Royal Staff Corps

[Timbottawa]

Can anyone direct me to information on the Royal Staff Corps.  Googling doesn't turn up much, other than that they built a bunch of canals.  I looked on Amazon, but no books on the RSC.

Thanks

Tim

[deadants]

Try this site.

http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/image_469.asp?flash=1&page_id=534

deadants

[Timbottawa]

Thanks, deadants.

The RSC seems to have specialised in building canals (as per the reference to the Long Sault Rapids canal in the web-site you sent.  My fellow was involved with the Royal Military Canal in Kent/Sussex.  But there seems to be little or no written history of the regiment - only descriptions of engineering works on which they worked.

Cheers
Tim

[Rod In Sussex]

Hi,
The Royal Staff Corps was established by the Duke of York in 1799 as a result of a lack of co-operation of the Board of Ordnance (who liked to be independent of the C in C) in supplying technical troops such as Engineers. It was made up of five companies, each of a Captain, three Subalterns and fifty Artificers. The officers were considered to be part of the Quatermaster General's Staff. In the Peninsular War they were used by Wellington to supervise support works such as bridge repairs , while the Royal Engineers were used in front line duties such as sieges. The lack of trained Engineer officers often resulted in the Royal Staff Corps overseeing work being done by untrained labour (often infrantry soldiers), such as the Royal Military Canal. The corps shrank after the Napoleonic wars and disappeared in 1830, when all remaining offers and men transferred to the Royal Sappers and Miners.
Rod

[Timbottawa]

Thanks, Rod,

Yes, I'd gathered from the few internet sources that the RSC petered out in the first half of the 19th C.  That fits with my fellow, who was discharged in 1818 due to downsizing of the armed forces.  Interestingly, his profession was given as "blacksmith" - perhaps he was responsible for maintaining equipment.

Cheers
Tim

[Picea]

There is more information about the Royal Staff Corps on the Royal Engineers Museum website

http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_his_history.htm#null

Click on the Global Wars and a third Corps link

Hope that helps

Simon

[Timbottawa]

Thanks Simon, that's a useful site and information.

By the way, noting your screen name, are you a botanist or forester, or is it just a coincidence that you use the botanical name for spruce?

Cheers
Tim (formerly Forestry Commission)