The Corps of Signals was established by Royal Warrant on 28 June 1920.
Six weeks later, on 5 August, the title ‘Royal Corps of Signals’ was conferred by King George V.
From its earliest days the Corps was engaged in operations across the globe and its officers and men were duly recognised for their gallantry and valuable service. Not surprisingly, the majority of awards were made during the course of the Second World War but, before and since, the officers and soldiers of the Corps have been decorated for their gallantry in most of the conflicts in which the British Army has been engaged.
In contribution to the centennial of the Corps, this meticulously researched, cloth bound, hardback book, organised by decoration or medal, will record all of the gallantry and operational awards made to all ranks of Royal Signals, with accounts of the circumstances behind many of them and detailed descriptions of the actions and conflicts in which the Corps participated. It will include many previously undiscovered awards and citations. A smaller, paperback, companion volume—organised thematically by conflict from Mesopotamia, Ireland and Waziristan in the 1920s, through Burma, the North West Frontier and Palestine in the 1930s, the Second World War, Korea, Cold War counter-insurgency and more recent conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan—will recount many of the stories behind the awards. Its working title is ‘On Mercury’s Wings‘. They will be published in 2020.
The Author
Nick Metcalfe is a former Royal Signals officer and the author of Blacker’s Boys, the First World War history of the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers, and For Exemplary Bravery, the story of the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.
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