•
[ Search Census Records Now - Click here ]
Updated - 28 Jun 2008
Welcome to this special page
Here
we plan to give you some information on R.E.M.E. and have added many photo's of some of the vehicles that were used by R.E.M.E. these can be
viewed on the next page.
Now
the picture above is of my father Arthur H. Ward. He served in the Second World
War and was in R.E.M.E. as well as being a Desert Rat, as you can see
on
the photo he has the badges on his arm, one also shows that he was a
qualified
radio operator.
After the war Arthur did a lot of work on the Radar equipment for ‘Guided
Missiles’ one of these being the ‘Bloodhound’ as well as others, and in his
spare time he used to work with Radio’s, and even built up his own Stereo
System, this was in the 1950’s.
R.E.M.E
Royal Electrical And Mechanical Engineers
The Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers was formed in 1942. From the very beginning the newly formed Corps was designated Royal, a significant honour and indicative of the faith engendered in it's innate ability to deliver the goods as required.
Many Tradesmen from the RAOC, RASC and the RE's were transferred to the newly minted REME, immediate steps were also taken to provide trade training and even Apprentice facilities for the new Corps. Because of the exigencies of the War and the difficulties in separating everything at once, with resultant chaos and resentment from established chains of command, it was decided to implement the changeover in two phases.
The principle role of the REME was the maintenance of vehicles and weapons for the division. Any major faults on a vehicle would be dealt with by the REME and it was also their responsibility to ensure that all major weapons were still in a fit state to fire.
They also carried out the recovery of knocked out tanks from the battlefield and to do this they eventually were equipped with Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARV) which were versions of the basic tank, with no main armament, a dummy turret and with a crane and winch attached. Other recovery vehicles included winch-equipped lorries for lighter duties such as the Morris CDSW 6 x 4-breakdown truck. REME's policy of providing repair facilities, known as Field Workshops, as close to the "Front" as possible was a great success.
REME's first test came in the form of the Battle of El Alamein and it's ability to rapidly restore damaged vehicles and equipment to battle readiness was sorely tested but emerged triumphant. This was instrumental in enabling Monty's lads to keep up the pressure that soon broke the Afrika Korps and the Italian Army's ability to stand and slog it out. REME's policy of providing repair facilities, known as Field Workshops, as close to the "Front" as possible was a great success.
As a direct result of this success, REME continued to expand throughout the remainder of WW2 and soon became the biggest Corps in the British Army, reaching its maximum personnel strength of 160,000 all ranks in May 1945.
Another result of the successful transition of the new Corps was theappearance of identical Formations within all Empire and Commonwealth Armed forces, modelled exactly on the original REME concept.
In 1949, Phase two of the reforms was implemented and this was completed by 1952. This saw all Regimental light repair facilities come under REME aegis and all workshops and vessel repair facilities of RASC vehicle and boat Company's under REME control.
In 1958 the RAF relinquished control of Army Light Aviation repair and maintenance to REME. After a slow start, the Army Air Corps component of REME stands today at 9% of total personnel. Gradually all other repair and maintenance facilities, with the singular exception of the RE's Construction plant, have come under REME's umbrella. So today’s Craftsman may be a Technician in the Information Technology field, or a Locomotive Engineer, Vehicle Mechanic of various sorts, Airframe/Engine Technician, even a Maritime Tradesman. Clerks and Stor men play vital roles too, as do Armourers and Instrument Technicians, Radar Tech's, Recovery Mechanics and so on.
The Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers encompasses as wide a range of Trades and skills as does any comparable organisation in the World. It was and is, without a shadow of a doubt, the driving force behind the British Army as we know it today.
|
|
Please note that all the information supplied on ‘Our Ward Family Website’ is for the purpose of
private study and research only and may NOT be used for commercial purposes.
Website Created & Maintained by Peter Ward
Copyright © 2004-2008 The Webmaster of Our Ward Family Web Site (Peter Ward). All rights reserved.