All ranks' cap badge, Royal Armoured Corps, 1942

The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) was formed on 4 April 1939, just months before the outbreak of the Second World War, making it one of the younger corps in the British Army. However, it is also unique among the corps, since it was not formed by amalgamating existing corps into a single overarching unit.

Instead, it is the umbrella for a large number of existing regiments, each of which also retained its individual regimental identity. These regiments were mainly former cavalry regiments, but also included the battalions of the Royal Tank Regiment.