159 Supply Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers) is a regiment of the Territorial Army, the volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It has its Regimental Headquarters at Carters Green, West Bromwich, in the West Midlands conurbation.
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The regiment was formed on 1 April 2007 as a product of FAS (Future Army Structures) with the aim of providing the contingent component to 6 Supply Regiment. The forming of functional sub-units into a distinct group was a deliberate Corps policy, which has provided a geographic span of command challenge.
The regiment is made-up of one sub-unit from the Scottish Transport Regiment, one squadron from 150 (Northumbrian) Transport Regiment and two squadrons from the Welsh Transport Regiment. A newly established RHQ (regimental headquarters) and future HQ and Medical Supply Squadron, are being phased in between 2008 and 2010. When fully formed, the all-up strength will be 623, making it one of the largest units in the British Army. The squadrons are spread far and wide and can boast a variety of accents including Black Country, Brummie, Geordie and Glaswegian.
The regimental emblem was designed around the concept that it needed to be instantly recognisable and follow established martial insignia conventions i.e. it would look like a military badge..
The geographic spread of the unit results in a diverse cultural mix and this spread means that the opportunities to train as a regiment are rare. As a consequence, the unit is similar in its makeup and ethos to the Barbarians Rugby Football Club and the chosen background colours of black and white are those of the ‘Barbarians’.
The numbering of the regiment is a simple 159 in Roman numerals, a design concept used by the British in martial insignia since the formation of the New Model Army. The numerals sit inside a dominant V, which clearly denotes the ‘Volunteer’ status of the regiment.