History

Medical services in the British military go as far back as the formation of the Regular Army after the Restoration in 1660; each regiment had its own Regimental Surgeon and Assistant Surgeon. In 1898, officers and soldiers providing medical services were incorporated into one body known by its present name, the Royal Army Medical Corps.

The RAMC began to develop during the Boer War, but it was during the First World War that it reached its apogee both in size and experience. In modern times it has once again contracted and its main bases, the Queen Alexandra Hospital Millbank, and the Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot, are now closed, with the majority of work concentrated at Haslar, near Portsmouth.

Books:

Blair JSG. Centenary History of the Royal Army Medical Corps, 1898-1998. Edinburgh, Scottish Academic Press, 1998 Brereton FS. The Great War and the RAMC. London, Constable, 1919 Lovegrove P. Not Least in the Crusade. A Short History of the RAMC. Gale and Parden, 1955

See also

• Structure of the British Army: The Services

External links

• Royal Army Medical Corps website