served in Tunisia in 1943 & Italy 1943 – 45.

45th Reconnaissance Regiment served as part of 70th Division in India from March 1942, & formed 45 & 54 Columns of 16 Brigade Special Force “Chindits” March – May 1944. The 45th Recce Regt was disbanded & reformed as 2nd Bn The South Staffordshire Regiment in October 1944.

46th Reconnaissance Regiment served in Tunisia January – March 1943 & landed at Salerno in September of that year, serving in Italy until transferred to Greece in Januray 1945.

49th (West Riding) Reconnaissance Regiment landed in Normany in mid June 1944 & served throughout the North West Europe campaihn until May 1945.

50th Reconnaissance Battalion was formed from 4th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Equipped with motorcycles, 4th Bn RNF had served in France in 1940 in a reconnaissance role. From April 1942 the 50th served with 22 Armoured Brigade in North Africa, being destroyed in the Gazala Battles in May / June of that year.before the cavalry nomenclature “regiment” was adopted to replace the term “battalion” in their title.

51st (Highland) Reconnaissance Regiment served in North Africa from August 1942, fighting as infantry at El Alamein in October. Converted to 14th Bn Highland Light Infantry & serving in the lorried infantry role, the unit was disbanded in June 1944. (In January 1944 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry served as the Recce unit of 51st (Highland) Division).

52nd (Lowland) Reconnaissance Regiment was trained for mountain warfare, as was the rest of 52nd (Lowland) Division, it was equipped with Daimler Dingo scout cars & had a squadron of Valentine tanks. Re - roled as air – portable, the division actually fought in the conventional infantry role in North West Europe, October 1944 – May 1945.

53rd (Welsh) Reconnaissance Regiment Landed in Normandy in late June 1944 & served throughout the North West Europe campaign until May 1945.

56th Reconnaissance Regiment served with 78th Division in Tunisia in November 1942 – May 1943, the first Recce Corps unit to go into action in the Recce role. Service in Sicily July – August 1943 & Italy September 1943 – May 1945 followed.

59th (Staffordshire) Reconnaissance Regiment landed in Normandy as part of 59th (Staffordshire) Division in late July 1944, in August the division was broken up for reinforcements.

61st Reconnaissance Regiment landed in Normandy on D-Day as part of 50th (Northumbrian) Division, & served in the Northe West Europe campaign until broken up for reinforcements in January 1945.

81st (West African) Reconnaissance Regiment served in India from August 1943, & took part in the Arakan campaigns & serving in Burma January – April 1944 & October 1944 – January 1945.

82nd (West African) Reconnaissance Regiment served in India from July 1944, in Arakan, & Burma February – May 1945.

161st (Green Howards) Reconnaissance Regiment retained Green Howard insignia, it was originally formed from 12th Bn Green Howards as 161st Regiment RAC but transferred to The Reconnaissance Corps in October 1943. One squadron of the regiment saw action, transferring to 43rd (Wessex) Regiment to replace losses in June 1944.

GHQ Liaison Regiment (“Phantom”) carried out long range patrols with forward troops or dropped behind enemy lines in order to report information on the enemy directly to Army Headquarters by radio. In early 1944 it was affiliated to The RAC & drew reinforcements from The Recce Corps, having a strength of about 200 men at the end of the war.

38th Reconnaissance Regiment was formed in October 1943 from 38th, 47th & 55th Independent Recce Squadrons. Never seeing action, 38th Recce Regt was disbanded in October 1944, 80th (Holding) Regiment adopted the title of 38th Recce Regt theame month.

54th Reconnaissance Regiment was formed in July 1941 from 21st Bn The Royal Fusiliers. In November of that year it was broken up into 45th, 54th & 76th Independent Recce Squadrons, in February 1943 45th & 54th Independent Squadrons amalgamated with 15th Reconnaissance Squadron to form 15th (Scottish) Reconnaissance Regiment. 76th Squadron became part of 80th Holding Regiment.

80th (Holding) Regiment was formed in January 1943 from 48th, 76th & 77th Independent Reconnaissance Squadrons as a training & holding unit. In October 1944 80th (Holding) Regiment was renamed 38th Reconnaissance Regiment. Based at Morecombe, Lancashire, the unit continued in its training & holding role.

Reconnaissance Officer Cadet Training Units – 162nd Reconnaissance OCTU was The Recce Corps original OCTU, formed from The Honourable Artillery Regiment’s infantry battalion. In 1942 162nd Recce OCTU amalgamated at Sandhurst with 101st RAC OCTU to form 100th RAC OCTU, & remained there for the rest of the war.

Reconnaissance Training Centre was formed in January 1941 at Winchester, moving in May of that year to Lockerbie in Scotland. It amalgamated in August 1943 with 63rd Reconnaissance Training Centre, moving to Catterick for the rest of the war.

Reconnaissance Corps Band was formed in Janauary 1941 & ready to perform in public by June. It toured the UK & also toured the Low Countries 1944-45.

[leigh kitchen]

Although The RAC formed in April 1939, a badge for the corps was’nt adopted until 1940.

In February of that year a gilding metal badge was approved, a laurel wreath containing the monogram “RAC” & surmounted by the King’s Crown. Smaller versions of the badge were to be the collar badges, & the letters “RAC” the shoulder title, however wartime policy dictated that collar badges would not be provided during the war & that the shoulder titles would be of worsted embroidery. General Service buttons were to be worn, not a pattern specific to The RAC.

[leigh kitchen]

On 7/3/1942 new designs for RAC insignia were approved, having been under consideration since 1941. Officer’s cap badges were of silver or white metal, their Service Dress collar badges of bronzed metal, Other Ranks cap & collar badges were of white metal.

The cap badge consisted of a clenched mailed gauntlet bearing a billet inscribed “RAC”, within two concentric circles broken & barbed at the top & surmounted by the King’s Crown.

The collar badges were smaller versions of this design, & the button now bore the clenched mailed gauntlet with it’s “RAC” inscription.

As with the first pattern insignia, collar badges were not issued during the war, neither were the new pattern of button.

The Other Rank's whte metal cap badge, & the post WWII Other Rank's white metal & officer's silver plated collar badge:

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

Officer’s bronzed cap badges of the various regiments of The RAC, designed to be worn with khaki coloured Service Dress & Battle Dress were’nt distinctive enough to show up against the black cloth of The RAC beret.

Regiments were given the option to wear the gilt or gilding metal badges authorized for wear on their coloured peaked forage caps, the proviso being that all officers within a regiment were required to wear the same type of badge with the black beret.

[leigh kitchen]

Officer Cadets of infantry, cavalry & The RAC wore the cap badge of the regiment to which they belonged, or if never having been posted to a regiment prior to officer training, cavalry cadets wore as a cap badge the royal arms, RAC cadets The RAC badge.

Recruits to cavalry training regiments wore the royal arms as cap badge & button designs, with "CAV.T.R." as a shoulder title - collar badges were not worn during the war, shoulder titles were in worsted embroidery.

When appointed to regiments after completion of training, regimental insignia were adopted.

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

Officer Cadets being trained at Officer Cadet Training Units wore a white cloth band around the lower part of their headress, in June 1940 it was decided that a similar distinction would be worn around the base of each shoulder strap, the white cloth being locally procured by units.

In June 1941, RAC Officer Cadets were authorised to wear a 1 3/4" diameter white ivorine (a type of plastic material) disc as a backing to their badge worn on the black beret (the black beret was known as the "cap, RTR"). A white ivorine lozenges were also worn.

As an economy measure, a later instruction of October 1942 introduced a white peak to be worn with the Field Sevice Cap (sidecap) rather than the white band, in Septemeber 1943, with the introduction of the floppy beret like General Service Cap, the cloth FSC peak, the white ivorine disc & lozenge were replaced with a 3" diameter whte ivorine discthe type.

Current stocks of white peaks were to be used up before the 3" diameter discs were worn, the white ivorine lozenges continued in wear by RAC OCTU Cadets until supplies were used up (exceptions to the use of the 3" disc included Cadets authorised to wear Service Dress Caps who were reissued white cap bands).

Edited April 29, 2010 by leigh kitchen