| Biography | The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks.
The Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939. It was renamed the Pioneer Corps on 22 November 1940.
The Corps gained many awards for gallantry and in addition received American, French, Dutch, Greek, Belgian and Italian awards. Some 2,800 men of the Corps laid down their lives overseas. On 28 November 1946, King George VI decreed that in recognition of its services the Corps should have the distinction "Royal" added to the title. In February 1950 the Royal Pioneer Corps became part of the Regular Army. Since the end of World War 2, Royal Pioneer Corps officers and soldiers have played their part in all operations overseas. In the long history of the British Army no other Corps or Regiment has earned this single honour in so short a time.
On 5 April 1993, the Royal Pioneer Corps united with the Royal Corps of Transport, the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, the Army Catering Corps, and the Postal and Courier Service of the Royal Engineers, to form the Royal Logistic Corps.
There are currently three specialist pioneer units in the Royal Logistics Corps. These are 23 Pioneer Regiment based at Bicester, Oxfordshire; the ARRC Support Battalion 170 Pioneer Sqn RLC based at Innsworth, Gloucestershire, plus one specialist pioneer unit in the Territorial Army, 168 Pioneer Regiment, formed in 1995 with headquarters at Grantham. |