Ordnance Insignia of the British Army

RAOC Junior Leaders/Apprentice Collage, Corps of Drums
Uniforms and Accessories

RAOC Junior Leaders, Corps of Drums Late 50's - Early 60's

Described by ex Junior Leader – Richard Bond.

Other than the instruments, the Corps of Drums up to the early 1960’s wore no special uniform. Junior Leaders in 1961-2 were just getting No2 Dress for best, but still wearing Service Dress, but now with a beret. Most of the Drums still had Junior Leaders School marked on them, despite being renamed in Junior Leaders Battalion 1959

RAOC Junior Leaders, Corps of Drums 1965

Described by ex Junior Leader - Peter Fellows

The uniform was Blue Tunic with red collars and cuff facings and Blue Trousers, the trousers had two red stripes on the outside. Everyone wore a white waist belt in the early day’s buckskin later changed to plastic. The belt was fastened at the front with a (twist) brass buckle (like a stable belt) the outer buckle had the motto from the order of the garter and the inner part had a lion with a crown above.

Drummers also wore a cross strap to hang the drum from again at first buckskin but later changed to plastic. These cross straps did not have pouches at the rear. They also wore a white legging on the thigh of the left leg to protect the uniform from the damage by the drum. Everyone wore red striped wings on the shoulder that were fixed by a loop on the shoulder and a press stud front and back. Everyone also wore the "Drums" lanyard which was hooked to the top tunic button passed around and under the right arm back over the top of the right shoulder and across the front of the body and fixed by press stud to the front of the left shoulder.

The helmet had a cork interior and a blue felt like material outside. All the fittings were brass and could be stripped down from the helmet for cleaning even the spike. The main badge had 7 points and the crown at the top. The circle in the centre was red and we used to take our normal cap badge from our beret and put it into the centre.

RAOC Apprentice Collage, Corps of Drums 1972

 Described by ex Apprentice - Graham Harvey.

The white shoulder strap is for the side drum to clip onto. The Drum Major wore a black/gold sash on his left shoulder with the Corps badge and miniature drum sticks, and a red sash over his right shoulder.  The tunic was red with blue collar and cuffs. The backing to the collar badge was red, which was a lot less unwieldy than using a full size cap badge as the centrepiece; the same style of helmet was worn by all ranks in the band.

In the Apprentice Collage, Corps of Drums in the seventies we had both a J/Drum Major and J/Bugle Major and from my photo you will see they are both wearing swords. Other than the red tunic (without wings), everything was just as described above. I think our drums were probably more up to date though, i.e. plastic rather than pig-skin.

 Editors Note. Helmet furniture was gilded at some time prior to this picture.

 The central badge to the 1902 ‘Kings Crown’ Helmet Plate Centre was now an anodised collar badge.

Junior Leaders Regiment RCT/RAOC 1988

Pictures supplied by ex Apprentice - Charles Buttery.

Formed as the RCT Junior Leaders Regiment in 1978 at Azimghur Barracks, Colerne, Wiltshire.

Amalgamated with the RAOC Apprentices Collage in 1986 to form JLR RCT/RAOC

RCT & RAOC Corps of Drums amalgamated at the same time. Disbanded in 1992 under Options for Change.

Uniform had changed back to Blue Tunic with Scarlet Collars and Cuffs, with RAOC Collar Badges being worn. 

The Helmets had been replaced by newly manufactured examples, the same as issued to the RAOC Staff Band in 1986.

The Gilt ‘Queens Crown’ Helmet Plate Centre was now a White Metal ‘Ordnance Arms’ the same as worn in 1902 on a Red cloth backing

 (The Staff Band examples being on a Black felt backing) This was probably a local modification.

M Comerford - November  2004