Army Physical Training Corps
Encyclopedia
The Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) is the British Army
corps
responsible for physical fitness
and physical education
. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs).
The RAPTC was formed in 1860 as the Army Gymnastic Staff. It was renamed the Army Physical Training Staff in 1918 and was given corps status as the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) by Army Order 165 in 1940. The corps was given its present name in 2010.
The corps cap badge
, which is also worn on the front of its vest
s, t-shirt
s and tracksuit
s, consists of crossed sword
s surmounted by a crown
. The corps motto
is Mens sana in corpore sano
which means 'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. Its quick march
is Be Fit, with words taken from Land and Sea Tales by Rudyard Kipling
. It is headquartered at the Army School of Physical Training
(ASPT) in Aldershot
, but instructors are attached to every battalion
and regiment
in the British Army, with the senior instructor in every unit usually being a Warrant Officer
Class 2 (Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor
) QMSI.
It is not possible to join the RAPTC directly from civilian life. Prospective PTIs must first join another regiment
or corps
and then qualify as Regimental All Arms Physical Training Instructor (AAPTI) after a nine-week course at the ASPT. They then return to their own unit and only after further experience can they attend selection for the RAPTC. If they pass the selection course they follow a 30-week training course before qualifying as Advanced PTIs and transferring to the RAPTC as an RAPTCI.
Famous former APTCIs include Olympic
medallists Kriss Akabusi
and Kelly Holmes
.
At the Festival of Remembrance on 13 November 2010 Huw Edwards
announced that the Army Physical Training Corps had been granted the title Royal Army Physical Training Corps by Her Majesty the Queen
. This became effective immediately.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
responsible for physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
and physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs).
The RAPTC was formed in 1860 as the Army Gymnastic Staff. It was renamed the Army Physical Training Staff in 1918 and was given corps status as the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) by Army Order 165 in 1940. The corps was given its present name in 2010.
The corps cap badge
Cap badge
A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
, which is also worn on the front of its vest
Vest
A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:Waistcoat :. This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US and Canada. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge...
s, t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s and tracksuit
Tracksuit
A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly as what athletes wore over competition clothing and would take off before competition. In modern times, it has become commonly worn...
s, consists of crossed sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s surmounted by a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
. The corps motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is Mens sana in corpore sano
Mens sana in corpore sano
Mens sana in corpore sano is a famous Latin quotation, often translated as "A sound mind in a sound body." There is also a sports equipment company with a name based on a twist of this quotation...
which means 'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. Its quick march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
is Be Fit, with words taken from Land and Sea Tales by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. It is headquartered at the Army School of Physical Training
Army School of Physical Training
The Army School of Physical Training is the headquarters of the British Army Physical Training Corps and the central training establishment for physical education, physical fitness and sports instructors in the British Army. It is located in Hammerseley Barracks and Fox Lines, Aldershot,...
(ASPT) in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, but instructors are attached to every battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
and regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the British Army, with the senior instructor in every unit usually being a Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Class 2 (Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor
Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor
Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 2 in the British Army's Small Arms School Corps and Army Physical Training Corps and by some in the Royal Engineers....
) QMSI.
It is not possible to join the RAPTC directly from civilian life. Prospective PTIs must first join another regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
or corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
and then qualify as Regimental All Arms Physical Training Instructor (AAPTI) after a nine-week course at the ASPT. They then return to their own unit and only after further experience can they attend selection for the RAPTC. If they pass the selection course they follow a 30-week training course before qualifying as Advanced PTIs and transferring to the RAPTC as an RAPTCI.
Famous former APTCIs include Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medallists Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Kezie Uche Chukwu Duru Akabusi MBE is a former sprint and hurdling athlete from the United Kingdom. During his career, he won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1990 European Championships, a gold in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1991 World Championships, and a silver medal in...
and Kelly Holmes
Kelly Holmes
Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
.
At the Festival of Remembrance on 13 November 2010 Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards may refer to:*Huw Edwards , the Welsh conductor*Huw Edwards , a fictional character in the television programme EastEnders*Huw Edwards , former Member of Parliament in the UK...
announced that the Army Physical Training Corps had been granted the title Royal Army Physical Training Corps by Her Majesty the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. This became effective immediately.