The Electrical & Mechanical Engineers - A Brief History
An old footslogger salutes the Corps of EME
Part II

Columnist Capt (Retd) AA JILANI writes a fascinating account (SECOND PART) of a SERVICE not normally recognized for their actual worth

The Far East (World War-II)

By VE-Day May 1945 (the end of the War in Europe) the Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers had been firmly established as an essential component of the Armed Forces having proved their utility in the various theatres of operations. By 1942 the Japanese had driven the British Army out of BURMA, and when the REME was formed the British and Indian Army units were establishing a line of resistance in ASSAM. The operations against the Japanese met with limited success, and the tide of battle was not turned in the Far East until 1944 with Allied success in the major battles of KOHIMA and IMPHAL. The REME supported the Army operations providing Officers and senior NCOs for the IEME, the East Africa EME and the West Africa EME who were also fighting in BURMA.

The dreadful terrain and climate, together with the absence of nearby workshops, placed a heavy strain on the Corps of EME. Improvisation and repairs beyond the limits intended for small mobile workshops became normal routine. The nature of the campaign and the absence of clear front lines resulted in support services like EME often being in the thick of the fighting. The provision of EME base support in the Far East came from INDIA where military and civilian-manned workshops were established. Only a trickle of repairable equipment reached them over such tenuous L of C, so their efforts had limited effect except where components could be made or repaired for airlifting forward. The need of a build-up for REME and IEME resources was met by a number of reinforcing units sent from Europe after the war had ended there. The explosion of atomic bombs did render further operations less dangerous, although Operation 'ZIPPER' (the landings in MALAYA) went ahead without covering fire.

The terrain and climate of BURMA had proved to be very hard on equipment. During the dreaded monsoon period very few vehicles without four-wheel drive could progress on the muddy roads. Vehicle and component life was short, weapons succumbed to rust, instruments and radios were affected by damp and fungi. In order to increase the mobility of workshops, many larger machinery trucks were gutted and their machines transferred either to smaller four-wheel vehicles or to trailers which could be towed or manhandled. The widespread rivers and estuaries led to workshops being established on landing craft or even on a railway train. Wayside service stations had to be established on the main supply routes. All these Allied Corps of EME included tradesmen of different races and creeds, highly motivated and well regarded. Before the end of the war, fully trained Indian Officers and artificers began to replace REME personnel in the IEME.

Other Theatres of War

In the Middle East theatre the base area was the Canal Zone in EGYPT which supported the Armies in North Africa, East Africa and the Mediterranean area. There were other base workshops in Palestine and Iraq, the latter supporting the movement of supplies to RUSSIA through Iran. In East and West Africa the Corps of EME supported their home bases and the troops there were also trained before deployment to BURMA. The Falkland Islands force which was established in 1942 included a detachment of REME. The Army in other Colonies of the Empire not affected by operations (e.g. the West Indies) was also supported by the Corps of REME.

The REME served with the forces operating in the Eastern Mediterranean against the German held Greek Islands and later on the Greek mainland. In Gibraltar (gateway to the Mediterranean) the REME maintained the fortress guns and the equipment which was operated in the extensive tunnelling complex. One of these tunnels was equipped as a major workshop.

Specialised training teams and liaison staff were deployed in Commonwealth countries and the USA. For a certain period they were also deployed in Turkey, a neutral country which had been supplied with some British military equipment to update its forces.

In South Africa a 'Technical Service Corps' equivalent to REME supported the South African forces operating in North Africa and Italy.

The Post-War Story

The Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME) had emerged from World War II with flying colours and their supporting role in the prolonged struggle against His Majesty's enemies was widely recognised and accepted. The REME had come to stay. The immediate post-war period gave the Army many complex responsibilities. Although the strength of the Army had been reduced but there were many new commitments such as:

The REME was assigned the gigantic task of battlefield clearance in Europe, initially to refurbish equipment for the continuing war against Japan and later for economic reasons at a time of national financial stringency. The re-formed Territorial Army in 1947 soon began their training cycle, annually throwing up huge pools of worn-out equipment for repair. Surplus equipment was repaired for sale to commercial firms or was supplied to foreign Armies. These tasks sustained many static workshops into the 1950s.

The involvement of REME with experimental work led to a trickle of new equipment reaching the Army, which often required modification in workshops before entering service.

The British Army in GERMANY, due to the threat from the Warsaw Pact Communist countries, changed from an occupation force to an operational field Army. This new role, together with emphasis on heavy armour, greatly expanded the work load of the REME.

The continuation of conscription required a larger training organisation than before the war. There were more than a dozen REME training units, eleven of which were at Battalion strength. Others existed in overseas theatres since the normal method of overseas travel (troopships) precluded bringing men back to UK except for the longest training courses.

Korea and the 1950s

By 1951 the second phase of REME's formation was completed. The Corps took over the remaining unit repair responsibilities in those Regiments and Corps which had retained their own tradesmen during World War II. Many of these tradesmen were now transferred to the REME. The 1950s started with the war in Korea and continued with increasing activities of 'freedom fighters' in the British Colonies. These were often Communist inspired but fought under the banner of anti-Colonialism. Korea, a Japanese colony in World War II, was divided by treaty and occupied by the Allies after the war. In 1950 the Russian inspired Communist state of North Korea invaded South Korea which was based on democratic lines with a small US force to train the Army. Most of the south was occupied by the invaders except for a small bridgehead held by the US Army and South Korea forces. After the UN condemnation, British and Commonwealth troops were sent in addition to massive US reinforcements. CHINA had entered the war on the side of North Korea and the battle lines were drawn roughly where they had started - at the 38th parallel. The Commonwealth Corps of EME worked in close liaison with each other, often in jointly manned units which included a base workshop in Japan. A trickle of new equipment became available but most was of World War II vintage. Among the new material was the Centurion tank and later its armoured recovery variant was pressed into production.

The REME was locally involved in the production of armoured vehicles and anti-ambush equipment for the anti-colonialist campaigns in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus. Secondment to the Colonial Armies and other Allied forces became a feature of REME service.

In 1956 when the Egyptians annexed the Suez Canal, this was taken as a reason for Great Britain and France to re-occupy the Canal zone so as to protect access to the middle and far eastern assets. Hence the REME began the hasty preparation and modification of equipment for assault landings, but the US Government pressure stopped the action in its early stages.

Gradually the huge surplus of old wartime equipment was replaced as newer designs were inducted into service, although these were often more complex and prone to failure than the simpler items which they replaced. A new REME responsibility was the repair of Army light aircraft, later to include helicopters. Whilst REME tradesman were gaining practical experience, many Navy and Air Force tradesmen were seconded to aircraft workshops. Another item coming into service at this time was the guided missile and its associated radars. As air defence missiles replaced the heavier anti-aircraft guns, the static air defence of Great Britain became an Air Force task resulting in changes to the REME component of the Territorial Army.

Shrinking Commitments of the 1960s

In 1964 a War Office Committee led to a reorganisation of logistic services which resulted in additional roles for the REME including repair of Army railway equipment. As more former Colonies gained independence (especially in Africa), the reduction of military commitments brought an end to national conscription. This in turn caused a reduction in the REME training establishments which finally combined to form only TWO Schools - the School of Electronic Engineering and the School of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering.

In 1962 a serious conflict arose in Borneo where Indonesian troops supported the terrorists in an attempt to take control of the country. A major feature of the REME support in this conflict was the work on outboard motors for river patrol craft. In Cyprus the REME manned the UN Force workshop and this role continues up to present times.

The scope of REME increased with complex new equipment and the decision to equip all Infantry units in GERMANY with armoured personnel carriers. Against this, a system aimed at limiting the cost of repair on older vehicles and replacing them with new vehicles gradually reduced the work of civilian-manned workshops. The Territorial Army was reorganised and reduced in size, with consequent effect upon REME units.

The REME organisations concerned with workshop control, spares scaling, equipment inspection, design and trials were grouped together to form 'REME Technical Group'. Shortly after this the War Office itself was abolished together with the Admiralty and the Air Ministry, all three services now being unified and combined in a Ministry of Defence. The contract repair, one of the old Ministry of Supply functions, became a REME responsibility and remains as such today.

In Part-III of this Review of the Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers next month, I propose to look at the changed shape of the EME role in NATO commitments, the Northern Ireland rebellion, the Falklands War and the Gulf War.