Active 1949–1992 Role Support services Colors None | Garrison/HQ Guildford, Surrey Headquarters Guildford, United Kingdom | |
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March Quick: Lass of Richmond Hill, Early One MorningSlow: Greensleeves Motto Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, resolute in deed) Similar Queen Mary's Army Aux, Royal Electrical and Mech, Royal Military Police, Royal Army Physical Training, King's Royal Hussars | ||
Army camp activities 1960
The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as /ˈræk/, a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army 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) belonged from 1949 to 1992.
Contents
- Army camp activities 1960
- History
- Senior posts
- List of Directors WRAC
- Band of the WRAC
- Reunion meetings
- References
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. For much of its existence, its members performed administrative and other support tasks. 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.
In 1974, two soldiers of the corps were killed by the Provisional IRA in the Guildford pub bombings.
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 that 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.
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).
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.
Reunion meetings
WRAC organizes Reunion Meetings to promote the solidarity among its past and current members. 2016 WRAC Reunion Meeting will be organized in Northern Cyprus.