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.

物件編號: M181

年代: 公元 1896-1918 年

材質: 鍍金

尺寸: 49.3 x 40.9 x 2.2 mm

重量: 15.14 g

來源: 亞伯丁獎章 2023

這是公元1900至1901年間，從第二次布爾戰爭的南非前線調往中國參加八國聯軍行動的英國「陸軍軍械兵團」帽徽，該單位主要負責作戰部隊的後勤補給和軍械保養事宜。

帽徽經沖壓和鍍金加工，主體外觀為一個盾牌，盾牌上有三枚並排的砲彈及垂直排列的三門老式前膛炮。盾牌下方的三聯卷軸則打印上單位名稱「陸軍軍械兵團」(ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS)。帽徽背面有兩個圓環與將其固定在帽子上的開口銷。

陸軍軍械兵團的起源能追溯至公元1444年，即火藥投入歐洲戰場使用的萌芽期。公元1857年起，經過一連串的部隊改革和重組後，「陸軍軍械兵團」於公元1896年正式成立。兵團成立以降，先後參與英軍在埃及、蘇丹、南非和中國等全球各地的殖民戰爭。公元1918年，第一次世界大戰落幕後，單位冠上新名稱成為「皇家軍械兵團」，帽徽頂端也增加象徵皇室的皇冠。

單位在第二次世界大戰迎來最大規模的擴張，從千人小單位躋身為8,000名軍官和130,000名士兵的大型單位。公元1993年，歷經最新一次改編，現行部隊番號為「皇家後勤部隊」是英國陸軍人數最多的單位。