A THE CORPS OF ROYAL ENGINEERS THE ROYAL HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT THE ROYAL CORPS OF TRANSPORT THE ARMY MEDICAL SERVICES THE ARMY PHYSICAL TRAINING CORPS and THE ARMY CATERING CORPS PRESENTATION OF THE Honorary Freedom Borough of Rushmoor OF THE TO Friday, 29th May, 1981 I I MESSAGE I I USHMOOR was created by the amalgamation Rof the Borough of Aldershot and the Urban District of Farnborough under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and assumed full responsibility from the two former Councils on 1st April, 1974. The new District was also granted the status of a Borough on the same date. Early in the life of the new Borough the Council agreed that, at the appropriate time, favourable consideration would be given to granting the Freedom of the Borough of Rushmoor to those Regiments and Corps of the British Army who had been so honoured by the former Borough of Aldershot, thus perpetuating the close ties which have existed between the military and civilian communities in this area for over a century and a quarter. In 1979 the Council felt that the time was now right for the decision taken earlier to be imple- mented. Following consultations with those involved, the Council agreed in February 1980 to invite the nine Regiments and Corps to accept the Freedom of the Borough and 29th May, 1981 was fixed as the date for the ceremony. To admit a person or persons to be Honorary Freemen is the highest honour a Borough can bestow, and the Act of 1972 requires a Special Meeting of the Council to be called for the purpose. This Special Council Meeting was held on 19th May, 1981, under the chairmanship of the newly elected Mayor of Rushmoor (Councillor M. H. Garrood), when seven formal resolutions were passed admitting as Honorary Freemen of the Borough of Rushmoor the Corps of Royal Engineers, the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Corps of Trans- port, the Army Medical Services comprising the Royal Army Medical Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Army Physical Training Corps and the Army Catering Corps. The formal wording of each resolution recites the date and reasons for the Regiment or Corps being granted the Freedom of Aldershot and refers to the fact that Aldershot is now included within ~ the Borough of Rushmoor. It then goes on to admit the Regiment or Corps to the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Rushmoor in furtherance of the close links which have existed for many years, and confers upon the Regiment or Corps the right, honour and distinction of marching through the streets of the Borough on all ceremonial occasions with bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed. The two Regiments are also given the right to march with Colours flying. At today's ceremony each Regiment and Corps will be presented with the appropriate resolution inscribed on a scroll of calfskin vellum and bearing the Arms of the Borough and the Badge of the Regiment or Corps in 24 carat gold and full colour. The scheme of decoration of each scroll has been based on the colours of the Regimental or Corps ribbon with which the scroll is laced. The ribbons are finished with gold bullion tassels and each scroll has been sealed with the Corporate Seal of the Borough and signed by the Mayor and the Chief Executive. The seven scrolls have been designed and executed by Mr. Anthony Wood, N.D.D., F.H.S., F.R.S.A., a professional calligrapher, illuminator and heraldic artist. He is a Craft Member of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators, a Fellow of the Heraldry Society and a Senior Lecturer in the Craft at Reigate School of Art and Design. He works extensively for organisations in the City of London, including several of the City Livery Companies, and is currently Master of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers. The scrolls have been designed to fit into the original caskets presented by the former Borough of Aldershot, to which have been added the Arms of Rushmoor and inscriptions recording the fact that the Freedom of the Borough of Rushmoor was conferred upon the Regiment or Corps on 29th May, 1981. The engraving of the additional inscriptions was undertaken by Professor Gerald Benney, R.D.I., F.R.C.A., who designed and made five of the original caskets. from (Councillor M. H. Garrood) The Worshipful the Mayor of Rushmoor f(Qgsjlcti 2 I Before the Second World War the honour of the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot was reserved for citizens who had distinguished themselves in the service of the Borough. At the end of the war Aldershot Borough Council had the imagination to bestow the honour on the County Regiment for obvious reasons, and on the Canadian Army Between 1957 and 1973 the Council also bestowed the honour on the other Regiments and Corps here today. In the brochure produced to mark the confer- ment of the Freedom upon the Army Medical Services in 1973, the last Mayor of Aldershot, the late Councillor W. S. James, D.C.M., wrote that he hoped the honour would be perpetuated by the new Rushmoor Council. Soon after it achieved Borough status in 1974, our Council resolved to re-confer the Freedom upon the seven Military "Freemen" as soon as it was expedient and practical to do so, but it has taken seven years to bring this unique occasion to fruition. I am very proud that this ceremony falls in my year of office. I boast of the fact that I was born in an Army quarter in Cowie Square, North Camp (which many consider to be the centre of ~ ~ I Overseas whose base had been in Aldershot. * \ I 1 I I I Rushmoor), of a Sergeant in the RASC and an Army schoolmistress. I have always done my best to foster the excellent relations which have existed between the military and civilian communities since the Army first came to Aldershot in 1854, and which this ceremony is designed to strengthen. Although it is Aldershot which is known as "The Home of the British Army", the Military Town has always linked Aldershot to Farnborough, so that it is very fitting that the ceremony should take place in Rushmoor Arena, from which, by popular demand, our Borough takes its name. We civilians owe a great debt of gratitude to the Army, and this is our way of saying "Thank you" to all those who have served their country in the past, to all those who now serve, and to all those who will serve in the future. MICHAEL H. GARROOD Mayor of Rushmoor 1981 / 82. Mayor's Parlour, Town Hall, Farnborough, Hants. 1 ORDER OF PROCEEDINGS Spectators are requested to remain seated except at the following times, when they are requested to stand and gentlemen to remove their hats: Arrival and departure of the Mayor General Salute The National Anthem 2.15 p.m. Contingents of the Corps of Royal Engineers, the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Corps of Transport, the Royal Army Medical Corps, the Royal Army Dental Army Catering Corps and the Massed Bands will march on and take up position. Corps, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Army Physical Training Corps, the I 2.40p.m. The Worshipful the Mayor of Rushmoor (Councillor M. H. Garrood), preceded by the i Macebearer with the Mace, and accompanied by the Mayoress, the Chief Executive and the Mayor's Chaplain, will enter the Arena with the Chief Royal Engineer, the Colonel of the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the Colonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment, the Representative Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Transport, the Director General of Army Medical Services, the Representative Colonels Commandant of the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Royal Army Dental Corps, the Colonel Commandant of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Colonel Commandant of the Army Physical Training Corps and the Representative Colonel Commandant of the Army Catering Corps. I I 2.45 p.m. The Mayor will be received by a "General Salute" and will review the parade. The Massed Bands will play a Fanfare. The Mayor will call upon the Chief Executive (Mr. D. Hartley, D.M.A., M.I.L.G.A., F.B.I.M.) to report the resolutions of the Council passed at a Special Meeting held on 19th May 1981. The Mayor will speak on the admission of the Regiments and Corps to the Honorary Freedom of the Borough. The Chief Executive will read the customary oath to be taken on behalf of the Regiments and Corps, as follows: "You shall swear for your Regiment or Corps that, as free and franchised men and women of the Borough of Rushmoor, they will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second, her heirs and successors; that they will preserve the peace and tranquillity of this Borough so far as in them lieth, and if they know of any unlawful conventicles or assemblies against the state thereof, they will forthwith disclose the same to the Mayor for the time being of this Borough whom they will aid by their best counsel and advice, and that they will defend the customs and privileges of this Borough in every just and lawful cause." The Chief Royal Engineer (Lieutenant General Sir David Willison, K.C.B., O.B.E., M.C.) will take the oath on behalf of the Corps of Royal Engineers. He will then sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen, and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll containing the resolution of the Council. The Colonel of the Royal Hampshire Regiment (Brigadier D. J. Warren, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., D.L.) will take the oath on behalf of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. The Colonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment (General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, K.C.B., D.S.O., M.B.E., M.C., A.D.C.(Gen.)) will take the oath on behalf of the Parachute Regiment. He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. The Representative Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Transport (Major General P. Blunt, C.B., M.B.E., G.M.) will take the oath on behalf of the Royal Corps of Transport. He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. Prayers will be said by the Mayor's Chaplain (The Revd. S. A. Zeal, B.A.). ~ * l I 2 The Director General of Army Medical Services (Lieutenant General H. A. J. Reay, Q.H.P., M.B., F.R.C.P.(Edin.)) will take the oath on behalf of the Army Medical Services, in the company of the Representative Colonels Commandant of the Royal Army Medical Corps (Major General D. G. Milne, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H., F.F.C.M.) and the Royal Army Dental Corps (Colonel H. G. Holland, L.D.S.) and the Colonel Commandant of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (Brigadier H. Cattenach, C.B., R.R.C.). He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. The Colonel Commandant of the Army Physical Training Corps (Lieutenant General Sir Nigel Bagnall, K.C.B., C.V.O., M.C.) will take the oath on behalf of the Army Physical Training Corps. He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. The Representative Colonel Commandant of the Army Catering Corps (General Sir Patrick Howard-Dobson, G.C.B.) will take the oath on behalf of the Army Catering Corps. He will sign the Roll of Honorary Freemen and the Mayor will invite his acceptance of a Scroll. The Colonel of the Royal Hampshire Regiment will return thanks to the Borough on behalf of the Regiments and Corps. The Parade will advance in Review Order. The Parade will give a "General Salute". THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. 4.00 p.m. (approx.) The Mayor, preceded by the Macebearer with the Mace, and accompanied by the Mayoress, the Chief Executive, the Mayor's Chaplain, the Chief Royal Engineer, the Colonel of the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the Colonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment, the Representative Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Transport, the Director General of Army Medical Services, the Representative Colonels Commandant of the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Royal Army Dental Corps, the Colonel Commandant of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Colonel Commandant of the Army Physical Training Corps and the Representative Colonel Commandant of the Army Catering Corps, will leave the Arena. In the evening the Regiments and Corps will exercise their rights as Honorary Freemen of marching through the streets of the Borough with Colours flying, bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed. 6.30 p.m. The Parade will form up in the vicinity of the Town HalI, Farnborough, and will march via Alexandra Road, Lynchford Road, Queens Avenue, Hospital Hill and Barrack Road to the vicinity of Alexandra Road, Aldershot, where it will disperse. 7.15 p.m. The salute at the March Past will be taken by The Worshipful the Mayor (Councillor M. H. (approx.) Garrood) in Barrack Road, Aldershot, outside Princes Hall. (Gentlemen are reminded that hats should be removed during the passing of the Colours of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Hampshire Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.) 3 On Parade Parade Commander Lieutenant Colonel S. R. Gilbert, RE Parade RSM WO1 B. H. Stafford, B.E.M., RE Contingent Commanders The Corps of Royal Engineers The Royal Hampshire Regiment The Parachute Regiment The Royal Corps of Transport The Army Medical Services The Army Physical Trainiig Corps Major G. W. Gelder, APTC The Army Catering Corps Major I. D. T. McGill, RE 2nd Lieutenant J. K. Iles, RE Major A. W. Freemantle, R. Hamps Lieutenant R. W. Dennis, R. Hamps Major C. Hicks, Para Lieutenant P. H. D. Clarke, Para Major M. G. Roach, RCT Captain B. S. Price, RCT Major R. C. Thayne, RAMC Captain B. K. Bailey, RAMC Captain C. H. Parsons, ACC 2nd Lieutenant G. R. Pearce, ACC COLOUR PARTIES 1st Battalion The Royal Hampshire Regiment Queen's Colour: 2nd Lieutenant A. J. Porter, R. Hamps Regimental Colour: 2nd Lieutenant C. J. Davey, R. Hamps Escort C/Sgt. D. M. J. Lawless WO2 R. E. Riddell C/Sgt. P. A. Lewis 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment Queen's Colour: Lieutenant A. B. Robertson, Para Regimental Colour: 2nd Lieutenant G. Martyr, Para Escort WO2 W. Penman C/Sgt. G. Peatfield C/Sgt. G. Letson Pony Major: Pte. M. Hay ___ 4 MASSED BANDS The Corps of Royal Engineers Director of Music MajorR. A. Hunt,L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M., A.(Mus.)T.C.L., p.s.m., RE The Royal Hampshire Regiment Bandmaster: WO1 D. W. Wood Drum Major: C/Sgt. A. F. Windebank The Parachute Regiment Bandmaster: WO1 R. A. Ely Drum Major: Sgt. W. J. Graham The Royal Corps of Transport Director of Music: Major T. A. Kenny, A.R.C.M., p.s.m., RCT Drum Major: Sgt. F. Hulley The Royal Army Medical Corps Director of Music: Captain D. Carson, L.T.C.L., p.s.m., RAMC Drum Major: Sgt. D. Stevenson Programme of Music March on of Contingents and Massed Bands General Salute Review Fanfare Advance in Review Order General Salute Departure of the Mayor and dispersal of Parade "The Great Little Army" "Borough and Bayonet" "Cavalry Brigade" "Pageantry" "Sons of the Brave" "Glorious Victory" "Scipio" "Salute to Freedom" "British Grenadiers" "Cavalry Brigade" THE NATIONAL ANTHEM "Rushmoor" "The King's Guard" Aljbrd Hurst Traditional Stanley Bidgood Kendall Handel Hunt Traditional Traditional Hunt Keith 5 The Corps of Royal Engineers Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 20th May, 1965 The Corps of Royal Engineers has enjoyed a very special and close association with Aldershot since 1853 when, in November that year, an Officer and a small party of NCOs and men pitched a few tents and set up the RE Yard on the site of the present Princes Gardens. They were, in fact, the first body of troops to be stationed at Aldershot. In 1854 the construction of the military camps, initially hutments, was started; the work being planned and supervised by Royal Engineers. Then, by steps, the whole of the hutted buildings were replaced by permanent buildings complete with roads and services. The plans for the original barracks were drawn up by Captain R. M. Laffan, RE, who became the CRE of Aldershot from 1866 to 1872. He was responsible for many improve- "Sappers" of'9 Parachute Squadron RE ready for action! ments in the Camp including the planting of trees and the laying of turf and, in the early nineties, Laffan's Plain was named in his memory. The great programme of construction which was carried out in the latter part of the last century was also planned and supervised by Royal Engineers and, with this enormous programme of work, it might truly be said that Aldershot's claim to being the Home of the British Army was firmly established. The responsibility for all military buildings and associated services remained with the Royal Engineers until 1960, when it passed to a civilian organisation within the War Department. This, in turn, has now been absorbed by the Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment. Today many of the barracks planned and designed by Royal Engineers in Aldershot have been demolished but among the more notable buildings still standing which were designed by Royal Engineers are the Garrison Churches and the Prince Consort's Library. Apart from the close connections with the building of barracks, there have been Royal Engineers stationed in Aldershot since 1853. It became the home of the mounted branches of the Corps in 1871 and it was there that all ranks of the Corps were trained in riding. Sappers from Aldershot formed the nucleus of the first Tele- graph Troop raised in Chatham in 1870. In 1906 the Wireless Experimental Section was formed at Aldershot, followed by the Army Signal School in 1912. These Signal Units of the Royal Engineers were the forerunners of the Royal Corps of Signals which was formed shortly after the First World War. Military flying was born in Aldershot. In 1862 the first experiments in military ballooning took place, largely due to the enthusiasm and initiative of Lieutenant G. R. Grover, RE, who has been described as "The Father of Military Aeronautics". These ballooning activities were continued by the Royal Engineers at Aldershot, except for a short period from 1882 to 1892 when they were based on Chatham. It was in connection with the move of a balloon detachment from Chatham to Aldershot in 1889 that one of the first uses of mechanical transport (steam tractors) by the Army is recorded. The ballooning branch moved to South Farnborough in 1905 to the site now occupied by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and officially began experiments with power-driven aircraft. In 1912 the Royal Flying Corps was formed and took over all flying activities from the Royal Engineers. Until 1939 the Royal Engineer element for the expeditionary force was based at Gibraltar Barracks, Aldershot. Throughout the Second World War and the years following, Gibraltar Barracks remained a great centre of Corps activities. Here the Training Brigade, Royal Engineers, found its home. Gibraltar Barracks, Aldershot, were demolished in 1961-63 and new barracks of the same name have now been built at Hawley to house the Training Regiments of the Corps. Until 1979 they were stationed at South- wood, Cove at Delville and Morval Barracks - hutted camps built just before World War 11. The Corps' close links with the Borough of Rushmoor continue and 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers, still live in Rhine Barracks in Aldershot Military Town. 6 i I. I The Royal Hampshire Regiment Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 11th September, 1945 The County Regiment was raised in Ireland in 1702 during the war of the Spanish Succession (1701-1719) and was known as Meredith's Regiment. In 1751 it became the 37th Foot. The Regiment was soon in action in Europe under the Duke of Marlborough and distinguished itself earning the Battle Honours - Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), Oudenarde (1708) and Malplaquet (1709). In 1756 the future 2nd Battalion of the Regiment was raised in England and was known as the 67th Foot. The first Colonel of the Regiment was James Wolfe, later to be General Wolfe of Quebec. In 1759 the 37th Foot was in action in Germany during the Seven Years War at the famous battle of Minden, when six battalions of British Infantry advanced and for the first time attacked massed squadrons of cavalry. The Regiment wears a rose in its head-dress on 1st August each year, in memory of the infantrymen who picked roses as they returned from battle. The Hampshire rose, worn in the cap badge, however, commemorates the rose awarded to the trained bands of Hampshire who fought so valiantly for King Henry V at Agincourt in 1415. In 1782 the title of "North Hampshire Regiment" was given to the 37th and "South Hampshire Regiment" to the 67th. After twenty-one years in India under active service conditions, the 67th was ordered back to England in 1826 and, in commemoration of this, King George IV authorised the figure of the Royal Tiger with the word INDIA superscribed to be borne on its colours and appointments, hence the nickname "Tigers" which is still used today. In 1881 the 37th North Hampshire and the 67th South Hampshire Regiments were united under the title of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Hampshire Regiment. The different cap badges worn by officers and soldiers dates from this time. The 2nd Battalion served in the South African War from 1900 to 1902. The bronze badges and buttons worn by officers date from this campaign. Thirty-six Battalions of the Regiment served during the First World War; one of the greatest battle honours.was won by the 2nd Battalion at Gallipoli when they took part in the famous "Landing at Helles" in 1915. During World War I1 the Regiment saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and North West Europe, gaining distinction and honour in these Detachments ?f` the Hampshire Regiment marching in Barrack Road. Aldershot, fbllowing the prrscntation of the Freedom of the Borough in September I945 7 campaigns. This was recognised in 1946 by King George VI "being graciously pleased to approve that the Regiment shall in future enjoy the distinction of Royal". The Battalion served with distinction in Malaya from 1953 to 1956 during the emergency. For a year in 1956-57 they were stationed in Germany at Munster. In the West Indies from 1960 to 1962 their tasks varied from quelling uprisings in Jamaica to hurricane relief in British Honduras. From 1962 to 1965 the Battalion was again stationed in Munster and in 1966 was sent on an emergency tour of the Far East and completed a six-month active service tour in Borneo. Between 1967 and 1970 the Battalion was based on Salisbury Plain as part of strategic reserve and was given a diversity of tasks; spending six months with the United Nations Forces in Cyprus, partici- pating in the Normandy Landing Commemoration Parades, peacekeeping for four months in Belfast during the early days of the riots and completing a tour of Public Duties in London. In 1970 the Battalion was reduced to Company strength and known as "Minden Company". However, in 1972, on its return from Gibraltar, the Company was reformed as a Battalion and has since served three further four-month emergency tours in Northern Ireland. Having completed an eighteen-month tour as a resident Battalion in Northern Ireland, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment again served in Munster between 1977 and 1981 and is now stationed at Dover. Aldershot and Farnborough have strong local associations with the County Regiment. In 1884 a Volunteer Force Committee was formed in Aldershot which resulted in the establishment of a "Drill Station" in Aldershot. In 1890 a Company of the 1st Volunteer Battalion was formed which, in 1908, became a Company of the 4th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment. As such these Territorials saw service in World War I in India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Palestine and on the Western Front. In World War I1 the lst/4th and 2nd/4th Territorial Army Battalions of The Hampshire Regiment mobilised in Aldershot. They later served together in the hard fighting in Algeria and Tunisia in 1942-43, and in Sicily and Italy until December 1944 when the 2nd/4th were flown to Greece and then to Crete. The local Territorial Army Battalions had played their part in adding to the lustre of the County Regiment. The Parachrite Regiment Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 18th May, 1957 The Parachute Regiment can claim the 22nd June as its birthday, for it was upon that day in 1940 that Sir Winston Churchill called for the formation of ``a corps of at least five thousand parachute troops, suitably organised and equipped". A Parachute Training School was formed at Ringway and No. 2 Commando chosen for training in parachute duties. As the scope of training increased, their title was changed to "11th SAS Battalion" and then to "1st Parachute Battalion". In September 1941 the Battalion joined the newly raised 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions to form the 1st Parachute Brigade. By the end of the war, the Parachute Regiment comprised seventeen battalions and a number of independent path- finder units. By 1941 it was found possible to mount an experimental raid in Southern Italy. This small but historic operation took place on 10th February, 1941, and was directed against the Tragino aqueduct in Apulia. A year later, on 27th 8 February, 1942, a successful attack was made by a company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion on the German radar station at Bruneval on the coast of France. It was here that the Regiment earned its first Battle Honour. From then onwards the operations of the Regiment increased in scope as the technique of airborne warfare developed and more resources became available. In North Africa the battalions of the 1st Parachute Brigade were dropped on widely separated objectives and in the subsequent fighting earned for the Regiment, which now wore the red beret, the name of "Red Devils" bestowed upon it by the enemy. In the attack on Sicily, the same Brigade was dropped by night with the task of seizing the Primsole Bridge. The lst, 2nd and 4th Parachute Brigades then saw service in Italy. When the 1st and 4th Brigades returned to England before the invasion of Northern France, the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade remained and, later on, took part in airborne operations in Italy, Southern France and Greece. The Parachute Regiment and uirhorne,forces in action The night of the 5th/6th June, 1944, marked the first divisional airborne operation of the war. It was then that the 6th Airborne Division landed in Normandy. There followed the operation at Arnhem on 17th September, 1944, by the 1st Airborne Division. On 24th March, 1945, the 6th Airborne Division took part in the crossing of the Rhine and the subsequent operations which led to the final destruction of the German Army. The Parachute Regiment is required not only to execute landings from the air but also to play the part of a Regiment of Infantry of the Line in fighting on the ground. In the campaigns in North Africa and Italy, Normandy, Greece, the Ardennes and Holland and the advance across Germany to the Baltic, battalions of the Regiment have fulfilled this duty for long periods at a time. Members of the Regiment are volunteers. These volunteers were originally drawn from all arms of the service but were later taken only from members of the Household Brigade and the Infantry. Direct enlistment into the Regiment was introduced in 1953. Since 1945 the Regiment has seen active service in the Far East, Palestine and the Middle East. It took part in the Suez operation in 1956, was in action in the Radfan in 1964, in Borneo in 1965 and in the withdrawal from Aden in 1967. The Regiment carried out peace-keeping duties in Anguilla in 1969, in Cyprus between 1964 and 1977 and Units of the Regiment have served continuously in Northern Ireland in the past twelve years. The Regiment's close connection with Aldershot commenced in 1946 when its Regimental Depot was established at Maida Barracks. Today the Depot is at Browning Barracks, built in 1968 and named after the first General to command the 1st Airborne Division. Previously the Regiment had lacked a permanent home, having existed in temporary wartime accommodation near Chesterfield. Since 1946, the lst, 2nd and 3rd Regular Battalions have been stationed in Aldershot from time to time. They were an integral part of the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade which was disbanded in 1977 and replaced by 6th Field Force. It was in 1977, on the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen's birthday, that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales was appointed Colonel-in- Chief of the Parachute Regiment. The Royal Corps of Transport Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 22nd April, 1970 It was on 15th July, 1965, that the Royal Corps of Transport came into existence on the redesigna- tion of the Royal Army Service Corps. At that time the former supply work and responsibilities for barrack, fire and clerical services of the RASC were transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and the new Royal Corps of Transport took over the duties formerly carried out by the Transportation units and Movement Control service of the Royal Engineers. From July 1965 the Royal Corps of Transport 9 assumed all the transport and distributive responsibilities for the Army and now operates logistic vehicles of all types from the 25-cwt. vehicles to the 60-ton tank transporters and modern electric diesel locomotives. The Corps crews the Army's vessels from harbour launches to ocean-going tank landing craft. The designation, Royal Corps of Transport, signified most aptly its function - "The manage- ment, control and operation of all means of transport by land, on the water, or in the air, for the movement and distribution of men and material of the British Army in any part of the world". The Corps has a long and honourable history of service through its predecessors throughout our military history. As early as 1415 the appointment of "Baggage Sergeant" existed during Henry V's operations in France and in 1422 a similar post "Master of the Baggage Train" was created. In the days of the New Model Army, an organisation for the transport and distribution of men and stores existed (in 1645) under the control of a "Com- missary of Victuals" and a "Waggon Master General". In 1690 there is record of a Waggon Train in Ireland and again during the campaign in Flanders, 1692-97. Subsequently Waggon Trains operated under the control of the Commissary- General. Up to 1794 no uniformed transport corps had been introduced into the Army but on 7th March, 1794, a Corps of Waggoners was raised, seeing active service in Flanders, 1794-96. In August 1802 the Corps was redesignated "Royal Waggon Train" - it served in the Peninsular War 1808-I814 and at Waterloo 1815. Resulting from economies the Waggon Train was disbanded in 1833. This found the Army without such a Corps during the Crimean War. Resulting from the urgent appeal of the Commander-in- Chief a "Land Transport Corps" was raised in January 1855 and sent out to the Crimea. This led to the formation of a permanent Military Transport Corps in 1856. "The Military Train" 1869 saw a major change; the Transport and Supply Services were combined and in that year the Army Service Corps was formed. In 1888 the Corps became fully combatant. In the 1914-1918 War the Corps expanded in strength from 6,500 to over 320,000 and its services were recognised by the grant of the title "Royal" in November 1918. During the Second World War the activities of the RASC have been rightly described as "multitudinous" and the strength of the Corps rose to 335,000. The Royal Corps of Transport has, through its predecessors, close associations and ties with Aldershot since the establishment of "The Camp" in 1854. The Commissariat Department and the Commissariat Stores were set up in "South Camp" from where the bread and meat for the men and their families and forage for the horses was supplied. Following the formation of the Military Train in 1856, three of its battalions were raised in Aldershot. On the formation of the Army Service Corps in 1869 various companies were raised or stationed in Aldershot and in 1888 the Regimental Some vehicles of 27 LSG Regt RCT Depot of the ASC was formed in the same area of "The Camp" as the ASC School of Instruction and the whole area was then designated the "Army Service Corps Establishment". The original wooden huts were demolished 1890-93 during the building of the barracks at Stanhope Lines and Buller Barracks became the headquarters of the Army Service Corps. In 1904 the Training Establishment ASC was formed including the School of Instruction, a riding establishment, a transport depot and later an instructional work- shop, and redesignated in 1931 as the RASC Training Centre. At Buller Barracks in July 1965 a Ceremony was held to mark the formation of the new Royal Corps of Transport and shortly afterwards the Corps moved temporarily to Church Crookham whilst Buller and Mandora Barracks were demolished as part of the redevelop- ment of Military Aldershot. The new Buller Barracks were occupied by the Corps on 24th November, 1969. The story of the Royal Corps of Transport and its predecessors and their association with Aldershot would not be complete without reference to Aldershot's own RASC units of the Territorial Force (and later TA) which, on its formation in 1908, included the Hants Brigade Company of the Wessex Divisional Transport and Supply Column ASC(TF). This Company was raised in Aldershot on 1st May, 1908, from a temporary HQ at 59 Union Street and by June some eighty men had been recruited. In 1912 the Company moved to the new drill hall in Redan Road and here, in August 1914, it was mobilised. The Company subsequently formed part of the Divisional Train of the 29th Division and provided a cadre for the 27th Divisional Reserve Park. The Company served in the Dardanelles Campaign and later saw active service in Egypt and Palestine. On the formation of the Territorial Army in 1922, the Hants Brigade Company was not included in the units re-formed. Forty years later, in 1961, on reorganisation of the Territorial Army, the the reorganisation of the Reserve Army in 1967. Aldershot District Column RASC(TA) was formed at Beaumont Barracks. In 1965 this became the 67th Regiment, RCTiTA), but ceased to exist on The Army Medical Services Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 27th June, 1973 The title "Army Medical Services" embraces the Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Dental Corps and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, and its use is indicative of the close co-operation and interdependence between the three Corps, each of which retains its separate identity. With the establishment of "The Camp at Aldershot" (1854) it was necessary, from the outset, for medical facilities to be provided. In addition to the Medical Officers of each Regiment there was, from 1855 onwards, a permanent Medical Staff attached to "The Division of Aldershot". The first military hospital in Aldershot was established in the only brick-built building stand- ing on the ground purchased in 1853-54 by the War Department. This was the old Union Poor House. The building dates from 1680 and still stands on the west of Hospital Hill. In addition to this first hospital - then designated No. 2 Station Hospital - there was a group of "Hospital huts" in South Camp - designated No. 1 Station Hospital and situated near the wooden Garrison Church, which today faces the Cambridge and Louise Margaret Hospitals. A third hospital was located in wooden huts in North Camp on the site of the 1892-built Lille Barracks. In 1877 work commenced on the building of a new Military Hospital. The hospital was opened on 18th July 1879 and, in a Special Order, the Secretary of State for War "approved the new hospital in South Camp being named `The Cambridge Military Hospital' after HRH The Duke of Cambridge, The Commander-in-Chief 1856-95". In 1894 Barracks were built opposite the Cambridge Military Hospital, replacing the lines of wooden huts, as accommodation for the staff of the hospital. These Barracks were named "McGrigor Barracks" after Sir James McGrigor, Director General of Army Medical Services 1815-1851, and later became the station for No. 1 Company RAMC. In the same year, on the formation of the Aldershot Urban District Council and following representation by the Army, the Senior Medical Staff Officer in Aldershot became a Member of the Council. This practice continued when Aldershot was granted its charter of incor- poration as a Borough in 1922. The close association and bonds of friendship that have existed between the Army Medical Services and the Local Authority have become even closer in recent years as the present Cambridge Hospital and the adjacent Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital have been able to extend their comprehensive services to the local community. The facilities available include a 24-hour Accident and Emergency Service, Coronary and Intensive Care Units, together with out and in patient care for medical, surgical, orthopaedic, paediatric, gynaecological and maternity care. Royal Army Medical Corps The earliest attempt at any organisation to deal with casualties in war was probably the "March- ing" or "Flying" Hospitals instituted by the Duke of Marlborough in the reign of Queen Anne, and sent with his armies, somewhat like the field ambulance of later years. It took until 1812 and the appointment of Dr. James McGrigor in January of that year as Principal Medical Officer to the Duke of Wellington to see the emergence of any organised medical service in the Army. McGrigor introduced a well-planned system of evacuation, arranged for prefabricated hospital huts to be sent from England, and instituted large convalescent depots which stopped a dangerous drain on the armies, thus keeping many thousands of trained men in the field. It was he who introduced a system of registering casualties which forms the basis of the medical statistical returns in use today. All the lessons learnt then were forgotten over 10 11 KAMC mrdical assistants attending to a casualty in battle area the next 40 years, and when in 1854 we were at war with Russia we were again disastrously ill- prepared to deal with casualties. The con- sequences of this are now a matter of history, but the breakdown of all administrative service in the Crimea caused an immense scandal and the need for a special medical corps was expressed. The formation of the Medical Staff Corps followed in 1855. Temporarily renamed the Army Hospital Corps between 1857 and 1884, the Medical Staff Corps grew in stature and efficiency. In 1898 all ranks of the Medical Staff Corps were formed into a single Corps. On 23rd June Queen Victoria added her signature to a Royal Warrant which indicated her will and pleasure that a "Corps be formed styled the Royal Army Medical Corps". The new Corps adopted as its motto "In Arduis Fidelis" which means faithful in adversity. A new badge was also granted and described as "within a Laurel wreath surmounted with the Crown, the rod of Bsculapius with a serpent entwined". The laurel wreath is a mark of distinction and honour granted only in com- memoration of great achievement and gallantry and the rod and serpent is the symbol of medicine. The new Corps first saw active service in the Sudan Campaign followed by the South African War. The years between this and the First World War saw the development of the reserve armies and planning for mobilisation of the Corps, which was to expand fifteen-fold during the conflict. Since 1919, the evacuation chain, methods and level of treatment and all the other factors which bear on the casualty have been constantly under review and changes made accordingly whether the factor be wheels, aircraft, new drugs or new weapons. The Royal Army Medical Corps is almost unique, having taken part in every campaign and battle which the British Army has waged. The gallantry with which the Corps has carried out its duties on the battlefield is indicated by the 31 VCs which its members have gained; these include two double VCs. Research in tropical diseases, malaria and typhoid, for example, have led to the health and preventive measures we now know so well in the Army. Furthermore the ever-rising standard of our technical training and its advance side by side with progress in medical science has set an example for voluntary aid organisations and has earned recognition of our training by the appropriate civil authorities. In addition to its support of the Army in war the Royal Army Medical Corps has a very full peacetime role in looking after the medical needs of the Army and its dependents. This peacetime role plays an essential part in maintaining the medical and surgical skills required by the Corps in war. Royal Army Dental Corps The Royal Army Dental Corps celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of its formation in 1981. Formerly The Army Dental Corps, formed in 1921, it was granted the title "Royal" in 1946. However, the original need for dental care in the Armed Forces lies deeper in history. In 1626 Charles I authorised a regulation issue of dental instruments for surgeons in his expedi- tion against France. Richard Wiseman, sometimes called the Father of English Surgery, described in 1672 the treatment for a gunshot wound of a soldier's face and, significantly, an appliance designed to repair a remaining defect. In 1678 a dental standard was introduced requiring grenadiers to have sufficient front teeth to bite open the fuses of their grenades and in 1696 - the cartridge having superseded the bandolier - a similar standard for musketeers to release the gunpowder in their cartridges. By 1886 the first words had been heard of the relationship between dental health and fitness for military service but at the outset of the South African War in 1899 no provision had yet been made for dental treatment of the Armed Forces. Approximately one-third of admissions to hospital for dental caries (6,492) were subsequently dis- charged, and 5,OOO men were found unfit for service because of a lack of dentures. In 1901 the first dental surgeons were appointed to the Army for service in South Africa but they were not given army status. The first dental officers were twelve gentlemen given temporary commissions on the General List and attached to the RAMC. By the end of 1914 twenty had been appointed. The need for conserv- ing rather than extracting teeth was stimulated by a War Office instruction that no soldier should be discharged on account of decay or loss of many teeth. The passing of the Military Service Act in 1916 required the appointment of many more dental officers and the numbers increased until, in 1919,849 were employed, controlled by Inspecting Dental Officers on the staff of Deputy Directors of Medical Services. In 1921 events had proved that a modern army could not operate without an appropriate dental establishment and The Army Dental Corps was born. Between the two world wars, officers and men of The Army Dental Corps served wherever units of the Army were required to operate. During the 1939-45 war the Corps expanded to 2,143 dental officers, 1,753 dental technicians and 2,033 dental clerk assistants; in addition 267 members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service were attached for dental duties. They served in Army Dental Centres at home and overseas, in field force dental units world-wide and in all units of the RAMC both at home and abroad. The Royal Army Dental Corps today is a modern complex of skills, equipment and Close support dentistry organisation. Military Hospitals have officers of consultant status, and all dental facilities are housed in modern purpose-built accommodation provided with up-to-date equipment. The new Royal Army Dental Corps Training Centre, housed in a modern building and consisting of a large dental polyclinic, with post-graduate, professional and technical teaching departments, was opened in Aldershot on 29th September, 1973. In the Corps there are serving today dental officers, dental technicians, dental clerk assistants and dental hygienists, including female dental officers and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps personnel - proud of their heritage and effective in helping to keep the soldier of today physically fit to discharge his duty and through their skills ready to tend him when wounded. Queen Alexandra's Koyal Army Nursing Corps 1854 was the birth year of Army Nursing; indeed of civilian nursing as we know it in Britain as well. Florence Nightingale had worked at the Institute of Deaconesses in Germany, and it was on their practice that she based her own reforms of nursing. It was during the Crimean War that she laid the foundations of the Army Nursing Service. The story itself is so dramatic and well-known that `it does not need retelling. What she did at Scutari was to treat the wounded soldiers as sick people requiring attention and kindness. Elementary as this seems today, it was revolutionary at the time. The fame Florence Nightingale earned in the Crimea and the personal interest taken in her by Queen Victoria led to a fund being opened in her honour which raised &45,000 for the "training, sustenance, and protection of nurses paid and unpaid". She never assumed an official position in the army (or even in a hospital). She was responsible for the setting-up of the first regular military nursing establishment. It was on her advice that the first female nurses were introduced into military hospitals in 1856. The money raised by the "Nightingale Fund" she designated to be used for a training school for nurses and she personally designed the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley, which was to become the Army Training School for Military Nurses. It was in 1881 that the Army Nursing Service was set up under that title, making 1981 their centenary year. This period also saw the first field service of trained nurses with the army. They were on active service in the Zulu War of 1879-80, and in Egypt in 1882. It was also in the late seventies that British nurses first went out to India to look after the soldiers of the Indian Army. At home, moves were made to bring nurses more fully into the organisation of the army. In 1889, it was laid down 13 12 that sisters were to be employed in all army hospitals with 100 or more beds. In 1897, a nursing reserve was set up to augment the Army Nursing Service. The South African War was in every way prophetic of the enormous conflicts to come. The British casualties in the early stages were so severe peace-time Army Nursing Service was required. With the end of the South African War the history of QARANC really begins. The immediate step which led to the foundation of the Corps was the setting-up of a special committee to enquire into Army Nursing. This committee recommended "a further extension of QAKANC nursing a patient on a Low Air Loss bed ~ Corps, and in the same year recruiting of other that they put a great strain on the available ranks commenced. The QARANC Training medical services. By calling on reserves, the Army Centre, having occupied various locations in Nursing Service managed to send 1,400 nurses to Surrey since 1945, moved in 1966 into new South Africa. This established the pattern for well-equipped buildings on the site of the Royal mobilisation of nursing forces in wartime, but it Pavilion at Aldershot which had been demolished became apparent that a more fully organised in 1961. the female nursing system in peace, with the recognition that the utility of female nurses in war is capable of an extension hitherto not contem- plated". The committee also recommended that "The Matrons, Sisters, and Staff Nurses are to be regarded as Officers of the hospital, and are at all times to receive the respect due to their position". This project for the expansion and rationalisation of the Army Nursing Service was very close to the heart of Queen Alexandra and so, in 1902, she gave her name to the new organisation; Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. QAs have nursed in all parts of the world sometimes enduring great hardships. In World Wars I and I1 many lost their lives and some were made Drisoners. In 1949 the OAIMNS became a The Army Physical Training Corps Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 18th June, 1960 In 1860 Major Hammersley ofthe 14th Foot and twelve specially selected NCOs, now affectionately referred to as "The Apostles", were assembled at "The Camp at Aldershott" and sent to Oxford University to undergo a six-month course of Physical Training. On completion of the course, a School of Instruction was set up in Aldershot and the first gymnasium in the Army was built and taken into use in 1861. It was to these simple beginnings that the Army Physical Training Corps, as we know it today, and the Army School of Physical Training owe their origin. As a result of the hard work and enthusiasm of these early pioneers, the value of such training became at once apparent and an order was published in 1862 for a gymnasium to be erected in every garrison, each with its officer and instruc- tional staff. The building of gymnasia was later extended to include Regimental Depots, until eighty such buildings had been erected. The first regulations as to Physical Training were published in 1865 and Major Hammersley was appointed Inspector of Gymnasia in 1871 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was succeeded in 1876 by Major Gildea, who is specially noted for having helped in founding the Royal Tournament. In 1878 he presented an "Assault-at-Arms" at the Albert Hall which proved so successful that the following year it was combined with the display given by the Volunteer Forces on Wimbledon Common. Then in 1880, in order to produce an entertainment on more ambitious lines, the performance was given at the Agricultural Hall in London, where better facilities existed. This developed into the annual "Military" and later the "Royal" Tournament. In July 1885, official recognition was given to the "Army Gymnastic Staff', the members of which were grouped together in the Army List for the first time as a distinct body under the heading of Schools of Instruction. By 1890, the value of Physical Training was becoming more fully appreciated and ever-increasing demands for vacancies on courses were being received at Headquarters, still situated in the small, but by then inadequate, Wellington Lines Gymnasium. This led to the erection of the Cranbrook Gymnasium, later renamed the Fox Gymnasium after the Inspector of that time who was mainly responsible for the move from Wellington Lines to the present site. The rough ground to the north of the gymnasium was cleared to make an athletic ground, now the Aldershot Military Stadium, for which the original turves were grown by Colonel Fox at his home at Frimley Park. The Command Swimming Bath was added during the Inspector- ship of Colonel Napier in 1900. In the years immediately prior to 1914 much was done to perfect the system of Physical Training. Many visits were paid by officers and instructors to a number of European countries to study the systems in use there, often at their own expense. In 1908 the Swedish system was adopted, a change which the Army Gymnastic Staff had been advocating for over twenty-five years. Bayonet The Army Physical Training Corps display team performing at the Centenary Royal Tournament 1980 fighting, the teaching of which was the xesponsi- bility of the Army Gymnastic Staff, was CQmpletely overhauled and brought more intcl line with what was expected to be the battle cmditioas of the future. That they were more cmrrect ehan the average prognostications with regard to future warfare is borne out by the fact that they were still being used at Hythe in 1931. The excellence of the work carried out by the Army Gymnastic Staff in the prci-war pears was seen to bear fruit in the magnificmt fitness of the "Contemptible Little Army" of the British Expedi- tionary Force of 1914. Bayonet fighting became the sole responsibility of the Army Gymnastic Staff and the methods worked out befoae the war were developed and perfected. Schools of Instruction were set up im all the major theatres of war and instructors were posted to front line units where they preached and demonstrated the "spirit of the bayonet". Between the two world wars much was done to develop and to expand the existing accommoda- tion and training facilities at the School. The strength of the Army Physical Training Staff, the title adopted in 1920, was raised from about 200 to approximately 2,080 to meet the increased commitments of war-fime needs and instructors were, as in the First Wodd War, posted to Field Force units in every major theatre and Schools of Instruction were set up as conditions dictated. "Tough Tactics" teams were organised to operate in the front line. All training was of a purposeful nature designed to fit the thoops for battle and, in the process, many instruc-tors went into action with the men they had trained. The Army Physical Training Staff was granted Corps status as a combatant unit on 16th September, 1940. By the very nature of the service the Corps renders to the Army, its members having to carry out their allotted tasks as individuals or in small groups, it has earned no Battle Honours. However, since its inception as a Corps, this small but dependable body of men has been decorated or mentioned for their services no fewer `than 160 times. Many of their distinctions have been gained in action; a remarkable achievement for such a small Corps, whose strength today is fewer than 400. In more peaceful pursuits the Corps has introduced and popularised a number of games and sporting activities into the Army for which it still accepts the sponsorship. In recent years also, members of the Corps have staffed Adventurous Training Centres in Scotland, Wales, BAOR, Cyprus, Norway and Canada. The activities taught include rock climbing, skiing, potholing, canoeing, 15 14 free-fall parachuting and sub-aqua diving. their tours of duty as conventional Physical Approximately ten per cent of the instructors in Training Instructors alternate with tours in the Corps are qualified Remedial Gymnasts and hospitals either in the UK or BAOR. The Army Catering Corps Granted the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot, 19th May, 1971 The Army Catering Corps was formed on 22nd March, 1941, and this year celebrates its fortieth anniversary. Since the Crimean War (1854-55) the need for catering reforms in the services had been the subject of discussion and investigation. Alexis Soyer; a well-known Victorian chef de cuisine, introduced improved cooking methods and the famous "Soyer Stove", during the Crimean War. In 1884 the "Aldershot Oven" appeared and was used through the South African War, the First World War and the Second World War. In December 1937 a committee reported upon Cooking and Service of Food in the Army. Standards of cooking and meal production varied throughout the Army. Cooks were not classified as tradesmen and had little incentive for advance- ment. Only Sergeant cooks were trained at the existing Army School of Cookery which had been formed in Aldershot as part of the RASC Establishment. In 1938 the Secretary of State for War approached a fellow Member of Parliament with a request to undertake another look at military food producing methods; this was Sir Isidore Salmon, the Chairman of J. Lyons and Co. Ltd. To assist him in this inspection he selected, as a helper, a civilian caterer named R. A. A. Byford (later Brigadier R. A. A. Byford, C.B.E., M.V.O.), who at the time was Catering Manager for a Hotel Group. The report resulting from the work of these two men was completely accepted and all their recommendations were approved. The Salmon report introduced improved training for Army cooks, tradesman qualifications, long-term catering trade training for boy soldiers, kitchen and dining room modernisation and the appointment of Catering Advisers at Command Headquarters. During World War I1 the need for cooks became acute. The training facilities in the Army School of Cookery were limited to 240 cooks. The war effort created the need for thousands of cooks. Quickly the new school at St. Omer was completed 2000 hrs. daily. The land around was quickly filled with field kitchens and, ignoring the weather, cooks trained along the banks of the Basingstoke canal, in the fields on Thornhill Road, wherever there was sufficient space to set up the equipment. Not only was the need for cooks acute but cookery instructors were urgently required also. Chefs from civilian life quickly found themselves called up and thrust into positions of authority. As the number of instructors increased Emergency Cookery Training Centres were set up. The Command Catering Advisers instituted by the Salmon Report were on hand to supervise these centres. After the formation of the ACC in March 1941, a process of consolidation began. At the height of the war, the ACC was some and iis capacity was doubled by introducing training on a double shift system from 0600 to Cpl Stephen Miller, ACC. with his Silver Medal Hotelympia exhibit 16 50,OOO strong. Throughout the war it served with the rest of the Army. Often the cooks were called upon to act in a combatant role. During the boredom of the siege of Tobruk the cooks found some discarded Italian field guns. These the cooks tinkered with until the guns fired and then they "popped-off' at the enemy for a pastime. So effective was their contribution that their General gave them a place in the regular artillery tasking. The Corps continued under the sponsorship of the RASC but developments were beginning to take place. On 5th October, 1945, the decision was taken to make the ACC an integral part of the post-war Army. The Corps was no war-time expedient, instead it would work as a separate Corps within the RASC organisation. The senior officer of the Corps at this time was called the Deputy Director Supplies and Transport (Cater- ing), but in 1947 this title was changed to DDACC. Large numbers of cooks still had to be trained and six Cookery Instructional Centres were estab- lished, all commanded by ACC officers. 1947 was the year when the training of boy soldiers as cooks came into being with the setting up of an ACC Apprenticeship scheme. The next year saw another step forward in this steady process of putting ACC Officers in control of Corps affairs. Up to 1951 the ACC Training Centre at St. Omer Barracks was commanded by an RASC Officer. In that year the first ACC Commandant was appointed and steadily the ACC made its mark on the Army. The Corps "came of age" in 1965 and from 1st January of that year became an independent Corps. By this time it was realised that the Training Centre at St. Omer Barracks was becoming unsuitable for the needs of a catering service keeping pace with the modern armed forces. Plans were made to rebuild and in doing so to concentrate the units of the Corps in one place for the very first time. This new training centre housed the Army School of Catering, the Depot and Training Battalion and the Army Apprentices College. On completing the moves in August 1970, it was to commence training Army Cooks in what may well be the largest Cookery Instructional School in the world. On 1st July, 1969, Her Majesty The Queen appointed HRH The Duchess of Kent as Colonel- in-Chief of the Army Catering Corps. Regimental and Corps histories compiled for the Borough ofRushmoor by Lt. Col. Howard N. Cole, O.B.E.. T.D., D.L., Hon. Curator of the Aldershot Local History Collection and Hon. Remembrancer to the-former Borough ofAldershot. To commemorate this ceremony, a special MILITARY COMMEMORATIVE COVER is being issued, 200 of which will be signed by the Mayor of Rushmoor. All proceeds from the sale of the cover will go to the Aldershot Military Historical Trust. The standard cover will cost 60p and the signed cover E1.50. Covers will be on sale at Rushmoor Arena from the Philatelic Display Team, Postal and Courier Depot Royal Engineers, or may be ordered from: The Appeal Director Aldershot Military Historical Trust Garrison Headquarters Cavans Road, Aldershot, Hants Gull 2LQ Cheques should be made payable to Philatelic Account, Aldershot Military Historical Trust The Borough Council wish to express their thanks to the Military Authorities for the use of Rushmoor Arena and to the Commander, Aldershot Garrison, and his stafffor their assistance in co-ordinating the arrangements for the Ceremony. The price of this programme is 5Op