Armourer

In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, with some duties resembling those of a civilian gunsmith. The term may also be used in film and TV production for a person responsible for prop guns and other weapons; the head of this function is often called a weapons master.

There is increasing evidence that companies specializing in the manufacture of armoured vehicles or applique armour for application onto vehicles of all types (cars, boats, aircraft) are referring to themselves as armourers; such as the UK company OVIK Crossway - which describes its services as Armourers and Coach Builders. In some ways, this is a reversion back to the original meaning of the term insofar as these companies forge, adapt or integrate physical armour onto platforms in order to protect human life.

The title is also used in the sport fencing (the foil, the épée and the sabre) to refer to those who repair fencers' weaponry, safety equipment, fencing-strips, scoring machines, and reels. At sport-fencing events, the individuals responsible for checking equipment safety and maintaining the strips, reels and scoring machines during the tournament are also known as armourers.

With the renewed interest in traditional armour and weaponry the occupation also involves working with film, stage, and historical and reenactment societies. Period costumes may require reproduction armour, swords, and related equipment. The HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) movement has also revived a more traditional expression of armoury as a skill.

United Kingdom

Armourers are the oldest trade in the British Army and trace their heritage back several centuries. Today they form a core role within the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and work on an extremely wide variety of weapon systems. Typically, armourers are attached to every type of front line operational unit within the British Army such as Infantry, Cavalry, Engineers, Logistics, Special Forces and specialist training teams. They can also be found in larger REME units called REME Battalions providing in-depth repair and front line support.

Armourers have the rank of Craftsman upon starting their trade training, which is the equivalent of Private and they have similar ranks of the remainder of the Army thereafter. As they increase in rank they can follow one of two streams: Artisan or Artificer. As an Artificer they must complete a strenuous Selection course and then attend an 18-month intensive engineering course where they work towards and gain an electrical and mechanical HND, upon completion they emerge as a Staff Sergeants (SSGT) and have the potential to reach Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) as an Artificer Sergeant Major (ASM) or even gain a Commission. Artisan Armourers who remain working at trade can also achieve Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) typically as a Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of a REME Battalion and potentially gain a Late Entry (LE) commission.

On a day-to-day basis Armourers maintain a wide variety of weapons and optical equipment, they are highly skilled in the use of hand tools and are able to maintain their equipment across the globe. They formally inspect every weapon annually/or every six months (dependent on weapon type) and also advise the end-user on all matters of equipment care. Within a modern Infantry Battalion, they are exposed to the maximum varieties of weapons and optical equipment, with only Special Forces possessing more.

Within the British Royal Air Force (RAF), armourers are considered the most specialized of any trade in the RAF, but they hold a qualification for each specific weapon rather than gaining every qualification for all small arms and larger weapon systems. After spending an initial phase of generic training at RAF Halton with the majority other non commissioned trainees they transfer to DCAE Cosford for their trade-specific training. Once qualified they can find themselves employed on a wide variety of tasks, including non-trade-specific jobs such as the flight line servicing of aircraft. As well as prepping, maintaining and loading aircraft bombs, missiles and aircraft assisted escape systems, they are also responsible for the maintenance of explosive release systems and small arms within station armouries like the L85A2 (SA80), 9mm Glock 17 pistol and the GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun). They can also work alongside the British Army Ammunition Technician, Royal Engineers, and Royal Navy Clearance Divers, in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) role able to deal with improvised explosive devices and conventional weapons. The founder of the RAF, Lord Trenchard, held armourers in high esteem, saying "without armament, there is no Air Force." Within RAF squadrons armourers are colloquially known as "pin-monkeys" and, more commonly, "plumbers". The term "plumber" has several possible origins, but most likely stems from the maintenance of the gun turrets on heavy bombers. The turrets were hydraulically and electrically powered and contained pipework hence the reference to plumbers.