Royal Army Physical Training Corps

The Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education and is headquartered in Aldershot. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs).

The RAPTC was formed in 1860 as the Army Gymnastic Staff. It was renamed the Army Physical Training Staff in 1918 and was given corps status as the Army Physical Training Corps by Army Order 165 in 1940. The corps was given its present name in 2010.

The corps cap badge, which is also worn on the front of its vests, t-shirts and tracksuits, consists of crossed swords surmounted by a crown. The corps motto is Mens sana in corpore sano which means 'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. Its quick march is Be Fit, with words taken from Land and Sea Tales by Rudyard Kipling. It is headquartered at the Army School of Physical Training (ASPT) in Aldershot, but instructors are attached to every battalion and regiment in the British Army, with the senior instructor in every unit usually being a Warrant Officer Class 2 (Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor) QMSI.

It is not possible to join the RAPTC directly from civilian life. Prospective PTIs must first join another regiment or corps and then qualify as Regimental All Arms Physical Training Instructor (AAPTI) after a nine-week course at the ASPT. They then return to their own unit and only after further experience can they attend selection for the RAPTC. If they pass the selection course they follow a 30-week training course before qualifying as Advanced PTIs and transferring to the RAPTC as an RAPTCI.

Famous former APTCIs include Olympic medallist Kriss Akabusi and Nick Stuart (former National Gymnastic Coach).

At the Festival of Remembrance on 13 November 2010 Huw Edwards announced that the Army Physical Training Corps had been granted the title Royal Army Physical Training Corps by Her Majesty the Queen. This became effective immediately.

Notable personnel

 * Category:Royal Army Physical Training Corps soldiers