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With World War 2 at an end, the Corps
along with the rest of the Armed Forces, began to reduce in
size as the Age and Service Demobilisation Scheme got underway.
In the immediate postwar period the future of the Royal Pioneer
Corps came under discussion on several occasions. At a meeting
held at the War Office in February 1948 it was decided that
the Corps should not form part of the permanent postwar Active
Army. However, on 8 October of that year, it was decided that
intake in the Corps should continue until at least March 1950.
Although the Corps had reduced considerably in size by this
time, (the Pioneers of the High Commissioned Territories Corps,
after excellent service, had been disbanded) we were still
a large Corps with far-flung responsibilities.
The strength of the UK element was :-
650 Officers
900 Soldiers serving on regular engagements
400 Soldiers serving on short service regular engagements
7800 National Service Solders
In addition, the strength of
the Mauritian Royal Pioneers was
14,000
In BAOR the Labour Directorate was
responsible for the recruitment and administration of 251,000
civilians employed by the Forces. In Egypt the Corps administered
the 48,000 civilians employed there. It was about this time
the Bastyan Committee on the future of the British Army came
into being. Its basic terms of reference being to make recommendations
concerning the composition and size of the postwar Regular
Army. On 4 May 1949 Brigadier
H H Blanchard CBE, Director of Pioneers and Labour presented
a paper on the Royal Pioneer Corps to this Committee. A copy
of this paper is held in the Royal Logistics Museum at Deepcut
and in the Brigadier's own hand is inscribed :-
'This was
the first move which resulted in the Corps becoming part of
the Regular Army'.
The Corps gained many awards for gallantry
and in addition received American, French, Dutch, Greek, Belgian
and Italian awards. Some 2,800 men of the Corps laid down
their lives oversees. On 26th November 1946, his majesty George
VI decreed that in recognition of its services the Corps should
have the distinction "Royal" added to the
title. In February 1950 the Royal Pioneer Corps became
part of the Regular Army. Since
the end of World War 2, Royal Pioneer Corps officers and soldiers
have played their part in all operations overseas.
• The
second cap badge of the Royal Pioneer Corps
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After the Gulf War in 1991,
the Ministry of Defence decided that these organisations,
with their separate functions, should be combined into one,
to be called the Royal Logistic Corps. Since its formation
in 1993, the Royal Logistic Corps has supported Britain's
military commitments in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia
(Bosnia and Kosovo), Northern Ireland, Iraq, Cyprus, Falklands
Islands, Africa and wherever the British Army is operating.
If you want to know more about the History of the Royal Logistic
Corps click here to read
about the RLC Museum.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
On 23 July 1991 the Secretary
of State for
Defence announced that the Royal Pioneer Corps
would combine with the Royal Corps of Transport,
the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, the Army
Catering Corps and the Postal and Courier
Service of the Royal Engineers to form a
large Logistic Corps.
• The cap badge of The Royal
Logistic Corps.
Notice the familiar picks.
The Royal Logistic Corps, both Regular and Territorial Army,
was formed on 5th April 1993. This Corps drew from 5 previous
Corps or branches of Corps. Elements of each of these previous
Corps are shown in the Royal Logistic Corps' current cap badge.
These are:
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Former
Corps/Branch
|
Military
Function
|
Badge
Element
|
Cap
Badge
|
|
Royal
Army
Ordnance Corps
|
Supply
of military
equipment and stores
|
Ordnance
Shield
|
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|
Royal
Corps
of Transport
|
Transport by land, sea
and air of military
equipment and stores
|
Star
of India
|
|
|
Army
Catering Corps
|
Feeding the Army
|
The
Motto 'We Sustain'
|
|
|
Royal
Pioneer Corps
|
Construction and Labour
|
Pioneer Axes
|
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|
Corps
of
Royal Engineers
(Postal and Courier Branch)
|
Mail
and vital document courier service
|
Laurel
Wreath
|
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