Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers


The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is the arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers".

History

Prior to REME's formation, maintenance was the responsibility of several different corps:
  • Royal Army Ordnance Corps—weapons and armoured vehicles
  • Royal Engineers—engineering plant and machinery, and RE motor transport
  • Royal Corps of Signals—communications equipment
  • Royal Army Service Corps—other motor transport
  • Royal Artillery—heavy weapons artificers
During World War II, the increase in quantity and complexity of equipment exposed the flaws in this system. Pursuant to the recommendation of a Committee on Skilled Men in the Services chaired by William Beveridge, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was formed on 1 October 1942.

Phase I

Such a major re-organisation was too complex to be carried out quickly and completely in the middle of a world war. Therefore, the changeover was undertaken in two phases. In Phase I, which was implemented immediately, REME was formed on the existing framework of the RAOC Engineering Branch, strengthened by the transfer of certain technical units and tradesmen from the RE and RASC.
At the same time, a number of individual tradesmen were transferred into REME from other corps. The new corps was made responsible for repairing the technical equipment of all arms with certain major exceptions.
REME did not yet undertake:
  • Those repairs that were carried out by unit tradesmen who were driver/mechanics or fitters in regiments and belonged to the unit rather than being attached to it.
  • Repairs of RASC-operated vehicles, which remained the responsibility of the RASC; each RASC Transport Company had its own workshop.
  • Repairs of RE specialist equipment, which remained the responsibility of the RE.

    Phase II

In 1949, it was decided that "REME Phase II" should be implemented. This decision was published in Army Council Instruction 110 of 1949, and the necessary reorganisation was carried out in the various arms and services in three stages between July 1951 and January 1952. The main changes were:
  • The transfer to REME of most of the unit repair responsibilities of other arms.
  • The provision of Light Aid Detachments for certain units that had not possessed them under the old organisation.
  • The provision of new REME Workshops to carry out field repairs in RASC transport companies. Maintenance of vessels of the RASC fleet whilst in port was given to the fleet repair branch, a civilian organisation which came under the REME umbrella.
This organisation was also responsible for arranging and overseeing ship refits.

Cap badges

After some interim designs, the badge of the Corps was formalised in June 1943 for use as the cap-badge, collar-badge, and on the buttons. It consisted of an oval Royally Crowned laurel wreath; on the wreath were four small shields at the compass points, each shield bearing one of the letters of "REME". Within the wreath was a pair of calipers. Examples of these early badges can be found at the REME Museum. In 1947, the Horse and Lightning was adopted as the cap badge, designed by Stephen Gooden.

Major Ivan Hirst REME and Volkswagen

At the end of the war, the Allies occupied the major German industrial centres to decide their fate. The Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg became part of the British Zone in June 1945 and No. 30 Workshop Control Unit, REME, assumed control in July. They operated under the overall direction of Colonel Michael McEvoy at Rhine Army Headquarters, Bad Oeynhausen. Uniquely, he had experience of the KdF Wagen in his pre-war career as a motor racing engineer; whilst attending the Berlin Motor Show in 1939, he was able to test drive one.
After visiting the Volkswagen factory, McEvoy had the idea of trying to get Volkswagen back into production to provide light transport for the occupying forces. The British Army, Red Cross and essential German services were chronically short of light vehicles. If the factory could provide them, there would be no cost to the British taxpayer and the factory could be saved. To do this, a good manager with technical experience would be needed. Maj. Ivan Hirst was told simply to "take charge of" the Volkswagen plant before arriving in August 1945. He had drains fixed and bomb craters filled in; land in front of the factory was given over to food production.
At first, the wartime Kubelwagen was viewed as a suitable vehicle. Once it became clear it could not be put back into production, the Volkswagen saloon or Kaefer was suggested. Hirst had an example delivered to Rhine Army headquarters, where it was demonstrated by Colonel McEvoy. The positive reaction led to the Military Government placing an order for 20,000 Volkswagens in September 1945.

Museum

The REME Museum is based at MoD Lyneham in Wiltshire.

Training

The Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering at MoD Lyneham meets most of the training needs of the Corps and other parts of Defence including Royal Marines Vehicle Mechanics, Technicians, Metalsmiths and Armourers.

Units

The Corps is structured as follows:
  • Regular Army Battalions
  • *1 Close Support Battalion REME
  • *2 Close Support Battalion REME
  • *3 Armoured Close Support Battalion REME
  • *4 Armoured Close Support Battalion REME
  • *5 Force Support Battalion REME
  • *6 Armoured Close Support Battalion REME
  • *7 Aviation Support Battalion REME
  • *8 Training Battalion REME
  • *9 Theatre Support Battalion REME
  • Army Reserve Battalions
  • *101 Battalion REME
  • *102 Battalion REME
  • *103 Battalion REME
Separate Units
The head of REME was officially known as Director of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering or DEME.
  • Major-General Eric Rowcroft
  • Major-General Wilfred S Tope
  • Major-General Stanley William Joslin
  • Major-General Wilfred Austin Lord
  • Major-General Sir Leslie Norman Tyler
  • Major General Denis Redman
  • Major General Sir Leonard Henry Atkinson
  • Major-General A McGill
  • Major-General Peter Howard Girling
  • Major-General A M McKay
  • Major-General Hugh Macdonald-Smith
  • Major-General J V Homan
  • Major-General Pat Lee
  • Major-General T B Palmer
  • Major-General J Boyne
  • Major-General D Shaw
  • Major-General M S Heath
  • Major-General P J G Corp
  • Major-General Peter V R Besgrove
  • Brigadier Roderick J Croucher
  • Brigadier Stephen Tetlow
  • Brigadier N T S Williams
  • Brigadier B W McCall
  • Brigadier M J Boswell
In 2012, a new post of Master General REME was created with Lieutenant General Andrew Figgures as the first incumbent.
  • Lieutenant General Andrew Figgures
  • Lieutenant General Paul Jaques
  • Lieutenant General David James Eastman

    List of Colonel Commandants

  • Lieutenant-General Sir Patrick Sanders
  • Major-General G. I. Mitchell, CB
  • Major-General David James Eastman
  • Lieutenant-General Dame Sharon Nesmith, 1 November 2018–1 November 2023
  • Major-General William O'Leary
  • Colonel I. J. Phillips
  • Lt-Gen. Simon Hamilton
  • Major-General Darren Howard Crook, 31 March 2023–present
  • Major-General Anna-Lee Reilly, 1 April 2023–present
  • Major-General Neil B. Thorpe, 1 April 2023–present
  • Major-General Paul Raymond Griffiths, 1 November 2023–present
  • Brigadier Ingrid Anne Rolland, 1 June 2024–present
  • Colonel I. S. Wallace, 31 August 2024–present
  • Major-General Philip David Prosser, 1 June 2025

    Freedoms

The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers has received the freedom of several UK local government areas.
DateAreaNotesRefs
21 October 1978Borough of WokinghamBerkshire England
October 1987Great AycliffeDurham England 124 Recovery Company
12 September 1992PrestatynDenbighshire Wales. 119 Recovery Company .
2012RichmondNorth Yorkshire England. 1 Close Support Battalion
5 April 2013WrexhamWales. 101 Force Support Battalion
27 June 2015BordonEast Hampshire England.
6 July 2017Royal Wootton BassettWiltshire England. 8 Training Battalion
23 June 2024LenhamMaidstone Kent England.