"We find that we are constantly maltreating Volunteers for want of local knowledge and we feel it to be absolutely essential that they should have some power of organisation in the counties and of controlling their own affairs."

Haldane 1907.



The county organisations established by Lord Haldane are the RFCAs of today.   RFCA for Wales is one of 13 statutory bodies which recruit, house and administer the TA and provide other administrative support to Volunteer Reserve and Cadet Forces.

RFCA for Wales is set up as a distinct legal body by a Scheme of Association made by the Defence Council in 1968 and reviewed triennially.   HM Treasury treats RFCA as a Non-departmental Public Body.   Via its president (drawn ex-officio from the Lord Lieutenants in its area) it has a direct link with the Crown, and the English Courts have ruled that Associations are emanations of the Crown.

The elected and ex-officio membership makes up the Association and is formally responsible for continuing the exercise of any discretion or the performance of any duty by the Association.

Associations act through their own Secretaries who are directly employed by them and are answerable only to them.   Under conditions of the Reserve Forces Act,  RFCAs have a duty to conform to Defence Council plans.   Powers and duties are assigned or amended by regulation issued under the Reserve Forces Statutes.

The Association has a membership of 106 and a small full time secretariat which is responsible for running its day to day affairs.