X-Nico

16 unusual facts about Royal Army Ordnance Corps


Agar's Island, Bermuda

Although the ring of fortresses operated by the Royal Garrison Artillery held munitions stores in their magazines, central supply depots were also operated by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, which operated a depot on Ordnance Island, dangerously close to the King's Square of St. George's town, and a wharf on East Broadway, on the outskirts of Hamilton.

Allum Green

During the night of 5/6 September 1940 it was the scene of a Luftwaffe bombing raid, which resulted in the deaths of four British Army soldiers of the RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corps) and 14 men were injured.

Barkston

During World War II, Arthur Lowe, of Dad's Army, was stationed at Barkston with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, which was tasked with servicing searchlights.

Ken Morrison

Morrison served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a National Serviceman, and was demobilised in 1952.

Neville Knox

In the Great War Knox joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a Lieutenant, being promoted to Captain in 1919 and ending his army career as a Major.

Norman Hargreaves-Mawdsley

His academic studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps for five years, before returning to Oxford in 1946.

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

In parallel a subordinate corps of warrant officers and sergeants, the Military Store Clerks Corps (MSC), was also created to carry out clerical duties.

Armament Artificers trained at the Military College of Science, Woolwich for fifteen months.

In 1870 a further reorganisation, ostensibly to simplify management, resulted in the MSD, MSC and MSSC being grouped with the Army Service Corps (ASC) under the Control Department.

In 1964 the McLeod Reorganisation of Army Logistics resulted in the RAOC absorbing petroleum, rations and accommodation stores functions from the Royal Army Service Corps as well as the Army Fire Service, barrack services, sponsorship of NAAFI (EFI) and the management of staff clerks from the same Corps.

Five years later, in 1881, the soldiers also left the ASC and became the Ordnance Store Corps(OSC).

In 1942 the latter function was transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the vehicle storage and spares responsibilities of the Royal Army Service Corps were in turn passed over to the RAOC.

During the period from the 1860s to 1914, in addition to a new depot for mobilisation in Aldershot, various depots were established to support the Army throughout the world (with the notable exception of India where the Indian Army managed its own parallel organisation, the Indian Army Ordnance Corps (IAOC).

On 5 April 1993, the RAOC was one of the corps that amalgamated to form The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC).

These small corps (235 officers in the MSD and 44 MSC) based largely at the Tower, Red Barracks, Woolwich and Weedon were supplemented in 1865 by a Military Store Staff Corps (MSSC) to provide soldiers.

Simon Blumenfeld

During World War II he served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, before becoming a scriptwriter for Stars in Battledess.


Army Apprentices School, Harrogate

Royal Army Service Corps – Clerks (two year course) (Moved elsewhere in late 1955—certainly by 1970 the Royal Army Ordnance Corps were training All Arms Clerks in their Depot at Deepcut, Camberley, Surrey)

Somerville Logistic Reorganisation Committee Report

The major change in staff working was the amalgamation of the Directorate of Equipment Management with Royal Engineers (RE), Royal Corps of Transport (RCT), Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) staff branches.

Sydney Rogerson

The Royal Army Ordnance Corps Museum at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut purchased Rogerson's medal where it is now on display.