ROCA HERITAGE

Royal Observer Corps History (1925 - 1995)

The Royal Observer Corps has had a wide and varied existence. Being formed in 1925 its history can be dated back to the days of the Spanish Armarda and the use of beacons (or bekyns) to warn of invaderes by sea. It is due to this history that the elizabethan firelighter for such beacons is used on the badge of the Royal Observer Corps and is still in use today by the ROC Association.

hroughtout it's 70-years in existence it has seen a couple of changes. Firstly as a result of WW2 in which it was the 'eyes and ears of the RAF' in providing spotting and plotting of enemy aircraft; whilst later the Corps role changed to encompass a new nuclear role of the warning of nuclear attack from the Soviet Union and potential monitoring of nuclear fallout during the Cold War.

Information encompassing the major periods in the ROC history may be accessed below.

THE DNA OF THE ROC

1910's - 1920's: FORMATION

1930's: TOWARDS WAR

1940's: INTO WAR

1950's: INTO THE COLD

1960's - 1980's: CHANGES

1990's: THAW & STAND-DOWN

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