The Corps of Commissionaires refers to a movement in Commonwealth countries of societies that provide meaningful employment for veterans of the armed services. [1]
The Commissionaires movement traces its roots to 1859, when retired army officer Captain Sir Edward Walter KCB organised seven injured veterans of the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny to act as nightwatchmen. At first limited to wounded men, it soon expanded to include all honourably discharged army and navy veterans. In the 1860s the corps expanded beyond London, with branches opening across the United Kingdom. By 1874 it had nearly 500 employees, and by 1911 over 4,000. In 1969 its scope was widened to include former members of other uniformed services, including the police and fire brigade. [2]
Sir Edward Walter was the Corps' first commanding officer and was succeeded by his nephew, Major Frederick Edward Walter. Control of the Corps remained with the Walter family until the retirement of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Walter in 1975. [2]
Commissionaires appear in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, including "A Study in Scarlet", "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty."
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force. As of 1 July 2024, the British Army comprises 74,296 regular full-time personnel, 4,244 Gurkhas, 25,934 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,612 "other personnel", for a total of 109,086.
The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the six divisions the British Army sent to the Western Front during the First World War. Planning for a British Expeditionary Force began with the 1906–1912 Haldane Reforms of the British Army carried out by the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War (1899–1902).
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by the Chief Royal Engineer. The Corps Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent, England. The corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and around the world.
In mainland Europe, a commissionaire is an attendant, messenger or subordinate employed in hotels, whose chief duty is to attend at railway stations, secure customers, take charge of their luggage, carry out the necessary formalities with respect to it and have it sent on to the hotel. They are also employed in Paris as street messengers, light porters, etc.
The Canadian Forces Exchange System, or CANEX, is a commercial service of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. First established in 1968, it is tasked with supporting the Canadian Forces operational effectiveness, contributing to morale, esprit de corps and unit cohesion. CANEX operates merchandising operations and provides CF members with Advantage Programs at CF bases, wings, and units throughout Canada. In Europe, similar facilities are operated in Germany for NATO.
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the Territorial Force in 1908. Most of the regiments of the present Army Reserves Infantry, Artillery, Engineers and Signals units are directly descended from Volunteer Force units.
The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean:
The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the "Childers Reforms" of the early 1880s, and were made in the light of lessons newly learned in the Second Boer War.
The Corps of Commissionaires is a British security firm that has regional offices around the UK. It is the oldest security company in the world. Currently trading under the name Corps Security, it is a supplier of specialist security and also owns a monitoring facility in the UK, the Corps Monitoring Centre or CMC.
Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland is a command of the British Army.
The New Year Honours 1983 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries. They were announced on 31 December 1982 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1983 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Cook Islands, the Bahamas, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, and Antigua & Barbuda.
The New Year Honours 1967 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1967 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1967.
The New Year Honours 1968 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 29 December 1967 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1968.
The New Year Honours 1969 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 20 December 1968 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1969. At this time honours for Australians were awarded both in the United Kingdom honours, on the advice of the premiers of Australian states, and also in a separate Australia honours list.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1978 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen. The announcement date varies, both from year to year and from country to country.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1967 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, on the occasion of the official birthday of the Queen. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 2 June 1967.
The 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 5 June 1970.
Commissionaires Canada is a Canadian non-profit security firm, originally established to provide employment to ex-servicemen.
The 1943 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1942.
Sir Edward Walter was the founder and commanding officer of the Corps of Commissionaires.