Description
Physical description
Headdress badge to the Army Catering Corps, apparently white metal but possibly gilt polished off, being an Imperial (King's) crown surmounting a circlet bearing ARMY CATERING CORPS, in the centre of which an ancient Grecian brazier with emanations rising from its top. A slider on the reverse.
History note
The first version of the badge was issued in gilding metal or brass, its pattern sealed in May 1941. The bi-metal version appears to have been introduced around 1951, at around the same time as an anodised version, which pattern was sealed in March of that year. The Queen's crown version was introduced in 1954, sealed in October, and the pattern for its anodised version was sealed as late as April 1963. The version with the added motto scroll was introduced after 1973.
The motto appears initially to have been in Latin, ESCAM IN TEMPORE (literally "Food in time"), and was presumably associated with things other than insignia, such as letterheads. By the time the motto appeared on the headdress badge it was being interpreted as WE SUSTAIN, which strictly should be "sustinemus"..
The reason for describing what is obviously intended to be a cooking utensil as a "Grecian brazier" is nowhere explained, nor are the emanations from the top of the anywhere defined. Perhaps "cauldron" might have been a better description, and it might have been wise to define the emanations as "steam" or similar. A brazier carries connotations of burning, arguably accentuated by the depiction of emanations from the brazier / cauldron, together positively inviting soldiers to put a singularly negative interpretation on the design.
The first Army School of Cookery was established in 1885, run in parallel with the schools belonging to each Home Command, which were run by the Army Service Corps. Individual units remained responsible for their own catering and cooks were not considered either tradesmen or permanent. Trade pay for cooks was introduced only in 1936, which enhanced their standing but did little to improve standards overall. In 1938 the RASC established a central School of Cookery at Buller Barracks in Aldershot, employing a number of civilian instructors.
Early experience in World War Two demonstrated the need for a centralised approach to catering and the Army Catering Corps was created on 22 March 1941 as a subsidiary Corps within the RASC. Designated cooks within units were transferred to the ACC and Cooks were henceforth not only tradesmen subject to a central training programme but permanent. In May 1943 the ACC was designated a "tradesman" corps, which entailed improved pay and conditions and a re-designation as other than front-line soldiers.
On 1 January 1965 the ACC became an independent Corps in its own right. On 5 April 1993 the ACC amalgamated with other services to become part of the newly formed Royal Logistics Corps.
Inscription
ARMY CATERING CORPS