British Military Zippo Lighters

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Zippo dated 1994

Royal Logistic Corps

The Royal Logistic Corps was formed on 5 April 1993 by joining together several existing corps to make the biggest UK Regiment with 16,000 men and women.
Royal Corps of Transport
Drivers, air dispatchers, port and maritime specialists, movement controllers, railwaymen and radio operators.
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Supply controllers and supply specialists, vehicle specialists, petroleum operators, ammunition technical and explosive ordnance disposal teams.
Royal Pioneer Corps
Artisans and defence skilled soldiers
Army Catering Corps
Chefs and catering experts
Royal Engineers (RE)
Supplied our postal and courier personnel, although the rest of the RE continues to function as a major part of the British Army.
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1 Logistic Support Regiment
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2 Logistic Support Regiment
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3 Logistic Support Regiment
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4 Logistic Support Regiment
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5 Training Regiment
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6 Regiment
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7 Regiment
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8 Regiment
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9 Regiment
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10 Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment
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11 EOD Regiment
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12 Logistic Support Regiment
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13 Air Assault Support Regiment
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17 Port and Maritime Regiment
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23 Pioneer Regiment
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24 Regiment
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25 Training Regiment
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27 Regiment
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29 Regiment
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Commando Logistic Regiment

Click on any of the above Regiment Badges to be taken to their MOD Websites


321 EOD SQN RLC

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This Zippo lighter is dated 2002.
321 - Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron - Royal logistic Corps.
Felix the Cat has been widely adopted by bomb squads all over the world as their symbol because of his nine lives - a characteristic most bomb squad technicians covet, while at the same time hope they never need.
Felix was originally adopted by the British Army, 321 EOD Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)  in early 1970 when the unit was formed in Northern Ireland.
A specialist Army unit 321 EOD Company (now part of 11 EOD Regiment RLC) was deployed to tackle increased IRA violence and willingness to use IEDs against both economic and military targets. The unit's radio callsign was Felix, many believe this to be an allusion to the cat with nine lives and led to the phrase "Fetch Felix" whenever a suspect device was encountered and became the title of the 1981 book Fetch Felix; it is however due to the fact that all units in Northern Ireland, had a 'callsign' to be used over the radios. 321 Sqn being a newly formed unit hadn't such a callsign, and so a young signaller was sent to the OC of 321 Sqn, the OC having lost 2 technicians that morning decided on Phoenix, to rise again from the ashes. This was misheard as Felix by the signaller and never changed. (So the story goes). 321 EOD Coy RAOC (now 321 EOD Sqn RLC) is unique in that it is the most decorated unit (in peace time) in the British Army, notably for acts of bravery during OP BANNER (1969–2007) in Northern Ireland.

British bomb disposal experts of 11 EOD Regiment RLC were amongst the first personnel sent into Iraq in 2003 prior to the actual invasion itself.


Royal Corps of Transport

The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army corps formed in 1965 from the transport (land, water and air) and movement control elements of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) and the Royal Engineers (RE). The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot. 
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Zippo dated 1985
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Zippo dated 1988
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Zippo dated 1990
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Zippo dated 1990

1 Armoured Division Transport Regiment RCT

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Zippo dated 1984The RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) became the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) in June 1965. The unit title was changed from 1 Divisional Column to 1 Armoured Division Transport Regiment, RCT in Dec 1977. Then in Jan 1983, 1 and 2 Armd Division Transport Regiments were amalgamated.
1 Armd Div Tpt Regt RCT was located at Birdwood Barracks in Bunde, Germany from 1984 until 1993.
Following the RCT's amalgamation with the Royal Ordnance Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps, Army Catering Corps and the Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Service in April 1993, the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed and the unit was entitled 1 General Support Regiment, RLC.

10 Regiment RCT

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Zippo dated 1991 - Front
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Reverse
10 Regt RCT was based in Caterick Bks in Bielefeld, Germany for many years from the formation of the RCT until Sept 1993. It consisted of 9, 17 and 36 Sqns RCT - although 36 Sqn was disbanded after the First Gulf War.
After the formation of the RLC the RHQ element of 10 Regt moved to Aldershot and re-formed the Regt with new Sqns.
The old Sqns of 10 Regt (9 and 17) remained in Germany and formed part of the new 7 Tpt Regt RLC (with 3, 16 and 617 Sqns) as the RHQ of 7 Tank Transporter Regt RLC (formerly RCT) moved into Catterick Bks from their old location in Sennelager. The reverse of the Zippo shows the Red iconic desert rat, which are on a lot of British Military Zippos of those regiments who were deployed to the first gulf war 1990 - 1991.
BAOR Locations - 10 Regiment RCT

8 Regiment RCT

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Zippo dated 1985
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Zippo dated 1984
8 Transport Column (Advanced Weapons Support), Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), was formed in Nelson Barracks, Münster, West Germany in 1964 and assumed the role of the carriage of 1 (BR) Corps Special Weapons, a task previously carried out by the Royal Artillery. On the formation of The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) on 15th July 1965 the Unit was re-titled as 8 Transport Regiment RCT. On 1st April 1998 the Regiment was once again re-titled to become 8 Transport Regiment RLC and eventually became known as 8 Regiment RLC in December 2008.
BAOR Locations - 8 Regiment RCT
8 Regiment RLC

3 Tank Transporter Squadron RCT

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Zippo dated 1979 - Front
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Reverse
3 Tank Transporter Squadron RCT was based in Germany, Antwerp Barracks, Sennelarger 1972 to 5th April 1993,
and was part of 7 Tank Transporter Regiment.
The Tank Transporter  shown on the reverse of the Zippo is an Antar which was a heavy-duty tractor unit built by Thornycroft from the 1940s and onwards. For some decades it was the standard tank transporter of the British Army and was also used by other nations.
BAOR Locations - 3 Tk Tptr Sqn RCT

16 Tank Transporter Squadron - RCT

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Zippo dated 1982 - Front
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Reverse
Tank transporters first came to St. Barbara Barracks in Fallingbostal, Germany in June 1952 and they are still based there today. In 1965 the unit was re-titled 16 Tk Tptr Sqn RCT and was equipped with the Thorneycroft Mighty Antar tank Transporter. By 1979 there were two troops of Poles and two of British soldiers. The unit could ‘lift’ 60 tanks and 20 light ‘A’ vehicles at the same time. By the late 1980’s all the Poles of the MSO had retired and so 16 Sqn was fully UK manned, driving the Scammell Commander Tk Tptr and deploying to the first Gulf war. In 1993 they finally became 16 Tk Tptr Sqn RLC, where they still reside in St. Barbara’s, an ideal location to haul tanks to and from the Hohne training area. 
BAOR Locations -  16 TK Tptr Sqn RCT

26 Squadron RCT

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Zippo dated 1988
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Zippo dated 1982
26 Sqn RCT was based at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn, Northern Ireland . Originally called 26 Company which had been in Northern Ireland since 1947. Was renamed 26 Sqn - RCT on 15 July 1965.

21 Squadron RCT

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This Zippo is dated 1991.
21 Squadron Royal Corps of Transport spent its whole life based in Germany. 1965 based at Hilden, Dortmond and from 1967 was based at Glamorgan Barracks, Duisburg until being disbanded in 1992. 
It came under command of 3 Armoured Division Transport Regiment from 1977.
There also was 3 other squadrons based at Glamorgan Barracks they were  35, 75, 6.
In honour of the close links that exist between the Regiment and the Stadt (City), the Regiment was granted the Freedom of the City of Duisburg in September 1990.

BAOR Locations - 3 ADTR

617 Tank Transporter Squadron - RCT

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Zippo dated 1985 and shows the National Flags of Poland & United Kingdom.
The centre Eagle Design is that of the Polish Coat Of Arms.
The first documentary evidence of 617 Squadron dates back to the 15 December 1915 with the formation of 617 Company Army Service Corps. After the First World War the unit was disbanded and it was not until 1947 that it was re-introduced as 317 Unit. This part of its history started with “Watchman Units”, that were formed by the British Army for the Poles who happened to be in the British zone of Germany. They happened to be there, not from personal choice, but because they were former prisoners of war, former inhabitants of the concentration camps, or displaced persons forced to work in Germany. In most cases they had no wish to go back to Poland, which was then dominated by the Russians, and were pleased and willing to work for the British. In August 1990 the unit was notified of its impending disbandment and with the advent of the Gulf Crisis and Op Granby in September 1990 many of the soldiers deployed directly to the Gulf or 16 Tank Transporter Squadron RCT. The remaining soldiers and the CWG lease hire troop moved to 3 Tank Transporter
                                                                Squadron RCT on 31 March 1991.

BAOR Locations - 617 Tk Tpr Sqn RCT

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

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Zippo dated 1986
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Zippo dated 1986
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Zippo dated 1989
The RAOC can trace its ancestry back as far as 1414 when a civilian Office of Ordnance was created becoming a Military Board of Ordnance in 1683. The Board of Ordnance until its abolition in 1855 supplied weapons and ammunition to the whole Army, and was also entirely responsible for the Royal Artillery (RA) and the Royal Engineers (RE). 

In 1792 the Field Train Department was formed under the Board's control. Numerous titles, departments and corps names ensued, with Officers and Other Ranks being members of different departments. This continued after 1896, when the Officers were assigned to the Army Ordnance Department (AOD), while Warrant Officers, NCOs and Soldiers were placed in the Army Ordnance Corps (AOC). It was not until after World War One in 1918, that the two were amalgamated to form the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 

The RAOC continued to serve the British Army until 1993 when it was amalgamated and became part of the Royal Logistics Corps

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

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Zippo dated 1976.

Zippo shows the Royal Army Ordnance Corps Links to:
7th Armoured Brigade & 11th Armoured Brigade.
The Red Triangle is of the 1st Armoured Division which both belonged.
The 1st Armoured Divisionis an armoured division of the British Army. Originally formed in November 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during the Second World War, was disbanded afterward, was reconstituted in 1976, and remains in service today. It should not be confused with 1st Infantry Division which saw service in the Second World War as a separate formation. During the 1970s, the division consisted of two "square" brigades, the 7th Armoured Brigade and 11th Armoured Brigade.
(Primus Inter Pares - First Among Equals).

Royal Army Ordnance Corp

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This Zippo Lighter is dated 1989

R.A.O.C - A.V.S.D - Ludgershall
Royal Army Ordnance Corp - Armoured Vehicle Sub Depot - Ludgershall.
Not much info on this Zippo, I know that Ludgershall is in Wiltshire, and I think it is only one of two/three very large Army Vehicle Depots in the UK.



Royal Pioneer Corps

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Royal Pioneer Corps - Original Cap Badge - Zippo dated 1974
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Royal Pioneer Corps - New Cap Badge - Zippo dated 1985
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Zippo dated 1991
The Labour Corps, formed in February 1917, is generally regarded as a predecessor of the Royal Pioneer Corps.n WW1 the British had no organised Labour system at the start of the war, depending on civilians supplied by the French Government. As the war progressed demands for Labour increased as armies grew in size and at the same time less Frenchmen available to assist. The British started to send labourers to France in 1915-1916 to work in docks etc. In April 1917 they were formed into a Labour Corps which was to reach 325,000 British soldiers, 98,000 Chinese, 10,000 Africans, 6 Battalions British West Indies Regt, 300,000 PWs and contingents from Egypt and Fiji all serving in France in Nov 1918.
The title was changed to Pioneer Corps in 1940.In addition to UK troops, Pioneers were enlisted from the Commonwealth and included Swazis, Basutos, Buchuanas, East and West Africans, Mauritians, Rodriguais and Seychellois, Sinhalese, Indians of all classes, Cypriots and Maltese. Syrians, Palestines and Arabs also joined the Corps. In addition, in NW Europe, Free French, Dutch and Belgian Companies of Pioneers were formed.
On 26th November 1946, his majesty 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.
On the 13th February 1985 - The Royal Pioneer Corps - Re-Badge as you can see in the Zippo photo's above. It was amalgamated and became part of the Royal Logistics Corps in 1993.

Royal Pioneer Corps - Website

Army Catering Corps

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Zippo dated 1981
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Zippo dated 1984
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Zippo dated 1981
The Army Catering Corps did not exist as a separate Corps in the Army until 1st January 1965 when it was granted the status of an independent Corps in its own right, under the direction of the Quartermaster General. Until then the Catering Corps had been under the control of the Royal Army Service Corps since its formation on 22nd March 1941 under Army Order 35 of 1941. Prior to that, Regiments had their own cooks, some of whom were trained in one of the two cookery schools which existed in Aldershot and Poona in India.  
It is quite often forgotten that ACC cooks served with the Household Division, SAS and Parachute Regiment.
Army Catering Corps Association

Royal Logistic Corps Museum
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