Army Apprentice School Collar Badges

This Auction is for a pair of Collar Badges as formerly worn by the Army Apprentices School.

Brand new and unissued anodised/staybrite pair of Collar Badges in an all Gold finish, complete with their mounted lug's, brass backing plates and brass split pin's.

Guaranteed new/unissued and in mint condition.

Brief Army Apprentices School's/College History - 

The Army Apprentices College was a college system in the United Kingdom that offered military training, education and common core skills, leadership and adventurous training, character development, trade training.

Name changes

On February 28, 1924 the Boy's Technical Schools were opened by the War Office. Five years later in 1929 these schools were renamed "Army Technical Schools (Boys)." In 1947 they changed their names to being the "Army Apprentices Schools." The schools were finally renamed as the "Army Apprentices Colleges" in 1966.

Boy Soldiers

Army Apprentices and Junior Leaders were often referred to as "Boy Soldiers". The real "Boy Soldiers" were actually the predecessors of  Apprentices and Junior Leaders. In fact, there really was an army rank called "Boy". It referred to those soldiers in the British Army that had not yet reached the minimum age for enlistment.

Boys Uniforms & Badges

The first uniform worn by Army Apprentices was Service Dress with stiff peaked cap with a large 'General Service Corps' Cap Badge and Buttons as standard. With brass Boys Technical School (B.T.S.) Shoulder Titles, Later changing to 'Army Technical School' (A.T.S.)

One must sympathise with the apprentices in their aversion to wearing brass A.T.S. insignia on their epaulettes thus confusing them with the then familiar female element of the war-time Army. After the January 1943 intake, the powers-that-be took the point and cloth shoulder flashes ‘Army Technical School’, in gold lettering on a black background were approved, giving a more dignified title.

At some time during W.W.II (believed to be about 1943) Battle Dress with at first a Khaki Woollen Beret were issued, later changing to a navy blue beret.

In 1947 a Cap Badge was designed for the Army Apprentice Schools which continued in use till c1966 when Corps or Regimental Badges were adopted.
The AAS Collar Badge continued to be worn when in Service or No2  Dress however.

 AAS Badge (King's Crown)

The Apprentices’ cap badge, which has been worn by so many thousands of apprentice tradesmen, was first worn on parade on 19^th August 1947. It was designed by Sergeant Jack Bolden R.E.M.E. from ideas and suggestions from the Commandant. Now that it is no longer in use, it is fitting to include some of the words written about it in ‘The Arborfield Apprentice’ in December 1946 by the Commandant of the School: 

• The Cross and the Crown stand respectively for character and loyalty; character based on the principles of Christianity and loyalty to the School, the Army, the nation and the King.
• The Torch stands for learning and for training the mind and body on good sound health lines.
• The Crossed Swords stand for the military virtues of discipline, steadfastness and devotion to duty.
• The Great Wheel, which forms the basis and background of the whole design, stands for technical knowledge and skill.

Service dress

Service dress was again issued from 1951 onwards.

Boy soldiers continued to wear khaki service dress until the 1960s, although the inconvenient puttees had been discontinued. Whilst adult soldiers were clad in the utilitarian battledress, boys paraded in the much smarter service dress, with its high-necked tunic, brass buttons and peaked cap, also wearing denim trousers and jackets, at first in the battledress style for (dirty) working dress or field training.

Adult soldiers exchanged battledress for the more presentable new No. 2 dress in the early 1960s, but the powers that be then decided to put boy soldiers into the now obsolete serge battledress, again without puttees or anklets. (Junior Leaders at Deepcut continued to wear Service Dress till the late 60's)

By the mid to late 1960s boy soldiers had at last started to graduate to the smart No.2 dress, At least for 'Best Dress' to start with. This uniform, with its 'easypress' cloth and 'staybright' buttons and badges, was much easier to maintain than the scratchy serge uniforms which preceded it, as well as being rather more comfortable. Battledress continued to be worn until the early 1970's in other forms of dress, being replaced by barrack dress/lightweight trousers  with pullovers, and combat dress when on duty or exorcise. Always one step behind the regular army, it would take a little longer to obtain the DPM combats of course! 

In 1963 it was decided to adopt the Red & Black Chevrons of the Light Infantry & Gurkha's to identify Junior NCO's (The rational being that the Cap & Collar badges would tell them apart!) and these were being worn by Army Apprentices and Junior Leaders by 1965.

Army Apprentices Colleges

Arborfield

Between 1936 and 2004 some 50,000 young men and women  passed through the gates of the Arborfield Army Apprenticeship establishment during the years 1939 to 2004.

Arborfield, known affectionately as 'The Boys’ School', was the last surviving of Army junior soldier trade-training establishments, with a history stretching back some 65 years.  However, during its long life, the establishment was known by a number of different names: -

Army Technical School (Boys)              1939 to 1946

Army Apprentices School                      1946 to Oct 1966

Army Apprentices College                     Oct 1966 to 1981

Princess Marina College                       1982 to August 1995

Army Apprentices College (again!)        Aug 1995 to Sept 2000

Army Technical Foundation College     Sept 2000 to Aug 2004

In 2004, it was decided that apprentice training at Arborfield would cease completely. And so it was, that on the 12th August 2004, the last intake of Arborfield Army Apprentices passed out from the College, to move into man’s service.

However, the Arborfield Old Boys’ Association will continue to serve all those who served at Arborfield, whether boy or girl army apprentices, as well as all those military and civilian members of the permanent staff.

AAC Carlisle

It is 48 years since Colonel Fane Gladwin and a small staff assembled at Hadrian's Camp to open the new Apprentices' School in 1960. Their enthusiasm, hard work and imagination in those early days laid the foundations for the well established School that greeted all of us on arrival at Hadrian's Camp.

In 1966 the School became a College and the traditional three year Apprentice courses were changed to complete the training in only two years.

AAC Chepstow - 'Where boys became men'

Notable Dates in the history of Beachley.

AAS Harrogate

The Army Apprentices School, Harrogate (AAS Harrogate), established in 1947, was sited either side of Penny Pot Lane, outside Harrogate ... utilising Uniacke and Hildebrande Barracks.

The first British Military Unit known to occupy the site on Penny Pot Lane was the 9th Field Training Regiment, Royal Artillery. They apparently used to fire their guns on the moors near Blubberhouses. They were disbanded in 1943.

The next known use was by 116th General Hospital of the United States Army, from 28 July, 1944 to 11 May, 1945, for the purpose of clearing war casualties.

Uniacke barracks was named after Lieutenant General Sir Herbert Uniacke KCB KCMG, who was an Artillery Officer. He was born in 1866 & died in 1934.

Hildebrand barracks was named after Brigadier General Arthur Blois Ross Hildebrand CB CMG DSO. He was a Signals Officer who was born in 1870 & died in 1937. (Today's rank of Brigadier was actually titled Brigadier General in those times.)

The School was renamed the Army Apprentices College, Harrogate (AAC Harrogate) in 1966 (in line with other such establishments) and thus remained so until its eventual closure after the Final Graduation Parade on 2 August, 1996.

The Early Years