RAPC Regimental Association News

BBC's Bargain Hunt - The "Monahan Box"

Several eagle-eyed ex-members of the RAPC who were watching the Tuesday 14 ^th February 2023 edition of Bargain Hunt on the BBC spotted the item shown below. The box was inscribed with the letters “C. J. Monahan R.A.P.C.”. A search of the RAPC Association records on the day turned up a blank for the name and initials. However, that evening the Association was contacted by Kevin Monahan, son of Christopher Joseph Monahan. 

Kevin had also been watching Bargain Hunt and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his dad’s old box on the screen. He called the Bazaar Vintage and Antique Warehouse in Narberth where the programme was filmed to see if they still had the box, unfortunately, the box had been sold and the shop did not have the details of who had purchased it.

Kevin has passed on lots of information about his dad’s service with Army Pay Services which started in 1914 and ended in 1958. You can read about it here.

Kevin would love to find out what has happened to “The Monahan Box”. If anyone reading this knows of its whereabouts, can you please get in touch with the RAPC Association Webmaster at this email address: webmaster@rapc-association.org.uk.  

RAPC Memorial and Donations Update

In June 2022 the the Trustees of the RAPC Association elected to erect a permanent memorial to the RAPC at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire. Work on the project has continued at pace and in January 2023 the Trustees were invited to visit the workshops of the sculptor, Andy DeComyn. who wanted feedback on the clay model of the Lion which will form the centerpiece of the memorial. They approved the model and authorised Andy to proceed to the next stage. Andy will now take the model of the Lion to the foundry to cast in bronze. Click on the photo below to see a larger version.

In August 2022, the President’s made an appeal to members for donations towards offsetting the cost of the memorial. To date 177 members have generously donated towards the appeal along with several donations from branches from raffles/collections made at Christmas functions. The total raised to date including gift aid is £18,500.

The memorial will be unveiled on Wednesday 14th June 2023  

99 year old RAPC WW2 Veteran Fund Raising for MND

Former LCpl Harold Jones, from Sutton Coldfield, is an RAPC WW2 veteran, who, inspired by Capt Sir Tom Moore, has been walking around his own garden since the first lockdown in Mar 2020 to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease charity. Harold was not a Captain; he was a LCpl but his commitment is just as great and he does 40 laps of his garden each day.

Harold’s story appeared on Midlands TV a couple of weeks ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-59094902 and he really is an amazing character.

Harold has a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harold-jones4 in favour of Motor Neurone Disease and is supported by the MND Association. Harold, who is looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday in July, has now raised over £27k from local friends, family and his JustGiving page.

The Bank of Normandy

As part of the D-Day Commemorations in 2019, the Mayor of Douvres la Delivrande accepted a small presentation from the RAPC Association at the "Musee Franco Allemande du Radar" Station Radar ( musee-radar.fr) which served as the temporary bank vault for all of the currency which had been landed along with the troops on the Normandy beaches. During 2022 this forgotten contribution of the RAPC will have its own permanent memorial.

Requesting Service Records

This site aims to be of service not only to RAPC Association members, but also the wider RAPC family. We know that at least 40,000 men were called up for National Service with the RAPC while many thousands more served, fought and often died everywhere the British Army has had a unit from 1878 until 1992.

If you served in the Army, you can find out how to apply for your own record here. This process is free.

If you are interested in your family history with the Royal Army Pay Corps, you can find out how to apply for a deceased family member’s service record here. This costs £30 and takes a while as all paper records are stored at an underground location.

Here is a guide to Army records. While you are waiting for service records, you might consider getting in touch with the curator of the Adjutant General’s Corps Museum – our successor Corps – who may be able to help you add some detail to the picture of your family members’ service life. The museum website can be accessed here and the curator can be contacted on 01962 877 826.