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 The Aims of the REME Association
are:
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To foster the esprit-de-corps and
well being of the Corps.
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To keep those who have served in or
with REME in touch with one another with a view to keeping alive a spirit of
comradeship.
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To establish links between the serving
and ex-Service members of the Corps with a view to helping the former during
resettlement from Service to civilian life.
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To help, in conjunction with the REME
Benevolent Fund and other welfare agencies, both serving and ex-Service
members of the Corps and their dependants who find themselves in difficult
circumstances.
Contents
Historical Background
In the days of bow and arrow, pike, sword and battle-axe
it was reasonable enough to expect every soldier to be responsible for the
upkeep of his own arms and equipment. In fact the Assize of Arms in 1181, which
appears to have been the first attempt to legislate for the good condition of
Army equipment not only enforced this individual responsibility but also forbade
a soldier to sell or pawn his arms and enjoined him to bequeath them to his
heirs.
With the invention of gunpowder came more complicated
weapons and the problem of ammunition supply. At the same time ordnance and
other "engines of war" increased in size and quantity, and the need for a
separate authority to provide and maintain them became pressing. This
requirement was met by employing civilian tradesmen and by establishing
government arsenals and powder factories. Eventually the civilian artificers and
armourers became military tradesmen and were combined with the providers of
military stores in 1896 into the Army Ordnance Corps.
The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century affected
the army and by World War I (1914-1918) had culminated in an identifiably modern
force with machine guns, aircraft, motor vehicles, tanks, optical range finders
and radios. Responsibility for the maintenance and repair of the varied new
equipments was at first accepted, rather naturally, by the arms and services
that used them most, and a number of separate repair organisations began to grow
up side by side. As a result, by the end of World War I the Tank Corps had its
own workshops, the Royal Engineers repaired most of their own specialist
equipment, and the Army Service Corps had become generally responsible for the
repair of mechanical transport, while it was the responsibility of the Army
Ordnance Corps to repair most other equipments, including small arms, guns and
instruments. At this time many of these Corps gained their 'Royal' prefix. There
were thus four different repair organisations functioning simultaneously in the
Army with many other regiments and Corps having some of their own tradesmen to
carry out minor repairs. Not only was this arrangement most uneconomical in
manpower and plant, but it also created administrative difficulties for the
unfortunate units that had to deal with two or more authorities in order to get
all of their equipments repaired.
 Many efforts were made between the two World Wars to
introduce a centralised and more efficient repair organisation which could deal
with all technical equipment. Unfortunately most of these attempts failed either
on the grounds of initial expense or because of esprit-de-corps and a
strong reluctance on the part of the various arms and services to accept any
change that might conceivably weaken their self-reliance. A first major step in
the right direction was approved in 1926 when the Engineering Branch of the RAOC
was given responsibility for the repair of armoured fighting vehicles and of
some of the Army's mechanical transport: but the Royal Engineers, Royal Signals
and Royal Army Service Corps were still allowed to retain their separate
organisations for repairing most of their vehicles and specialist technical
equipment. For the Royal Engineers this mostly applied to civil engineering
plant and machinery; for the Royal Signals, radio, telegraph and telephone
equipment and for the Royal Army Service Corps (the predecessors of the Royal
Corps of Transport), all forms of motor transport. The Royal Tank Corps and many
other units still provided their own unit tradesmen for immediate repair tasks.
The Formation of REME
Rearmament and the mechanisation of the Army followed by
the outbreak of the Second World War led to further considerable increases in
the quantity and complexity of technical equipment. The consequent heavy repair
load revealed the weakness of the existing organisation, while the shortage of
qualified tradesmen in the Services soon dictated a need for a system which
would use the available men more effectively.
In 1941, a Cabinet committee, under the chairmanship of
Sir William Beveridge, was set up to investigate the use of manpower in the
three services. As a result of one of its recommendations - that the repair
services in the army should be rationalised - the Corps Royal Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers came into being on the first of October 1942. The Corps had
the rare, if not unique, distinction of being honoured with the designation
"Royal" from the day of its formation.
Such a major re-organisation was too complex, however,
to be carried out quickly and completely in the middle of a world war. It was
decided therefore that the changeover should be 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 which 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; thus each RASC Transport Company had its own
workshop.
- Repairs of RE specialist equipment, which remained
the responsibility of the RE.
In Phase II, which was postponed until conditions were
more suitable for a further major change, it was agreed that REME should take
over all unit repairs and, in the case of the RASC, field repair as well.
In 1942 the Mechanical Engineering Directorate at the
War Office was established under the Director of Mechanical Engineering (DME),
Major-General E B Rowcroft (later Sir Bertram Rowcroft). A plan for the
subsequent development of the Corps was drawn up in three stages of nine months
each, and in almost every detail planned target dates were achieved. In India
the IEME was formed; separate from REME since at this time the Indian Army was a
separate organisation although many officers and technical personnel were
British. HQ REME Training Establishment was formed at Arborfield to control REME
technical training. The repair system in the field was reorganised so that
repair could be carried out as far forward as possible. The takeover from RAOC
of responsibility for scaling of spares was completed. Long term plans for a
REME Benevolent Fund,
REME Association,
REME Band, Officers' Club (later the REME Institution) the
'Craftsman' Magazine
and Sports Association were made. DMEs and deputies were appointed to all major
headquarters of the field army and deputy directors were appointed to all static
command headquarters. Commanders REME were appointed to divisions and Brigade
EMEs to brigades.
Almost at once the new organisation was tried out and
proved successful at the Battle of Alamein, the first major operation after the
Corps was formed. The re-organised recovery and repair system was thoroughly
tested during the remainder of the war, during which REME grew to be the largest
technical corps, extending its activities to include the manufacture of spare
parts and special equipments on a large scale. In addition to its uniformed
tradesmen the Corps employed thousands of civilian tradesmen of many different
nationalities in its static workshops throughout the world.
REME reached its maximum strength in May 1945,
approximately 8000 officers and 152,000 other ranks. The Indian EME, East and
West African EME Royal Canadian, Australian, New Zealand EME, and South African
Technical Service Corps (TSC) totalled another 185,000. Some 130,000 civilians
were employed in EME Services in all parts of the world.
Development after World War II
In the years immediately following the war, the Army in
general and REME in particular lost many of their best tradesmen to civilian
industry. At the same time equipment was becoming even more complex and the time
was clearly ripe for further rationalisation of the systems of repair so as to
eliminate waste and to make best use of the technical skill available.
In 1949 therefore, it was decided that "REME Phase II"
should be implemented. This decision was published in Army Council Instruction
110 of 1949, and the necessary re-organisation 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 (Infantry, Artillery, Armoured Corps etc).
- 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 and to vessels of the RASC fleet.
In the interests of individuals, and to preserve
esprit-de-corps, the transfer of tradesmen to REME from other arms was made
a voluntary matter. Men who wished to do so could remain with their parent
regiment or Corps until they left the Army, after which they would be replaced
by REME tradesmen. It is also important to realise that, from the point of view
of units of other arms, Phase II introduced no basic changes in the recovery and
repair system previously in force; REME LADs and attached tradesmen were still
integral parts of the units they supported and worked under the direct command
of the unit Commanding officers. They simply wore a different cap badge to the
parent regiment. Some repair functions still remained with 'user' Corps, notably
Royal Engineers and Royal Signals.
The Army Air Corps was formed in 1958 and it became the
task of REME to provide the field repair support for all aircraft used. Despite
the short time available for preparation and training, support was in position
on time. Since then the "light blue beret" element has grown and matured and now
forms some 9% of REME strength.
In February 1964 the Report of the Committee on the
Review of the Q Services (the Mcleod Committee) was issued. This reaffirmed the
principle of having a single 'Repair Corps'. The recommendations were gradually
implemented and the resulting changes were:
- 1965. REME assumed responsibility for unit repair of
A and B vehicles of RE units, and for repair support to the ex-RE
Transportation units which had been transferred to RCT, thus introducing REME
to railway repairs.
- 1966. REME took over the unit repair of all
telecommunications equipment other than that owned and operated by R Signals
(on the recommendation of the Odling Committee). Thus for the first time, the
LAD Commander was responsible for the repair of ALL his parent unit's
equipment.
- 1968. REME became responsible for the complete range
from unit to base repair of all equipments in RE hands, except construction
plant.
Recent Times
In the last twenty five years REME has undergone many
changes but its structure has remained much the same. The Professional Head of
the Corps was initially entitled DME (later DEME). He became a Director General
(DGEME) in 1977 and his headquarters became part of the Logistic Executive
(Army) within the Quartermaster General's Department of the Ministry of Defence
with increased responsibility for the management of the higher technology Army
equipment. Consequent upon the Logistic Support Review his responsibilities
increased considerably on the creation of the Equipment Support Organisation
which encompasses the traditional repair, recovery, modification and examination
roles of REME and now the management of all Army equipment and the procurement
and management of supporting spares. In 1992, DGEME became the Director General
of Equipment Support (Army) (DGES(A)) within Headquarters Quartermaster General
at Andover. On the formation of the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) in
1999, his post was re-designated Director General Equipment Support (Land) and
the management of ammunition was added to the portfolio. His staff were
reorganised into Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) responsible for the management
of all Land equipment operated by the three services and its major overhaul.
Equipment support planning for the Army aircraft was transferred to DGES(Air).
At the same time the duties of the Professional Head of the Corps was
transferred to a new post entitled Director Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering (Army) (DEME(A)) with his Headquarters located at Arborfield.
As equipment has become more complex so many changes
have been made in the trades of the Corps and their individual responsibilities,
while economies have dictated that the Corps must carry out its tasks with fewer
personnel. The Corps' total strength remains at about 10% of the Army's total.
Operationally the Corps has continued to give technical
support to units in the Army in all the wars, anti-terrorist campaigns and peace
keeping operations since 1945; including Palestine, Korea, Kenya, Malaya, Suez,
Aden, Cyprus, Borneo, Belize, the Falklands, Lebanon, the Gulf War, Angola,
Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Currently many members of the Corps are engaged on
operations in Northern Ireland and the Former Yugoslavia.
The bulk of the Corps' workshops and tradesmen now serve
in the United Kingdom or Germany as Great Britain's forces form a major part of
the NATO Allied Command Europe (ACE) Rapid Reaction Corps. It is here that
experiments and trials of organisation, field repair techniques and equipment
give pointers to the REME of the future. A recent example was the formation of
REME battalions structured to provide both close and general support. At the
same time the DLO maintains the Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO) a defence
agency responsible for carrying out complete overhauls of equipment from tanks
to radios and for other repair support both in house and by contract.
REME's combined military and civilian strength is
approximately 17,000. Over 4,000 volunteers in the Territorial Army wear the
REME cap badge and, in so doing, make up individual and unit reinforcements to
complete the NATO ACE Rapid Reaction Corps.
REME Training
REME officers are trained in engineering disciplines,
usually mechanical, electronic or aeronautical whilst soldiers are trained in a
number of trades designed to support the vast range of equipment used by the
Army. Before they become engineers and tradesmen all REME personnel undergo
basic military training and it is impressed upon them that they are soldiers
first and foremost. They must therefore be fully capable of operating as
infantrymen in defence of their own workshops and light aid detachments. They
thus undergo continuation training in military subjects throughout their careers
as well as progressive training in their particular technical fields.
The REME Task Today
With minor exceptions only, REME is now responsible for
the examination, modification, repair and recovery of all mechanical,
electronic, electrical and optical equipment of the Army beyond the capacity of
unit non-technical personnel.
In addition REME officers and soldiers, as part of the
DLO, are responsible for the provision of technical advice on the design of
equipment before it is manufactured to ensure ease of maintenance; for
investigating defects in equipment in service and designing modifications to
overcome them. Other responsibilities include the cataloguing and scaling of
spares (forecasting the rate at which parts will wear and thus the quantity of
replacements needed over a given period of time), the provision and management
of technical publications and the management of all Army equipment and its
associated spares.
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