Officers' Training Corps

The Officers' Training Corps (OTC),^[1][2][3] sometimes called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC),^[4] is a part of the British Army Reserve (formerly the Territorial Army) which provides military leadership training to students at British universities. The majority of members of the UOTC do not go on to serve in the regular or reserve forces.^[5][6][7] UOTC members are not qualified to serve on operations and an officer cadet can resign at any time by making a formal request.^[8] The mission of the OTC is to develop the leadership skills of officer cadets through undergoing military training, adventure training, and social activities, and raise awareness of the Army.^[9] The curriculum is administered and directed by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

History

Individual UOTCs

Oxford

Oxford UOTC claims descent from the bodyguard to Charles I that students of the University of Oxford formed in 1642, during the English Civil War. But the immediate origin of the present body is the 1st Oxfordshire (Oxford University) Rifle Volunteer Corps, formed in 1859 and established (together with many other volunteer corps across the country) in response to the threat of war with France. From 1881, the OURVC served as one of several volunteer battalions of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry and in 1887 it became known as the 1st (Oxford University) Volunteer Battalion or the Oxford University Volunteers (OUV). The OUOTC was then was one of 23 such bodies formed at universities in Great Britain following the establishment of the Officers' Training Corps by Royal Warrant in 1908.^[10]

Cambridge

Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps claims descent from a unit raised in 1803, when, with Britain under threat of French invasion, Cambridge University undergraduates formed a corps of Volunteers to help defend British shores. Thereafter, the Cambridge University Rifle Volunteers (CURV) was formally raised in 1860. During British involvement in the Second Boer War in 1899 there was a public focus on volunteering for the forces serving in South Africa. In response to this, more than one hundred members of CURV applied; however, due to age, qualifications, training and, critically, the ability to shoot excellently, only 28 were successful.

Attached to the Suffolk Regiment, the CURV men reported for duty on 20 January 1900 in Bury St Edmunds. On 11 February, they sailed from Southampton on the SS Doune Castle, arriving in Cape Town on 7 March. Initially the Cambridge Volunteers worked as guards on the railway lines around Cape Town, but alongside the Suffolks they joined the siege of Pretoria on 4 June. Although the defending Boer guns sent down artillery fire, no casualties were taken and the city had fallen by the time the Volunteers arrived. This marked the end of the conventional phase of the Boer War and the progression into a more guerrilla style warfare, and the Volunteers guarded the railways from the Boer commando attacks.

When the Suffolk Regiment marched as part of General Mahon's column to attack a Boer position in Barberton, the Cambridge Volunteers joined them. With 600 Boers entrenched around the town, supported by artillery, the battle was over before the Volunteers had arrived. However, due to their prowess at shooting, they were detailed to harrying the retreating Boers with long-range rifle fire. After more guard duties, they disembarked from Cape Town in April 1901 and returned to Britain on 4 May.

With a large welcome home awaiting them, including a service in Great St Mary’s Church, the volunteers were back in Cambridge on 6 May 1901. All the Volunteers were made Honorary Freemen of the Borough of Cambridge and on 21 December 1904, three years later, CURV was granted the battle honour "South Africa 1900-01". In 1908, CURV was renamed Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps and remains the only Officers' Training Corps to be awarded a battle honour.^[11]

Exeter

An early OTC existed in Exeter but it lapsed in 1945 and prior to the unit's reformation in 1980 undergraduates from Exeter University who wished to join an OTC traveled to Bristol. With the establishment of the Polytechnic South West in Plymouth and the enlargement of Exeter University, Exeter UOTC was reformed on 1 April 1980 with Major General John Acland as its first Honorary Colonel. Initially the unit occupied 12 dilapidated huts in Higher Barracks, Exeter. Following a rapid growth in numbers and increased maintenance costs the unit moved to Wyvern Barracks. In February 1988, the Honorary Colonel opened the Acland Building which had been specifically built to house EUOTC.

On its reformation, Exeter UOTC (like Southampton UOTC) wore the cap badge of the Wessex Regiment, but in 1982, the Army Dress Committee approved the design for the UOTC’s own cap badge which depicts the castle symbol from the coat of arms of the City of Exeter and the Wyvern, the mythical heraldic beast, which has been the badge of fighting men of the Kingdom of Wessex since the Dark Ages.

East Midlands

East Midlands UOTC (EMUOTC) was first formed on 27 April 1909^[12] as "University College Nottingham Officer Training Corps" (UCN OTC), when 27 students from University College Nottingham petitioned the university’s Senate Council to form an Officer Training Corps unit. Their petition was accepted by the War Secretary — the equivalent of today’s Ministry of Defence — and later that same year, the unit was formed. ^[13]

In the First World War, 1,600 students had passed through UCN OTC into war service, of whom 229 were killed and 500 were wounded. This nearly 50% percent casualty rate was high, even by Great War standards. In the Second World War, no formal records were kept of members who served but the size of the Corps, which now included Loughborough College, rose to four companies of infantry and two sections of engineers.

The names of those who died in both conflicts are recorded on a plaque in the University of Nottingham's Trent Building. The name of the unit was changed in 1966 to the “East Midlands University Officer Training Corps” in a move that allowed volunteers from all higher education institutions in the East Midlands to join.

As part of the unit's historic affiliations with the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) (since amalgamated into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and presently 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment), EMUOTC's stable belt is horizontally half green and maroon, charged with a thin central horizontal silver strip for differentiation known as the 'silver stripe of learning.' ^[14] EMUOTC's capbadge is that of the Sherwood Foresters, with replaced wording.

Birmingham

In 1900 Birmingham University raised a company, and this was sanctioned by the War Office, and known as U Company of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.^[15] Captain W. E. Bennett, one of the staff of the University, was given the command. The Company held its first parade in May 1900 and the occasion was celebrated by the presentation of the Inter-Section Challenge Cup by the Chancellor of the University Joseph Chamberlain. In 1900 the Volunteers, of which U Company was part, were 1406 strong. On the formation of the Territorial Force and of general OTC's in 1908 the University Company became the Birmingham University Contingent of the Senior Division of the Officers Training Corps. It was charged with providing officers for the territorials in time of emergency. Field Marshall William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim was a member of Birmingham University OTC from 1912 to 1914.^[16]

Scotland

In 1880s, Glasgow professors such as William John Macquorn Rankine and students formed two infantry companies as part of the local 1st Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Western) Rifle Volunteers.^[17] This unit later became the 5th Battalion of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), based at West Princes Street drill hall in the Woodlands area of Glasgow.

In Aberdeen, the first formed university unit was a battery of the 1st Aberdeen Volunteer Royal Artillery, raised in December 1885. The battery was officered by members of the university staff and commanded by Captain William Stirling, then professor of physiology. In March 1895, the University Battery was absorbed by the 1st Heavy Battery. In November 1897, an Aberdeen University detachment of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, was recruited, and in 1898 the detachment became University Company ("U" Company).

Glasgow and Strathclyde

The origins of the University's links with the military can be traced back to the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745, when companies of Militia were raised by the University of Glasgow to defend the pro-Hanoverian University and the City of Glasgow against the absolutist Highland Jacobites. The current unit is however the direct descendent of the reserve Rifle Volunteer units that were originally raised in the Scottish Lowlands as part of the Victorian Volunteer Force by Lord Lieutenants in every county. In the 1880s, professors such as William John Macquorn Rankine and students formed two infantry companies as part of the local 1st Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Western) Rifle Volunteers.[1] This unit later became the 5th Battalion of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), based at West Princes Street Drill hall in the Woodlands area of Glasgow. The emergence of Glasgow University OTC as a distinct unit began in 1906 when the Secretary of State for War, Lord Haldane, first appointed a committee to consider the problem of the shortage of officers in the Militia, the Volunteer Force, the Yeomanry and the Reserve of Officers. The committee recommended that an Officers' Training Corps be formed. The Corps was to be in two divisions, a junior division in public schools (now the Combined Cadet Force) and a senior division in the universities. In October 1908 therefore, authorised by Army Order 160 of July 1908, as part the Haldane Reforms of the Reserve forces, the contingent was formally established as the Glasgow University Officer Training Corps and incorporated in the new Territorial Force, which was created by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907. The new unit was located in its own Drill hall at University Place on the Glasgow University campus. In those Edwardian days, the Corps numbered some 400 Officer Cadets organised into 3 infantry companies and an engineer company. During the First World War, OTC members were amongst the first to volunteer, and Glasgow University OTC trained many potential officers for Kitchener's New Armies. By the summer of 1916, some 2,800 officers had been raised by the University, with over 300 other students working in munitions factories. The War Office also requisitioned lecture theatres to train officers from all parts of the UK. During the 1920s, the Corps added medical, artillery, and signals detachments to its strength. In the Second World War, conscription was introduced immediately, and every student was regarded as a potential officer. The OTC's role was to train officers from those University students conscripted into the Army and to provide basic training for those who remained behind as a Home Guard unit. At its height the Corps rose to 1,500 members. Officers from the Polish Free Army were also educated at the University. The names of those sons of the University who fell in both World Wars were commemorated in the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, which was originally completed in 1929. Glasgow University OTC continued to train university students as officers during the post-war period of National Service, between 1949 and 1960. In 1955 women were first allowed to join the OTC and a WRAC sub-unit was formed; eventually becoming fully amalgamated into the other sub-units in 1992. The OTC expanded its title to its current form upon the creation of the University of Strathclyde in 1964, and later expanded recruitment to Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Paisley, with the passing of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. There are currently approximately 160 members in GSUOTC.

Aberdeen

The first formed University Unit was a Battery of the 1st Aberdeen Volunteer Royal Artillery, raised in December 1885. The Battery was officered by members of the University Staff and commanded by Captain William Stirling, then Professor of Physiology. In March 1895 the University Battery was absorbed by the 1st Heavy Battery. In November 1897 an Aberdeen University detachment of the 1st Volunteer Battalion the Gordon Highlanders was recruited and in 1898 the detachment became University Company ("U" Coy).

The Officer Training Corps (OTC) was established at the University of Aberdeen in 1912 and administered by the newly formed Military Education Committee (MEC), under the chairmanship of the then Principal Sir George Adam Smith. The War Office authorised the formation of a Medical Unit and appointed as Commanding Officer Major G A Williamson, MA MD DPH.

"U" Coy had by this time become part of the 4th Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders and at the outbreak of the First World War was mobilised and sent to France; the only University contingent to go. The story of "U" Coy as a fighting unit is excellently told by Rule in his "Students Under Arms." Their record was magnificent but their casualties high. Their valour could not justify a policy which allowed so many highly educated young men to serve in the ranks of a combatant unit.

In February 1924 the War Office authorised the establishment of an Infantry Unit and the right to wear the Gordon Tartan. The Infantry Unit was commanded initially by Major J Boyd Orr, DSO MC; later Lord Boyd Orr, Nobel Prize Winner.

The Pipe Band was instituted in 1924 and became one of the most popular features of the unit. In 1929 the Scots Guards provided the Senior Warrant Officer of the Permanent Staff and established a Household Division link. However in 1995 the Scottish division took over this post, a link which continues to this day. In 1935 it was decided that the cap badge, which up to then had been the University Crest, should be replaced by the Boar's Head, the family crest of the Founder of the University with the motto "Non Confundar," translated: 'I shall not be troubled.'

During the Second World War the OTC expanded as all students of military age who had been granted deferment should join the OTC as part of a National Service obligation. At its peak AUOTC was some 491 strong with 4 Infantry Companies, 2 Medical Companies and a Signals Section. Throughout the war the OTC in conjunction with the University ran special technical courses for Royal Artillery cadets of which a total of 427 attended. In February 1943 the OTC provided the backbone of the 9th City of Aberdeen (University Home Guard) Battalion, in addition to its normal role.

In October 1948 a new establishment gave the OTC Medical, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Intelligence, Royal Engineer, Royal Signals and Infantry sub-units. As a result of various re-organisations over the years only the last 3 sub-units survive today. In 1955 women were allowed to join the OTC and a WRAC sub-unit was formed; this has now been absorbed into the existing 3 sub-units.

In 1985 the OTC became responsible for military Home Defence (MHD) planning for the Grampian Region and in 1986 it became responsible in all respects for Blackdog Range (five miles North of Aberdeen on the coastal plain). While the organisation and personnel have changed over the years the latest being TA Options for Change, the spirit of AUOTC nevertheless remains intact, receiving excellent support from the MEC.

In 1993 following Robert Gordon University being granted university status, AUOTC welcomed its first Robert Gordon members. In September 2008, AUOTC will accept its first members from Aberdeen College.

Queen's

The origin of the contingent goes back to 1906 when the Secretary of State for War, Lord Haldane appointed a committee to consider the problem of the shortage of officers in the Militia, the Volunteer Force, the Yeomanry and the Reserve of Officers. The committee recommended that an Officers' Training Corps be formed. The Corps was to be in two divisions, a junior division in schools and a senior division in the universities. Prior to this some universities had companies attached to the local battalions of the Volunteer Force, but no such contingent existed at Queen's University. In October 1908 therefore, authorised by Army Order 160 of July 1908, as part the Haldane Reforms of the Volunteer forces, the contingent was formally established as the Belfast University Contingent of the Officers' Training Corps and incorporated in the new Territorial Force, which was created by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907. Parades were held in the old gymnasium which occupied the site of the former Drill Hall on the ground south of the previous Queen's University of Belfast Students' Union. A Drill Hall was subsequently built at the cost of £4000 and officially opened on 20 November 1912 by Brigadier General Count Gleichen, who deputised for the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Ireland.

During the First World War, training was increased for OTC members being commissioned into newly formed battalions. By the end of the war almost 1,200 commissions had been obtained by cadets who had passed through the ranks of the contingent. In 1930 the Corps' title was changed from Belfast University to Queen's University Belfast Contingent of the Officers' Training Corps. On the outbreak of the Second World War a Reception Unit and a Joint Recruiting Board were set up in the Drill Hall to deal with the mass of applications for commissions. After the initial rush the contingent settled down to its task of wartime training.

On 1 April 1948 a general re-organisation took place under which the Corps became part of the Territorial Army. Its name was changed at this time to University Training Corps (TA). The Corps reverted to its old title of Officers' Training Corps in 1955. Today, as part of 38 (Irish) Brigade, Queen's UOTC currently recruits its members from student volunteers attending the Queen's University of Belfast, the University of Ulster and Stranmillis College.

Haldane Reforms

The emergence of the OTC as a distinct unit began in 1906, when the Secretary of State for War, Lord Haldane, first appointed a committee to consider the problem of the shortage of officers in the Militia, the Volunteer Force, the Yeomanry, and the Reserve of Officers. The committee recommended that an Officers' Training Corps be formed. The Corps was to be in two divisions: a junior division in public schools and a senior division in the universities.

In October 1908, therefore, authorised by Army Order 160 of July 1908, as part the Haldane Reforms of the Reserve forces, the contingents were formally established as the Officers' Training Corps and incorporated into the new Territorial Force, which was created by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907.

First World War

During the First World War, the senior OTCs became officer producing units and some 30,000 officers passed through, but after the war they reverted to their basic military training role.

Inter-war period

During the 1930s, the OTCs began to increase in strength. They peaked in 1938 during the Munich Crisis. In the Second World War they again became officer producing units for the army.

Post-Second World War

In 1948, the senior OTC divisions became part of the Territorial Army, and women were accepted for the first time with the formation of Women's Royal Army Corps sub-units. Women are now fully integrated into all sections. The junior divisions, by then renamed the Junior Training Corps, became the Army Sections of the Combined Cadet Force. For the next twelve years, until its abolition in 1960, the corps' aim was to prepare students for National Service.

Present day

There are now eighteen OTCs throughout the United Kingdom, each of which serves the universities and Army Reserve units in a distinct geographic area. Those serving larger areas may have several detachments. Each OTC is effectively an independent regiment, with its own cap badge, its own stable belt, and its own customs and traditions.

OTC members are classed as Officer Cadets (OCdt) and are members of the Army Reserve, paid when on duty. OTC members cannot be mobilised for active service. Officer cadets can gain appointments as a Junior Under Officer (JUO) or a Senior Under Officer (SUO) and can also apply to the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB), which, if they pass, leads to the opportunity to attempt the Army Reserve Commissioning Course with the goal of a commission as a Second Lieutenant.^[18]

Officer cadets have no obligation to join the armed forces when they leave university and can resign from the OTC at any time. The OTC is led by officers and non-commissioned officers, who function as instructors and support staff, from the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Non Regular Permanent Staff.^[18]

Training

Training follows a syllabus as laid out by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Weekly training nights are used to build up theory and basic practical lessons. Training and exercises, usually at weekends, are structured around the academic calendar. Most activities take place during the winter and spring terms, with a two-week summer camp, scheduled early to allow for other commitments. Having successfully completed basic training, the amount of time cadets commit to activities depends on the amount of time they can spare^[19]

Training varies depending on the OTC, but the same basic content is covered. There are two Military Training Qualification tests to take in the first two years, involving written and practical tests. Some OTCs are purely infantry units; others have different wings, offering specialist training focused on a particular arm or service, including the infantry, Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Signals, Royal Logistic Corps, and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.^[20]

Year one: Basic training

This year involves instruction in all basic military techniques, including drill, map reading, camouflage, first aid, weapons training, small unit tactics, radio procedure, and fieldcraft.^[20]

Year two: Leadership training

Having learnt how to be a member of an effective military team, the second year teaches cadets how to manage soldiers, equipment, and the battlefield. This involves everything from planning an attack, to giving effective orders and ensuring they are carried out and from directing a constructive debrief after an exercise to ensuring the welfare of all of those under command.^[20]

Year three: Leadership in action

An increasing number of cadets choose to go forward for officer selection, either in the Regular Army or Army Reserve; others choose to spend the remainder of their time in the OTC as senior cadets, leading and supervising new recruits.

Assessment

At the end of each module, officer cadets must pass the assessments in order to progress to the next module. In order to progress to commissioning as an officer, all modules must be completed as well as a final Module 4 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Many officer cadets also volunteer for attachments with other Army Reserve units to participate in their annual camps and other military exercises all over the world, usually after completion of Module 1 (Year 1), although sometimes completion of Module 2 (Year 2) is required. Opportunities are available to do attachments with Regular Army units over summer or Easter vacations.

Adventurous training and social life

Concurrently with military training, many OTCs provide the opportunity to pursue sporting and adventurous hobbies. Sports such as skiing, mountain trekking, climbing, and sailing are actively encouraged. With access to the Army Reserve's resources for adventurous training,^[21] students are enabled to pursue their other hobbies alongside their degrees. Socially, the OTCs hold frequent parties and informal social events throughout the year which attract local press coverage.^[22][23] Social events and cheap alcohol are a significant element of UOTCs' offer to students and a focus of their recruitment.^[24][25][26]

Individual units

	Recruits From	External Website
Aberdeen UOTC	University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and Aberdeen College
Queen's UOTC	Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster
Birmingham UOTC	University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham, Warwick, Aston, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Keele, Staffordshire University and Harper Adams University College
Bristol UOTC	University of Bristol, University of Bath, University of the West of England and Bath Spa University
Cambridge UOTC	Cambridge University, University of East Anglia, Anglia Ruskin University, University of Hertfordshire and University of Essex
City of Edinburgh UOTC	University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University and the Scottish Agricultural College
East Midlands UOTC	Nottingham University, Nottingham Trent University, Northampton University, Leicester University, Derby University, De Montfort University, Loughborough University, University of Lincoln
Exeter UOTC	Exeter University, Plymouth University,
Glasgow and Strathclyde UOTC	University of Glasgow, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of the West of Scotland
Liverpool UOTC	University of Liverpool, Lancaster University, Liverpool John Moores University, Hope College, University of Central Lancashire, Edge Hill University College, St. Martins College, Chester College
University of London Officers' Training Corps (ULOTC)	Anglia, Birkbeck, Brighton, Brunel, Bucks Chiltern, Camberwell College of Arts, (University of the Arts), Canterbury, Central School of Speech & Drama, Central St Martin's School of Art & Design (University of the Arts), Chelsea College of Art & Design (University of the Arts), City Courtauld Institute of Fine Art, East London, Essex, Goldsmith's, Greenwich, Hertfordshire, Heythrop, Imperial, Kent, King's College, Kingston, London Business School, London College of Communication (University of the Arts), London College of Fashion (University of the Arts), London Metropolitan, LSE, Luton, Middlesex, Queen Mary, Roehampton, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music, Royal Holloway, Royal Veterinary College, SOAS, South Bank, St Georges, St Mary's, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, UCL - Gower Street and Royal Free, Westminster
Manchester and Salford UOTC	University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford
Northumbrian UOTC	Universities of Newcastle, Northumbria, Durham, Teesside and Sunderland
Oxford UOTC	Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, Reading University, Royal Agricultural College Cirencester, The University of Gloucestershire and the Royal Military College Shrivenham
Southampton UOTC	University of Winchester, Solent University, Bournemouth University, Southampton University, Portsmouth University, University of Brighton
Tayforth UOTC	St. Andrews University, Dundee University, Abertay University, Stirling University
Wales UOTC	Cardiff University, UWIC, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Swansea, University of Glamorgan, Wrexham, Chester.
Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment (formerly Yorkshire Universities OTC)	University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, Leeds Universities, Bradford University, Huddersfield University, York University and Hull University

Inter-OTC competitions

The British Army runs several competitions throughout the academic year where the OTCs and the four Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS) squadrons have a chance to compete against each other. One of these is the Queen's Challenge Cup, a sports competition.^[27]

Bans

In March 2008, a motion was passed during the University College London Union's annual general meeting to ban armed forces groups and societies such as the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU), Officers' Training Corps (OTC) and University Air Squadron (UAS) from operating within UCLU locations and events. This action made headlines in the British national press, partly due to an unrelated issue at the time where RAF personnel in Peterborough had been ordered not to wear uniform off-site for fear of aggression from members of the public.^[28]

Through a subsequent motion passed through the Union Council, the decisions made at the annual general meeting were ratified;^[29] however, the ban was subsequently overturned by a large majority in following year's AGM of 27 February 2009.^[30]

This coincides with similar actions taken at the University of Cambridge and Goldsmiths College. The University of Manchester followed with a proposal to ban military recruitment which also received press attention.^[31] However, this proposal failed.^[31]

See also

• University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) - organisational counterpart in the Royal Navy
• University Air Squadron (UAS) - organisational counterpart in the Royal Air Force
• Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme
• Reserve Officers' Training Corps (USA)
• Reserve Officers' Training Corps (Philippines)

Notes

References

• G.J. Eltringham. Nottingham University Officers' Training Corps 1909-1964. Privately published. 1964.
• Col. F.H.L. Errington. Inns of Court Officers Training Corps During the Great War. Naval and Military Press. New edition of 1920 edition. 2001.
• Hew Strachan. History of the Cambridge University Officers Training Corps. Midas Books. 1976. ISBN 978-0-85936-059-3.
• Harold C.A. Hankins. A History of the Manchester and Salford Universities Officers Training Corps 1898-2002. DP & G Military Publishers. 2002.
• Herbert John Johnston. The Queen's University (Belfast) Contingent of the Officers Training Corps: Sixty years of the O.T.C.: diamond jubilee 1908-1968. Queen's University OTC. 1968.
• Ray Westlake, Tracing the Rifle Volunteers, Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84884-211-3.
• Roger Talbot Willoughby. Military History of the University of Dublin and its Officers' Training Corps 1910-22. Medal Society of Ireland. 1989. ISBN 978-0-9513869-0-3.
• University of London. University of London Officers Training Corps, Roll of War Service 1914-1919. Privately published? 2010. ISBN 978-1-177-07206-9.

External links

• UOTC official page on the Army website
• - website for the University of London Officers Training Corps
• ULOTC archives - University of London Officers Training Corps archives
• COMEC - Council of Military Education Committees, who liaise between universities and the British Armed Forces