Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications and information systems essential to all operations.
Royal Signals units provide the full telecommunications infrastructure for the Army wherever they operate in the world.
The Corps has its own engineers, logistics experts and systems operators to run radio and area networks in the field.
[5] A Royal Warrant for the creation of a Corps of Signals was signed by the Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, on 28 June 1920.
In one notable action, Corporal Thomas Waters of the 5th Parachute Brigade Signal Section was awarded the Military Medal for laying and maintaining the field telephone line under heavy enemy fire across the Caen Canal Bridge during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
[8] In the immediate post-war period, the Corps played a full and active part in numerous campaigns including Palestine, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, Malaya and the Korean War.
Currently there are 4 Supervisor roles: If a soldier chooses not to follow the Supervisor route, they will remain employed 'in trade' until promoted to Warrant Officer, where they will then be classed as on the Regimental Duty (RD) roster and will oversee the daily routine, and administration of a unit's personnel and equipment.
[23] The flag and cap badge feature Mercury (Latin: Mercurius), the winged messenger of the gods, who is referred to by members of the corps as "Jimmy".
[24] On No 2, No 4 and No 14 Dress, the Corps wears a dark blue lanyard on the right side signifying its early links with the Royal Engineers.
The Airborne Signals Unit wears a drab green lanyard made from parachute cord.
[25] The Corps deploys and operates a broad range of specialist military and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) communications systems.