The Royal Defence Corps was a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

formed in 1916 and disbanded in 1936. As part of the reorganisation of home defence forces by Field Marshal Sir John French,

Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces was a senior officer in the British Army during the First and Second World Wars. The role of the appointment was firstly to oversee the training and equipment of formations in preparation for their deployment ove ...

, the Royal Defence Corps was created to “...carry out duties connected with the local defence of the United Kingdom, including those hitherto performed by the Supernumerary Territorial Force Companies....." The role of the corps was thus to provide troops for security and guard duties inside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, guarding important locations such as ports, bridges and railways, as well as

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

s. In addition to the Supernumerary Companies, 18 (Home Service) Garrison battalions of line

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiments became part of the RDC. Garrison battalions were composed of soldiers either too old or medically unfit for active front-line service; the Home Service status indicated they were unable to be transferred overseas. The corps was never intended to be employed on overseas service. The RDC was organised into independent companies of men aged between 41 and 60. Protection Companies guarded infrastructure, while Observation Companies kept watch for enemy activity off the coast and in the skies. Uniform distinctions included a cap badge of the royal cipher and crown within a circlet formed by the words 'ROYAL DEFENCE CORPS' and a brass 'RDC' shoulder title. In April 1918 some 27,000 men were serving in the RDC. Of these, 14,000 were employed at prisoner of war camps. The RDC was disbanded in 1919, before being reconstituted in 1922. It was finally disbanded in 1936, when its functions were taken over by the National Defence Companies of the Territorial Army.Mitchinson 2005 pp. 196, 201, 203

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