Britain: An official handbook > 1956

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BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
After the age of 18 years, boys who have enlisted as Army apprentice tradesmen
and regimental boys in the Royal Army Service Corps, the Royal Army Ordnance
Corps and the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers serve eight
years with the Active Army and four years in the Reserve. All other boys serve six
years in the Active Army and three years in the Reserve.
The object of the Regimental Boys Units is to produce long-term Regular
Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, and that of the Appren¬
tice Schools is to produce WO and NCO tradesmen for the Regular Army, some
of whom may become specialist Commissioned Officers.
Women may enlist into the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps or
into the Women’s Royal Army Corps between the ages of 17J and 33 years. The
terms of service are the same as for men except that there is no liability for reserve
service.
Women’s Royal Army Corps
The WRAC, which has replaced the ATS, is a corps in the Regular Army, the
officers and other ranks of which, with minor exceptions and modifications, are
subject to the Army Act and Queen’s Regulations to the same extent as members
of any other corps. Its strength in January 1955 was about 6,400.
Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps
The QARANC, which has replaced the QAIMNS, is a corps of the Regular
Army and provides the nursing services within the Army. It numbers just under
2,000.
Territorial Army1
The Territorial Army, which was reconstituted in 1947, now forms part of the
national Army. The male section of the Territorial Army is organized in some
1,400 separate units with a total strength of some 300,000. It is composed of a small
whole-time regular cadre and three other elements:
1. men who have no legal liability for service but who voluntarily engage and
re-engage for varying periods (volunteers);
2. National Service men who accept additional obligations by undertaking a
normal voluntary engagement during their statutory period of part-time
service (National Service volunteers); and
3. men who are simply carrying out their statutory obligation of three and a
halfyears’ part-time service with theTerritorial Army (National Servicemen).
In 1955 the male strength was made up of some 65,000 volunteers, 5S>000
National Service volunteers and 180,000 National Service men. In addition, the
Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (TA) and the Women’s Royal
Army Corps (TA), both of which are recruited on a purely voluntary basis, numbered
some 9,000. All these members of the Territorial Army are liable to be called out
for permanent service in the United Kingdom in the event of actual or apprehended
attack, and, on proclamation, for permanent service anywhere in the world.
While the military authorities are responsible for policy, training and discipline,
local administration is largely carried out by county Territorial and Auxiliary
Forces Associations.
1 Government statements have indicated that changes are to be made in the organization
of the Territorial Army and the Army Emergency Reserve.