Women's Royal Army Corps

"WRAC" redirects here. For the radio station in Ohio, see WRAC (FM).
Women's Royal Army Corps
Active 1949–1992
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Role Support services
Garrison/HQ Guildford, Surrey
Motto(s) Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, resolute in deed)
Colors 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 /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.

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 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.[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.[6]

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.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "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. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Army Titles in the WRAC", The Times, 20 March 1950
  3. ↑ "Women's Royal Army Corps". Palace Barracks Memorial Garden. Retrieved 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. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53001. p. 12670. 27 July 1992. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  6. ↑ "The Staff Band of the Women's Royal Army Corps". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  7. ↑ WRAC 2016 Reunion meeting in Northern Cyprus

Further reading

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