| Royal Australian Corps of Transport | |
|---|---|
|
180px Cap badge of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport | |
| Active | 1973–present |
| Country |
 Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Role | Military supply chain management |
| Motto(s) | Equal to the Task |
| Colors | Blue, white and scarlet |
| March | Wait for the Wagon |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel in Chief | Her Royal Highness Anne, Princess Royal |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | RACT |
The Royal Australian Corps of Transport is a corps within the Australian Army. It was formed in 1973 and is responsible for the operation of army surface transport assets.
| Corps of the Australian Army |
|---|
| Combat |
| Combat Support |
| Combat Service Support |
|
| Training Corps |
| Former Corps |
Role[edit | edit source]
The role of the RACT is to control and operate Army owned surface transport, other than unit transport, and to provide movement control, terminal, postal and Army aspects of air logistic support. As such members of the corps are employed in a variety of roles, including:
- Road Transport,
- Movements,
- Air Dispatch,
- Postal,
- Water Transport, and
- Terminal Operations.
History[edit | edit source]
The RACT was formed on 1 June 1973 from and amalgamation of a number of functions of two existing corps: Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC) and Royal Australian Engineers Transportation Service (RAE-TN). From RAASC the new corps gained the responsibilities of road and amphibian transport, air dispatch and postal functions, whilst from RAE-TN it gained water transport, terminal and movements roles. The remaining RAASC functions—such as the provision of foodstuffs and petrol, oils and lubricants—were subsequently allocated to the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps (RAAOC), with RAASC ceasing to exist on 31 May 1973.[1]
At Puckapunyal on 4 June 1983 the RACT was presented with its Banner. It was received from the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, who presented it on behalf of Her Royal Highness, Princess Alice.[2]
Corps Embellishments[edit | edit source]
The badge of the RACT consists of the seven-pointed Federation Star incorporating the Royal Cipher, being common to both the badges of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) and Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC). Surrounding the Royal Cipher is a circlet containing the name 'Royal Australian Corps of Transport', which is enclosed by a laurel wreath and the Corps motto 'Par Oneri' or 'Equal to the Task'.[3]
The RACT Lanyard is a braided blue and red lanyard to represent its RAASC and RAE heritage. Notably, RACT was the first corps in the Australian Army to receive approval to wear a braided lanyard.[4]
The corps colours of the RACT are blue, white and scarlet. Each of the colours represents various aspects of the history of the corps:
- Blue: representing the early uniforms worn by the corps predecessors
- White: represents the white facings of the Military Train and also denotes the corps mounted background
- Scarlet: represents the amalgamation of the RAE Transportation Service.[5]
Equipment[edit | edit source]
Vehicles:
- Yamaha XT 600 motorcycle
- Landrover 110 4 x 4
- Landrover 110 6 x 6
- Mack R Series (including Cargo, Dump, Truck Tanker Fuel, Truck Tanker Water and others)
- Mercedes-Benz Unimog (including Cargo, Dump, and others)
- Mack Fleetliner
- International S Liner Prime Mover
Watercraft:
- Landing Craft Mechanised Type 8, Series II (LCM8)
- Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo – 5 Tonne (LARC-V)
- Landing Platform Amphibious Watercraft 2000 (LPAW 2000)
An Australian Army LCM8 Australian resupply convoy in Afghanistan in 2010
Notes[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- Palazzo, Albert (2001). The Royal Australian Corps of Transport: A History of Australian Army Transport 1973–2000. Loftus: Australian Military Historical Publications. ISBN 1-876439-80-7.
| Preceded by Australian Army Intelligence Corps |
Australian Army Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Australian Army Catering Corps |
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
