Little concrete progress I’m afraid, my usual sources and a lot of searching haven’t been able to help so far. However, here are some thoughts which may be of help:
1 Training Battalion RASC had a variety of roles in 1948. I have found reference in RASC Journals to the Boys Company, the Cadet Company (men prior to officer training), motor maintenance, motor cycles and horse riding training (there is a You Tube video on this last one).
The composition of what is obviously a course photograph is interesting. There is a spread of ranks from L/Cpl to WO1 with men who had fought in the war and younger looking men with no medals so perhaps no war experience and thus perhaps a mix of regular and National Service soldiers. The only one wearing a formation flash (probably the War Office Controlled Units flash) on both upper arms is the Cpl in the centre who is sitting in the traditional place for a course instructor.
The rank spread I suggest would not be found on a run of the mill trade course or a leadership type course. It has the look of a course run for men drawn from other RASC units to be sent back to their own units with some specific skill. While not the case here, examples of the type would be courses like Fire Officers and NCOs, drill and weapon training, unit water duties courses. Similar mixed ranks would attend to be the first in their units to hear about some new technique or piece of kit. The Cpls flash could suggest he was the only one who belonged to 1 Trg Bn.
Do you have your relative’s service record which should show whether he belonged to 1 Trg Bn at the time or whether he was just attached for a course? His record might spell out what the course was (or it might just have the initials!).
From experience, it tends not to help asking for guesses as to what the initials stand for. Any suggestions really need cross checking otherwise one ends up with things like the fictitious “War Office Recruiting Team” or “Warrant Officer Riding Team”., They don’t appear in any list I’ve been able to turn up and checking the RASC establishment lists of trades and equipment doesn’t produce an answer. The only answer worth having is one that says "It is the XXXX Course run for xxx to teach xxxx"
Where now. I’d suggest an approach to the RLC Museum, the question is simple, what was a WORT course run by 1 Trg Bn RASC at Aldershot..
I’m keeping this in the action tray, sorry not to have anything solid (yet!).
maxD
