159 Supply Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers) is a regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 of the Territorial Army, the volunteer reserve force of the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

. It has its Regimental Headquarters at Carters Green, West Bromwich

West Bromwich

West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...

, in the West Midlands conurbation

West Midlands conurbation

The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....

.

History of the Regiment

The regiment was formed on 1 April 2007 as a product of FAS (Future Army Structures) with the aim of providing the contingent component to 6 Supply Regiment. The forming of functional sub-units into a distinct group was a deliberate Corps policy, which has provided a geographic span of command challenge.

The regiment is made-up of one sub-unit from the Scottish Transport Regiment, one squadron from 150 (Northumbrian) Transport Regiment and two squadrons from the Welsh Transport Regiment

Welsh Transport Regiment

The Welsh Transport Regiment RLC is the only Territorial Army logistic unit based solely in Wales. The Regiment is operationally focussed and comprises one HQ Squadron and three Task Squadrons:* 249 Squadron - Maindy Barracks, Cardiff....

. A newly established RHQ (regimental headquarters) and future HQ and Medical Supply Squadron, are being phased in between 2008 and 2010. When fully formed, the all-up strength will be 623, making it one of the largest units in the British Army. The squadrons are spread far and wide and can boast a variety of accents including Black Country

Black Country

The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...

, Brummie

Brummie

Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...

, Geordie

Geordie

Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...

 and Glaswegian.

History of the Regimental Emblem

The regimental emblem was designed around the concept that it needed to be instantly recognisable and follow established martial insignia conventions i.e. it would look like a military badge..

The geographic spread of the unit results in a diverse cultural mix and this spread means that the opportunities to train as a regiment are rare. As a consequence, the unit is similar in its makeup and ethos to the Barbarians Rugby Football Club and the chosen background colours of black and white are those of the ‘Barbarians’.

The numbering of the regiment is a simple 159 in Roman numerals, a design concept used by the British in martial insignia since the formation of the New Model Army. The numerals sit inside a dominant V, which clearly denotes the ‘Volunteer’ status of the regiment.

Squadrons

• 123 Ammunition Squadron based in Telford
  Telford
  Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
  
  , Location Map

• 125 Rations Squadron based in Glasgow
  Glasgow
  Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
  
  , Location Map
• 216 Brigade Support Squadron based in Tynemouth
  Tynemouth
  Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
  
  , Location Map

• 237 Brigade Support Squadron based in West Bromwich
  West Bromwich
  West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
  
  , Location Map

• 243 Headquarters Squadron based in West Bromwich
  West Bromwich
  West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
  
  , Location Map

• 381 Medical Support Squadron based in Lancaster
  Lancaster, Lancashire
  Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
  
  , Location Map