Conductor (British Army)
Encyclopedia
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
s Class 1 in the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
and is the most senior appointment that can be held by a warrant officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
in 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...
. The appointment was also reintroduced into the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps is the Corps within the Australian Army concerned with supply and administration, as well as the demolition and disposal of explosives and salvage of battle-damaged equipment...
for selected Warrant Officers Class 1 in 2005.
History
The first known mention of Conductors is in the 1327 Statute of Westminster, when they are mentioned as the men whose job it was to conduct soldiers to places of assembly. The Conductor of Ordnance is mentioned in the records of the siege of BoulogneBoulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
in 1544 and Conductors are mentioned several times in surviving records from the 17th century. In 1776 they are described in Thomas Simes's book The Military Guide for Young Officers as assistants to the Commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
of Stores. The Land Transport Corps and the Military Stores Department of the 19th century both included Conductors in their strength.
On 11 January 1879, a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
established Conductors of Supplies (in the Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
) and Conductors of Stores (in the Ordnance Store Branch) as Warrant Officers, ranking above all non-commissioned officers. In 1892, Conductors of Supplies were renamed Staff Sergeant Major
Staff Sergeant Major
-Canada:Staff Sergeant Major is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police rank above Staff Sergeant but junior to Sergeant Major. It is roughly equivalent to a Canadian army Master Warrant Officer or a British army Warrant Officer Class 2.-Britain:...
s 1st Class, but Conductors of Stores remained in what in 1896 became the Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
. Staff Sergeant Majors in the new corps were renamed Sub-Conductors. In February 1915, with the general introduction of warrant officers throughout the army, Conductors and Sub Conductors became Warrant Officers Class I. Sub-Conductors reverted to the appointment of Staff Sergeant Major in 1967, but the appointment of Conductor passed to the new Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
in 1993.
The appointment lapsed in the Australian Army in the late 1940s, but was reintroduced in July 2005. The first six Conductors were appointed in April 2006.
Modern day
The appointment may now be held by WO1s in any RLC trade, including transport, catering, pioneer, ammunition technician and postal warrant officers, as well as the original suppliers.It is a great honour to be appointed and prospective Conductors must have held the rank of WO1 for at least one year (reduced from three years in 2006). They may not be currently serving as Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
s (i.e. they must be Staff Sergeant Major
Staff Sergeant Major
-Canada:Staff Sergeant Major is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police rank above Staff Sergeant but junior to Sergeant Major. It is roughly equivalent to a Canadian army Master Warrant Officer or a British army Warrant Officer Class 2.-Britain:...
s). Since 2009, no more than 8 serving WO1s of the RLC at any one time (excluding RSMs) may hold the appointment of Conductor. Since 2001, Conductors have received their Warrant of appointment on a parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
scroll, reviving an ancient tradition.
Insignia
From 11 July 1900, Conductors were authorised to wear a crown within a laurel wreath on their lower sleeve and Sub-Conductors a crown, although they did not start actually wearing these until 1901 and 1904 respectively. In 1915, Conductors were authorised a crown in a laurel wreath and Sub-Conductors the royal coat of arms. In 1918, Conductors began wearing the royal arms in a laurel wreath, still their badge of rank, and Sub-Conductors (re-named 'Staff Sargeant Major' in 1968) the royal arms alone. Like RSM's and all other WO1's, Modern Conductors wear Sam BrowneSam Browne belt
The Sam Browne belt is a wide belt, usually leather, which is supported by a strap going diagonally over the right shoulder. It is most often seen as part of a military or police uniform.-Origins:...
s.
Victoria Crosses and George Cross
Two Conductors of the Bengal Ordnance Department won the Victoria CrossVictoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
during the Indian Mutiny. John Buckley
John Buckley (soldier)
Major John Buckley VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
won it at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 11 May 1857 and James Miller
James Miller (VC 1857)
Major James William Miller VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
at Futtepore on 28 October 1857.
A former Conductor of the Royal Logistic Corps, Captain Peter Norton
Peter Norton (soldier)
Major Peter Allen Norton GC is an ammunition technical officer with the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps who was awarded the George Cross for his service in Iraq.-George Cross:...
, won the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
near Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
on 24 July 2005.