Women's Royal Army Corps Explained

Unit Name:Women's Royal Army Corps
Dates:1949–1992
Allegiance: United Kingdom
Role:Support services
Garrison:Guildford, Surrey
Motto:Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, resolute in deed)
Colours:None
March:Quick: Lass of Richmond Hill, Early One Morning
Slow: Greensleeves
Anniversaries:Corps Day (1 February)

The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as, a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992 except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains, who belonged to the same corps as the men; the Ulster Defence Regiment, which recruited women from 1973, and nurses, who belonged to Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.

History

The WRAC was formed on 1 February 1949, by Army Order 6, as the successor to the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) that had been founded in 1938.[1] For much of its existence, its members performed administrative and other support tasks.[1] In March 1952 the ranks of the WRAC, which had previously been Subaltern, Junior Commander, Senior Commander and Controller were harmonised with the rest of the British Army.[2]

In 1974, two soldiers of the corps were killed by the Provisional IRA in the Guildford pub bombings.[3]

In October 1990 WRAC officers employed with other corps were transferred to those corps and in April 1992 the WRAC was disbanded and its remaining members transferred to the Corps they served with. Those who served with the Royal Army Pay Corps, the Corps of Royal Military Police, the Military Provost Staff Corps, the Royal Army Educational Corps, the Army Legal Corps and the Staff Clerks from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps were transferred to the newly formed Adjutant General's Corps. The post of Director WRAC, which carried the rank of Brigadier, was also abolished and it was seven years before a woman, Brigadier Patricia Purves, again reached that rank.[4]

Senior posts

The highest rank available to a serving officer was brigadier, held by the Director WRAC, although the Controller-Commandant, a member of the Royal Family, held a higher honorary rank. Princess Mary held the post from 1949 to her death in 1965 (beginning as a major general and being promoted general on 23 November 1956) and the Duchess of Kent held it from 1967 to 1992 (with the rank of Major-General).[1]

List of directors WRAC

Directors of the WRAC were:

Band of the WRAC

The Staff Band of the Women's Royal Army Corps was an all female military band.[5] It was formed in 1949, and was the only all-female band in the British Armed Forces by the time it was disestablished. The Central Band of the Women's Royal Air Force, which was one of only two all-female bands to exist, transferred some of its musicians to the Band of the WRAC after it was disbanded in 1972.[6] Since the mid-1990s, women have served in all British Army bands. The instruments, assets and personnel of the former WRAC Band became the new Band of the Adjutant General's Corps.

Reunion meetings

The WRAC organizes Reunion Meetings to promote solidarity among its former members.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Brief History of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, Auxiliary Territorial Service and Women's Royal Army Corps. Women's Royal Army Corps Association. 18 May 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140519004905/http://wracassociation.org.uk/history. 19 May 2014.
  2. "Army Titles in the WRAC", The Times, 20 March 1950
  3. Web site: Women's Royal Army Corps. Palace Barracks Memorial Garden. 18 May 2014.
  4. Graduate Careers: How I got here: Brig Patricia Purves 'I just happened to be good at my job,' The Independent, April 26, 2001
  5. Web site: The Staff Band of the Women's Royal Army Corps. Art UK. 18 May 2014.
  6. Web site: WRAF Central Band - Regiment History, War & Military Records & Archives.