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United Kingdom Army Ordnance Corps Headdress
英國陸軍軍械兵團帽徽
Item number: M181
Year: AD 1896-1918
Material: Gilt
Size: 49.3 x 40.9 x 2.2 mm
Weight: 15.14 g
Provenance: Aberdeen Medals 2023
This is a British Army Ordnance Corps headdress, transferred from the frontlines of the Second Boer War in South Africa to participate in the Eight-Nation Alliance campaign in China between AD 1900 and AD 1901. The unit primarily handled logistical supply and armament maintenance for combat forces.
The headdress is manufactured through stamping and gold plating processes. Its main body features a shield, upon which are three cannonballs arranged in a row and three old-style muzzle-loading cannons arranged vertically. Below the shield, a tripartite scroll bears the unit’s name “ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS”. The reverse of the headdress has two loops and a cotter pin for attachment to the hat.
The origins of the Army Ordnance Corps can be traced back to the early use of gunpowder on European battlefields around AD 1444. From AD 1857 onwards, following a series of military reforms and reorganisations, the Army Ordnance Corps was officially established in AD 1896. Since its formation, the corps has been involved in colonial conflicts around the world, including those in Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, and China. After the conclusion of the First World War in AD 1918, the unit adopted a new name, becoming the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, and the headdress was adorned with a crown symbolising the monarchy at the top.
During the Second World War, the unit experienced its largest expansion, growing from a small unit of a thousand personnel to a large organisation comprising 8,000 officers and 130,000 soldiers. In AD 1993, following the latest restructuring, the unit was renamed the Royal Logistic Corps and remains the largest unit in the British Army in terms of personnel.