Published 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.
By:
Mike Sibbons
Imprint: Osprey Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 248mm,
Width: 184mm,
Spine: 13mm
Weight: 516g
ISBN: 9781472822338
ISBN 10: 1472822331
Pages: 164
Publication Date: 01 October 2016
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction How the Reputation of the Corps was Forged on the Battlefield in 1942/43 The Birth of REME – ‘What’s in a Name!’ The REME Birth Certificate The History of the REME Cap Badge SS Engadine – Advanced Base Workshop (Light) (Floating) REME Operation Grapple – 2 Special Engineer Regiment Workshop REME (Christmas Island) REME Airborne Forces 1942 to the Present Day St Eligius, the Patron Saint of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (and the Legend of the Severed Hoof) Monty’s Caravans 65 years on and the Corps continues to be very much ‘On Message’ The Mobile Churches of Saint George and Saint Paul go to War From Fork Prongs to Silver Medals Aircraft Servicing in the Army – the Early Days REME in the Crossing of the Rhine 1945 The First REME Arms School – Rushton Hall ‘No News is Bad News!’ Lest We Forget (The Lenham Incident in World War II) ‘Fetch Bluebell, Over!’ Leadership The Birth of The Craftsman Colonel-in-Chief HRH The Prince Philip (A Celebration of his 90th Birthday) Operation Olympia – 29–30 August 1942 The Radfan Incident 1965 REME’s Role in the Air Defence of Great Britain Sweetheart Brooches (or What to give your Loved One on Saint Valentine’s Day) War Horses and the part played by the Army Remount Centre at Arborfield Humour in Uniform (Funny True Stories about Life in the Military) Discipline (RSM John Lord ‘Style’!) REME Olympic Heroes (Including the Story of the Soviet Union Pentathlon Team’s Disqualification at Montreal in 1976) REME Fires the Royal Salute REME Guards The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street Lest we Forget (REME Memorials in Recent Campaigns) The Use of Toy Manufacturers in Covert Operations ‘Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go…!’ (The Origins of the Corps March) The Mystery of how the REME Museum obtained Mussolini’s Boots is Solved! West Court – Special Training School 6 Special Operations Executive and the Resident Ghost! The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The REME Officer and the Arctic Convoy! The Jeep Assembly Competition 1953 The Lynmouth Flood and REME’s part in the Disaster Recovery Operation Monty and the Russian Marshal Lest we Forget (Christ on the Battlefield) The REME Museum’s Victoria Cross Arborfield as a Starfish Site A Brief History of the REME Museum and Archives Thelwell – From REME Sergeant to Artist and Cartoonist! REME (SAS) Hero Honoured after 50 years 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) Charity Contact Details Index
Mike Sibbons was commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 1968 and held a number of key appointments both in command and on the staff, before leaving the Army in 1994 to become a Director of The Prince’s Trust. In 2007, to fulfil his passion for military history, he became the Archivist at the REME Museum. An avid and passionate researcher, he unearthed some remarkable historical snippets and shared these by writing numerous articles for the REME Corps magazine, which became a very popular feature. He was a military researcher for the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are programme and is an expert in interpreting military records of service.
