This is a list of corps serving within the armies of the British Empire during the Second World War.
A Corps was either a temporary military formation created for combat, or an "administrative" formation that coordinated specialist military functions across a national military force. A combat Corps was composed of specialist units from various "administrative" Corps from combat arms, combat support arms and combat services. Combat Arms were formation sized units from the Corps of infantry and armour, usually 2 or more divisions in strength. Combat Support Arms were smaller units from the Corps of artillery, engineers, signals, intelligence or reconnaissance. Combat Services were units from the Corps of medicine, general services, ordnance, pioneers, logistics and other more specialized functions. For example, I Canadian Corps consisted of 1 infantry division, 1 armour division, 1 armour brigade and Corps Troops (20 plus companies from the Corps of engineers, signals, medicine, military police, etc...)
Military formations within the British Empire were composed of a changing mix of units from across Britain, its colonies and the dominions. As a result, military formations within the Empire and Commonwealth are not easily attributable to specific Imperial or national entities and naming conventions do not necessarily correlate with modern country names.
British Army Field Corps
I Airborne Corps 1 Anti-Aircraft Corps 2 Anti-Aircraft Corps 3 Anti-Aircraft Corps I Corps II Corps
III Corps IV Corps V Corps VII Corps VIII Corps IX Corps
X Corps XI Corps XII Corps XIII Corps XXX Corps
Combat Arms
Army Air Corps Corps of Royal Marines
Royal Armoured Corps Royal Tank Corps
Combat Support Arms
Reconnaissance Corps Royal Engineers Intelligence Corps
Royal Artillery Royal Corps of Signals
Combat Services
Army Catering Corps Auxiliary Territorial Service Corps of Military Police General Service Corps
Military Provost Staff Corps Pioneer Corps Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps Royal Army Pay Corps Royal Army Service Corps Royal Army Veterinary Corps Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Other
Army Educational Corps Mechanised Transport Corps Non-Combatant Corps
Royal Army Dental Corps Royal Army Physical Training Corps Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Imperial and Dominion
Australian Army Field Corps
I Australian Corps II Australian Corps
III Australian Corps ANZAC CorpsEwer, Peter (2008). Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, .
Combat Arms
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Royal Australian Infantry Corps Australian Army Aviation Corps
Combat Support Arms
Australian Machine Gun Corps Royal Australian Artillery Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Royal Australian Engineers Australian Intelligence Corps
Combat Services
Australian Instructional Corps Australian Army Band Corps Australian Army Catering Corps Australian Army Veterinary Corps Australian Staff Corps Corps of Staff Cadets
Royal Australian Army Chaplains Department Royal Australian Army Dental Corps Royal Australian Army Medical Corps Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps Royal Australian Army Pay Corps
Royal Australian Army Service Corps Royal Australian Corps of Military Police Royal Australian Corps of Transport Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Royal Australian Survey Corps Women's Royal Australian Army Corps
Other
Civil Construction Corps
Canadian Army Field Corps
Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps II Canadian Corps
Combat Arms
Canadian Infantry Corps Canadian Armoured Corps
Combat Support Arms
Canadian Intelligence Corps Royal Canadian Artillery
Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Combat Services
Canadian Army Chaplain Corps Canadian Provost Corps Canadian Women's Army Corps Central Canada Aircraft Detection Corps(RCAF) Corps of Military Staff Clerks
Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps Royal Canadian Army Service Corps Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps
Royal Canadian Dental Corps Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Royal Canadian Postal Corps
Other
Canadian Technical Training Corps Canadian Officers' Training Corps Canadian Forestry Corps Corps of Canadian Fire Fighters (auxiliary to UK)
Army of India Field Corps
Indian III Corps IV Corps Indian XV Corps
Indian XXI Corps Indian XXXIII Corps
Indian XXXIV Corps Burma Corps
Combat Arms
Infantry Indian Armoured Corps
Combat Support Arms
Indian Army Air Defence Indian Army Aviation Corps Indian Army Corps of Signals
Indian Army Corps of Engineers Regiment of Indian Artillery
Combat Services
Burma Hospital Corps Corps of Indian Military Police Corps of Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Indian Army Dental Corps
Indian Army Hospital Corps Indian Army Medical Corps Indian Army Ordnance Corps Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Military Farm Corps Pioneer Corps Remount Veterinary Corps Women's Auxiliary Corps (India)
New Zealand Military Forces Field Corps
New Zealand Corps ANZAC CorpsEwer, Peter (2008). Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, .
Combat Arms
New Zealand Armoured Corps New Zealand war-raised battalionsRoyal New Zealand Infantry Regiment History
Combat Support ArmsAn authoritative source for New Zealand administrative corps from 1911-1991 is Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, Parts One/Two "New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911-1991," .
New Zealand Engineers New Zealand Intelligence Corps
Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals
Combat ServicesAn authoritative source for New Zealand administrative corps from 1911-1991 is Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, Parts One/Two "New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911-1991," .
New Zealand Military Police New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers New Zealand Staff Corps
New Zealand Veterinary Corps Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps
Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (New Zealand)
South African Army Field Corps
Cape Corps South African Coast Defence Corps
Combat Arms
South African Tank Corps Infantry Branch (Citizen Force)
Combat Support Arms
South African Corps of Signals South African Engineer Corps South African Intelligence Corps
Combat Services
Army Postal Service Indian and Malay Service Corps Native Military Corps Q Services Corps South African Corps of Mechanics
South African Corps of Military Police South African Medical Corps South African Ordnance Corps South Africa Pay Corps South African Service Corps
South Africa Veterinary Corps Technical Services Corps ("T Corps") Women's Auxiliary Army Service Women's Auxiliary Military Police Corps
Colonies and Protectorates Field Corps (not all standard corps size)
Bikaner Camel Corps Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps East Arab Corps
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Somaliland Camel Corps
Combat Support Arms
East African Artillery Rhodesian Armoured Corps
West African Artillery West African Engineers
Combat Services Africa and the Second World War, editors David Killingray, Richard Rathbone, Macmillan, 1986War and Empire in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean, A. Jackson, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2001
African Pioneer Corps East African Army Service Corps East African Military Labour Corps Fijian Labour Corps
Gilbert Islands Labour Corps Mauritius Civil Labour Corps Northern Rhodesian African Labour Corps Solomon Islands Labour Corps
Southern Rhodesian Labour Corps West African Military Labour Corps West African Army Service Corps Women's Auxiliary Service (Burma)
See also List of British Empire divisions in the Second World War Military history of the British Commonwealth in the Second World War
References
History of the Second World War (104 volumes), Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1949 to 1993 Official History of Australia in the War of 1939–1945 (22 volumes), Australian Government Printing Service, 1952 to 1977 Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol I Six Years of War , Stacey, C P., Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 1955 The Canadian Army 1939 – 1945, An Official Historical Summary, Stacey, C P., Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 1948 Official History of the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War 1939-45 (24 volumes), Combined Inter-Services Historical Section, India & Pakistan, New Delhi, 1956-1966 Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington, New Zealand, 1965 Official Lineages DND, Ottawa