Royal Army Educational Corps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Army Educational Corps (RAEC) was a corps of the British Army tasked with educating and instructing personnel in a diverse range of skills. On 6 April 1992 it became the Educational and Training Services Branch (ETS) of the Adjutant General's Corps.
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[edit] History
On 2 July 1845 the Corps of Army Schoolmasters was formed, staffed by Warrant Officers and senior non-commissioned officers. On 15 June 1920 it became the Army Educational Corps staffed by commissioned and non-commissioned personnel. On 28 November 1946 it received the "Royal" prefix for its service in the Second World War. From 1962 it was staffed exclusively by commissioned officers.
In 1848 the Army Schoolmistresses were formed to support the corps. In 1928 they became the Queen's Army Schoolmistresses. They were disbanded in 1970.
[edit] Functions
The RAEC had four main functions:
- To carry out educational training of troops.
- To act as instructors in trade schools for boy entrants.
- To act as masters in the Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover, and the Queen Victoria School, Dunblane.
- To teach the children of soldiers in large garrison schools.
[edit] Headquarters
From 1944 to 1992 the RAEC was headquartered at Eltham Palace. Subsequently they were based at Trenchard Lines (the former RAF Upavon), Pewsey, Wiltshire.
[edit] Personnel
Before the Second World War, AEC recruits were required to be between 20 and 25 years of age. They had to be either qualified teachers or university graduates. They initially enlisted for twelve years and were immediately promoted Sergeant.[1]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ War Office, His Majesty's Army, 1938
