Provost Marshal

The title of Provost Marshal is that of one of the most ancient appointments in the service of the Crown, and its origins are lost in antiquity. It is the only military appointment which, without change, has been responsible for undertaking largely the same duties since antiquity. The Royal Military Police proudly claim to have a tradition of service to the Crown and Nation longer than any regiment or corps with antecedence reaching back to at least 1241, when Henry II appointed one William of Cassingham as a Military ‘Sergeant of the Peace’. Cassingham his ‘Under-Provosts’ are taken to be the ancestors of the modern RMP

In the times of the Norman kings the Provost Marshal was an under officer of the Earl Marshal, and held the appointment within the Court of Chivalry. One of his most important duties was to maintain the King’s Peace within the feudal armies, and, as it was imperative that the officer holding the appointment should be of undoubted allegiance to the Crown, the King personally made the appointment.

Although primarily a military officer in the nature of his duties, he was also responsible for maintaining the peace, “12 miles about the Prince’s person,” and dealt summarily with all offenders, civilian and military alike. This side of his duties was elaborated from time to time, at least until the time of Queen Elizabeth I, when officers given the title of Provost Marshal were appointed in each county to suppress gangs of disbanded soldiers who were terrorizing the countryside; again, during the Armada invasion scare, Provost Marshals were ordered to conduct the levies across the country to their place of duty, and to “diligently and speedily punish” spreaders of false rumours and confusion.

As a military officer the Provost Marshal had assumed most of the duties as we recognise them today by the beginning of the fourteenth century, and was on the customary establishment of all field forces from then onwards. He exercised his authority on the first expeditionary force of Edward III in 1381, and it is evident that he was functioning at Crecy and Agincourt. By the fifteenth century deputy Provost Marshals were being appointed to individual field forces and garrisons, and had, to assist them, a definite form of camp police.

At the opening of the sixteenth century there are many contemporary references to a well established Provost Service, whose duties were laid down in the Articles of War of Henry VIII in 1513, of which the maintenance of military discipline was the most important.

The Provost Service became part of the recognized organization of the Standing Army at its inception in 1660, but was only called into being with the Army on active service. The appointment of Provost Marshal General became a permanent post, however, in 1685, and Provost Marshals were appointed to various Formations, Garrisons, and to Regiments,

The modern history of the Military Police as we know them today commences with a War Office circular letter dated 13th June, 1855, when, in response to a recommendation of the Provost Marshal for additional men, certain cavalry regiments were called upon to supply N.C.O.s and men “of five or ten years service, sober habits, intelligent, active and capable of exercising a sound discretion” to form a permanent Corps of Mounted Police. This was the first occa­ sion of the use of the term “police” in the military vocabulary.  On the 4 ^th July, 1855, one sergeant, one corporal and eighteen privates were dispatched to form the Corps and granted Corps pay, although they were retained as supernumeraries on the Muster Rolls of their parent cavalry regiments.

In 1865 a re-organization was approved and the strength of the Corps increased to 32 mounted men. In 1872 a detachment of Military Mounted Police attended the annual manoeuvres under an Assistant Provost Marshal appointed for the occasion, and two years later the first printed set of orders were published for their guidance. These were signed by Major T. Trout, the first Provost Marshal to rise from the ranks of the Corps and whose appointment also included the office of Commandant, Quartermaster and Officer-in-charge of Records of the Military Mounted Police

The Military Mounted Police became established as a distinct Corps for service at home and abroad on the 1st August, 1877, with the establishment of 1 sergeant-major, 7 sergeants, 13 corporals, 54 privates and 71 horses. From this date the Corps maintained its own muster and pay rolls, and all promotions were within the Corps. By this time Military Police were again serving on detachment in garrisons at home and with formations overseas. Medals were earned, and casualties suffered by Military Policemen in the Egyptian campaign in 1882 to 1884 at Tel-el-Kebir, Suakin-el-Teb, and with the Nile Expeditionary Force.

On the 1st August,1882, a sister Corps to the Military Mounted Police was formed for special service in Egypt – The Military’ Foot Police. The Foot Police were recruited entirely from men recalled to the Colours who had served with the Metropolitan Police Force. The Military Foot Police were authorised as a permanent Corps on 2nd July, 1885, with an establishment of 1 sergeant-major, 13 sergeants, 17 corporals and 59 privates.

The end of the century saw the Military Police with a strength of just over 300, with detachments at all the garrison towns in the United Kingdom, permanent detachments in Cairo and Malta, and an honourable active service record in Egypt, Sudan and South Africa.

On 27th February, 1926, the Military Mounted Police and the Military Foot Police were merged into the Corps of Military Police, with the establishment (after the disbanding of the Army of Occupation) of 508 all ranks; the pre-war figure.

There is not space available in this short history to recount all that happened in these between-war years, other than to say that the CMP distinguished itself with the Shanghai Defence Force in 1927, with the Saar (Plebiscite) Force in 1934, and with the Palestine Emergency Force in 1936, and increased their permanent overseas stations to Singapore, 1936 and Hong Kong, 1935 in addition to maintaining companies or sections at their pre-Second World War stations: Egypt (Cairo, Abbassia, Moascar, Alexandria), Malta, Gibraltar and Shanghai.

The standard of entry to the CMP was very high, recruiting being exclusively from transfers from other areas, having at least the Army second class certificate of education, good conduct stripes, a minimum of three years’ service and an irreproachable character. In 1938, recruiting of direct enlistments from civil life started in an effort to increase provost resources. Such recruits had to possess equivalent qualifications to those of transfers from other arms

The total strength of the Corps at the outbreak of war was 508 all ranks, which was immediately in­creased to 761 with the call-up of reservists, many of whom had been civil policemen. By 1918 the Corps strength had grown to over 25,000 all ranks, and battalions of famous infantry regiments, including the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry’ and the Honourable Artillery Company were used to supplement provost duties.

The Military Police served in the United Kingdom, France and Flanders, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Macedonia, Palestine, Italy, North Russia, North West Persia and Afghanistan. In addition to Provost there were also Traffic Control Companies, Dock Police and a Special Investigation Branch

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, 1915, was the first great occasion when Military Police of various divisions and brigades worked on a common policy to serve the interests of the Army as a whole, rather than in the sole interest of their own particular formation to which they were attached.  All the Military’ Police from the forward brigades down along the lines of communication were co-ordinated on an organised road system to control traffic, and, for the first time in mechanised warfare, demonstrated their indispensability if order rather than chaos, was to reign in the battlefield. Indeed, not only in traffic control, but also in new methods for handling stragglers, prisoners of war, recovery of weapons and many new tasks made possible by the co-ordination of all Military Police, was Neuve Chapelle an outstanding date in Military Police history, since when their essential role in modern warfare has never been questioned.

Their presence in the battlefield, then, as now, was a source of inspiration to other soldiers, and their greatest contribution was, and is, their example of steadfastness and the soldierly qualities.

On one occasion during an enemy attack, a few Military Police manning stragglers posts held, defeated, captured and disarmed over 800 Germans, who had overrun our front line. During the struggle for the Somme in 1918, Military Police manned the b ridges over the river for thirty-six hours under continuous heavy shell fire, and not one man left his post until all the fighting troops were across; they then fell back and were the last over. These men were then called upon to fall in and fill a breach in the line.

These, and many similar cases, such as the occasion when the A.P.M. 1st Division led his Military Police and the stragglers that had collected in an attack against the Prussian Guards on the Menin Road in 1914, and the Military Police Company in Ypres in 1917, who in ten weeks lost 64 out of a total of 140, earned for the Military Police 13 D.S.O.s, 8 M.C.s, 65 D.C.M.s, 260 M.M.s, 26 M.S.M.s, and 105 Mentions in Dispatches.

Nor was the need for Military Police over with the signing of the Armistice; in fact, one of their hardest tasks lay still before them for no unit or corps was called upon to play so big and important a part as the Military Police in the Army of Occupation on the Rhine.

In August, 1939, the Corps of Military Police was again very small, numbering 584 all ranks, scattered world wide. On mobilization, the recall of reservists provided an immediate war strength composed of 769 serving C.M.P.s, 500 Regular Reservists, 850 Supple­ mentary Reservists who were recruited entirely from the Automobile Association. 1002 T.A. M.P.s, 500 Brigade of Guards reservists and 300 other arms reservists who were mostly civil policemen. The Corps took the field with a strength of 4,121, including reservists.

In the next six years of war, they were to grow to over 50,000 strong, divided into six distinct major branches with several sub-divisions of specialists, giving indispensable service wherever British troops were serving.

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.

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 new Intelligence Corps.

There is not the space here even to indicate the immensely valuable work done by Military Police, either in the United Kingdom throughout these years, with its complications multiplied by the presence of allied troops of various nations, disruption by air raids, security arrangements, and the complex powers given under Defence Regulations, or in France during the early days of the B.E.F., where the Red-Cap was the symbol of fair play to British soldier and French citizen alike.

In May 1940, the Military Police set out behind the reconnaissance screen of Lancers, some six hours ahead of the main army, to sign the way for the B.E.F. into Belgium, and learned with bitter experience the chaos that can be caused by a human tide of refugees in the path of an advancing army. It was a never-to-be-forgotten lesson which made refugee control and traffic control of vital consequence and a Military Policeman’s first concern.

The rapid advance of the German army and the withdrawal of the B.E.F. to Dunkirk necessitated Military Police undertaking duties which had never been contemplated for them, but, by their gallantry and resourcefulness they were to set a tradition of first in and last out, a tradition which was to be re-enacted many times, in many theatres of war, and was to earn for the “Red-Cap” the admiration and respect of the fighting soldier. Time and time again Military’ Police stood unrelieved at their posts on cross-roads and bridges—more than one instance of 72 hours is recorded whilst the British Army passed back be­ tween the Panzer-tipped pincers and, when the last troops were through, exchanged their white traffic sleeves for a rifle and joined the infantry’ covering the withdrawal first removing their road signs that they should not point the way for the enemy.

On the beaches of Dunkirk the Military Police reached a peak of gallantry and inspiring conduct.

Having seen their own formations embarked they stayed behind to help maintain the organization, helping others, marshalling queues, bringing the wounded to the boats, salvaging equipment and finally making the last tour of the area for stragglers, and were the last to leave – as they were the last to leave Narvik, and brought the last message from the doomed town of Calais.

102 PROVOST COMPANY—10th MAY TO 2nd JUNE 1940

“It is with much pleasure that I express my admiration of the standard of efficiency and morale within the Royal Military Police and, on this occasion, I refer back to the dark days preceding and during the evacuation of Dunkirk. At that time I held the appointment of DA and QMG 1st Corps and the determination and heroism displayed by men of 102 Provost Company were to a high degree responsible for the smooth running and, may I use the expression, success of the evacuation.

It has been said that the evacuation of over 300,000 Servicemen from Dunkirk and nearby beaches was something of a miracle but in my view it must be added that this miracle was in no small measure made possible by the enthusiasm and courage of the embarkation team and the Royal Corps of Military Police can be more than proud of the part they played in this operation.”

MAJOR GENERAL (RETD) JOHN G. HALSTED
CB, OBE, MC

The North African theatre presented Military’ Police, both Provost and SIB., with as wide a variety of duties as it is possible to imagine, stretching from the intrigue and vice of cosmopolitan Cairo and the ports of Suez and Alexandria, out into the vast loneliness of the desert to the swift movement of the battlefield, with its besieged garrisons and isolated skirmishes.

Tracks had to be found across the desert, often 250 miles or more over every conceivable type of country, which were opened up by parties of MPs who had to navigate their way signing as they went, using for their material cairns of stones painted white, or petrol tins with symbols cut out and lit by night with a hurricane lamp within the tin. When the tracks had been established they had to be constantly patrolled, and the traffic using the tracks had to be kept moving. There is more in this than is, perhaps, apparent: steering the columns through minefields and other obstacles, such as the exceedingly steep and hazardous Darna Pass, which daunted many drivers who were unable to face the descent. This meant that the Military Police controlling the pass had to keep a section available to drive any of the many types of vehicle over this notorious stretch.

An even more notorious stretch still lay ahead of them, it fell to the Military Police, with the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals, to be the first troops through the minefields of El Alamein, working in one of the most intense artillery barrages. The Engineers cleared the path, the Signals laid the communications for controlling the passage, and the Military Police signed the path and had the honour of leading the armour through into that most historic battle that was the turning point of the war. Of that first party, the sole survivor, L./Cpl. Eales, was awarded the D.C.M. The message from Cairo to the London newspapers after El Alamein had reported “The Red-caps are front line soldiers now” and front line soldiers they remained.

The following narrative, was made by Field-Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery about Provost.

“Any Eighth Army veteran will bear out the statement that Provost played one of the leading, in fact, very nearly the “Star'” part in the campaign from El Alamein to Northern Africa.

Practically speaking, every desert track was laid and marked by Provost throughout the campaign. Seven signs to the mile was the average, and every one to be manufactured out of whatever was available (the ubiquitous 4-gallon petrol tin was, to the contentment of Provost, available in large numbers; the ” Jerry-can” had not been universally adopted by that time) with the Track Sign or Number to be cut in silhouette in the side of every one so that a hurricane lantern could be placed inside it at night; seven signs to the mile over untold hundreds of miles of tracks, over desert and rocks, through minefields and many times under fire, and everyone to be lit up at night, that was just one of the routine jobs of work for Provost in the Eighth Army.’

Excerpt from A Short History of the Corps of Military Police by Major R.J.R Whistler RMP Published in 1963