Provost Sergeant, Corps of Military Police
Provost Sergeant Ambrose-Maurice Davison, 163 (Railway) Provost Company attached 6 Railway Regiment, Royal Engineers
Role of the Corps of Military Police
Broadly speaking, within the United Kingdom and its overseas garrisons, the Corps of Military Police (CMP) are responsible for policing service personnel. In garrison towns, the CMP often assist the local territorial police force in town centres at venues where service personnel are likely to frequent. Some were specially trained as Railway Provosts for the Railway Operating Units of the Royal Engineers (and the post war Royal Corps of Transport) at the Railway Training Centre at Longmoor Camp in Hampshire. Upon commencing training as Railway Provosts, the trainees received an immediate promotion to reflect the additional duties that they were required to do. Among their regular military police duties and their duties as the guard on troop transports, they would also be required to protect the train - as such, they would typically be armed with a Sten sub-machinegun, carrying seven magazines for it (including the magazine in the weapon), with each magazine holding 30 rounds; this would be in addition to their standard-issue Webley Service Revolver. The minimum rank acheived upon completion of their railway provost training was Sergeant, thereby putting them in a position of authority over all train crew, including the footplate crew. That said, many of the Railway Provosts struck up strong personal friendships with their regular footplate crews, which did much to settle the tension of railway operations. This would lead to some very impressive teamwork with one particular team of footplate crew and their regular Railway Provost being selected for regular duties transporting Senior Officers, Dignitaries and even being the selected crew for the Royal Train.
Some of the specific roles the CMP fulfilled (and still) include:
-
Law enforcement and crime prevention, within the service community
-
Assistance to civilian police forces in garrison towns
-
Operate as Guards on troop transports (as stated above)
When deployed on operations
​The Corps of Military Police were required to provide tactical military police support to the British Army in military operations. When deployed, some of the roles the CMP fulfill include:
-
War crime investigations
-
Handling and collating criminal evidence
-
Reconnaissance patrols
-
Detainee handling
-
Search operations
-
General policing duties within operational bases
-
Foreign police and military training
-
Provide close protection operatives for senior military and diplomatic personnel on operations
History of the Corps of Military Police
The Provost Marshal is a post which goes back to the 13th century and was originally an under-officer of the Earl Marshal. In 1685 the role of Provost Marshal General became a permanent post. The Cavalry Staff Corps of 1813–14 and 1815–18 is regarded as Britain's first standing military police force and a forerunner of the Corps of Military Police. The Military Mounted Police was formed in 1877 and the Military Foot Police was formed in 1885. During the First World War the Military Police grew from 508 all ranks to over 25,000 all ranks by the end of the War. During the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 the Military Police served the Army as a whole, rather than individual units. On 27 February 1926 the Corps of Military Police was formed by merging the Military Mounted Police and the Military Foot Police.
​
During the Second World War the Military Police grew from 4,121 all ranks to over 50,000 all ranks within six major branches of specialists:
-
Special Investigation Branch – formed in 1940, with 19 detectives from the Metropolitan Police transferred to the Army for deployment in France. From this small beginning the Branch expanded into numerous Sections which were deployed both in the UK and overseas, providing the Corps with its own Criminal Investigation Department to conduct more detailed and protracted investigations into organised crime and serious offences such as murder.
-
Provost Wing – responsible for general policing. Provost Companies were included in the order of battle of Home Commands, Armoured, Infantry and Airborne Divisions, as well as at Army and Corps level and with independent Brigades. From 1942, "Ports Provost" Companies were raised, consisting of a mix of Provost and Vulnerable Points Sections, which were deployed on security and policing duties within ports and docks.
-
Vulnerable Points Wing – formed in 1941 to provide security of static locations and establishments. They were known as "blue caps" from the Oxford blue cloth covers worn on their service dress caps. Originally intended to act as static Companies and detachments, VP Coys were later deployed in North West Europe, guarding prisoner of war camps and other static installations. The VP Wing was quickly phased out at the end of the war, but re-appeared briefly in the Supplementary Reserve/Army Emergency Reserve between 1950 and 1961. It would be the role of the Vulnerable Points Companies to protect railways, but the role of the specifically Railway Provosts to protect the trains when they were moving.
-
Traffic Control Wing – formed in 1941, TC Coys were deployed throughout the United Kingdom, releasing Provost Companies from the tasks of traffic control. TC Coys were later deployed in the Middle East, Italy and North-West Europe. The Wing was phased out of the Corps by 1946.
-
Field Security Wing – formed in 1937. Personnel wore Lincoln green cap covers, green brassards and brass shoulder titles on their tunics with the letters "FSP", to distinguish them from the rest of the Corps. They wore the standard CMP cap badge, but unofficially ground down the wording "MILITARY POLICE" from the lower scroll of the badge. In July 1940, the Wing was absorbed into the recently-formed Intelligence Corps.
Post War Story of the Corps of Military Police
In November 1946, King George VI granted the 'Royal' prefix to the Corps of Military Police in recognition of its outstanding record in two World Wars and the Corps became known as The Corps of Royal Military Police, though abbreviated to Royal Military Police (RMP). From 1969 the Corps made an important contribution during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
​
A horse detachment of the Royal Military Police remained in service after World War II, being recreated in 1950. Based at Aldershot, its purpose was mainly to undertake patrol and other policing duties in areas not suitable for vehicles, but also to act as a ceremonial unit preserving mounted RMP traditions dating back to the nineteenth century. The Mounted Troop was gradually reduced to about 20 personnel and finally disbanded in 1995.
​
On 6 April 1992 the RMP amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps (AGC), under whose overall command they form part of the AGC's Provost Branch alongside the also pre-existent Military Provost Staff Corps and the later-formed Military Provost Guard Service. Although they lost status as an independent corps, they were permitted to retain the Royal Military Police title and cap badge. Their solid red regimental stable belt was re-introduced in 2024, having previously been replaced by the AGC stable belt.
PostUniform of the Corps of Military Police
The one major piece of uniform that marked out someone in as a member of the Corps of Military Police was the red cover on the caps, which would lead them to be given the nickname of Redcaps. The other key identifying item is the armband with "MP" on it, although this is now reserved for the modern parade uniform only. The Arm of Service badge was a solid red bar, normally worn below the formation badge. The shoulder titles were probably the shortest in use throughout the whole of the British Army. On the whole, anyone at the rank of Provost Sergeant or above would wear the red Sergeant's sash - that is with the sole exception of the Railway Provosts, who were given special dispensation to not wear it while on duty, although they were required to wear it on parade. They would typically wear white webbing when on duty, making them stand out clearly when surrounded by others who were in the normal tan or green canvas webbing. All military police would carry the standard-issue Webley Service Revolver with a pouch carrying additional rounds. Some of the Vulnerable Points Provosts were armed with either Sten sub-machineguns or Lee-Enfield rifles. As a general rule, they would not carry Bren light-machineguns or operate mortars or other heavy weapons as these would generally be operated by an attached infantry regiment.
One key job of the Military Police was taking known or suspected war criminals into custody. One of the most well-known cases of this was the arrest of Josef Kramer and Ilse Gresa following the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by the British 11th Armoured Division in April 1945. You can tell the arrests took place on a hot day as the two escorting military policemen are in short sleeve order. The senior policeman is at the front with his Webley Service Revolver drawn with the junior behind them with a Lee-Enfield No4 rifle at the "alert" position to ensure that Josef Kramer (pictured in shackles) doesn't as it would be termed "act up" or "cause any issues".