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The ACC Corps Colours
Grebe Grey
Bunting Yellow
Much discussion has taken place in the past seventy five years concerning the origin of the Army Catering Corps’ colours. The answer is now unfortunately lost in time, but one of the colours of The Royal Army Service Corps was yellow and may have been chosen in view of the former associations of the RASC with army catering. It was promulgated in Army Council Instructions (ACIs) No 469 of 1941 that the shoulder title of the Corps to be worn by other ranks on service dress were the letters ACC in brass. When the designs of the new cap and collar badges were announced in ACIs 1054 of 1941 it also stated under the heading "Distinguishing Marks for wear on battledress" that all ranks would wear the letters ACC in yellow on a grey background. In ACI 1118 of 1940 "An arm of service" strip of coloured felt was to be worn by all ranks on the upper sleeve of the battledress and greatcoat. The strip allocated to the Corps was two inches long and a quarter of an inch thick. The first inch being of pigeon grey and the second half of yellow material. There were single and combined colours for eighteen other arm of service strips. ie: All infantry units were scarlet. Grey was not a colour used by any other branch of the army and may have been the reason it was allocated to the new Corps. Grey backing cloth was approved for the worsted rank badges worn on battledress by officers. On 27 June 1947 the Controller Army Catering Corps proposed to the Army Dress Committee at their second meeting after the war, that the existing shoulder title was unsatisfactory in that after a period of wear the yellow initials ACC became very indistinct against a grey background. It was proposed and agreed that the full wording "Army Catering Corps" in grey lettering on a yellow background should henceforth replace it. And this form of title, introduced in 1948, was worn until battle dress was finally replaced after 1963. The grey colour taken into use by the Corps was originally described as pigeon grey. At the 80th meeting of the Army Dress Committee on 27 April 1955, when consideration was given to the pattern, style and colour of a mess dress for officers of the ACC, the description grebe grey was first used. Senior officers of the Corps promoted to the rank of Colonel prior to 1959 wore a grebe grey band around the service dress cap and grey gorget patches on their collars. Although there had been no change of colour, grebe grey has been substituted by the trade for pigeon grey and the British Colour Council identified the Corps colours as grebe grey and bunting yellow. The grey band is above the yellow band on the ACC stable belt
The ACC Corps Colours
Grebe Grey
Bunting Yellow
Much discussion has taken place in the past seventy five years concerning the origin of the Army Catering Corps’ colours. The answer is now unfortunately lost in time, but one of the colours of The Royal Army Service Corps was yellow and may have been chosen in view of the former associations of the RASC with army catering. It was promulgated in Army Council Instructions (ACIs) No 469 of 1941 that the shoulder title of the Corps to be worn by other ranks on service dress were the letters ACC in brass. When the designs of the new cap and collar badges were announced in ACIs 1054 of 1941 it also stated under the heading "Distinguishing Marks for wear on battledress" that all ranks would wear the letters ACC in yellow on a grey background. In ACI 1118 of 1940 "An arm of service" strip of coloured felt was to be worn by all ranks on the upper sleeve of the battledress and greatcoat. The strip allocated to the Corps was two inches long and a quarter of an inch thick. The first inch being of pigeon grey and the second half of yellow material. There were single and combined colours for eighteen other arm of service strips. ie: All infantry units were scarlet. Grey was not a colour used by any other branch of the army and may have been the reason it was allocated to the new Corps. Grey backing cloth was approved for the worsted rank badges worn on battledress by officers. On 27 June 1947 the Controller Army Catering Corps proposed to the Army Dress Committee at their second meeting after the war, that the existing shoulder title was unsatisfactory in that after a period of wear the yellow initials ACC became very indistinct against a grey background. It was proposed and agreed that the full wording "Army Catering Corps" in grey lettering on a yellow background should henceforth replace it. And this form of title, introduced in 1948, was worn until battle dress was finally replaced after 1963. The grey colour taken into use by the Corps was originally described as pigeon grey. At the 80th meeting of the Army Dress Committee on 27 April 1955, when consideration was given to the pattern, style and colour of a mess dress for officers of the ACC, the description grebe grey was first used. Senior officers of the Corps promoted to the rank of Colonel prior to 1959 wore a grebe grey band around the service dress cap and grey gorget patches on their collars. Although there had been no change of colour, grebe grey has been substituted by the trade for pigeon grey and the British Colour Council identified the Corps colours as grebe grey and bunting yellow. The grey band is above the yellow band on the ACC stable belt