From the Archives: An eclectic mix of stories from the history of REMEPublished to coincide with the opening of the new Museum of The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in October, this is an edited collection of articles unearthed in the regimental archives. Modern soldiers depend on their equipment, from the weapons in their hands and the tanks that support them, to the communications equipment that connect them to their commanders. Formed in 1942, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) have maintained the British Army's equipment and kept their machines moving for nearly 75 years. REME have been involved in every single operation undertaken by the British Army since World War II, and the Corps has some fascinating stories to tell. This is a collection of some of the fascinating accounts unearthed in the archives and written about in the The Craftsman (the Corps Magazine) and The REME Journal (the publication of The REME Institution) – including the Birth of REME; Operation Grapple – UK Nuclear Testing on Christmas Island; and the Mystery of Mussolini's Boots. It provides unique insights into inspirational deeds and bravery and good-humoured fortitude that have characterised the British Army through the ages. All profits from the book's sale will go to the REME Benevolent Fund and SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. |
Contents
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The Birth of REME Whats in a Name | 13 |
The REME Birth Certificate | 16 |
The History of the REME Cap Badge | 17 |
SS Engadine Advanced Base Workshop Light Floating REME | 19 |
War Horses and the part played by the Army Remount Centre at Arborfield | 82 |
Humour in Uniform Funny True Stories about Life in the Military | 87 |
Discipline RSM John Lord Style | 89 |
REME Olympic Heroes Including the Story of the Soviet Union Pentathlon Teams Disqualification at Montreal in 1976 | 92 |
REME Fires the Royal Salute | 96 |
REME Guards The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street | 98 |
Lest we Forget REME Memorials in Recent Campaigns | 100 |
The Use of Toy Manufacturers in Covert Operations | 107 |
Operation Grapple 2 Special Engineer Regiment Workshop REME Christmas Island | 21 |
REME Airborne Forces 1942 to the Present Day | 25 |
St Eligius the Patron Saint of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the Legend of the Severed Hoof | 30 |
Montys Caravans | 33 |
65 years on and the Corps continues to be very much On Message | 37 |
The Mobile Churches of Saint George and Saint Paul go to War | 40 |
From Fork Prongs to Silver Medals | 42 |
Aircraft Servicing in the Army the Early Days | 44 |
REME in the Crossing of the Rhine 1945 | 49 |
The First REME Arms School Rushton Hall | 52 |
No News is Bad News | 54 |
Lest We Forget The Lenham Incident in World War II | 58 |
Fetch Bluebell Over | 61 |
Leadership | 63 |
The Birth of The Craftsman | 66 |
ColonelinChief HRH The Prince Philip A Celebration of his 90th Birthday | 68 |
Operation Olympia 2930 August 1942 | 71 |
The Radfan Incident 1965 | 74 |
REMEs Role in the Air Defence of Great Britain | 76 |
Sweetheart Brooches or What to give your Loved One on Saint Valentines Day | 79 |
Heighho heighho its off to work we go The Origins of the Corps March | 110 |
The Mystery of how the REME Museum obtained Mussolinis Boots is Solved | 113 |
West Court Special Training School 6 Special Operations Executive and the Resident Ghost | 115 |
The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | 117 |
The REME Officer and the Arctic Convoy | 123 |
The Jeep Assembly Competition 1953 | 126 |
The Lynmouth Flood and REMEs part in the Disaster Recovery Operation | 129 |
Monty and the Russian Marshal | 132 |
Lest we Forget Christ on the Battlefield | 133 |
The REME Museums Victoria Cross | 135 |
Arborfield as a Starfish Site | 138 |
A Brief History of the REME Museum and Archives | 140 |
Thelwell From REME Sergeant to Artist and Cartoonist | 141 |
REME SAS Hero Honoured after 50 years | 144 |
How the Electrical and Mechanical Services for the Army were Organized before REME was Formed | 146 |
How REME Functioned in the Field During World War II The Development of the Echelon Repair System | 150 |
Charity Contact Details | 159 |
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Other editions - View all
From the Archives: An eclectic mix of stories from the history of REME Mike Sibbons Limited preview - 2016 |
From the Archives: An Eclectic Mix of Stories from the History of REME Mike Sibbons No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
2nd echelon 5th Airborne Brigade Advanced Base Workshop Airborne Division airborne forces Arborfield Army Air Corps assembly badge Battalion became camp Captain caravans casualties Christmas Island Churchill Churchill tank civilian Command Workshop convoy coronation Corps Archives Craftsman cross David Shepherd deployed Director of Mechanical Echelon Repair Electrical and Mechanical equipment Field Workshop fire forces formation formed German Guards guns Headquarters horse Jeep Jim Fox July June King Lenham Lieutenant Colonel light Lillibullero London Lyall Lynmouth maintenance Major Mechanical Engineers Medal Memorial military mobile churches modern pentathlon moved Olympic Operation Operation Grapple Operation HERRICK Operation Overlord Ordnance Parachute Brigade published Queen RAOC RAOC(E RASC recovery section recovery vehicles Regiment REME Museum REME officers Remount Depot Rowcroft Royal Electrical salute Scammells Sergeant soldiers Squadron SSAFA St Eligius staff tanks task technical unit whilst Workshop REME World World War II