THE CRA TSMAN - REME Museum up this summer: ... The project, whose aim is to reach ... was showcased...

August 2015

Magazine of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

THE CRA TSMAN

ContentsEditor: Allison Woolley+ The Craftsman, Box No 075, Isaac Newton Road, Arborfield, Reading RG2 9NJ(Mil: 94251 2221 or Civ: 0118 9763221 [email protected]

Articles:Please email submissions in Microsoft Word format,together with related photographs to:[email protected]. Digital imagesshould be: in JPEG format; at least 1mb; kept separate(not embedded within the article) and supplied with acaption. Articles should arrive no later than 25th day of themonth which is two months preceding the month ofpublication (eg 25th June for August). Publication ofarticles is subject to space available and the Editorreserves the right to delay/delete articles forpublishing. Permission to reproduce must be obtainedto avoid infringement of copyright where necessary.

Births, Engagements, Marriages and Deaths:These will be inserted free to all past and presentmembers of the Corps.

Contents:The contents of The Craftsman are strictly copyright andall rights are expressly reserved. The views expressedherein do not necessarily reflect the policy and views,official or otherwise, of the Editor, the Corps or theMOD, therefore no responsibility for these will beaccepted. Whilst including an advertisement we are notnecessarily endorsing the product and as a result, thepublisher and its agents do not accept responsibility forany transaction between the reader and the advertiser.Whilst we take all precautions with regard toadvertising, readers are advised to take professionaladvice before entering into any commitments.Letters concerning reproduction, contributions or anyother matter should be addressed to the Editor.

© Published by REME Corps Secretariat.

Advertising All communications regarding commercialadvertising rates should be made direct to the Editor.

Sustainably produced by an EMAS and ISO14001accredited printer. Greenhouse Graphics Limited,Hampshire. ( 01256 880770.www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk

© Crown CopyrightAnnual Subscription Rates:UK: £24.00 2nd class post paid.Overseas: £30.00 surface post paid.Airmail rates on applicationCheques should be made payable to REME Corps Account No 2. Credit/debit card payments also now accepted by telephone or email.

General Handling:This publication contains official information andshould be treated with discretion.

FEATURES

REME collaborates with the UK Science and Innovation Network . . . . . . . . . . . .350

The Future of the Shipwright Career Employment Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351

Distributed Training – The New Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353

Spotlight on … A Year at 1 R WELSH LAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355

DCLF Visits 105 Bn REME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358

Cateran Yomp 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359

Look at Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361

Worst Day in the Corps? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364

Congratulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

REME Corps Memorial Re-dedication Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Freedom of Wokingham Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368

Life after REME – 12 years on! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379

REGULARS

Corps Calendar; DTTCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349

Communication Corner; REME Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380

Museum Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383

Obituaries; Death Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384

Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387

REME Benevolent Fund; Corps and Garrison Church; Officer Assignments . . .388

Extracts from the London Gazette; Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389

Scrolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .390

SPORT AND ADVENTUROUS TRAINING

BA (G) - Babcock Boxing Finalist’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376

REME Football Association Corps Trials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378

OPERATIONS AND EXERCISES

Ben Everest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370

Mayan Warrior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371

Portuguese Farewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .374

AUGUST 2015 Volume 71 No. 8

Front Cover: Freedom ofWokingham Parade 368

Back Cover: 1 R WELSH:Presentation of the New

Colours at Cardiff Castle 355

Corps Formation: 1 October 1942

Corps Motto: Arte et Marte

Corps Patron Saint: St Eligius

(Celebrated 1st Sunday in December)

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The new REME Institution Blue Book is enclosed with this edition. Please dispose of the old one securely. [email protected] 347

350 Bloodhound SSC in Montreal

359 Cateran Yomp

358 DCLF Visit

371 Mayan Warrior

366 Look at Life

374 Portugese Farewell

366 Corps Memorial Rededication

379 Life after REME

348 [email protected] The new REME Institution Blue Book is enclosed with this edition. Please dispose of the old one securely..

Corps Sgts’ Mess 1st Lyneham

Autumn Dinner Night20 November 2015

The next Corps Mess function will be held on

Friday 20 November 2015 in the Lyneham Sgts’ Mess.

All eligible* serving or retired SNCO’s, regardless of trade group,

(members only) can attend what promises to be an excellent evening.

The evening will commence at 1830 hrs until 0300 hrs with entertainment.

Event costs £25 plus an accommodation charge of £5.05, if any is available.

The closing date for bookings is Friday 6 November 2015.

NOTE: Transport will be available within the local area.

For further information, contact WO2 (AQMS) Raymond Olive on:

Arborfield Mil: (: 94251 2304 Civil: (: 0118 9763304

(these numbers will change upon move to Lyneham)

Email: Mil [email protected]

The day will commence with the 70th Corps Sgts’ Mess meeting the Lyneham Sgts’ Mess at

1100hrs, all members are more than welcome to attend. If you would like to observe this meeting,

please inform the PMC so that appropriate refreshments can be arranged.

*CCTF Members in accordance with Corps Instruction C3 Para 7.


C o r p s C a l e n d a r2015August27 Corps Funds Investment CommitteeSeptember2 Corps Officers’ Mess Dinner Night – Last function at West Court Officer’s Mess11 Corps Finance Committee22 Corps Museum Policy Committee25 Training at Arborfield stops27 Farewell and Thanksgiving Service in Arborfield Garrison ChurchOctober1 Corps Anniversary Commemoration2 Corps Trustees’ Meeting2 Corps Council Meeting6 Executive Committee Meeting13 Corps Conference – Senior Officers, Tidworth20 Corps Conference – SSgt IC LAD, Warrant Officers and above, TidworthNovember5 Field of Remembrance, Westminster8 Remembrance SundayDecember6 St Eligius Sunday10 RHC Christmas Visit2016January21 Corps Officers’ Mess Dinner NightFebruary5 Corps Funds Investment Committee (London)March10 Colonels’ Commandant Dinner10 Museum Policy Committee Meeting17 Corps Finance CommitteeApril15-18 REME Association Reunion (Coventry)21 Corps Trustees’ Meeting21 Corps Council Meeting21 Corps Spring Guest NightTBC Executive Committee MeetingMay12 REME Institution & HQ Officers’ Mess AGMs12 Corps Officers’ Mess Dinner Night19 REME Association Memorial Day at NMAJune2 Royal Hospital Chelsea Founder’s Day10 Colonel in Chief’s Birthday22 REME Institution Beating Retreat and Cocktail PartyJuly2 REME Association Delegates’ Conference17 Corps Regimental Sunday at Royal Hospital Chelsea21 Retired Officers’ DinnerSeptember8 Corps Funds Investment Committee (Lyneham)15 Corps Officers’ Mess Dinner Night16 Museum Policy Committee Meeting22 Corps Finance CommitteeOctober1 Corps Anniversary Commemoration1 Museum re-opens at Lyneham7 Corps Officers’ Mess QMs’ Dinner20 Corps Trustees’ Meeting20 Corps Council Meeting20 Corps Autumn DinnerTBC Executive Committee MeetingNovember10 Field of Remembrance, Westminster13 Remembrance SundayDecember4 St Eligius Sunday8 RHC Christmas Visit

Defence TechnicalTraining Change

Programme

COUNTDOWNTO

LYNEHAMMONTHS3

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5Please see below details of the official facebook page ofthe Welfare team for MOD Lyneham Garrison. ‘We are

here to support military families and the widerLyneham community.’

https://www.facebook.com/modlynehamcommunityThis is a page for the whole of the Lyneham communitywhere we will post about relevant community event,

activities and matters.

Coming up this summer:Res iden t i a l s f o r ch i ld ren and young peop le ,Bournemouth day trip, family fun day and more!This page is administered by the MOD Lyneham Wel-

fare team who will be based in the newly refurbishedCommunity Centre once construction work is complete.The Welfare Team will consist of the Army Welfare

Service (AWS) Community Development Worker (CDW)plus the 8 Training Battalion Royal Electrical andMechanical Engineers (8 Trg Bn REME) Unit WelfareOfficer (UWO) and his staff.The Community Centre and the Welfare team are

expected to be in place in Autumn 2015. Over the sum-mer military families and the welfare team will start tomove into Lyneham. During this transitional period, thewelfare team will provide support to the military fami-lies still in Bordon, Arborfield as well as those in Lyne-ham.Once completed, the Community Centre will be a cen-

tre not just for military families but for the whole Lyne-ham community.

Half-car, half-rocket, the BLOODHOUND SSC isa prominent example of excellence in modernBritish engineering. The project, whose aim is toreach a never-seen-before speed of 1000 milesper hour next September, was showcased in Mon-treal as part of the Formula 1 week, which uniteschiefs of industry, engineers and the general publicin a celebration of achievements in the automobileindustry. A real-size model of the vehicle was con-structed to this end, and put on display at Concor-dia University and at City Hall. The UK Scienceand Innovation Network partnered with threedelegates from REME in order to coordinate theseactivities. The envoy was made up of three members: Col

Dan Scott, who has been with REME for 27 yearsand has worked in Northern Ireland, the Balkansand Afghanistan during his career; WO2 LeeSmith, responsible for BLOODHOUND SSC’sBritish Army Build Team and LCpl Siobhan Spiers,who works on the Research and DevelopmentRocket Team. REME’s team collaborated with theBritish Consulate-General in Montreal throughoutits Formula 1 week activities, promoting the BLOODHOUND SSC projectand helping to foster new bilateral business opportunities.

Held at Montreal’s John Molson School of Business,the first event was the Innovation is GREAT: Engineering forSustainable Growth symposium, which sought to promoteUK expertise in engineering and encourage transatlanticcollaboration the automobile and aerospace sectors. Theevent linked the general public, universities and heads ofindustry, and as part of the initiative, four different groupsof students entered a competition to design an aircraftwhose mission was to transport perishable food over the5000km separating Montreal and London. Following theimpressive presentations, which were judged by a panelof experts, the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal won atrip to the UK, where they will be given the chance totour both the REME facilities and those of Dr Ben Evansof the University of Swansea. The REME officials then went on to participate in a fas-

cinating panel discussion regarding challenges of thedevelopment of the BLOODHOUND SSC, the possibili-ties for co-operation in advanced engineering betweenthe UK and Canada, and LCpl Siobhan Spiers faced ques-tions on the role of women in the sector, and the impor-tance of encouraging girls at school to pursue subjectstraditionally considered more masculine, such as science,

technology, engineering and mathematics. A model of the car was on displayin the atrium, complete with interactive displays which drew a great deal of

interest from invitees. In an interview with CBC/Radio-Canada,one of Canada’s major broadcasters, Col Dan Scott highlightedthe educational aims of the BLOODHOUND SSC project, whileWO2 Lee Smith and LCpl Siobhan Spiers went further into detailabout the technical aspects and the planned record attempt nextSeptember. La Presse, North America’s most widely read Frenchlanguage daily, also featured an article with their input, contribut-ing to raising media awareness for the project.As part of the Canada Formula 1 Grand Prix week, the British

Consulate-General also hosted the GREAT Gala at Montreal’s City Hall,where the prototype model of the supersonic car was showcased to over300 guests. The delegation from REME was on hand to present the progressof the project to a wide range of members of the automobile and aerospacecommunity from both sides of the Atlantic, as were BLOODHOUND SSCAmbassadors Joanna Finch-Noble and Jaswant Thandi. At this occasion, dis-tinguished guests mingle around and explored the taste of Welsh cheeseswhile discussing the effect of Welsh whisky on the human brain – particularlyhow it loosens people’s tongues.The Science and Innovation Network (SIN) is jointly funded by the

Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Com-monwealth Office. The SIN Network creates important relationships tobest use the value of science and innovation discoveries and investmentsoverseas.

REME collaborates with the UK Science and Innovation Networkto feature the BLOODHOUND SSC project in Montreal, Canada

By Dr Mario Rivero-Huguet and Joseph Rifaat, UK Science and Innovation Network

L-R: LCpl Siobhan Spiers, WO2 Lee Smith, Col Dan Scott, Dr Ben Evans and John Mason

Col Dan Scott talking to the audience duringthe Engineering for Sustainable Growth

L-R: Col Dan Scott, LCpl Siobhan Spiers, Dr Mario Rivero-Huguet, JaswantThandi, Joanna Finch-Noble and WO2 Lee Smith

WO2 Lee Smith and LCpl Siobhan Spiers mingling with guests at Galareception at Montreal’s City Hall



Strategic ContextAlong with the rest of the Army, the size of the Corps reducedunder Army 2020. As part of this process, HQ DEME(A) pro-vided initial advice to liability owners on the rank and trade struc-ture required to provide first and second line equipment supportto each unit type, noting that CD CSS only ‘owns’ second line lia-bility, circa 29% of the Corps; first line liability is owned by theCD of the parent unit. Since then there have been changes toArmy 2020 assumptions, including equipment holdings, both inthe breadth and the number of equipments held, and unit roles. Asa result, some REME trades are under more capacity pressuresthan others, articulated in supply versus demand analysis com-pleted by CD CSS. With a cap on liability, the Army continues toseek ways to become more efficient and effective within its meansand appropriate Whole Force Approaches are considered, usingthe optimum balance of Regular, Reserve, both Volunteer andSponsored, and contractor manpower to deliver the requiredeffect. Finally, there is a view that there are too many CareerEmployment Groups (CEGs) across the Army.

Why Review the Shipwright CEG?Given this strategic context, all REME CEGs will be reviewed

to ensure they remain fit for purpose. With inevitable capacitypressures, a review has commenced on those CEGs in the greatestneed of a review: Shipwright, Technical Support Specialist and,although not a CEG, the Medical, Dental Servicing Section(MDSS) specialisation (Career Employment Qualification(CEQ)) within the Electronics Technician CEG. The ShipwrightCEG was last reviewed in 2011; there have been a number of sub-sequent initiatives which necessitate a further early review of theCEG:Already the smallest REME CEG, Army 2020 reduces the lia-bility from 36 to 30, including the removal of the only E1 WO2Shipwright post.

Shipwrights now complete the Metalsmith Class 3 and Class 1courses at the Defence School of Electronic and MechanicalEngineering (DSEME), before attending Shipwright Class 3and Class 1 courses at the Defence School of Marine Engineer-ing (DSMarE). They also complete relevant additional ‘special-ist qualification’ training as required. (see diagram below)

Relevant Trade Training PipelinesRecruiting Group and RHQ REME have commenced themerger of Metalsmith and Shipwright recruiting; in due course,Shipwrights will be recruited as Metalsmiths, with individuals‘streamed’ to the Shipwright role during the Metalsmith Class 3course.The need for this review was supported by the Chain of Com-

mand, including the CEG Champion.

Review processAll REME CEG reviews will follow the same process coordinatedby the ES Land Capability branch in CD CSS, starting with desklevel engagement of all relevant stakeholders. In the case of theShipwright review, stakeholders were: the CEG Champion (OC 17Port and Maritime Regiment Workshop), HQ FTC, RHQ REME,APC, Org and Trg branches within CD CSS and, because of theclose working relationship with RLC Marine Engineers, a repre-sentative from Land Environment Logistics, again within CDCSS. Once the background and issues were understood, courses ofaction (CoAs) were developed and a decision brief produced. Ini-tially staffed at desk level, this brief was circulated to the REMEOF5 Command Group for comment and endorsement of the rec-ommended CoA; this forum unanimously endorsed the recom-mendation. The brief was then presented to D CSS who made thefinal decision, again endorsing the recommended CoA.

CoAs ConsideredThe review considered seven CoAs, which are summarised belowtogether with the principal reason(s) they were recommended ornot:Do nothing – the continuation of a separate stand alone Ship-wright CEG, with no increase in liability. Given the significantvulnerability of the existing liability to changes in outflow, thisCoA was not recommended.

Ensure the Shipwright CEG is sustainable to supportDefence assumptions – this CoA relies on the provision ofadditional liability from other CEG(s) to produce a sustainableShipwright CEG. This CoA was not recommended, based onthe need for additional liability and the consequent increase inrisk in another CEG.

Amalgamate Shipwright and Metalsmith CEGs – create an

The Future of the ShipwrightCareer Employment Group

By Lt Col Nick Sharples REME SO1 ES Land Capability CD CSS


It provides greater opportunities for Shipwrights to serve awayfrom Marchwood.

It opens up the Shipwright role to the REME Reserve. It maximises the benefits of the aligned training and recruitingpipelines.

There are some risks which need mitigation, which include: Skill fade of Shipwrights when not employed supporting smallboats.

Additional manning complexity for APC.

What NextThe majority of Shipwrights have been briefed on this review andthe content of this article, following D CSS’ endorsement of therecommended CoA. The changes will not be implementedovernight and follow on work has already commenced to developa Transition Plan to ensure the maintenance of operational capa-bility, to outline transitional arrangements and to direct activitiesto ensure that all Shipwrights are managed effectively. This activityincludes:Development of new liability and career pyramid, includingupdates to unit 8005s.

A review of existing Shipwright training.Creation of a JPA specialist qualification.Updates to relevant documentation, including Corps Instruc-tions.

SummaryAction needed to be taken to provide Shipwrights with a sustain-able structure, whilst maintaining the delivery of operational capa-bility. The endorsed CoA, in my view, is the right and optimumCoA for both Shipwrights and for the wider Corps.

More informationAnyone requiring more information of the general topic of CEGReviews or on the detail of this particular review should contact LtCol Nick Sharples, SO1 ES Land Capability CD CSS on (:94391 7299.

enhanced Metalsmith CEG, with the demise of the Shipwrightas a stand-alone CEG. There are two ways to deliver this CoA:through complete amalgamation, such as that of VMs, or by cre-ating a Shipwright CEQ within the Metalsmith CEG. This CoAand, in particular, the creation of a Shipwright CEQ within theMetalsmith CEG has the most advantages and least disadvan-tages of the viable CoAs and carries the least risk; it was the rec-ommended CoA.

Amalgamate the Shipwright and RLC Marine Engineer(ME) CEGs – Shipwright repair responsibilities added to thoseof RLC MEs. This CoA was not recommended as a viable CoA,because of the increased training pipeline for RLC MEs and theinevitable skill fade.

Divide Shipwright roles between Metalsmith and RLCME CEGs – results in the demise of the Shipwright CEG.Whilst viable, there is more risk in this CoA than other viableCoAs; this option was not recommended.

Transfer the Capability to the RN. The RN support smallboats differently to the Army. There is no easy mechanism totransfer the liability and hence the capability; this CoA was notrecommended as a viable CoA.

Contractorisation of the Shipwright Capability. This CoAwas not recommended as a viable CoA because of the need toretain force elements at readiness; this does not preclude con-tractorisation of appropriate elements of the capability in thefuture.

Benefits and Risks of the Selected CoASome of the benefits of the selected CoA are: It continues to deliver operational capability. It provides a sustainable career pyramid.There are increased promotion prospects for Shipwrights fromCfn to Sgt, with minimal impact on Metalmith promotion rates.It also provides an opportunity for Metalsmiths to promote toASM.

JOIN UP FORRECOGNITIONSUPPORTADVICE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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07590 735 [email protected]/ARMEDFORCES

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Improving the world through engineering

external website(http://remearmssch.r.mil.uk/Pages/default.aspx),or through the useful links menu on the ArmyCLM homepage. The courses are also currentlybeing uploaded to the Defence LearningEnvironment (DLE), accessed via the DefenceGateway https://www.defencegateway.mod.uk,so they can be viewed via the internet as well asthe intranet. It is hoped this will allow for a farmore flexible learning experience and theopportunity for instructors to utilise differentfacilities as they are not restricted by DII usage. Feedback from units on the content along with

any recommendations for improvement would bevery welcome and should be annotated on theExecutive Summary filled out by the courseofficer.As part of our commitment to continuously

develop the courses and our support we willliaise with units to arrange convenient times tovisit all courses. These visits are a way for theteam to meet the instructors conducting trainingand get real time feedback from staff andstudents. In addition it will give the team anopportunity to ensure the content of the coursesremains relevant and up to date. To assist in thisit is planned that a representative of the DTT willbe available to conduct the end of coursevalidation and give a hot debrief to staff on site.

Communication PlanAn annual training conference will be held inJanuary to allow the DTT to brief on planned andactual changes to CLM policy and allow openforum discussions to take place between trainingteams, CD CSS, DTT and DTrg (overall owners ofCLM training). This interaction and feedback fromtraining teams is invaluable to improving thecourses and as such it is requested that as manypeople as possible attend the conference. In addition a quarterly training newsletter will

be produced and distributed to Battalion TrainingOfficers. This newsletter will highlight trends,pass on new information and give examples ofbest practice.

Background and RoleWith the recent changes made to PNCO andJCLM training, the REME Arms SchoolDistributed Training Team (REME AS DTT) wasestablished to provide a single point of contactwithin the Corps for all PNCO and JCLM Part 1training related questions. The team has a clearaim which is expressed in our mission statement.

‘To direct and advise on the delivery of distributedCLM training across the Corps in order to provideeffective, professional and qualified NCOs;In simple terms we are here to help any REME

unit running a PNCO or JCLM course anywherein the world. We are available to offer guidanceon policy or the interpretation of trainingobjectives as well as act as a sounding board fornew ideas or suggestions.The team’s main effort is ensuring a common

approach to CLM training delivery, ensuring thatall JNCOs within the Corps are trained to thesame high standards required by the field force.Whilst the team do not set any of the CLM policy,we do work closely with CD CSS, giving adviceand guidance on REME specific trainingobjectives and issues. The team is totallyindependent and impartial, allowing us toconduct unbiased validation of the courses whilsthaving an intimate knowledge of how theyshould function. The team retain overallownership of the courses and REME units areauthorised to conduct distributed CLM trainingafter submitting Annex A to Corps Instruction E9to the REME AS DTT for approval.

Support Available from DTTIn order to achieve this common approach andalleviate some of the planning burden fromcourse commanders, the team have developed a‘course in a box’ concept. These are onlysuggested formats and units are free to makechanges to suit individual circumstances but bothenable the course commander to meet all CLMtraining objectives and include all trainingmaterial needed to do so. The ‘course-in-a-box’ isavailable to view or download from the REME AS

Feel free to contact the REME AS DTT with anyquestions or feedback you may have:

SSgt Lyndsey Lancaster-Park (: 94251 2588 DSEME-REMEAS:: SSgt Distr [email protected]

Sgt Callum McMillan (: 94251 2421 :: [email protected]

Distributed Training

The New ApproachScribe: Sgt Cal McMillan, REME Arms School

The new REME Institution Blue Book is currently being produced. Please ensure your details are correct. [email protected] 353


Official Army Vacancies List

Do you know someonewho wants to transferinto the Corps fromanother cap badge?REME currently hasvacancies availableacross a range of ranksin all of our tradegroups.The CET can arrange avisit to the REME tradeschool at Lyneham andalso a working Unit inorder to gain additionalexperience of what toexpect when youtransfer.

Are you considering a changefrom your current career?

Anyone who wishes to transfer or needs further advice should contact: Maj Booth, SPSO REME : mil: REME RHQ-PersRecr-Sldr-SO2 or

WO2 (AQMS) Walton, WOIC CET :: REME RHQ-CET-WO

The current transfer process can be found in DIN 2014DIN01-014 at:http://defenceintranet.diif.r.mil.uk/libraries%2Fcorporate%2FDINSpersonnel%2F2014%2F2014DIN01-014.pdf

The OAVL can be found on DII at:http://defenceintranet.diif.r.mil.uk/Organisations/Orgs/Army/Organisations/Orgs/msweb/Pages/mswebhome.aspx

SPOTLIGHT ON…

OC’s Introduction The last twelve months have provided a busy, chal-lenging and rewarding time for the soldiers of 1 RWELSH LAD. Surfacing from the merger of the twoRoyal Welsh battalions following A2020, the LAD hascontinued to provide first class support to this busyunit both on exercise and in camp. As a reaction force unit within 12 Armd Inf Bde,

we found ourselves emerging from a training year,moving into a readiness year whilst conducting othertasks; a conflicting and difficult sell without the clearfocus of an operational tour on the horizon. Fortu-nately this concern has been unfounded, with severaloverseas exercises to Canada, Poland and Bruneialong with UK exercises on Salisbury Plain and atCastlemartin, which complimented the now normalfast pace of life.We have faced the growing issue of equipment

handover between different armoured units forexercise as we return to contingency. This hasplaced a strain on in-camp routine but has helped tofoster better LAD-to-LAD relationships; a surprisingbut rewarding and positive side effect. Complicationhas been added by the implementation of the 93Xinspection regime over the last 18 months but this successful trial hasbeen met warmly by our tradesmen and is about to be rolled out pan-Army. Trials of new oil-dialysis equipment, presentation of Young Engi-neer of the Year (Cfn Burns) and integration with the Royal Mon-mouthshire Reserve Unit have all been conducted whilst taking care ofthe usual business of ECI and TECHEVAL.The LAD has continued to integrate into battalion life, most notably

taking part in the Presentation of the New Colours in Cardiff but alsocompeting in the Battalion Shooting Competition (beating some of theRifle companies) and Battalion Boxing. It has continued its strong pres-ence in Corps events with several sports representatives at rugby, foot-ball and tennis, placing well in both REME CORPOSC and AthleticsCompetition and reaching the Craftsman’s Cup Final (Minor Units) forthe second year in a row. The outstanding four weeks of skiing on Exer-cise Supreme Glacier was a welcome AT respite halfway through theyear.With gun camps, support to the Land Warfare Centre, deployments

to the Falklands and Oman, and a return to training all in the next 18months, the pace will not slacken for the soldiers within the workshop.However, the positive morale and dedication shown by our men andwomen will undoubtedly see another successful year in 2015-2016.

Exercise Prairie Storm 2 (Canada)Scribe: Sgt M Abley (A Coy Ftr Sect)

A and C Coys deployed to BATUS for Exercise Prairie Storm 2, quicklyinspecting and familiarising themselves with the fleets that they wouldbe responsible for over the forthcoming weeks. Camp Crowfoot wasfilled to bursting point as this was the first time there had been four bat-tlegroups for one exercise; the KRH LABG (Lead Armoured BattleGroup), the QRL LCBG (Land Component Battle Group), the 4 BnREME CSS BG and the COEFOR BG (Contemporary Operating Envi-ronment Force Battle Group) led by 1SG. Every available bed was filledwith overspill bed spaces created in the gym.Deploying out on the prairie, the exercise was very busy for the fitter

sections with a steady flow of general work. A Coy were averaging apack lift every other day, which was mostly due to generator failuresand then with only days to go on the area we had a pack fire resultingin the WARRIOR being recovered back to Crowfoot for a labour inten-sive repair. Training completed with the level 1 users, helped with a

clear focus on looking for pre-vention rather than the cureand allowed our guys to focuscarefully on their own jobs.The work by the fitter sectionsallowed for a very smoothexercise with excellent feed-back from the Coy who hadrelied on us throughout.As a good portion of the fit-

ter section were flying back onearly flights for various rea-sons, there was no time forR&R, but we did manage to getthe section to Medicine Hat fora steak and a social. The han-dover to t he i n coming 1YORKS fitter section wentsmoothly and they were pleas-antly surprised at the conditionof the fleet, which had nowspent a total of seven weeks onthe prairie. Every vehicle wascapable of rolling out of the

gate the next day if necessary, with just a handful of jobs awaiting sparesand showing the hard work had paid off.

Exercise Black Eagle (Poland)Scribe: Cpl A Chesters (C Coy Ftr Sect)

Two fitter sections deployed to Poland on a European reassurance exer-cise following Russian incursions into the Ukraine. Arriving in Zagan,Poland, we marched to our accommodation for the next six weeks; Pol-ish ‘pod’ tents. Morale rose when we realised it wasn’t as bad as we hadpreviously thought and was actually considerably better than the KRHaccommodation.Once the WARRIORs arrived from Germany, preparation and pre-

ventative maintenance was carried out but with restrictions in move-ment of POL, this meant low level greasing and cleaning the guns for

OC: Capt John Vance REME ASM: WO1 (ASM) Shane Cook REME

A Year at 1 R WELSH LAD

Cfn Burns being presented Young Engineer of the Year

A visit to the site of The Great Escape


A misty morning in Austria

nies were ready to go, with demonstrationpractice going smoothly and the Distin-guished Visitors Day running successfully toprovide a tremendous show of force work-ing alongside the Polish army. Post exercise the WARRIORs were

turned around to ensure minimal work wasneeded at the handover in Germany, andduring quieter periods battlefield tourswere put on to Auschwitz, the Eastern Walland the prisoner of war camp on which TheGreat Escape was based. The handover inGermany ran smoothly once the Warriorsarrived from Poland and allowed the troopsto filter their way back to the UK. It was agreat exercise with a few hiccups that willdevelop as it progresses over the comingyears.

Exercise Supreme Gla-cier 2014 (Austria)

Scribe: Cfn Hughes (B Shops Ftr Sect)We departed Tidworth in November forfour weeks of skiing on Exercise SupremeGlacier in Neustift, Austria. On the first dayof skiing we were divided into our groupsand headed up to the slopes with everyoneadmiring ASM Cook’s seven foot gunplanks/skis. It took us all a few days but weall managed to get our ski legs back with theexception of Sgt Warburton and Cpl Dally,who found it much more of a challenge andspent the majority of the time on theirbacks. Eventually they managed to improvetheir skiing ability and progressed onto themore difficult slopes.At the end of the second week the firstgroup returned and the second group ofmainly snowboarders went out to replacethem for a further two weeks. Despite CfnPowell having no experience he still some-how found himself in the intermediategroup. As beginner snowboarders, LCplWorrall and LCpl Wood got to grips with

standing up on the board, making good progress and finally getting totackle the slopes without too many incidents. Cfn Burns and LCpl Bird,who were experienced snowboarders trained for the REME Champi-onships and performed very well. Over the final week they competedin several races, making their way up the table into second place. Theyunfortunately missed out on medals due to the lack of a third man forthe team which is something a disappointed Cfn Burns still talks aboutto this day.Everyone involved agreed that it was an excellent week with many of

us learning new skills. An exhausting but challenging and fun few weeksof winter sport that we will certainly be repeating next year.

daily firing was an issue. On top of this a Safety Notice restricting WAR-RIOR final drives was released, resulting in a lot of man hours to ensurethe final drives fitted were safe. Exceptional crews and resourceful fittersections meant this work was completed quickly with vehicles rollingout onto the ranges in good order.During the exercise, the quality of the fuel used was intermittent and

with the stored vehicles fuel filters and fuel pumps being clogged withalgae, the fuel pumps overheated and failed. This strained the supplychain and ultimately left many WARRIORs operating on a single fuelpump but it did provide valuable training for our recovery crews whowere conducting tasks on a daily basis. After a lot of hours the compa-

A Coy Ftr Sect conduct recovery

Members of the LAD assess a track


Exercise Ullu Rajah (Brunei)Scribe: Cpl D Cluett (B Shops Ftr Sect)

In January B (Rorke’s Drift) Company departed RAF Brize Norton totake part in Exercise Ullu Rajah, in Brunei. After the 17 hour flight andacclimatisation was complete, we travelled to Tuker Lines to collect avariety of vehicles and equipment to enable us to conduct the exercise.As ES advisors, myself and Cpl Andrew Sharples met with 1RGR’sAQMS, who gave us a brief outline of what we would encounter withregards to equipment casualties and the supply chain. Our PDT con-sisted of medical briefs, history of jungle warfare, jungle rules, rivercrossing and helicopter training and capsize drills in the local swimmingpool.Once the exercise was underway, the company started undertaking

three day rotations in the jungle whilst Cpl Sharples and I carried out ESfrom Sittang Camp. We were fortunate enough to get involved in someof the lesson rotations in which we were shown how to hunt for essen-tial food and water and building shelters. We were accompanied on oneof the days by the Bn CO and RSM; the company celebrated Rorke’sDrift day and in the evening we had a well prepared meal followed bywatching the film Zulu.Upon completion of the exercise we were allowed

some R&R on Labuan Island in Malaysia, a three hourjourney from camp, which provided well neededtime to decompress after the busy exercise. Afterspending 36 hours on the island it was time to travelback to Sittang Camp and begin the long journey tothe UK. As REME tradesmen it was an amazingopportunity to deploy to the jungle and experience adifferent type of operating.

Road to the CraftsmanCup Final

Scribe: Cpl D Hand (B Shops Ftr Sect)We entered the Minor Units Craftsman’s Cup com-petition and after suffering defeat in the final last yearthe lads were hungry for success. Receiving a ‘bye’ inthe first round, we were drawn against 1 RHA LADin the second round, winning the game convincingly6-2. The quarter final against 7 Regt RLC brought a

very busy first half ending 4-3 at the break. Sgt Withers created a chanceor two in the second half and Cfn ‘Silent Bob’ Farmer netting an impres-sive hat-trick, for us to finish 8-7 winners.Against KRH in the semi-finals, we faced our main rivals who had

already beaten us in a pre-season friendly. Losing 2-0 at half time, SSgtAdam ‘Carthorse‘ Culliford offered some encouraging words and westarted to put a lot of pressure on our opponents. Scoring from a cornerand bagging an equaliser 10 minutes later, KRH’s heads dropped andwith a whipped free kick from Cpl David ‘Come Dine With Me’ Hand,SSgt Culliford scored the winner. We were going to the Craftsman’sCup final for the second year in a row. The final was against 5 Regt RA and confidence was high. After 30

minutes, LCpl Scott ‘Frodo‘ Mannion slotted home, but after lookingover saw that the linesman had his flag up - a debatable decision! Thesecond half began with 5 Regt both better and faster, scoring after tenminutes. Heads dropped but we battled on with a further disallowedgoal; again debatable but ultimately crucial as we lost 1-0. After 90 min-utes the whistle blew and that was our dream over. The team is not dis-heartened and with a strengthening squad the WELSH will return nextyear for another shot at glory.

Presentation of the New ColoursThe LAD were privileged to take part in the Royal Welsh’s presentationof new colours by Her Majesty The Queen on 11 June 2015. This oncein a lifetime opportunity took place in Cardiff with the Battalion march-ing from Cardiff Castle through the city to the Millennium Stadium,where a formal parade was held. With perfect weather and a hugecrowd, it was a fitting day to celebrate the formalisation of the mergerwhich had taken place the year before and solidified the bond that haddeveloped with the incoming light role soldiers. For the LAD it once again demonstrated how integral we are within

the unit and the regimental family and was an outstanding experiencefor REME soldiers who may never get to experience a colours parade.

LAD football team at Craftsman’s Cup Final

B (Rorke’s Drift) Coy

Jungle helicopter landing


105 Bn REME had the honour of host-ing the Deputy Commander LandForces (Res), Maj Gen RTI Munro CBETD, (Late PARA), the highest rankedArmy Reservist during a MATTs week-end held at Chickerell Camp in Wey-mouth.During the visit, Maj Gen Munro

was invited to award LCpl Gomm theVolunteer Reserve Service Medal for10 years’ service as an Army Reservistand WO2 (AQMS) Craven his LongService and Good Conduct medal.DCLF invited members of the bat-

talion to ask him questions and raiseany issues, which the soldiers onparade took full advantage of. Thetopics ranged from the problemsarising from injuries caused by mili-tary training when not mobilized, alack of or under-resourced infra-structure and the potential of incen-tives to encourage former reserviststo re-enlist.DCLF then visited soldiers at a recruiting stand at the Royal

Bath and West show, which was manned by regular and reservesoldiers from 105 Bn REME and our paired unit, 3 CS Bn REME.The stand featured an SVR and CRARRV to demonstrate the

range of vehicles from which soldiers in 105 Bn REME can oper-ate.The remaining members of 105 Bn REME spent the rest of the

weekend attempting to complete MATTs. This included bothclassroom and practical elements of map reading, CEO - previ-

ously known as C-IED (who knew?), completingLF4 on the range, which also allowed SSgt Bam-forth to play with the new Small Arms Range Tar-getry System (SARTS) and complain how muchsun his skin had seen. MATT 6, LOAC and CBRN,which included the gas chamber, much to thejoys of everyone who were not yet in possessionof the GSR and therefore had to do the canisterchange drill on the S10 respirator!Even then the fun didn’t stop, after completion

of the days’ activities, there was still time foundto complete some E&D training with the CObefore being released from training to enjoysome of the refreshing benefits Weymouth hadto offer.Special thanks to members of 3 CS Bn REME

for providing the PTI’s who led the AFT on theSunday morning and to Sgt Redpath, CBRNinstructor who provided much needed revisionof all the drills required when in the chamber.

DCLF Visits 105 BnREME MATTs Weekend

By SSgt C Vince, 130 Fd Coy

LCpl Gomm and WO2 (AQMS) Craven receiving their medals

Questions and answers time On the ranges

Sunday morning AFT


In January 2015, a team of six soldiers’ from 23 (Para)Engr Regt Wksp REME decided that they wanted tocompete in the 2015 Cateran Yomp; a 54 mile yompover 24 hours set in and amongst the Scottish High-lands. The event is organised in association with theArmy Benevolent Fund (ABF) and all money raised isdonated to them. In the build up to the yomp, the six volunteers, SgtAbbey, Cpl Hughes, Pte Morgans, Cfn Ward, Spr Mitchelland Pte Christie organised events to raise the sponsor-ship money. This included a 12 hour relay at our localsupermarket which collected over £2,000 alone. The event had arrived, so on 12 June 2015, the teamembarked on the long road trip from Suffolk to Scot-land. Fourteen hours and a little sleep later, we wokeand prepared for what lay ahead; taped feet, clippedtoenails and took on plenty of water - we were ready tostart.We wanted to complete the event in under 17 hours,everyone was aware that this was going to be a tough challenge. At 0715 hrs we set off with the intent of enjoying our-selves and soaking up the atmosphere. But, within 100 meters Sgt‘Airborne’ Abbey decided that we were to get to the front of thepack, so we set off running! The trail was quite busy for the firstthree to four miles, we caught up with the first wave of competitorsand decided to overtake as many as possible. This proved tough inthe beginning as there were many bottlenecks where the crowd hadbacked up slightly. Once the race had opened up a little and we feltwe were in a good position we kept the running to a minimum, onlydownhill. We kept this strategy for as long as possible, it seemed tobe working for us. As the yomp progressed, we came across plentyof water stops where they fed us to our hearts’ content, with allsorts to offer, limitless kitkats, wine gums, soft drinks, hot drinks,even fresh cream éclairs and haggis! We fuelled our bodies on thisfor the full day, eating in excess of 8500 calories the entire event, Ithink my favourite were the chicken fajitas!The yomp is centred around three checkpoints, bronze, silver andgold which are set at 22 miles, 36.5 miles and the end at 54 miles.The hills got steeper and the ground got harder the further wemarched and more than once the crowd would cheer us on, givingus all the kick up the rear end! ‘Lift your heads up lads,’ shouted one

Cateran Yomp 2015Scribe: Pte Morgans

Pte Morgans and Cfn Ward giving Cpl Hughes someencouragement in his dark moment

The team looking fresh with Sgt ‘Airborne’ Abbey pushing his chest out

23 (Para) Engr Regt Wksp REME

Cateran Yomp 2015 route



incline, having said that, I think thedownhill sections were just aspainful . As we pushed closertowards the finishing checkpoint,gold, we definitely picked the pace.We were all very conscious of whatt i m e we wo u l d f i n i s h i n a n dseemed to push our bodies harderthan we had the whole day. It waslooking like a midnight finish so wereplenished our energy and watersupplies as much as possible ateach water stop. The ground hadbecome so hard I could barelywalk, the only way for me to movewas a blend between a double anda shuffle, I looked horrendous! Onthe way to our last checkpoint, weentered this dark wood and couldhardly see the floor in front of us,the team was on its knees andthere was not a smile in sight. Wepushed on for the remaining fourmiles under the cover of darkness;I was still hobbling along behindthe main pack. Less than a mile away, one of the stewards directedus across a bridge, everyone was keen to drive to the finish line andwe had images of the sprint finish but probably resembled a pack ofzombies, with the state of us and the noises we were making. Wecrossed the line as a team in 16 hours and 46 minutes. The reliefwas overwhelming! I couldn’t believe we had carried our bodiesthrough it. We all had a fantastic weekend, the atmosphere was great, thecrowd were brilliant and we challenged ourselves physically andmentally for such a good cause. The final amount of money the teamraised for the Army Benevolent Fund stands at over £4000!

of the photographers. After manygruelling miles of steep Scottishterrain we were closing in on thebronze checkpoint. Again we couldhear the roar of the crowd on theway in. There was a gentleman on amicrophone introducing the teamsto the spectators and trail sponsorsas the teams crossed into the tents.Here we were fed jacket potatoesand baked beans and drownedwith Lucozade. We changed our kitand made our move for the silvercheckpoint.On route we encountered nigglesand strains which slowed us alldown individually at some point.The team stuck together andspurred one another on all the way,this was by far getting tougher thanany of us had previously imagined!The silver didn’t seem to get anycloser; I had my knee strapped upby this point! As we rose to thehighest point of the course, just alittle over 800 metres above sea level, there was a sharp drop theother side, igniting a completely new set of muscles! On the descent,we had to stop and tend to some cramp and rolled ankles for someof the team. As we made progress, we got closer and eventuallywent in and around some of the many lochs Scotland has to offer.The ground became very wet, soft and unforgiving. It was hard! Notonly were we soaked through with sweat, it had started to rain. Sil-ver was in sight! We soon got our double on and got there as a team.We were now into the last 18 miles and the checkpoints seemedto be getting further apart, the sun was disappearing, temperaturewas dropping rapidly and we were really feeling the slightest

Pte Christie talking to one of the stewards, as he tells her he is in the Army

PNCO/JNCO CLMThe following courses are availableand will be delivered by 2 CS Bn

REME and conducted inGarelochead in Scotland

PNCO: 7 – 18 September 2015

JNCO CLM: 20 September – 2 October 2015

All course applications are to besubmitted directly to:

WO2 (AQMS) P D Townsend,Trg WO 2 Bn REME

Leuchars Station, St. Andrews,Fife KY16 0JX

(Mil: 95151 6051 Civ: 01334 876051: [email protected]

REME Field ofRemembrance 2015

Details of the Field of Remembrance to be held atWestminster Abbey on Thursday 5 November 2015 havebeen promulgated by RHQ via the Chain of Command.Please note that the closing date for units/individuals toorder a REME Badge Cross or Cross of Remembrance is

Friday 18 September 2015. Any requests received after thisdate will not be processed.

Further information can be obtained from the CorpsWelfare Office on ( Mil: 94251 2219 or Civ: 01189 763219

or : [email protected]

Candidates attempting to find their friends on the Observation and Field Craft stand

Major Paul Denton also struggling to find students on the Field Craft and Observation stand

Engineering

Course‘Look at Life’Scribe: Captain David Hamilton, ROSO

Once again The Northern Crafts-men have set the standard forexcellence across the ArmyReserve, with the completion ofour ‘highly acclaimed’ pilot coursecunningly named ‘EngineeringLook at Life’. The ‘L@L’ as it soonbecame known, was run at Catt-erick in the first week of Novem-ber in support of 15 (NE)Brigade’s continuing foray intoMilitary/Civil Integration (MCI).A total of 43 young men and

women from across the NorthEast, Yorkshire and Humbersideattended the course which wasdriven by 102 Bn REME and sup-ported by Outreach Team(North). Candidates provided theROSWO, WO2 Dave Tomlinson

with a logistical challenge thatnobody envied, particularly asnames were still being receivedup until three days before theevent started! Nonetheless thetransport plan worked like clock-work as a fleet of mini-buseshomed in on Wathgill Camp at1000hrs on Monday 3 November2014. The candidates themselves

came from several differentsources; firstly we had 11apprentices from Cummins Engi-neering, 19 youngsters from theArmed Forces Employment Path-way (AFEP) three youngsterswho were completing a 6thForm Public Services course,four from the Military Prepara-tion Course and finally a number

of undecided contacts from our surge activ-ity. At first glance this may seem like fourdisparate groups, but by the end of day oneit was obvious that they all had one thing incommon – a desire to make the most of theopportunities presented by the course. The course was divided into two parts;

the first two days were led by the OutreachTeam North and covered basic militaryskills, while Wednesday and Thursdayfocused on engineering delivered by 102 BnREME. These two days demonstrated someof the key REME trade groups and allowedthe youngsters some practical hands onexperience. We were able to once moredraw on the facilities at Megiddo Lines,thanks to the continuing support of CO, 1

1 0 2 B a t t a l i o n R E M E

Confidence building starts with the assault course

Where are they? Students attempt to find their colleagues on the Observation and Field craft stand with WO2 Martin Simpson and Captain Alvin Walker, Adjutant


CS Bn REME and his team. The final day of the coursesaw the participants and their mentors enjoy a day atTeesside Go-Karts, where after a very wet but funpacked morning they each received certificates fromthe CO, Lieutenant Colonel Andy Black.The Outreach Team, supported by WO2 Tracy

Downs and mentors from across our four companiesput the youngsters through a series of military chal-lenges designed to give them an insight into life in bar-racks, while developing their confidence through aseries of stands familiar to anyone who has undergonebasic training. The days may have been full and tiring,but the experience and character of the permanentstaff involved also meant that every activity was botheducational and enjoyable at the same time - the per-fect blend.The Vehicle Mechanic stand was headed up by SSgt

Bill Fox, PSI 186 Company, and the Recovery Standwas the debut performance for SSgt Eddie Fraser whotook up his appointment as SPSI 124 Recovery Com-pany only the week before. We were fortunateenough to receive support from our ‘usual suspects’WO2 Andrew Murray who, along with his team ofarmourers yet again produced an excellent presenta-tion and weapons stand, which proved very popular

Students get to grips with a tirfor winch during the Recovery Stand phaseWO2 Michelle Fryer (Chief Clerk) providing

first aid to the only casualty of the week

Brigadier Greville Bibby, Comd 15 (NE) Brigade, briefs visitors on the benefits of ‘Look at Life’ to young unemployed of the region

Students working on the ‘Build a Buggy’ stand under direction of SSgt FoxWO2s Tracy Downs and Dave Tomlinson, playing mum and dad to students throughout the week


For 102 Bn REME the course was a natural progression fromour successful residential TEDS courses, which we ran through-out 2013/14 and will continue to run into next year. However, bymerging the well tested syllabus with the Army’s ‘Look at Life’course, the indications are that we have hit on a winning for-mula. Well done to all involved – far too many to be named indi-vidually, but whose contribution was invaluable to the success ofthe week.

with the candidates. Sgt JasonAnderson of 1 (CS) BattalionREME headed up the metal-smith section demonstratingwelding and shaping of sheetmetal. Build-a-buggy was aspopular as ever and once againwas headed up by WO2sSimon Bull and ‘Dusty’ Rhodesfrom the Battalion TrainingTeam. We cannot overlook thegreat work by SSgt MartinSimpson who made probablythe biggest impression on theparticipants with his brilliantlyhumorous, but professionaldelivery of the observation andfield craft stands. With thiscombination of experience andenthusiasm it was little surprisethat by the end of the week 15of the candidates hadexpressed an interest in joining REME as either members of theregular army or as reserves.

Group photograph at the end of the course with students, mentors and the CO.

Day one and the students are mustered by WO2 Tracy Downs

Lt Col Andy Black and LCpl Leigh Raw presenting certificates at the end of the course Students changing over at Middlesbrough Go-Karts



On returning from work on Friday, a few members of West CourtOfficers’ Mess noticed two CVR(T) parked outside the mess for theQM Dinner. Not wanting to miss an opportunity for what could bethe last time this set up was at West Court, a WhatsApp went out forall to assemble outside the front in fancy dress in five minutes time.Photo taken and photo-shopped, we decided that placing it under theplace mats of a few of our ex-QMs (and the Master General andColonel REME as we had a few spare) would be a small victory in theage old battle between QMs and subbies. Dining room rigged, we allwent our separate ways undetected.The next day, CO 11 Trg Bn informed us that she had an email at

0130 hrs from Col REME entitled:SUBALTERN DISCIPLINE and wewere to be in his office at 1000hrs Monday with a number ofletters of apology. With that, wedid what subbies do best andstarted moaning about seniorofficers, this not being what wejoined up for and started lookingat transferring to a differentCorps or Service.On Monday morning at 0945

hrs, in freshly pressed kit (CaptMuirhead in brand new MTP) thefive of us were met by the CO,Adjt and RSM. We joked how it isprobably a ‘wah,’ but the CO, Adjtand RSM assured us that withthem all present it was most likelynot a ‘wah.’ The CO was called infirst and we heard a rigid haltbefore the door was closed. Fiveminutes later, she came out andthe five of us were marched in.‘Where is the photographer?’

‘Whose idea was this?’ were some of the opening questions fired at usby a very angry looking Col REME. After about 30 seconds of intensegrilling however, he couldn’t keep a straight face any more andrevealed that this was actually a ‘wah’ and that the CO was not awareit was until her chat before us. Thirty seconds later the cork of a bottle of champagne was popped

and what had initially looked like the worst Monday in the Corpsturned into one of the best. Whilst we sipped away at our champagnechuffed in thinking we had escaped any punishment, Col REME thensaid how he wanted the picture in The Craftsman and as we all know:pictures equal crates!

Worst Day in the Corps?Capt Rob Duffield

Crown Carveries, O’Neill’s and Sizzling Pubs across the coun-try are set to make the welcome at their pubs even warmerfor members of the Armed Forces thanks to partnering upwith the Defences Discount Card scheme - the official dis-count service for the Armed Forces, the Defence Communityand Veterans. It means that Armed Forces members, spousesand veterans can enjoy 10% off their food bill in around 350pubs and restaurants across the country across 2015.

As well as launching their Defence Discount Scheme partic-ipation, Crown Carveries, O’Neill’s and Sizzling Pubs havealso pledged to raise over £100,000 for Help for Heroes,through a combination of local fundraising and stocking of twoHelp for Heroes wines which will donating £1 for every bottlesold to the charity.

To mark the start of their activity Help for Heroes Ambas-sador, Clive Smith was presented with his own Defence Dis-count Card at a Sizzling Pub in Birmingham ahead of ArmedForces Day.

D I S C O U N T Sat Crown Carveries,

O’Neill’s and Sizzling Pubs


Mike at the helm

Maj (Retd) Mike WyattAwarded the BEM

Maj (Retd) Michael John Wyatt was awarded the BritishEmpire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List pub-lished on 13 June 2015, for services to the restoration of theReading section of the Kennet and Avon Canal.Mike served in the Corps from1949 - 1984 and on retire-

ment worked as a HPTO in the REME Officers’ School until1994.He has been an active member of the Reading Branch of

Kennet and Avon Canal Trust for many years, becomingBranch Vice Chairman and subsequently Branch Chairman.In the 70s he worked on towpath clearance and in the 80s,the rebuild of Bulls Lock; he has been fundraising andorganising publicity events ever since.With his wife, Audrey, Mike, now aged 85, still travels the

canals in his narrow boat Moonflower.Note: Founded in 1917, the BEM was scrapped by Conser-

vative Prime Minister John Major as part of efforts to makethe honours system ‘classless’.

However, in 2013 Mr Cameron reinstated the award forcharity and volunteer work, to mark the Queen’s DiamondJubilee.

At the Army FA’s President’s Dinner held on 4 June 2015, CfnRachel Gwilliam received the Army Women Players’ Player of

the Season award from Maj Gen Tim Radford DSO OBE

PresentationArmy FA’s President’s Dinner

WO1 (RSM) William Biggar hands over the command ofRegimental Sergeant Major to his successor, WO1 (RSM) MickSearles. WO1 (RSM) Biggar leaves to take up his new post at

ATC(P) and wishes WO1 (RSM) Mick Searles all the best.

Change of Regimental SergeantMajor at 2 CS BN REME

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

On Tuesday 2 June, the longawaited day for the re-dedicationof the REME Corps memorial atthe National Memorial Arboretumdawned. The sky was covered ingrey clouds, with the threat ofshowers and possibly heavy rainin the morning, the local weatherforecast promising to brighten upin the afternoon.Luckily, for several hundredserving Corps personnel, plusmany veterans and Associationmembers with their familiesattending the service from allcorners of the country, theweather didn’t spoil thespecial day.Unfortunately for anyoneexpecting to find an easyparking spot, they would bevery disappointed as ourchosen re-dedication dayclashed with the annual VEDay celebrations, whichmeant thousands morepeople had descended onthe NMA than wouldnormally be there. Prior to the spectatorsassembling at the memorialthe Corps ASM, WO1 LiamCondron, put all theStandard Bearers throughtheir paces to ensure theirparticipation in the service

ran smoothly; there were nofewer than twenty twostandards on parade, whichincluded the CorpsHeadquarters standard andthe Union Flag.We were ably served by theBand of The ParachuteRegiment, who played ashort medley prior to theservice commencing, whichencouraged any latestragglers who had beensavouring the refreshmentsin the Visitors’ Centre to getthemselves to the memorialsite.With two contingents ofapproximately thirty servingCorps members fallen in, in threeranks, on either side of theapproach ramp, the service wasall set to proceed.Under the direction of the CorpsASM, the Standard Bearers wereformed up in two ranks a shortdistance away before beingmarched to our memorial led bythe Union Flag and Corps HQ’sStandard. The two files took postin front of the assembled troopson either side of the memorialramp, with the Union Flag and HQStandard positioned behind thememorial.

REME Corps MemorialRe-dedication Day

Scribe: Maurice Hope, Vice Chairman, Potteries & District REME Association Photos kindly provided by John Hubbert


Following the march on of the Standards, the formal Order ofService commenced with the Chaplains procession, led by theVerger of the Arborfield Garrison Church, Lt Col (Retd) L Le Var,and the Master General (MG), Lt Gen Andrew Figgures CB,CBEalso the Corps Chaplain, Rev Stephen Thatcher, who conductedthe service.Following ‘The Bidding’ by theChaplain,the first hymn, ‘Our God, our helpin ages past’ preceded the reading by Lt Col(Retd) L LeVar (Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10,13-14).The MG then read out ‘The Tribute,’before inviting the Corps Chaplain todedicate the refurbished monument withthe words: ‘Reverend Sir, on behalf of theOfficers and men and women of the Corps ofRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Iask you to re-dedicate this monument to theglory of God and in memory of those whodied in the great wars and in all other warsand conflicts since, and in tribute to all whohave served and will serve the cap badge ofthe Corps of Royal Electrical and MechanicalEngineers.’

The Corps Chaplain then re-dedicated the memorial saying:‘To the glory of God and in memory of those who gave their livesin the cause of freedom and in the service of their Queenand their country and also in tribute to those who serve andwill serve the Corps of Royal Electrical and MechanicalEngineers I now re-dedicate this monument in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’One minute’s silence followed to commemorate thefallen of the Corps, before all those present joined in withthe commitment led by the Corps Chaplain, sayingtogether: ‘Teach us good Lord, to serve thee as thoudeservest; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and notto heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, tolabour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowingthat we do thy will; through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.’All joined in the second hymn, ‘For all the saints whofrom their labours rest’ then prayers were said for HerMajesty the Queen; for The Forces of the Crown and forThe Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.The formal service concluded with the Corps Collect: ‘OGod of power and might, whose all-pervading energy is thestrength of nature and man, inspire, we pray thee, us thy

servants of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, withthy quickening spirit of good will: that as honest craftsmen,seeking only the good of all in peace or in war, we may glorifythee both in the work of our hands and in the example of ourfellowship; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen’Standards wereplaced into the ‘carry’position and were‘ordered’ during theNational Anthem andthe event was broughtto a closure with a‘Blessing’ by the CorpsChaplain.With the formalactivities complete,everyone retired tothe hospitalitymarquee where abuffet lunch was onoffer.During the buffetbreak, the memorialrefurbishment teamdelivered apresentation during which, Maj (Retd) GordonG Bonner, whose huge input and leadership ofthe refurbishment project, covered the stagesof the project and recognising the major rolland expertise given by the master stonemasonMr Keith Rackham of HL Perfitt Ltd of Diss,Norfolk whose skilful efforts made the projecta reality.Following the address, Mr Maurice Hope,project team member and scribe, presented adossier containing a photographic record ofthe project’s progress, including allcorrespondence referring to the memorial, tothe MG, which was accepted for safe keeping inthe Corps Archives.An unexpected and pleasant event followedwith the presentation of a commendationcertificate to Maj (Retd) Gordon G Bonner bythe MG in appreciation of the refurbishmentteams efforts in bringing the project to asuccessful conclusion.Following the buffet lunch many of those present dispersedand took the opportunity to visit other areas of the NMA.


The Battalion marching on

All marching on ‘in-step’

Right Dress!

Scribe: Sgt A Kemp, Helmand CompanyFor over 35 years REME personnel based in Arborfieldhave celebrated the Freedom of Wokingham, exercis-ing the right to parade through the town carryingarms. This year on Sunday 14 June it was sadly thefinal opportunity to do so before 11 Training BattalionREME move to Lyneham and so we were determinedto leave our image of professionalism with the localcommunity and finish on a high with drums beatingand flags flying!

The prospect of 200 soldiers marching in public andmore importantly marching in-step was enough totrigger sleepless nights for numerous personnelwithin the hierarchy and so nearly seven weeks inadvance of the parade the drill practice began! Withexperience ranging from Permanent Staff Drill Instruc-tors to recently arrived Phase 2 trainees, it made for

Freedom of Wokingham ParadeCO: Lt Col CP Phillips REME RSM: WO1 (RSM) C Redburn Photos provided by Stewart Turkington

11 Training Battalion REME

VIP guests and dignitaries before the parade

Commanding Officer’s Introduction:The tradition of granting the Freedom of their townto military units has had a long history and manyREME units have been given this distinctive honour.To mark the Corps’ departure from Arborfield laterthis year, 11 Training Battalion REME was invited toexercise the Corps’ Freedom of Wokingham on Sun-day 14 June and marched through the town centreto create a memorable day for the town and REME.This parade was particularly significant to all serv-ing and retired members of the Battalion and Garri-son who hold close ties to the local area. In additionto the large crowds of civilians, friends and family,we were joined by a selection of serving and retiredofficers who had participated in previous paradessince 1978. We were also delighted to be inspectedby the Master General REME, who, along with theTown Mayor and local dignitaries, was able to for-mally open the renamed ‘REME Room’ in the TownHall after the parade. This room will permanentlydisplay REME memorabilia as a mark of recognition of therelationship between the Corps and the local community.


engaging by the addition of the Band of the Corps of the RoyalArtillery who entertained us with movie classics such as theGreat Escape and James Bond theme tunes. After the inspectionand speeches from the Master General, Deputy Lieutenant ofBerkshi re and the TownM a y o r w e p r o m p t l yresponded to the Command-ing Officer’s instruction andmarched off, giving a final‘eyes right’ that signalled apoignant goodbye to thetown of Wokingham.

The Battalion marches off the parade in style

Standing at ease and listening to the speeches

Commanding Officer listening to the speeches

some interesting hours on the parade square. The weeks passed quickly as the majority of the Battalion

became involved in many different aspects of the parade, be thatsecurity, drill, charity collections or simply ensuring that thesquad numbers remained correct; everyone was busy (orappeared to be!). Finally after nearly 20 hours of practice, ahandful of bayonet near-misses, a couple of ‘liberated maga-zines,’ one 0400 hrs rehearsal through the deserted streets ofWokingham and one broken arm the night before the parade(WO2 (CSM) Nicholls must have been really desperate to get offparade!), the Battalion was ready to step off in style!Before we knew it, the Battalion was stood in Wokingham

town centre and we were immediately greeted by cheers andshouts of support from the huge crowd lining the streets. TheCommanding Officer had her work cut out to ensure that all sol-diers in the parade were able to hear the words of command,competing with both the band and the huge supporting crowd.The inspection phase of the parade was made much more

The Mayor of Wokingham inspecting the troops

The Master General officially opens the REME Room


Exercise BEN EVEREST was a challenge event put togetherby Cpl Ash Stafford of the Parachute Regiment, designed fora team to climb the height of Mount Everest by numerousascents of Ben Nevis. A secondary aim was to try andachieve the height as a team within 72 hours to raise moneyand awareness for Combat Stress. On the morning of 10 May 2015, we departed ATC(P) at0500 hrs to start a mammoth 10 hour journey to sunnyScotland. A fair few stories later, we arrived at our basecamp (Glen Nevis) at the foot of Ben Nevis. As expected,morale was high and the Scottish weather was its usualcheery self – smashing it down with rain! We set up ourtents and had a good meal prior to starting the challenge thenext day.After a poor night’s sleep on the floor of a cramped tent,we got up at 0400 hrs and set off on our first ascent of BenNevis. Visibility was poor and once again it was rainingsideways; we set off at a decent pace up the mountain,completing the first ascent in a little over two hours. Theway down was worse than expected. Every step sentshockwaves through your knees and hips, every step morestrenuous than the last. After completing the first rep, mostpeople would be satisfied with that. Not us though, after halfan hour’s admin we turned around and went off again tostart the gruelling climb once more.This was pretty much the pattern for three days. Whatmade it worse was sleeping in cramped conditions on rollmats, eating rations and suffering cramp all night.We continued with this madness until we had achieved thealtitude that we needed. In 72 hours we had to climb8868m. Each ascent was 1344m, which meant that sevenreps (a total of 9408m vertically) achieved a greater heightthan Mount Everest.

I have done some crazy charity challenges during mycareer in the Army; running on a treadmill for two days onOp TELIC in 55° heat in 2007 and completing the EdinburghMarathon with 66lbs on my back in world record time. Thisevent, however, has taken the biscuit as afterwards myknees were shot and my body drained for a good week.Complaining aside, I am proud that we managed to raisealmost £7000 for Combat Stress which was well worth theeffort. In the aftermath, I have been asked what is next and Ihave a few mad ideas on the back burner – once everyoneforgets about how hideous this challenge was, I will plantthe seed for the next one!http://www.justgiving.com/teams/Caen

Exercise BEN EVERESTBy Cpl Dan Thompson

370 [email protected] The new REME Institution Blue Book is currently being produced. Please ensure your details are correct.

The Final TourAfter a long season of hard work, pure grit and determination,11 Trg Bn REME was fast approaching the end of its final everseason before the two training battalions amalgamate tobecome 8 Training Battalion REME. With years of ‘Tech’ prideand a history going back several decades,this current team would have their workcut-out trying to emulate the golden eraof years gone by. The current team had alot to live up to, always up for a challengethey have risen to the task. With greatleadership from the Captain, Cfn AidenWooder, the team has excelled on and offthe field, attaining some very impressiveresults. Most importantly, a strong bondand friendship between the teammateshas developed, providing leadership,camaraderie, discipline and a strongwork ethos, all of which are great charac-teristics we have become accustomed tofrom any REME Rugby team or player.

During the season, on the field, the

team were Plate Winners in the Army 10s com-petition, Championship One South East LeagueWinners, Quarter Finalists in the Army Champi-ons League and Runners up in the REME Corps7s Competition. Such impressive results wouldnot have been possible without coaches WO2(AQMS) Richard Glet and WO2 (CSM) Jon Holtworking tirelessly in developing such a youngformidable team. The youthful team also bene-fitted from the efforts of WO2 (AQMS) PaulPeters and SSgt Mark Kennedy. Star perform-ances on the field have come from LCpl DanielCurry and Cfn Will Parkes, to name but a fewand their unfaltering commitment has contin-ued to drive the team forward, maintainingREME Pride. But with a small matter of ‘THE

LAST EVER’ Bowen Cup (11 Trg Bn REME vs 10 Trg Bn REME)at hand, that REME pride was about to be put on the line. In alast ditch effort to ensure their team’s name was the last nameon the Bowen Cup, 11 Trg Bn would embark on a trainingcamp to Cancun, Mexico.

An early start on Wednesday 1 April 2015 did notdampen the spirits and you could almost taste the excite-ment in the air. The journey from London Heathrowmarked the start of a sixteen hour journey via Atlanta,Georgia. A late arrival, compounded by jet-lag left a few ofthe team members a little worse for wear. Luckily, the sec-ond morning was left for the team to recover as theevening plan was to run a coaching clinic at the localrugby club for the aspiring and developing young Mexi-can children from the surrounding community. EekBaalam RFC is the local Rugby Club in Playa Del Carmen,a small district an hour outside of Cancun. In the follow-ing weeks, they were due to compete in their PremierLeague Cup final, so on the second evening, 11 Trg Bnconducted a coaching clinic for them and the local chil-dren, after their own training session. WO2s Richard Gletand Jon Holt took centre stage coaching the young talentof Mexico and imparted their wise words and coachingexperiences with the help of a translator. For a countrymore famed for their football and baseball, it was brilliant

OIC Rugby: Capt Seb Madronal Scribe: Cpl Mac Zishiri

Final Season Rugby Tour as 11 Trg Bn REME

Post-Match Team Bath

OIC ForewordWhen I was asked to take over the position of OIC Rugby from Maj EwenCameron, I felt deeply honoured and humbled and that is how I have feltthroughout this final season of what will always be known as SEAE RugbyFootball Club. The coaches have shown real leadership and commitment, run-ning sessions two evenings a week and three times a week before the workingday has even started. The team, which mainly consists of young Craftsmen,have learnt and demonstrated many of the values and standards which we canhope to expect from members of the Corps. The skipper is a young Craftsmanbut is certainly not the only leader on the park, the team is full of potentialand from watching this team over one season, I can see that the future of theCorps is bright. They have shown astounding commitment all season andwhilst on tour their qualities have really shone through.

Coaching Clinic


The next day was a very early start, as the team had a once ina lifetime opportunity to visit one of the manmade Seven Won-ders of the World - Chichen Itza. Situated in the county of Yuncantan, three hours from Can-

cun, it is famous for pyramid shaped temples. The history ofits people, the Mayans, is the basis and beliefs of the Mexicanculture. It is also famous for the Mayan Calendar, which hasinfluenced our calendars today. This was followed by a trip to another impressive site, the

Cenote X-Cajun, which are naturally made sinkholes withunderground lakes you can swim in. After some high divingand tom foolery, in true military style WO2 (QMSI) DarrenO’Donnell saw his opportunity at this point and undertook a

to see such a large turn out of keen rugby players. Theirpassion and enthusiasm far outweighed their lack ofexperience and after a couple of hours training, the REMEboys very quickly realised that this Mexican outfit wasnot here merely to make up numbers; they meant busi-ness - they were there to win!Day three was game day. A relatively relaxed day by

the pool side was followed by the team bus ride to thelocal ground at Eek Baalam RFC. At 2000 hrs, under thelights and evening sky, the first whistle was blown andthe game kicked-off. In a fiercely contested first half, fullof big hits and aggression, we very quickly realised thatthis was going to be a war, as Eek Baalam, strewn with afew Mexican internationals in their team, shot out to a 7-5 half time lead. The game was on. After a regroup andsome ‘calming’ words from the coaches, we awoke fromtheir jet-lag slumber and started to play the type of rugbywe had exhibited throughout the season. Spearheaded byscrum-half LCpl Taylor Cox, the REME spirit shonethrough. Cfn David Smith showed his blistering speed onhis way to scoring two tries and setting up a couple more.In midfield, Lt James Robertson and Cfn Rhys Wilsonwere astute in defence and the latter showed some devastatingrunning with ball in hand to get the team on the front foot andseal-off the game. A very hard, physical game well won 37-7 infront of a large partisan crowd. After the game, the team wasduly hosted by Eek Baalam, where their seasoned tequiladrinking skills left some of the REME boys slightly under theweather.The next day, we packed up and moved to Cancun, where we

would play the second match and once again run a coachingclinic. After travelling and some rest and recuperation, a teamfunction was held at Mandalas Beach Bar; a very picturesque,enjoyable atmosphere, which carried on late into the night.

Leading by example, the Skipper, Cfn Ade Wooder

SEAE, Cancun Hammerheads and Supporters

11 Trg Bn and Eek BaaLam RFC and Supporters at Playa de Carmen


Military Swim Test, much to the ‘excitement’ of everyone! Game Day. After resting during the day, we headed for the

Cancun Hammerheads RFC for a game which promised to bechallenging. Cancun Hammerheads are a formidable team butwhat made this fixture more compelling was that they hadcombined four teams from around the local area to create avery formidable ‘super team.’ Not to be caught off guard twicein a row, at kick-off, we hit the ground running. A dominantforward pack spearheaded by Cfn Rory Tolley destroyed theHammerheads, setting the tone for an impressive back line dis-play of running rugby and try scoring; notably by Cfn FentonWall (new to the team), whose jinking and darting runs left theHammerheads dazzled as the REME boys ran in eight first halftries.

The second half followed suit as the replacements off thebench made similarly impressive contributions with CfnShane Gregory, Ian Fairnington and James Aird showing theirtremendous development throughout the season. A further sixtries sealed a comfortable win as the team put on a masterclass.

It was time for more community engagement the next day, asa select few players returned to host a coaching clinic at theCancun Hammerheads RFC, which included the MexicanWomen’s Olympic Sevens team.

Another great turn out, with approximately 80 Mexicanteenagers keen to take part, the experience and knowledgepassed on was appreciated as we aimed to help develop andgrow Rugby in smaller communities.

While the games were enjoyable, the young players of ourteam have carried themselves with pride and represented theBritish Army in an honourable manner. The communityengagement was priceless as they came in large numbers to seethe matches and participate in the coaching clinics.

After the second game, it was time to wind down. A themednight of Gladiators and Spartans was well received and was ahighlight of an already great tour. On the last day, to cap off thefabulous tour, there was a team outing on a Trimaran boat,which included the opportunity to spend some timesnorkelling.

A massive thank you is extended to WO2 (AQMS) Abel

Mataitini who spearheaded the organising of the tour; surelyan eternal memory we’ll never forget.

Editor’s Note: Passage taken from www.pitchero.com regard-ing the SEAE RFC v Cancun Hammerheads RFC (Quintana RooBarbarians) game: SEAE RFC opened the scoring within a fewminutes despite a valiant effort by the Cancun Hammerheadsdefence. The game saw some fantastic tackling and runningfrom both sides, but Cancun Hammerheads just couldn�t finda way through the SEAE RFC defence. The game ended with a70 – 5 score-line, with Hammerheads finally managing to bat-tle their way over the line in the last minute of the game.

The team at Chichen Itsa

The youngest player, Cfn Walls running a coaching stand for the Mexican Ladies 7s team


In April 2015, 20 members of10 Training Battalion REME FCtravelled to Albufeira in Portu-gal to take part in Exercise Por-tuguese Farewell. It gave thecurrent playing squad (majorityof which are Phase 2 students)an opportunity to play againstgood foreign opposition andexperience the work hard, playhard tradition of the REME sol-dier.We met in Bordon, on a cold

Thursday morning at 0130 hrson 2 April and made our way toLuton Airport. On arrival insunny Portugal, we made ourway to our home for the nextfour nights the Silchoro Apart-ments. Our first game was notuntil the following day so theplayers and coaching staf fmade their way down to thebeach for an impromptu train-ing session. The first thing all players realised was that the heat inPortugal would have a massive effect on the physical performanceduring both games. A dip in the pool and an early night for mostin preparation for the forthcoming fixture was the order of theday with the OIC and coaching staff policing the local bars toenforce the curfew!

Esperanc De LagosOur first game on Friday 3 April was against Esperanca De Lagoswho play in the Terceira Divisao Série F, the fourth tier of Por-tuguese football. The team consisted of a mixture of five first teamplayers returning from injury and their U19 side. As Cfn BillyRowbottom will tell you, many of their U19 side were of a veryhigh standard, including their right winger who is also a Por-tuguese U19 International. The game started well with us being

rewarded an early penalty, which was coolly dispatched by CfnLiam Appleby. The local side stepped up a gear with us taking asurprise lead and soon equalized with a looping shot from theedge of the box. This was a double blow for the battalion side asTeam Captain and backbone of the team (the scribe) suffered ahorrific knee injury in his attempt to save the goal. Just for therecord he only managed eight minutes of football for the wholetour! He was replaced by Cfn Todd who pulled off some very goodsaves to keep the battalion side in the game. Soon after, Cfn LiamAppleby broke through one on one with the opposition keeper andagain calmly placed it in the corner to give us a 2-1 lead approach-ing half time. A mix up from a free kick allowed their striker tograb a lucky equalizer just before the break. As the second halfprogressed, the heat slowly started to take affect; the home sidescored twice more to put the game to bed. However not one mem-

ber of the team gave up and produced a display tobe very proud of. The game ended with EperancaDe Lagos beating us 4-2.

Ferrugem FCThe following day we went straight into our sec-ond fixture due to the fact we travelled over EasterBank Holiday. We were hosted by Ferrugum FCwhich is a local veteran’s team with our tour repplaying as centre back. This team was not to beunder estimated in any way, as many of them hadplayed professional football in their youngeryears, including one who was at NewcastleUnited! Luckily for the battalion, this game was ata much slower pace than the game before, whichwas proved by the fact Cfn Jake Allen actuallymanaging to beat an opposition player for pace.The game was relatively even with both teamshaving chances on goal. Cfn Liam Appleby had agoal wrongly disallowed for offside and Cfn Flynn,in his first appearance for the battalion side after

Portuguese FarewellOIC Football: Maj D Rogers Scribe: Sgt Allatt

E X E R C I S E

1 0 Tr g B n R E M E F C


breaking his leg, produced some fine saves to keep the score level.As the second half went on and hunting out a winner the teamwere called into desperate measures and had to play our joker - oncame Sgt Pete ‘The Goat’ Shaw. This was to be his only appearanceof the season and in true Hyde FC style missed an easy headerwhich would put us into the lead. Credit must go to him as in thewarm up he managed to break two of his ribs by running into theyoungest member of the squad, 17 year old Cfn Billy Rowbottom.With time ticking away, the plan was to give the outgoing OICFootball Maj Del Rogers a farewell shot up front, but after seeinghis performance in the annual Officers v Seniors Football match,this idea was quickly abandoned. Not to hurt his feelings, we toldhim his wages would put us over the UEFA Financial Fair Play ruleso we dispatched him to fill up the water bottles and buy the icecreams. Instead, centre back Cfn ‘Chebo’ Chebirka was placed upfront to add a bit of muscle as Sgt Gaz Kelly was starting to feel theaffects of Portugal. He collected the ball and struck an effort from30 yards out and with most of the team still shocked that he hadactually controlled the ball; his shot flew into the top corner withminutes remaining on the clock. This sparked jubilant celebrationfrom the battalion side and chants of ‘Chebo’ can still be heard inLoule, where we played the game. The side managed to hold on togive us our only victory of the tour. Following the game we pre-sented some training equipment and old battalion strips to ourtour rep as he is heavily involved with training of under privilegedchildren in the Algarve area. Needless to say, with the football fin-ished and on a high, the team celebrated in style by making fulluse of the facility on the Albufeira strip. On our final day in the Algarve we headed to the Old Town inAlbufeira for a tour of the local area and learn about the historyof the town. We then stayed for lunch before heading off to Slide

and Splash for some much needed R and R and in the words of CfnAlex McCann, ‘I’m having the best day of my life.’The tour was a great success, not only in terms of football butalso it allowed the younger members of the team, the majority ofwhich were Phase 2 students, to see what is available to themwhen involved with sport in the Army. Many of the younger play-ers had not been away with the Army for sport and thoroughlyenjoyed themselves but also took the sporting side of the tour seri-ously. A real plus was getting the team together in preparation for

the Craftsman Cup Final thefollowing week and followinga resounding 5-0 win over 6Bn REME, it appears it was amaster stroke.Thanks must go to the Bat-talion PRI, the REME SportsAssociation, The Army SportL o t t e r y a n d t h e B e r l i nInfantry Memorial TrustFund who enabled us to go onthe tour and keep the costdown to a minimum for theyounger members of thesquad. It was an excellentexperience for the newermembers of the Corps and aperfect way to finish what hasbeen a very successful seasonfor 10 Trg Bn REME FC.


that the squad would fight in the Babcock Army Champs. Withthe draw finalised we where set to fight the Highlanders, 4thBattalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Sharing the samereal estate and training facilities; this was going to be anabsolute sizzler of a competition.To enhance and finalise our training, the coach WO2 (QMSI)

Marc Murphy organised a trip to UK where we trained at AmirKhan’s gymnasium in Bolton. We got to meet the champ andtook a few shots with him (with a camera, not gloves) andsparred with some of the professionals who train there, such asScott Cardell, the four Smith brothers and Scott Quig.As the event loomed, injuries became more prevalent – we

had now been in training for 3 months at this stage.Irrespective, the camp morale was high, we were sharp as ateam and ready. The evening of fight night was electric and thegym was at full capacity. All boxers were in the zone and theteam started very strong, putting 4 Scots immediately on the

defensive. LCpl Wardwas our first fighterand went thedistance winning theinitial bout. The sameagain for LCplShepherd againwinning his bout, 2up and all to play for.We had them on theropes, however 4Scots took the nextbout. LCpl Matthewsturned this aroundand we went into theinterval leading 3-1.LCpl Matthews also

2 Close Support Battalion REME

Scribe: Cfn Paterson

As 7th Armoured Brigade draw to a close and reflect on theirtime within Germany, it was decided that a Brigade BoxingCompetition would be a fitting end to the “Desert Rats” andtheir time in Germany. This Brigade Boxing competition wouldbe the start of a 6 month roller coaster of physical endurance,emotional highs and lows, team cohesion and bonding, tears,tantrums and weight loss, with the obvious fat lips and blackeyes for effect. Courage, grit and determination were the orderof the day. The majority of the team were raw novices apart forLCpl Jay Matthews who had a few previous fights under hisbelt. The Battalion Boxing Club was quickly established withinthe confines of the MT hangar – “Murphy’s Gym”. This iswhere the boxers used quite a lot of black nasty to keep thering sturdy, It wasn’t the best of gyms but Rocky trained in ameat factory – enough said.The team bonded quickly and prepared in earnest for the

Brigade fight night.Injury, commitmentsand postings quicklydwindled the teamdown to ten boxers whoall went forward to theprelims. The team as awhole did well with afew fighters makinginto the finals, but wehad been bloodied andwere baying for more.QMSI Murphy

quickly realised that hehad the potentialmakings of a strongsquad and canvassedthe opinion (told us)


won Best Boxer on the night. Success continued when PteLagen knocked out his opponent in 30 seconds, with a blindingleft hook. Victory followed again with Pte Onwuli securing anoverall win for the Battalion. LCpl Tuimereke started strong butdislocated his shoulder and his bout was stopped. Then it wasmy turn but I lost against an Army Individual Champion. (I didgo the distance though and have the bruises and dented prideto prove it.) The final bout of the night also went to 4 Scots butthe triumph was ours. Victorious, we were through to the finalsof the BA(G) Babcock Army Championships and knew wewould be up against it, facing the seasoned team of the 1stPrince of Wales Royal Regiment.Next stop, the long journey to Paderborn and the finals.

Unfortunately 1 PWRR took the first three bouts. LCpl Shepherdand Cfn Barr fought bravely and went the distance but thedecision went in favour of 1 PWRR. I managed to survive for thefirst thirty seconds but when I got to taste three of my ribs froma crushing left hook, my bout was stopped – there wouldappear to be a common theme here. LCpl Matthews turnedthings around again, winning his bout and again achieving bestboxer of the night. Pte Gadsby was stopped in the first round

and Pte Lagen won his fight convincingly, LCpl Franklin and PteOnwuli went the distance but also lost. 2Lt Hodges also wentthe distance showing that milling does have some advantages.Not bad considering he had been drafted in at short notice andhad undergone a 15 day intensive milling beat up.The QM, Major Bloomfield, the Boxing Officer explained that

the results of the first bouts were extremely close but thededication and fitness of the team was fantastic. WO1 (RSM)Biggar made it known to the media that this was the first timethat a REME team had made it to the finals. For a completelynovice team to get that far in boxing is a wonder in itself.As for me, to be part of a team that has taken part in a

competition never to be repeated, as the Army in Germanydraws down. But also to make it to the finals has been anadventure I will never forget. I look forward to carry on boxingand maybe winning a fight. When I get to Scotland I intend tojoin an amateur club. My thanks and appreciation go out toQMSI Murphy for taking us all on this brilliant journey. I wouldalso like to thank all the bosses for releasing us to compete, Ihope we did you proud and to the Commanding Officer – Lt ColGibb for his support throughout.



REME Commando Fam 201525-30 October 2015Hosted by29 Cdo Wksp

For more info or to book contact:Cpl Partridge(: 93784 6099or Chris Drake, Wksp Clk(: 93784 6013

I joined REME in 1979 as a Rec Mech and subsequentlyspent 25 great years attached to many differentregiments, taking the opportunity to complete as manydifferent courses as possible such as AIPT, P-Companyand JSMEL to mention but a few. In the run up to myleaving REME and entering civilian life, I was luckyenough to work with an adventure travel company(World Challenge) delivering expeditions for schoolgroups as an Expedition Leader as well as with the BBCin Ethiopia - which gave me an insight to what work Iwanted to pursue when leaving the services.Since leaving in 2003, my experience and knowledge

have proved invaluable in my role as Training Directorof The Lifesigns Group. This expertise has beeninstrumental in building the capacity and operationalinfrastructure of the business. I have led more than 50overseas expeditions and projects, often in hostile andchallenging environments and am now highly awareand sensitive regardingthe local cultures andcustoms in the countrieswhere The LifesignsGroup have anoperational presence. Ihave qualified as aMountain Leaderamongst many otherNational GoverningBodies (NGB)qualifications andbecome a WildernessEmergency MedicalTechnician (EMT).In addition, I have

worked on severaltelevision programmesincluding, ‘SAS are youtough enough,’ theground breaking ‘HumanPlanet’ series, where Iwas employed as aTechnical Advisorresponsible for the pre-departure planning andtraining of the staff inand outside of the UKand more recently,‘Mission Survive’ with Bear Grylls as the Medic.My military/REME life was the cornerstone to what I now do

and I have found that so many of the skills we take for grantedare relevant and often essential, time after time. As a result ofmy chosen field of work, I have travelled throughout the globetraining journalists and members of the exploration industry.Fitness has also remained a big part of my life and last year I

took part in the Marathon Des Sables (MDS), which tested mephysically and mentally. I am also a keen mountaineer andmountain biker. I am now a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and

regularly teach and lecture on personal security awareness andWilderness First Aid courses to clients including groups andindividual travellers. I also work with High Ground a charitywho, amongst other things, provide support to the Defence

Medical Rehabilitation Service Centre at Headley Court.Comment by the Assistant Scribe: Whilst watching,

‘Mission Survive.’ I spotted Ian dealing with a first aidsituation when Mike Tindall hurt his head and Ithought, ‘Heck, that’s my old Rec Mech Warrant Officerand he hasn’t changed a bit.’ In 2003, when I was theCO at SEME, Ian was a WO1 and the senior Rec Mech. Ithought that, given what he was now doing, it wouldbe interesting to read about his ‘Life after REME – 12years on.’ I was particularly pleased to read how histime in the Corps had given him the foundations for hisnew career.

Life after REMEBy Ian Forbes, former Rec Mech ably assisted by his former CO, John Edwards OBE

12 years on!

In 2012 with daughter, Kerrieanne, reaching Everest BaseCamp, on Ian’s 50th birthday; Kerrieanne was Ian’s

assistant leader on a UCL project with a school to look atthe effects of altitude on young people.

At the water stop, after a long day (90km) of the MDS, trying to get in the shade - temperatures were near

40 degrees and only 40 kilometres to go!

Working as the Medic on Mission Survive with Emilia Lawrence!



Lyneham Telephone Numbers - RHQThe new Lyneham telephone numbers are listed below:Mil Code: 95481 / Civ Code: 01249 89**** followed by extension num-ber:4500 Col REME4502 Corps Adjt4503 Corps ASM4504 COS4505 BSM4506 Bus Sp (Recruit)4507 Bus Sp4508 SO1 DTTCP + Col REME Driver4509 RAJA/RAJA Assistant4510 Col REME Reserves4511 SO1 REME Reserves4512 SO2/SO3/ASM REME Reserves4513 SO2 FTRS4514 C2 Reserve4515 SO2 Pers Ops (Off)4516 SO3 Pers Ops (Offr)4517 SO2 Pers Ops (Sldr)4518 CET4520 Corps Secretary

4521 Asst Corps Sec4522 Welfare WO4523 Welfare Mgr4524 Benevolence/Association4525 CCT Secretary4526 Treasurer4527 Comms Mgr4528 eMedia Mgr4529 The Craftsman/Publications4530 Conference RoomEmails Reminder:The following emails are currently being used for the CommsDept and the Corps Secretariat. Due to the impending move,names have been erased here but will be updated once the rel-evant recruiting has taken [email protected] – Corps [email protected] – Corporate Comms [email protected] – eMedia [email protected] – Editor, The Craftsman [email protected] – Deputy Editor, The [email protected] – Officers Mess [email protected] – REME [email protected] – REME Association Corps [email protected] – REME [email protected] – REME BenevolencePlease ensure the only email you use for submitting articles is: [email protected] which can also be found in every footerof the magazine.

Top Post June 2015

COMMUNICATIONS CORNER…

The REME Shop ClosureArrangements

The REME Shop in Arborfield closed on 24 June 2015. The shopwill continue to run as the ONLINE shop until our new site is readyin Lyneham. Please contact us via :: [email protected] orthrough our fb page: www.facebook.com/REMECORPSSHOP andthe website www.remeshop.org.ukWe will update telephone numbers when they are confirmed.Thank you for all of your support, we will definitely continue to

be here to support you during the whole relocation – we just won’tget to see you until next year!

By John Seddon, Ashford Branch SecretaryOn Wednesday 25 March 2015, 14 membersof the Ashford Branch, REME Association metat the Visitors Centre of the Dungeness PowerStation. Once kitted out with reflective jackets,safety goggles, helmet and ear defenders, wewere ready to start the long walk around thestation. The visit took about two hours andwas very interesting to all.After the visit we regrouped at The PilotRestaurant for a well-earned meal and beer.Many thanks to Mrs Brenda Booth fororganising the visit which everyone enjoyed.


SWD REME Association Donate to North East CharitiesBy Philip Rolfe, Branch President

The representatives of each charity can been seen in the group photograph, in thefront row: Karen Ferguson of NEAS (left) and Zenta Cowan PSP Association (right)

The South West Durham REMEAssociation had the pleasure of donating totwo very worthwhile local charities recently.This years’ chosen charities were the NorthEast Autism Society from Newton Aycliffeand the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)Association from South Tees hospital.

The money raised by members of theREME Association was from sponsoredevents and various raffles held throughoutthe year. The cheques were presented at theAycliffe Scout Hall, which is where theREME Association meets on the lastWednesday of the month.

Karen Ferguson, Head Teacher at AycliffeSchool said, ‘We are extremely grateful to theRoyal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersAssociation for their support, their kinddonation will benefit our students greatly.’

Further information on these charitiescan be obtained from the websites statedbelow: North East Autism Society:http://www.ne-as.org.ukPSP Association: http://www.pspassociation.org.uk

Members of the branch on the steps of Parliament House with the Hon Tony Piccolo (right)

Alan WeeksOn 28 June, the SouthAustralian Branch had a dayout in Adelaide and had atour of the Town Hall andParliament House. The tourconcentrated on thebuildings architecture andsubsequent facelifts over theyears and was veryinformative.Our guide and host for the

visit to Parliament Housewas The Hon Tony Piccolo,MP for Light, (the Gawlerarea where many of ourmembers live). The tour wasvery successful with all of theaccompanying explanationsand referrals to theWestminster system.Afternoon tea was includedand was very well received.Obviously our taxes at work!

‘Stoked’ from South Australia!

to help others

Help the

From the Corps Archivesby Colonel(Retired) Mike Sibbons, Corps Archivist

The Corps Archives, which are located in the REME Museum atArborfield, contain a wealth of information on the Corps’ her-itage. Over the past few months we have received a number ofenquiries, particularly from Australia and Canada, about the ori-gins of the Corps’ Appointment Title ‘Bluebell’ – this article is aplea for information which could help the Museum to solve themystery.

‘Fetch bluebell, over’!As any former member of a regimental or battalion Light AidDetachment will instantly recognise, this was the call on theradio net (usually in the early hours of the morning) to sum-mons REME assistance – but where did this appointment titlefor REME originate from?Appointment titles were devised to avoid disclosing the

nature of a headquarters by referring to specific appointmentssuch as GSO1 or Adjutant. The title designated the senior rep-resentative or appointment holder of the branch of the head-quarters or unit concerned and was not to be qualified in anyway. Examples of British Army appointments are:

Commander SUNRAYAQ Staff or QM MOLARArmour IRONSIDEAviation HAWKEYEArtillery SHELDRAKEEngineers HOLDFASTNBC BOXWOODInfantry FOXHOUNDIntelligence ACORNMedical STARLIGHTOrdnance RICKSHAWProvost WATCHDOGMaintenance BLUEBELLSignals PRONTOTransport PLAYTIME

To indicate junior appointments, ‘minor’ was added eg SUN-RAY minor - the 2IC. Later more unofficial contemporary titlesappeared (eg SKYPILOT for the Padre and even, for ‘otherhalves’ - wives or husbands, Sunray minor or Domestic Chief ofStaff!)In June 1984 voice procedure was revised, significantly, and,

with one exception, Appointment Titles were no longer autho-rised for use on Army single service radio nets. The exceptionto this rule was SUNRAY, which could be qualified only by

‘minor’ (to refer to the 2IC) and ‘my’ or ‘your’. From this date on,when a caller needed to speak to a specific person who maynot be manning the radio (eg the LAD commander), the pro-word ‘fetch’ together with the callsign was used (eg if the COwanted to speak to his EME the call would be ‘hello 98 this is 9fetch SUNRAY over’).So where does ‘bluebell’ originate from. A quick glance at the

dictionary shows bluebell as:

The common bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, is aspring flowering bulbous perennial. The non-scripta part ofthe botanical names means ‘unlettered’ or ‘unmarked’ andwas intended to distinguish this plant from the classicalhyacinth of Greek mythology. This mythical flower sprangup from the blood of the dying prince Hyacinthus. Hislover shed tears that marked the new flower’s petals withthe letters ‘AIAI’ (‘alas’) as a sign of grief. Other names forthe common bluebell include auld man’s bell, calverkeys,culverkeys, jacinth, ring-o’-bells, wilde hyacint, and woodbells. No clue there then?!?My only other source for the possible origins of the

Appointment Title ‘Bluebell’ came in 1968 when I was anOfficer Cadet. Being the only person in my platoon joiningthe Corps and being slightly embarrassed at the time aboutthe title, I asked the ‘old sweat’ Royal Signals Sgt Instructor(PRONTO!), who was taking us for voice procedure, whyREME was named after a flower! He growled that theAppointment Title ‘Bluebell’ came into being in 1942 whenthe Corps of REME was formed – the War Office wasscratching around for an appropriate appointment title for‘Maintenance’ and deemed that, because we were ‘new,bright and shiny’, we would be named after ‘Bluebell Polish’which was used by soldiers at the time to clean theirbrasses (similar to ‘Brasso’)? He punctuated his explana-tion with the statement ‘you had better get to grips withyour history, Sir, before you are commissioned and join yourfirst unit, or the RSM will have your ‘guts for garters!’

So there we have it – a possible definition. However, is it cor-rect. Now over to you? If you know the origins of the Appoint-ment Title ‘Bluebell’ and can provide us with, or point us to, theevidence to back it up to complete the history on this saga –the REME Museum will reward you!(If you know the history of the Appointment Title ‘Bluebell’,

please contact the Corps Archivist ( 0118 9763469; military:94251 2469; or email: [email protected] . Thefirst person to provide the answer, with the evidence to supportit, will be both mentioned in ‘The Craftsman’ and awarded withMuseum free entry for life in the form of a REME Museum Life-time Admissions Card (the gold card).

The following article, first published in The Craftsman in April 2011, explains the significance of the bluebell, hence the request (on page 383 of this magazine) for volunteers to plant bluebells.

382 [email protected] The new REME Institution Blue Book is currently being produced. Please ensure your details are correct.

‘Sibbo’ Returns to theBuilding for One Last Time (?)In recognition for his outstanding work as the Corps Archivist, ColMike Sibbons was the guest of honour at a Library Lunch at West

Court Officers’Mess hosted by theMG REME, Lt GenAndrew FigguresCB CBE. Mike’scontributions toThe Craftsman withhis articles, ‘Fromthe Corps Archives…’ were a greatread and remindedthe Corps about itsheritage. MGpresented Mikewith acompendium ofthose articles,which Mikethought would be aterrific reminder ofhis time at theREME Museum.

Mike was accompanied by his wife Tessa, who over the years, hadpainstakingly ‘edited’ Mike’s input to The Craftsman.Our reader can discover more details about Mike by reading the

article, “Sibbo’ has left the building!’ in the November 2014 edition,page 531.

By Lt Col (Retd) John Edwards OBE

MG REME presents Mrs Tessa Sibbons with a bouquet of flowers

MG REME presents ‘Sibbo’ with a boundcollect of his articles in The Craftsman

14431924 Sgt Derek Wood MBE with interviewer, 502412 Lt Col(Retd) John Edwards OBE. With the museum in the throes of pack-ing up, the interview was conducted in the quiet and closed area of

the shop; the boxes in the background are full of packed awayshop stock just waiting to be shipped to Lyneham.

WO2 (AQMS) Rich Ward serving with 133 Fd Coy, 103 Bn REMEbrought to the museum’s attention a VM from 1942, 14431924 SgtDerek Wood, who just happened to be a friend of Rich’s father in lawand asked if we would be interested in recording Derek’s oral history– we were, and we did. Our reader will have to wait until late 2016and then come to the museum in Lyneham to listen to Derek’sinteresting career in the Corps. But as an appetiser:Derek enlisted in November 1942, as a VM at the Aldershot

Recruitment Centre (which still exists) and was demobbed fromGhana, formerly the Gold Coast in May 1947. When asked about histime in REME, he says, ‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!’He received his MBE in the 2013 New Years’ Honours List for

services to the Farnborough community; now come to the museumnext year to hear the rest of Derek’s story. The REME Museum wants to hear your story; we want to have oral

histories in our archives, so please get in touch: ::[email protected]

Another Oral History for the REMEMuseum – 14431924 Sgt Derek WoodMBE

MUSEUM MATTERS


CALLING ALL BLUEBELLS! WHY BLUEBELLS?Following the refurbishment of the REME Memorial, the final step is the plantingof 10,000 bluebell bulbs in the woods backing on to the memorial. The plantingwill be carried out on 23 September 2015, commencing at 1000 hrs.Any member of the Corps, past and present, who would like to assist with

this task are asked to contact: Hayley Bodman on : REME [email protected] : 01189763219 orRichard Barber on : REME [email protected] : 01189763219Please bring a shovel if you have one. Refreshments and lunch will be pro-

vided.

The significance of the bluebell is the subject of thearticle on page 183 of the April 2011 edition, whichwas written by Colonel (Retired) Mike Sibbons, (then)Corps Archivist and offers some explanation andrequests definitive clarification:

‘Fetch bluebell, over’!As any former member of a regimental or battalion

Light Aid Detachment will instantly recognise, this wasthe call on the radio net (usually in the early hours ofthe morning) to summons REME assistance – butwhere did this appointment title for REME originatefrom?


ObituariesMAJOR (RETD)

D E L HOMARD (ROY)By Stephen Haddelsey FRGS

(Author of Shackleton’s Dream: Fuchs, Hillaryand The Crossing of Antarctica)

Major DEL ‘Roy’ Homard, who died on 20 May, aged 94, was anarmy engineer who played a critical role in two of the most signif-icant British polar expeditions of the post-war era. He was also oneof just 45 individuals to be awarded the Polar Medal with bothArctic and Antarctic clasps1. Desmond Edgar Lemuel Homard was born in Dover on 18 Jan-

uary 1921, but spent his childhood in Sheerness, where he lived invery modest circumstances with his mother and father – a disabledformer bicycle repair mechanic – and four siblings. Watching thedaily trudge of the workers of Sheerness to and from the localdockyards swiftly determined the young Homard to seek a careerthat might lead to a more adventurous life. With this in mind, in1936, after brief periods with the Co-op and with Short Brothers ofRochester, he accepted a place at the Army Technical School atChepstow. It was at Chepstow that he earnedthe nickname ‘Romancer’ on account of his ten-dency to sit on his bunk and dream of distantshores. His peers subsequently abbreviated‘Romancer’ to ‘Roy’, a name used thereafter byall but his closest family.Shortly after the declaration of war on 3 Sep-

tember 1939, Homard proceeded to France asa Royal Army Ordnance Corps fitter, attachedto the 4th Battalion, the Royal Tank Regiment.He thoroughly enjoyed his time with the BritishExpeditionary Force and was bitterly disap-pointed to be sent home after his father wrote tothe Under Secretary of State for War to com-plain that he was below the required age foroverseas service. Following a spell with a homeCoastal Defence Maintenance Unit, in 1942Homard received a posting to North Africa as asergeant in the newly-formed Corps of RoyalElectrical and Mechanical Engineers. He thenserved in Egypt, Sicily, Italy and, finally – as aStaff Sergeant Artificer (Weapons) – in Austriaas part of the Allied force of occupation. Duringa period of leave in England, Homard marriedVicky Jones, only to lose his wife to tubercular meningitis within ayear of their wedding.With the cessation of hostilities, Homard transferred from

weapon to vehicle maintenance and, following his wife’s untimelydeath, he moved to postings in China’s New Territories, in Eng-land and in Germany. In 1950, now promoted to Warrant Officer,he married for the second time, to Enid Allison, who would remainhis companion until her death in 2009.It was while serving in Germany that Homard applied to join,

for its second year, Commander Jim Simpson’s British NorthGreenland Expedition (BNGE) of 1952-54. This expedition,which had been designed to give its military personnel experienceof living and travelling in Arctic conditions and to undertake anextensive programme of glaciology, meteorology, seismology andgeology, had sailed from England to Young Sund on the northeastcoast of Greenland in July 1952; from there RAF Short Sunder-land flying boats had transferred the twenty-five-strong team to theglacial Britannia Sø, where they set up their base camp. Finally,Simpson had led a dog-sled team 230 miles west onto the centralice plateau to establish ‘North Ice’, the expedition’s inlandresearch station. Replacing another REME engineer who had signed-up for just

one year, Homard’s job was to maintain the expedition’s fourStudebaker Weasel tracked vehicles, which were intended primarilyfor the completion of gravimetric work and seismology. AlthoughWeasels had previously been used by the Norwegians in Finnmarktowards the end of the war and by Paul-Émile Victor’s FrenchGreenland Expedition of 1949-51, they had a poor reputation andtheir selection was based solely upon the lack of any suitable alter-native. Leaking radiators, seized gearboxes and broken suspen-

sions constantly demanded attention and twice Homard only nar-rowly avoided disaster, once when he sustained carbon monoxidepoisoning and, on another, when he was set alight by ignitingpetrol fumes. The struggles which he faced in keeping the vehiclesserviceable and his ingenuity and determination in achieving thisend would become the hallmarks of his service in the polarregions.The BNGE was one of the largest and most complex British

expeditions to the Arctic for many years and its results wereimpressive. The surveyors, glaciologists, meteorologists, physiolo-gists and geologists working at the base camp, at North Ice and onjourneys throughout Dronning Louise Land all completed exten-sive research in their respective fields and much experience wasgained in polar travel. Only the Seismic Weasel team – for whichHomard was vehicle engineer – produced disappointing results,but these were due to geological conditions and not to any failingsin men or equipment.Like so many both before and after him, ‘Romancer’ Homard

found that polar exploration possessed an almost irresistible allure.When, in 1955, Vivian ‘Bunny’ Fuchs announced his intention toprosecute the first surface crossing of Antarctica, Homard imme-

diately volunteered. Indeed, so great was hisdetermination to join that, when standingbefore the Queen to receive his Polar Medal forhis part in the BNGE, he asked the monarch tosupport his application! Homard’s recent experiences made him an

ideal candidate for an expedition which wouldbe entirely dependent upon motor vehicles forthe attainment of its goals and he served withboth the eight-man Advance Party, whichreached Antarctica in January 1956 and themain Crossing Party, which traversed the 2,000miles between the Filchner Ice Shelf andMcMurdo Sound between November 1957 andMarch 1958. During the crossing, the vehicles –which included a Canadian-built Muskeg trac-tor, more decrepit Weasels and four Tucker Sno-cats – repeatedly fell into crevasses and onlythrough the ingenuity of Homard and the sen-ior engineer, David Pratt, were they recoveredand kept serviceable. The Weasels and theMuskeg were all abandoned according toFuchs’s plan and the party finally reached itsdestination aboard the four Sno-Cats which, by

the end of the journey, were held together, quite literally, withbaulks of timber and lengths of rope. Following his return to Britain, Homard re-joined the Royal

Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Granted a short servicecommission in October 1960, he served in administrative andtraining capacities, until he left the army, with the rank of major,in 1972. Thereafter, he worked with Marconi Elliott Avionics and asa procurement executive with the engineering branch of the Min-istry of Defence. He retired in 1985 and for the remaining thirtyyears of his life devoted himself to gardening and to charitablework, remaining in regular contact with many of the men withwhom he had shared his polar adventures.Slight of build and with an occasionally prickly personality,

Homard nonetheless became an absolutely integral member of theArctic and Antarctic expeditions in which he took part and theeventual success of the TAE, in particular, was in no small part dueto the combination of practical ability, imagination and tenacity ofthis remarkable engineer. 1 Awards of the Polar Medal include combined clasps. Data supplied by

Glenn M. Stein FRGS

WO2 (AQMS) SCOTT GEORGECREIGHTON

WO2 (AQMS) Scott George Creighton (38), a husband to Vickiand a father of two young boys, Callum (eight) and Jayden (six),died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism in Lincoln County Hos-pital on 20 May, after falling ill a few weeks before. Always a high flyer, Scott was named ‘Best Recruit’ in basic


training and worked up the Army’s ranks, becoming an ArtificerElectronics. Scott was a Control Equipment Technician (ECE)when he first completed trade training, a trade that allowed him touse his intelligence and natural problem solving abilities. Scott wasworking for DE&S at RAF Waddington and was about to move to8 Bn REME for his next challenging job, where without doubt, hewould have been selected for promotion to WO1 (ASM) during histour of duty in Lyneham.Scott had the privilege of serving with and enhancing the follow-

ing units: The Household Cavalry Regiment, Windsor; The LightDragoons, Norfolk; DE&S Bristol; 39 Regiment Royal Artillery,Newcastle and DE&S at RAF Waddington, Lincoln. During his time within the Corps, Scott deployed on operations

to Bosnia and Iraq (twice) also on numerous large foreign exer-cises. Scott was equally at home on the prairie of Canada’sBATUS training area or behind a desk in Abbeywood. Scott wasthe epitome of the Corps ethos ‘Soldier first, Tradesman always,’gaining recognition for both his military ability and his technicalknowledge. He was awarded a 2* commendation for his work atDE&S, ensuring thousands of dismounted soldiers were properlyequipped with the equipment they needed on operations aroundthe globe.Scott worked extremely hard outside of work, helping people

through the charity work that he carried out. He was always look-ing for the next mental and physical challenge, whether this berunning, climbing, cycling or entering a ridiculously toughendurance event such as Tough Mudder or Rat Race. Scott wantedto further himself and soughtout opportunities at everyturn; he was studying hard forhis MSc in programme man-agement at Cranfield Univer-sity. His wife Vicki describedhim as ‘The most geekiest,most intelligent, beautiful mane v e r , w h o w a s g o o d a tabsolutely everything, exceptgolf and drill!’ and anyonewho knew Scott, knows thather words are truly accurate.Scott was generous with not

only time but also his friend-ship. He would give anybodyhis last penny or the clothes offhis back and loved all hisfriends and family uncondi-tionally. He would give up histime to help a friend in need,as he often did on his Artificercourse, even if that meant having to do his own work late in to theevening. Scott had the ability to remain calm under pressure andconstantly produce work to the highest standards.Scott has done an amazing job of giving his boys the tools they

need to grow into perfect young men, just like their Dad. I knowthat Scott would be very proud of the men they will become andthey will be every bit the success that their Dad was, regardless oftheir chosen professions.To summarise Scott’s attitude on life, the following statement

describes the way in which he carried out every task given to himand the code to which he performed; ‘Fundamental to the code ofcraftsmanship is the desire to do something well for its own sake. A truecraftsman will work until the job is done and done well, even if he’s work-ing for free.’ Well, Honorable Craftsman, rest easy your task is doneand has been done extremely well!Arte et Marte

MAJ (RETD) RW PETHERICKBy Maj Gen M L Wildman CBE

It is with regret that I have to report the death of Bob Petherick athis home in Johannesburg South Africa last October. Bob wasfourteen when he joined up to serve in the British Army as a boysoldier. He served the first three years as an apprentice beforeenlisting in REME in 1947 as a vehicle mechanic and spent 40years in uniform, rising to the rank of WO1 before being commis-sioned in 1966. But it was as a young man of 19 years when he firstset foot in Africa by being posted to Kenya that he discovered thebeauty of the country. During his long military career he spentmany year s in S ingapore ,Cyprus, Germany and Eng-land. He proved to be an excel-lent leader of men and a mostable engineer, applying his wideexperience and knowledge togood effect. He had a firm buteasy going style and was wellrespected by all ranks. Follow-ing his time in uniform heretired from the Army in therank of major in 1984.He loved to entertain people

with his many interesting talesand his love of reading, poetryand music was a large part ofhis life. He had during his timebeen involved in sports, was afootball referee, involved with boxing as a judge, played competi-tive darts and was a great rugby fan, however his real passion wascricket. I first met Bob in 1976 when we served together in Germany in

6 Field Workshop REME. I was a brash 28 year old REME captainand he was a wise old engineer, commanding a group of civilianmechanics attached to the unit. Not only was he a calming influ-ence on impetuous youth but he was a great social asset and heand his wife Gwyn made a great team, entering into the spirit ofall activities. Despite the difference in our age we became goodfriends.I was delighted for him when he retired to Gwyn’s beloved

South Africa and we met again when I was Defence Adviser to theBritish High Commissioner in Pretoria. Our friendship has contin-ued right to the present day and we met frequently when he cameto stay at our house at Glen Afric, near Johannesburg.Bob was a great servant to his Queen, country and the Corps of

REME. He was also a dedicated family man and devoted husband.He is survived by his wife Gwyn, children Roberta, Alex andCarol, his sister Mabel and grandchildren Luke, Lucy, Yasmin,Danny and Joe. He will be sorely missed by all.

MAJ (RETD) RRE BEADLE (RAY)It is with great sadness that I report the death of Raymond Beadle,who died on 20 May 2015, aged 83. In 1947, he enlisted intoREME and as a very young Sergeant attended an Artificer VehiclesCourse. He served in Egypt andTripoli as well as many postings inBAOR. Ray met Dorothy in 1960and they married in January 1961.In 1965, Ray was posted to Singa-pore and was later commissioned in1969. He then served for 22 monthsin Northern Ireland.The family moved to BAOR in

1973 and returned to UK, with aposting to Woolwich in 1980. Rayretired from the Army in 1987.He w i l l be s ad ly mi s sed by

Dorothy, his two sons Trevor andRichard and their wives Sue andShannon, as well as his three grand-children, Megan, Thomas and Jes-sica.

PAUL – Maj (Retd) Rodney David John Paul (Rod) died 23 June2015, of a heart attack aged 75. Dates of Commissioned Service:1980-1994.TAYLOR – Col (Retd) L B Taylor, died 24 July 2015, of lung andprostate cancer, aged 84. Dates of Commissioned Service: 1954-1983.RALFE – Maj (Retd) Colin Ralfe died 1 May 2015, of cancer,aged 71. Dates of Commissioned Service: 1963-1980.

Death Notices

Be recognisedfor your professionalismand expertise

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07/03/2014 13:57 Page 1


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ART WPNWO2 BULL SWO2 RUSSELL KWO2 RYDING CLWO2 SMITH SG

TS SPECWO2 KIPLING CHHWO2 RISEBOROUGH GD

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ART AVSSGT KINGMAN DSSGT MANNEVILLE LKSSGT MCCARTHY PLSSGT PARSONS SASSGT SCRIVEN IASSGT SMITH PDSSGT SMITH AE

ART ELECSSGT BONE CSSGT CHALMERS KASSGT KELTIE KSSGT NOLAN DJSSGT SMITH DESSGT STEWART JCSSGT TAYLOR C

ART VEHSSGT BLYTH CASSGT BRENNAN BKSSGT CHEETHAM CASSGT COLEMAN JSSGT COLLENETTE MJ

SSGT CROSS DGESSGT EDWARDS RJASSGT GERNON ADSSGT GUNN BSSGT HOLDER PSSSGT IRWIN AGSSGT JACKSON DGSSGT MCDONALD OJSSGT MIDGLEY HCSSGT PINNER MJSSGT PROCTOR ADSSGT RADFORD CSSGT RUVINO ERA

SSGT SCOTT SASSGT SELBY RISSGT SHEPHERD PDSSGT SIMPSON PGSSGT SMILLIE CMSSGT SMITH PSSGT STEARMAN BMSSGT THORNTON GRSSGT WEST CASSGT WYTHE WB

ART WPNSSGT CLARKE TJSSGT COOPER SDSSGT RIDDY KMSSGT STOGDON MRSSGT WRIGHT PD

TECH ELECTSSGT HOLT JPSSGT KEMSLEY TD

TS SPECSSGT BROGDEN SESSGT HACK SP

TO BE SSGTREC MECHSGT BLACKIE AWSGT HARDY RJSGT JONES SGSGT RICHARDSON LTSGT SIEMINSKI CASGT THOMAS S

TECH ACSGT HEAP SLSGT NICHOLS MA

TECH AVSGT HUGHES RR

TS SPECSGT HEWITT KA

VMSGT ANDERSON SSGT CAIRNS GJSGT COVENTRY SCSGT PERRY NR

TO BE SGTARMRCPL HUGHES EPCPL MELLOR SCCPL MORRIS-JONES AJCPL PATRICK KA

TECH ACCPL BROWN SCPL DOLAN LHCPL GORE GPCPL GREUBEL DSCPL JACKSON DECPL LEACH BSCPL NEENAN DSCPL ORMEROD MRCPL POPLE WJCPL STEER ATCPL TOPPING JECPL WHITE RJCPL WHITE GD

TECH AVCPL CONSTANCE RDGCPL MILLS MJCPL MORRIS MTCPL MUNSON DRCPL PARTLOW JACPL RHODES CT

TECH ELECTCPL BARON CRICPL COATES JPCPL CROZIER SCPL FEATHER DACPL HOOSON GTCPL MASSHEDAR EJCPL NEVISON GCCPL WOODMAN JW

TS SPECCPL EATOUGH TDCPL OPPONG GKCPL OSBORN CDCPL SHIELS DS

VMCPL BAILEY PGCPL BLACKBURN MCPL CARTER MSCPL GRIFFITHS PCPL HIGH AJCPL HIND ARCPL HONOUR RCPL MACLEAN MACPL RATU NVCPL SCOTT AJCPL STEWART DACPL SUNWAR TGCPL THOMSON SACPL WARENYCIA RPCPL WATSON SWCPL WITTS AK

TO BE CPLARMRLCPL DEACON CJLCPL PHILLIPS CJPLCPL RIDGE S

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Promotions

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Corps and GarrisonChurch of St Eligius

Farewell Concert on Thursday17 September 2015 at 1900 hrsThe Choir of The Royal Memorial Chapel,

Sandhurst with Peter Beaven,Director of Music and Simon Dinsdale,

Sub-OrganistAdmission free, to include interval refreshmentsThis will be the last concert at St Eligius

Church as a military churchTo secure your seat and refreshments,

book early by contactingRita Le Var (: 01252 372320:: [email protected]

Corps and Garrison Church of St. Eligius

Concert for August20 August 2015Violin Duet Recital

Harry White and Tom BalchAdmission free, to include buffet lunch.

To book your lunch, please contactRita Le Var (: 01252 372320: [email protected]

REME BENEVOLENT FUNDThe Trustees of the REME Benevolent Fund acknowledge with sin-cere thanks the donations received during the month of May 2015.They also wish to acknowledge the regular subscriptions receivedfrom the Officers and Soldiers in the Corps and retired members ofthe REME Institution:DonationsSt Eligius Church concert, February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200.00REME Corps Engagement Team - collection box . . . . . . . . . .153.79St Eligius Church concert, May 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.00Christopher Gouldsmith (Run Goldie Run) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75.00Mrs Lorraine Barclay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50.00J Hukings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30.00Mr RW Brocklehurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25.00Collection Box, REME Museum, Aborfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.84Grants MadeSince 1 January 2015, 205 applications for financial assistance havebeen received. The Executive Committee has authorised grantstotalling £100,900.04, which is an average grant of £492.20.

If you would like to see how your money is spent we welcomeone or two observers at the Benevolent Fund meetings. Themeetings are held midweek, approximately every three weeks, ifyou would like to observe a meeting please contact the Ben FundSecretary ( Mil: 94251 2219 Civ: 0118 9763219 in the firstinstance.

Anyone wishing to leave a legacy to the REME Benevolent Fund, which is exempt from inheritance tax, can add a codicil

to their will. Our registered charity number is 246967

AugustLieutenant ColonelD S Anders-Brown SO1 Eqpt Ops Comd DE&S 01 Aug 15R Kolczak Apache Eng DE&S 03 Aug 15G Ritson SO2 Core Acq DE&S 17 Aug 15A J Rogers CO 5 Bn REME 01 Aug 15MajorK F Badham-Thornhill SO2 Org Pol CSS Cap Int Org ES 17 Aug 15 K Beaumont SO2 Offr Trg DSEME Lyneham 14 Aug 15S J Bharat SENGO HQ JSFAW 10 Aug 15G T Booth SPSO Col REME 14 Aug 15D S Buchanan SO2 APC CM CSS 14 Aug 15M P Cary Army Req Man ABW 17 Aug 15D Finner SO2 COML MAT DE&S 17 Aug 15A S Gough BG ES Safety Supvr BATUS 01 Aug 15A J King SO2 CSS Land ES 17 Aug 15R E Larder 8 Fd Coy (Para) 7 AA Bn REME 01 Aug 15 M R Leach 2IC CP Ops 3 CS Bn REME 31 Aug 15S N Letts OC 73 Avn Coy 7 AA Bn REME 10 Aug 15A Lowe Req Manager DE&S 16 Aug 15C J Maitland SO2 TUAS AEO HQ 1 ISR Bde 17 Aug 15K J Miles Ex Offr CD CSS 20 Aug 15C Redburn Ops Eng Offr 5 Bn REME 24 Aug 15R M Sands OA Eng3 DSA MAA 24 Aug 15T S Sekhon Trg Comd ATFC(W) 24 Aug 15D A Simpson Trg Offr 106 Bn REME 17 Aug 15J V O Wallace SO2 ES Ops Sp Logs Infra Div 03 Aug 15J T Wooldridge Lynx Eng Del Core Acq DE&S 17 Aug 15CaptainM T Bourton OC 21 Sig Regt LAD REME 01 Aug 15R B Brook 2IC 1 Regt AAC Wksp REME 01 Aug 15A J M Davidson OC 4 Regt RLC LAD REME 03 Aug 15P G Douthwaite MTO RSO 6 Armd CS Bn REME 01 Aug 15R S Grewal SO3 CORE Acq ISS Mech DE&S 10 Aug 15P J Isitt Ops Offr 7 AA Bn REME 01 Aug 15A C Johnson OC 7 Regt RLC LAD REME 01 Aug 15T R Kent OC HQ 22 Sig Regt LAD REME 01 Aug 15PJ McIver OC LAD 21 Engr Regt LAD REME 01 Aug 15A D Muirhead Ops Offr 2 Bn REME 01 Aug 15P L O’Brien OC 2 Signal Regt LAD REME 01 Aug 15LieutenantJ S Hunjan ISDO Student DTOEES Taurus 07 Aug 15M H C McLean Offr Recruiting Col REME 31 Aug 15C M Mumby ISDO Student DTOEES Thunder 07 Aug 15D Thompson Pl Comd Res ATC(P) 1 Regt 31 Aug 15A E L West Pl Comd D Coy DSEME Lyneham 31 Aug 15

Officer Assignments

Battlefield Tours(Prices based on 40 travelling via Dover)

Ypres Passchendaele The Somme CambraiDunkirk Normandy Arnhem

3 days from £165 4 days from £215

Galina International Battlefield Tours16 Bridge Street Row Chester CH1 1NQTel: 01244 340777Web: www.wartours.comTwitter @WarTours.com ABTA No. Y4466


15 June 2015REGULAR ARMY

Intermediate Regular Commissions (Late Entry)WO1 Stephen Charles CONNOR 25036747 to be Capt 5 May2015 WO1 Graham Stephen CHIGNELL 25069018 to be Capt 5 May2015WO1 Paul Geoffrey FINCH 25027006 to be Capt 5 May 2015


Regular CommissionsLt Col JR CLARKE 529476 retires 8 April 2015Lt Col PD SOMERVILLE 540067 retires 26 April 2015Maj QS CURRAN 549498 retires 13 April 2015Maj MS LAWRENCE 540056 retires 18 April 2015Regular Commissions (Late Entry)Lt Col P WOOLNOUGH 548678 retires 8 April 2015Maj CM CARLING 550447 retires 2 March 2015Maj DA HODGSON MBE 548668 retires 5 April 2015Capt PG REYNOLDS 25005970 from Intermediate RegularCommission (Late Entry)6 November 2014 to be Capt with seniority 20 April 2009 (Be-lated Entry)Intermediate Regular Commissions (Late Entry)Maj DK TOLLEY 559472 retires 5 February 2015Maj GM SOWERBY 561264 retires 1 March 2015Capt CL TOMMONY 24869729 retires 30 April 2015Short Service CommissionsCapt N CLARKE 25220814 retires 14 April 2015


PromotionsCommands and StaffThe undermentioned Colonels to be Brigadiers 30 June2015 with seniority 30 June 2015DJ EASTMAN MBE Late REME 531461SP HAMILTON OBE Late REME 543296The undermentioned Lieutenant Colonels to be Colonels 30June 2015 with seniority 30 June 2015MJA BULLARD MBE 531001SB CROSSFIELD 538949SP FITZGIBBON 515973ERB HEAL OBE 528889NST THEAKSTON 529577The undermentioned Majors to be Lieutenant Colonels 30June 2015 with seniority 30 June 2015CA ACKROYD 547244DS ANDERS-BROWN 549959DD BRAYSHAY 548137SR BRIDGES 527779SJB CASEY 533937PA CUMMINGS 553245MJ EDWARDS 542679AI EVANS 545948DE HALL 539570CS IRELAND 545982R KOLCZAK 541132AH MCGREADY 544367D PARIS 552450TJ STRATTION-BROWN 544424RI WILLIAMS 550845

ARMY RESERVE GROUP A WO1 Joseph James LEE 24652104 to be Capt 13 April 2015

6 July 2015REGULAR ARMY

Regular CommissionsCapt RM ASHTON 25174502 from Intermediate Regular Com-mission 6 November 2014 to be Capt with seniority 9 February2011 (Belated Entry)

Regular Commissions (Late Entry)Capt R COWAN 24743453 from Intermediate Regular Commis-sion (Late Entry) 6 November 2014 to be Capt with seniority 26August 2008 (Belated Entry)

3 July 2015HONOURS AND AWARDSMINISTRY OF DEFENCE

The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to give orders for thepublication of the names of the following as having been Men-tioned in Despatches, Commended for Bravery or Commendedfor Valuable Service in recognition of gallant and distinguishedservices in Afghanistan during the period 1 July 2014 to 31 De-cember 2014:QUEEN’S COMMENDATION FOR BRAVERYW1053118 Corporal Ruth MATUSKA.QUEEN’S COMMENDATION FOR VALUABLE SERVICE540729 Lt Col Andrew Roland THORNE

Extracts from theLondon Gazette

18-20 SEPTEMBER 2015To be held at Beachley Barracks/Chepstow Racecourse

All Ex Beachley Boys and Staff, together with partners arewelcome. For further information please visit our website:www.armyapprenticescollege.homestead.com or contact:Reunion Secretary: Mr Peter Burridge (: 01305835989 or 07716405587 : [email protected]

8 REGT RASC / RCT / RLC14th ANNIVERSARY REUNION DINNER

Date: Saturday 24 October 2015Venue: The Village on the Green Club, Aspull, Wigan

Open to all former members of 8 Regt RASC, regardless ofcap badge, who served in the regiment during the period:

October 1964 - July 2012For further info contact: Jimmy Aspinall

: [email protected] or David Southall : [email protected]

CORPS SGTS’ MESS 1ST LYNEHAMAUTUMN DINNER NIGHT

20 November 2015The evening will commence at 1830 hrs until 0300 hrs withentertainment. Event costs £25 plus an accommodationcharge of £5.05, if any is available. The closing date for

bookings is Friday 6 November 2015.Transport will be available within the local area.

For further information, contact WO2 (AQMS) Raymond Olive on: Arborfield

Mil: 94251 2304 Civil: 0118 9763304 (these numbers will change upon moving to Lyneham) Email:[email protected]

NOTICESBEACHLEY OLD BOYS’

ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REUNION

For Salefrom Bordon Officers MessSnooker/Billiard Table complete with overhead lightwith spectators side bench and accessories included -£500 ono. Will need to be dismantled before carriage

away (buyer responsibility)POC: Maj M Kirchel on (: 94 215 5901

or Maj J Rix (: 94291 5609 : [email protected]


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THE CRA TSMAN - REME Museum up this summer: ... The project, whose aim is to reach ... was showcased...

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Transcript of THE CRA TSMAN - REME Museum up this summer: ... The project, whose aim is to reach ... was showcased...