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Line 1: {{redirect\|WRAC\|the radio station in Ohio\|WRAC (FM)}} ~~{{ref improve\|date=February 2013}}~~ {{Infobox military unit \|unit_name=Women's Royal Army Corps \|image=<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Womens Royal Army Corps Badge.jpg\|150px]] --> \|caption=Badge of the Women's Royal Army Corps \|dates=~~1949-1992~~1949–1992 \|country=~~[[United Kingdom]]~~ \|allegiance={{flag\|United Kingdom}} ~~\|branch=[[Image:Flag of the British Army.svg\|23px]] [[British Army\|Army]]~~ \|branch={{army\|United Kingdom}} \|type= \|role=Support services \|size= \|garrison=[[Guildford]], [[Surrey]] \|ceremonial_chief= \|colonel_of_the_regiment= \|nickname= \|motto=''Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re'' (''Gentle in manner, resolute in deed'') \|~~colors~~colours=None \|march=''Quick'': [[Lass of Richmond Hill]], Early One Morning<br>''Slow'': Greensleeves \|mascot= \|battles= \|notable_commanders= \|anniversaries=Corps Day (1 ~~Feb.~~February) }} The '''Women's Royal Army Corps''' ('''WRAC'''; sometimes pronounced acronymically as {{IPAc-en\|ˈ\|r\|æ\|k}}, a term unpopular with its members) was the [[corps]] to which all women in the [[British Army]] belonged from 1949 to 1992 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.<ref name=history>{{cite web\|url=http://wracassociation.org.uk/history\|title=A Brief History of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, Auxiliary Territorial Service and Women's Royal Army Corps\|publisher=Women's Royal Army Corps Association\|~~accessdate~~access-date=18 May 2014\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519004905/http://wracassociation.org.uk/history\|archive-date=19 May 2014}}</ref> For much of its existence, its members performed administrative and other support tasks.<ref name=history/> 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.<ref>"Army ~~name=history~~Titles in the WRAC", ''[[The Times]]'', 20 March 1950</ref> In 1974, two soldiers of the corps were killed by the [[Provisional IRA]] in the [[Guildford pub bombings]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.palacebarracksmemorialgarden.co.uk/archive/Womens%20Royal%20Army%20Corps.htm\|title=Women's Royal Army Corps\|publisher=Palace Barracks Memorial Garden\|~~accessdate~~access-date=18 May 2014}}</ref> 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 who 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]].~~<ref~~ ~~name=history/>~~ 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.<ref>Graduate Careers: How I got here: Brig Patricia Purves 'I just happened to be good at my job,' [[The Independent]], April 26, 2001</ref> ==~~Ranks~~Senior ~~and uniform~~posts== Initially the WRAC retained the separate [[Auxiliary Territorial Service#Ranks\|ATS ranking system]]. However, in March 1950, it switched entirely to Army rank titles,<ref>"Army Titles in the WRAC", ''[[The Times]]'', 20 March 1950</ref> the first of the women's services to do so (the [[Women's Royal Air Force]] switched in 1968; the [[Women's Royal Naval Service]] retained separate ranks until its disbandment in 1993). The highest rank available to a serving officer was [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|brigadier]], held by the Director WRAC, although the Controller-Commandant, a member of the [[British Royal Family\|Royal Family]], held a higher honorary rank. [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood\|Princess Mary]] held the post from 1949 to her death in 1965 (beginning as a [[Major~~-General~~ general (United Kingdom)\|major general]] and being promoted [[General (United Kingdom)\|general]] on 23 November 1956) and the [[Katharine, Duchess of Kent\|Duchess of Kent]] held it from 1967 to 1992 (with the rank of Major-General).<ref name=history/>▼ The WRAC wore a distinctive Lovat green uniform and for dress occasions a [[bottle green]] uniform. Their [[cap badge]] was a lioness rampant within a laurel wreath surmounted by a crown. Their [[motto]] was ''Suaviter in Modo, Fortiter in Re'' (Gentle in manner, resolute in deed). ==List of ~~Directors~~directors WRAC==▼ ▲Initially the WRAC retained the separate [[Auxiliary Territorial Service#Ranks\|ATS ranking system]]. However, in March 1950, it switched entirely to Army rank titles,<ref>"Army Titles in the WRAC", ''[[The Times]]'', 20 March 1950</ref> the first of the women's services to do so (the [[Women's Royal Air Force]] switched in 1968; the [[Women's Royal Naval Service]] retained separate ranks until its disbandment in 1993). The highest rank available to a serving officer was Brigadier, held by the Director WRAC, although the Controller-Commandant, a member of the [[British Royal Family\|Royal Family]], held a higher honorary rank. [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood\|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 [[Katharine, Duchess of Kent\|Duchess of Kent]] held it from 1967 to 1992 (with the rank of Major-General). ▲==List of Directors WRAC== Directors of the WRAC were: ~~[[Mary Tyrwhitt\|~~Brigadier Dame [[Mary Tyrwhitt]], ~~1949–1950~~1949–1950 ~~[[Mary Coulshed\|~~Brigadier Dame [[Mary Coulshed]], ~~1950–1954~~1950–1954 Brigadier Dame [[Mary Railton]], ~~1954–1957~~1954–1957 ~~[[Mary Colvin\|~~Brigadier Dame [[Mary Colvin]], ~~1957–1961~~1957–1961 Brigadier Dame [[Jean Rivett-Drake]], ~~1961–1964~~1961–1964 Brigadier Dame [[Joan Henderson]], ~~1964–~~1964– 25 August 1967<ref>{{London Gazette \|date=29 August 1967 \|supp=y \|issue=44395 \|pages=9486}}</ref> Brigadier Dame [[Mary Anderson (British Army officer)\|Mary Anderson]], ~~1967–1970~~1967–1970 Brigadier [[Sheila Heaney]], ~~1970–1973~~1970–1973 Brigadier [[~~Eileen Nolan\|Brigadier~~ Eileen Nolan]], ~~1973–1977~~1973–1977 Brigadier [[Anne Field]], ~~1977–1982~~1977–1982 Brigadier [[Helen Meechie]], ~~1982–1986~~1982–1986 Brigadier Shirley Nield, ~~1986–1989~~1986–1989 Brigadier Gael Ramsey, ~~1989–1992~~1989–1992 Brigadier Joan Roulstone, ~~1992–1994~~1992–1994 (as Director Women (Army) during transitional period)<ref>{{London Gazette\|issue=53001 \|supp=y\|page=12670\|date=27 July 1992}}</ref> ==Band of the WRAC== AtThe ~~the~~Staff ~~time~~Band of the ~~WRAC~~Women's ~~disbanding~~Royal Army Corps was an all female military band.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-staff-band-of-the-womens-royal-army-corps-6243\|title=The Staff Band of the Women's Royal Army Corps,\|publisher=[[Art UK]]\|access-date=18 May 2014}}</ref> It was formed in 1949, and was the only all-female band in the British Armed Forces, ~~although~~by the time it was disestablished. The Central Band of the [[Women's Royal Air Force]], (which ~~had~~was ~~once~~one ~~had~~of ~~its~~only ~~own~~two all-female ~~band)~~bands ~~had~~to ~~already~~exist, ~~started~~transferred tosome ~~integrate~~of ~~female~~its musicians ~~into~~to ~~all~~the Band of ~~its~~the ~~bands~~WRAC after it was disbanded in 1972.<ref>{{cite ~~From~~web \|url=https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/3189/wraf-central-band \|title = WRAF Central Band - Regiment History, War & Military Records & Archives}}</ref> Since the mid-1990s, women have served in all [[British Army bands]]. The instruments, assets and personnel of the former WRAC Band became the new Band of the [[Adjutant General's Corps]]. ==Reunion meetings== The WRAC organizes Reunion Meetings to promote solidarity among its former members. ==See also== Line 61 ⟶ 63: [[Women's Royal Naval Service]] ==~~Notes~~ References == {{Reflist}} ~~<references/>~~ ==Further reading== Bidwell Shelford. ''Women's Royal Army Corps'' (1997) 141pp * Noakes, Lucy. ''Women in the British Army: War and the Gentle Sex, 1907–48'' (2006), the standard scholarly history; focus on ATS * [~~http~~https://web.archive.org/web/20051114182833/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/corps/WRAC.htm WRAC archive of regiments.org] ~~{{reflist}}~~ [[Category:Military units and formations established in 1949]] [[Category:British administrative corps]] [[Category:All-female military units and formations]] [[Category:Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1992]] [[Category:1949 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]