R CORPS

[mutley]

Can anyone shed any light on what R Corps was? I'm researching a Royal Engineer who was awarded the MM whilst serving with the R Corps Signal Company.

Many thanks

[Chris_Baker]

As far as I am aware, the Corps were lettered in the same sequence that they were numbered ... so I make that XVIII Corps.

[Standard Bearer]

I am going to hazard a guess at "R" Corps Signal Company - as distinct from "O" Corps Signal Company and others. However that is based entirely on this list of Unit War Diaries I came across on the RE Museum website.

http://www.re-museum.co.uk/u/pages/War_Diaries_world_war_one-_Copy.pdf

I am more than happy to be corrected if somebody thinks I am talking through a hole in my head

[mutley]

Thank you both, his MM is named to "R" CPS SIG COY RE so the Sig Coy in Standard Bearer's list matches, but are R Corps and XVIII Corps one and the same? His MM is for the March offensive in 1918, so now to see if I can find out what they were doing between 21- 26 March 1918. Thanks again

Mutley

[Ron Clifton]

As far as I am aware, the Corps were lettered in the same sequence that they were numbered ... so I make that XVIII Corps.

Not quite. R Corps Signal Company belonged to XVII Corps. The alphabetical sequence was not exact: for instance, O Corps Signal Company belonged to V Corps, E having been assigned to IX Corps.

Certain other Corps units, notably the Corps Supply Column and the Corps Siege Park, also used the single letter rather than the Roman numeral of the Corps. I assume that this was a simple security measure, especially as regards the Signals, whose traffic might be intercepted.

Ron

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Yes, R Corps is XVII Corps.

The other odd ones were:

"K" - I ANZAC &

"Y" -II ANZAC then XXII Corps

I don't think it would be a security measure, if you wanted to make the Germans guess, you wouldn't have 2 as B, 3 as C, 4 as D, 6 as F etc.etc

More likely just an admin think I think.

[mutley]

Thank you both, every day is a school day as they say.

Mutley