the craftsman - reme museum · 2020-01-17 · reme helped me gain confidence in my abilities as an...

August 2019

Magazine of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

THE CRAFTSMAN

338 [email protected]

ContentsFEATURES

Excellence in REME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342

Flags of Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346

A Cracking Reunion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347

RHQ REME Visit to Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348

The Inaugural REME Engineering Awards Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Regen 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362

Canadian Exchange Programme Long Look 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364

24 Hour Swim for Charity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370

President’s Commendation for Former WO1 (ASM) Geoffrey Culverhouse . . . . . . .378

REGULARS

What’s the Corps been up to online? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345

Course Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358

REME Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378

Corps Orders; Officer Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380

London Gazette; Death Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381

The REME Charity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382

Corps Calendar 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383

SPORT

Army Fencing Championships 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

REME Boxing Championships 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368

Chippenham’s Strongest Man 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371

Introducing MTB Enduro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372

Army Motorcycle Road Race Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375

British Touring Car Championship 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376

OPERATIONS AND EXERCISES

Exercise MERCURY EAGLE - Battlefield Study in Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351

Op HUSKY – Battlefield Study in Sicily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354

Exercise ARMY CRAFTSMAN 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356

AUGUST 2019 Volume 75 No. 8

Corps Formation: 1 October 1942

Corps Motto: Arte et Marte

Corps Patron Saint: St Eligius

(Celebrated 1st Sunday in December)

Editor: Katy Walton+ Corporate Publications Editor,RHQ REME, The Prince Philip Barracks, Lyneham, CHIPPENHAM, SN15 4XX [email protected] (preferred method)

(Mil: 95481 4529 Civ: 01249 894529

SUBMITTING ARTICLES TEXT: should be submitted in MS Word and namesaved as per the article. No formatting, columns, powerpoint etc. Articles to be cleared by CO/OC/EME orappropriate REME CoC, or nominated substitute andshould be submitted as soon as possible.PHOTOGRAPHS: MUST be submitted separately, injpeg format and be at least 500kb preferably 1mb ormore. Only photos over 3mb can be considered for thefront/back covers and please remember captions.FILESHARE:websites, such as dropbox are ideal forsubmitting larger files.EMAIL: The ONLY email address which should be usedis: [email protected]. Not DII. Pleaseuse the article title not ‘Craftsman Article’ as the emailtitle.TIMINGS: The latest submission date is the first day ofthe month prior to publication. This does not guaranteethe article will be published in that specific edition.

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 RHQ REME. Funded by The REMECharity. www.remecharity.org.

Advertising All communications

regarding commercial advertising

rates should be made direct to the

Editor.

Sustainably produced by an EMAS

and ISO14001 accredited printer.

Greenhouse Graphics Limited,Hampshire. ( 01256 880770.www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk

© Crown Copyright

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

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phic

s.co.

uk

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204gms

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Producing

this item used

Front Cover:Major Mark Foster

looking where he wantsto go next during an MTBEnduro race. Read the full

article on page 372.

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Before submitting an article you are requested to read the guidelines on the inside front cover 339

356

362

347A CrackingReunion

359The Inaugural

REME EngineeringAwards Ceremony

346

368

342Excellence inREME35

1


Key:

RHQ REME

Operations

Exercises

Other

REME Global Reach IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

In our newest feature we highlight theglobal reach of REME personnel, whetherit be on operations, exercises or any other challenge set before them.

LCpl Wilson 43 HQ & Sp Sqn,170 (Infra Sp) Engr Gp, 8 Engr

Bde is deployed on ExSAILFISH in Belize. During theexercise he was part of a teamtasked to deliver a communityengagement project on behalf

of Comd BATSUB.

Ex SAILFISH – Belize

662 ES Platoon have nowconducted a RiP with 663 ES

Platoon on Op CABRIT.Throughout June, they

supported Ex IRON WOLF andJEF(M) whilst dealing withcomplex engineering

challenges such as facilitating Theatre Familiarisation Training, Level3 maintenance, an increased flying rate and implementing thefailsafe collar modification to the Apache main rotor strap packs.These exercises

spanned Estonia, Latvia,Lithuania and Poland

and involved support to aGerman formation.

Op CABRIT – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

Members of 71 Coy, 7 Avn Sp Bn RE Croatia on Ex SWIFT RESPONSE. They a support to 4 Regt AAC who have depl

conduct destroy missions with a variety Wildcat, Tiger (French) and

Ex SWIFT RESPONSE –


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GET INTOUCH

Where in the world are you keepingthe punch in the Army’s fist?

Phone: (Mil) 95481 4528/ (Civ) 01249 894528Email: [email protected]: facebook.com/REMECorpsTwitter: @Official_REMEInstagram: @REME_Official

#TravelTuesdayKeep an eye on our social media channels forour new Travel Tuesday campaign, giving youweekly updates on REME’s Global Reach.Then catch up on everything you’ve missed inthis dedicated section of The Craftsman!

1 IG LAD have deployed their Armourers to Georgia, EasternEurope, in support of Exercise AGILE SPIRIT. The Exercise runs 22 July – 11 August 2019 and sees c. 3,000 NATO and 1,000Georgian troops in a combined NATO/Georgian Ex being jointlycommanded by the Georgian Armed Forces and the European

Command of the United States Armed Forces.

Ex AGILE SPIRIT – Georgia

Cpl Sanders of 32 Regt RA LAD REME is currentlydeployed on a six month tour in Estonia in support ofOperation CABRIT. Working as the single Desert Hawk3 UAS Subject Matter Expert, Cpl Sanders is integratedinto the deployed LAD and provides crucial level 3

repairs for the deployed equipment, including in depthfault finding and structural repairs.

Op CABRIT – Estonia

ME are deployed in are providing 2nd line oyed five Apache to y of airframes such as

Chinook.

Croatia


August’s Excellence in REME is with WO1 (ASM) Craig Beaman.Currently the ASM at 29 Cdo Regt RA, he has almost completed 21 yearsin the Corps and spent most of that time with 16 AA Bde and 3 Cdo Bde.Not only has he passed both All Arms Commando and All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection courses but he also received first place in theRegiment Super Vet Cross Country in 2018 and is training for his blackbelt in Ju-Jitsu. In this month’s Excellence interview, WO1 Beamantalks about the choices that led to him earning his maroon and greenberets.

Excellence in REMEWO1 (ASM) Craig Beaman1. What made you join the Army? I always wanted to join the military from an early age and was really interestedin the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment. When I left school, Icompleted a two-year work placement in a local Peugeot dealership studyingelectrical and mechanical engineering, gaining my NVQ Level 3, before I startedto pursue my military career. Once in the Careers Office and after completingmy BARB test, I explained my interests, qualifications and discussed my options.I was informed that I could work alongside both the Royal Marines andParachute Regiment without joining them whilst also enhancing thequalifications I had already gained. Therein started my REME career.

3. What has been the mostrewarding part of your career so far? When I served with 1 (UK) ADSR in Herford,Germany; this was my initial posting aftercompleting my Artificer Training. The unitdeployed on Op HERRICK 15 and, as an ICFitter Section in barracks before deployinginto an operational IC LAD role and SME formy AOR, it was a fast learning curve andoften thankless task. This was the first timein my career where I had to organise PDT,think on my feet, and manage an LAD alongwith its manning and equipment. Theknowledge and experience I gained wasinvaluable and definitely put me in astronger position for my next posting as ICLAD 216 (PARA) Sig Sqn and the rest of mycareer.

2. Why was it the right decision? The career options in the REME are excellent. In addition to the militarytraining progression from PNCO and JCLM to SCLM and WOCLM, REME alsooffer a structured career path in trade; starting as an inexperiencedCraftsman before progressing through Class 1 to either Artificer or Artisanstreams. Personally, the opportunity to complete a Higher National Diplomaeventually became a real driving factor in my career.The Corps is continually moving forward with technology and provides

the opportunities to assist with new equipment coming into service, butalso caters for improvements to current equipment as a result of userfeedback. The way we manage our training and equipment has significantlychanged over the years and now allows us to plan and oversee moreefficiently with such systems as JAMES and MJDI. REME operates worldwide and allows individuals to serve with units with

different equipment and in different environments with the opportunitiesto deploy overseas, and with the added incentive of having an excellentethos towards Adventure Training.

4. You have made noticeable improvementsto the infrastructure and raised R2equipment availability from an average of50% to 71% at 29 Cdo Regt RA, which washighlighted in a recent LEA and TECHEVAL.What were the challenges you had toovercome to reach this? The Workshop has had a significant reduction in manningunder A2020 and is 20 tradesmen less than when I servedhere 10 years ago. Although ES manpower has reduced by50%, equipment quantities haven’t reducedproportionately so the ES burden seems bigger than ever.Compounding the issue, we also had to face posts beinggapped with no replacements, personnel turning downpostings, and a gap within the Civilian Level 2 Inspectorpost. The ASMs before me would be the ones to see thedetrimental effect on the morale of the Workshop as aresult.From an engineering perspective, external assistance

was scant and equipment had to be more robustlyprioritized. Within a unit where the tempo is unrelenting,each Battery really do believe they are the priority and thisoften creates friction at Wksp HQ and Fitter Section level.Fortunately, re-organising the manpower and resourcescoupled with inventive planning has allowed us tomaximise our time and effort to drive up availability acrossthe Regiment.


6. How does WO1 (ASM) Beaman differ from the MrBeaman who first came to the Army and the Corps? I was 19 when I joined and was a shy individual who lacked self-confidence. REME helped me gain confidence in my abilities as anindividual and as a tradesman. You could be the sole tradesman onthe ground in the middle of nowhere and you would have to getthings repaired without help. These situations soon help overcomeany self-doubt. Having strong mentors along the way has alsohelped me to develop. My attitude has changed significantly to amore ‘get things done’ rather than ‘talk about it’ approach. Havingcompleted the AAPTI Course at an early stage really boosted myconfidence. Taking lessons for different ranks and varying sizegroups puts you in a position where you have to be confident andbe able to interact with individuals. I would fully recommend this toany junior soldiers who want to increase their confidence.

7. You have worked with both 16 AA Bde and 3 CdoBde, including passing P-Coy and the All ArmsCommando Course. Why did you choose to go on, andcomplete, both courses?I have always been interested in serving with both brigades. 29 CdoRegt RA was always my initial passion, but it took me five years toinitially get there after being recommended in 2000 on the completionof the REME Cdo Familarisation Course. Fate had other plans though;after completing a Workshop Escape and Evasion exercise as aCraftsman, the ASM congratulated me on winning the event with anassignment order to 9 (PARA) Sqn RE and a date to attend Pre-Para. Tosay I was a rabbit in headlights was an understatement, due to the factthat tabbing was a weak point. The ASM knew this so immediately sentme tabbing on the exercise area. Having two friends recently pass P-Company before helped me fight through the mental barriers.

Eventually, in May 2005, I got my dream posting to 29 Cdo Regt RAstraight off the back of my Class 1 course and was loaded straight ontothe Commando Course. Completing both courses has definitelyimproved me both physically and mentally. I found that having donethese courses raises expectations of you. Having a set of wings on myarm during my JMC (JCLM) immediately nominated me for SectionCommander within my group; ensuring things like Tesco bags weren’tused to waterproof kit etc (which I did see). The DS would always bewatching trained individuals and expect us take the lead on theirbehalf.

I am passionate about both Brigades; the deployments abroad andtraining opportunities they provide, especially at a junior level, areexcellent. The people that work within them work hard and under tighttimelines whilst also maintaining readiness without complaint. My

5. Alongside the engineering challenges that comewith aging infrastructure, how have you met thechallenges of being part of an active unit, particularlyas at least one sub-unit is nearly always deployed?As mentioned previously, equipment has had to be effectivelyprioritized and the equipments which are deploying naturally becomethe priority. Where we try to increase readiness at the same time comesdown to strong working relationships between the Workshop and theRegimental Fleet Manager and MT reps. Regular production meetingsallow all to be informed and priorities and compromises to bediscussed. Production surges are now more structured and forecastedin advance so that we have the right manning, spares and equipmentat the right time to achieve realistic targets; we conducted civilianengineering visits to look at how they plan surges. Personnel can nowplan ahead and, with the strong SNCOs that I have, we can continue toincrease opportunities for career courses, trade competencies andcommando trained soldiers concurrently to our mandated productionoutputs.

Also, as part of our Friday routine, we conduct EC training or Militarytraining so that the focus is not continually on production. Tradesmenare set lessons in advance where they have to complete their lessonplan and become familiar with delivering lessons. Once complete, theyreceive from their Section Head any feedback and AFIs for their nextlesson with the aim to mentor them for future career courses.

Rear figure four with double wrist lock

Knife defence

advice to anyone considering service with either Brigade is to liaiseearly with your CoC and reach out to units to discuss avenues.Completion of either course at an early age is always recommendedbut not essential. Both are demanding, physically and mentally, butit’s the mental barrier that will get you over that last hill or obstacle;that’s what separates them from the rest and is reflective in theirwork ethos.

8. In your own time, you have also been workingtowards a black belt in Ju-Jitsu. What attractedyou to the martial arts, and particularly Ju-Jitsu,and inspired you to work towards a black belt?Martial Arts have interested me from an early age, especiallyJapanese Ju-Jitsu due to the variety of techniques. Ju-Jitsu isideal for the ‘vertically challenged’ and smaller framedindividuals, such as me, and allows you to work your opponentwithout strength to your advantage. I started studying when Iwas about nine years old, but swimming took priority when Iwas selected to represent my county. It wasn’t till I initiallyarrived at 29 Cdo Regt RA that I found a local club and studiedfor two years but then moved around, had a family andstruggled to find another club. Having come back to Plymouthand to my old sensei, I have the luxury that the club is fiveminutes from my house. All three of my sons train and havegrasped the art immediately. Training five times a week andhaving a common interest within the family is priceless. Blackbelt and further has always been a life-long goal; showingdedication and commitment whilst potentially having theopportunity to coach either civilian or military personnel in thefuture. I’m on track to achieve it before the end of my tenure asthe ASM if all goes smoothly.


9. What are your goals as aREME soldier for the next12 months?Within the next 12 months I aim tocontinue to raise the availabilitywhilst improving competenciesacross the Workshop and resolvingall the outstanding infrastructureissues. Fortunately, the Regimentare very much on side and supportthe opportunities to improve theWorkshop where possible. Awindow in my prison cell (‘office’)would be a nice addition, as I‘msure all previous ASMs wouldagree. Outside of work I hope tostart coaching Ju-Jitsu andpotentially lookto compete inmartial arts forREME;something Iwish I had donemany years ago.

2019 Course Dates

29 CommandoFamiliarisation 29 Commando PCPT 16 AA Bde Pre Para AAPPS

15 - 19 July 19 Aug - 6 Sep 19 Aug - 30 Aug 9 Sept - 1 Oct

16 Sep - 20 Sep 18 Nov - 13 Dec 14 Oct - 25 Oct 3 Nov - 26 Nov

AACC REF: 2017DIN07-107 (Due to be superseded)Instructions for the All Arms Commando Course(AACC)

AAPPS REF: 2019DIN07-049All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection (AAPPS)(Pegasus Company (P Coy))

29 Commando RA WorkshopPOC: SSgt Brown/Cpl Evans

93784 6013 / 01752 2360133CDOX-29 CDO REME CDO FAM (MULTIUSER)

8 Parachute Field Company REMEPOC: Sgt Parker

94660 5480 / 01252 81548013AASP-8FD-GEN-MTSM-SNCO

10. How would you sum up your life now?I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to serve with units that I have had an interest in. Serving with 16 Air AssaultBrigade for over nine years and 3 Commando Brigade for five, I’ve been lucky. Not all tradesman have had thatopportunity. Earning the maroon machine and the coveted green beret has allowed me to serve with the brigades onnumerous occasions and wear both berets with pride; both separate you from the normal REME units and make you striveto be better. I have met some exceptionally talented individuals within the Corps, both as tradesmen and as Soldiers andthe unity that both Brigades offer is rare to find.

19.02 |19.03 |19.04 |

19 August - 30 August14 October - 25 October6 January 2020- 17 January 2020

19.02 |19.03 |19.04 |

9 September - 1 October3 November - 26 November26 January 2020- 18 February 2020

2019-2020 Course Dates for Pre Para and PCoy

Pre Para

PCoy

04/07/2019 11:30:06

Contact SSgt David Brown ___93784 6103 ___01752 236103

2019 Fam date:__16-20 Sep 19

sumorL pan -rh grrhr@reme-

ps mem ipcraf atsmaneditor@reme

mL E RHQ REME gg.uukrhq.org OD Lyn hamcraftsma REME, MOD yneham

this description then please contact the Editor to allow the Corps to continue promoting and celebrating Excellence in REME.Therefore, if you know an individual or group, Regular or Reserve and serving within the Corps, who �tsfeats in the world of engineering, sport and occasionally interest we may never even have thought of.Now a regular feature with The Craftsman, our Excellence in REME interviews aim to acknowledge those achieving extraordinary

Finding Excellence in REME


[email protected] 894871THE REME CORPS SHOPREME Museum, MOD Lyneham

We are open online and all items areavailable from the REME Museum Shop. Come down and have a look!

Please take a look at our Website and Facebook page

www.remeshop.org.uk

www.facebook.com/REMECORPSHOP

We sell a wide range of REME Clothing, Accessories,Uniform, Mess Dress, Toys, Glassware & Presentation Pieces

Online Shop Contact TimesMonday-Friday 9:00am – 15:00pm

REME Museum Opening TimesTuesday-Saturday 09:30am-16:30pm

THE REME CORPS SHOP

ALL PROFIT MADE IS RETURNED TO THE REME CHARITY TO SUPPORT WELFARE, BENEVOLENCE, SPORT, ADVENTUROUS TRAINING AND THE REME FAMILY.

THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT THEREME CORPS SHOP

What’s the Corps been up to?

On Instagram and Facebook, we said thank you to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for 50 years of loyal service to the Corps

as our Colonel-in-Chief.

Keep up with the action by following the Corps:

@o�cial_reme

@reme_o�cial

/REMECorps

RHQ REME has been busy, according to Twitter. Several members of RHQ, including

Col REME, appeared on BBC Wiltshire while CET have

been racing across the country to various STEM events.

Neil said,‘After the display, my plan is to join the flags together to make something useful likequilts, ponchos or sleeping bags. These will be gifted to veterans who are or havepreviously been homeless, as a gesture of support and community. The quilt issymbolic of having a home and the making of quilts has been a part of the ArmedForces dating back to the Crimean War. I believe that receiving such gifts that havebeen personally made will have a considerable positive impact on the individuals. Mytarget is 1000 flags, so I need help in making them…’

Flags of ThanksScribe: Lt Col (Retd) S J Colling (Corps Historian)

‘Flags of Thanks’ was a collaborative artproject led by Alabaré, as part of the2019 Armed Forces Day celebrationshosted in Salisbury. The nation wasasked to create customised flags thatreflect the gratitude and support for theArmed Forces Community, from those

currently serving to Veterans andCadets. They were then displayed in apublic exhibition during the event on 25June, in the City’s oldest church, StThomas’s.The project was led by Lt Col Neil

Stace REME (BBC’s The Sewing Soldier)and his wife Kate. NB: In 1942, on the formation of the

Corps, Textile Refitter was a RAOC andREME trade. The key skills were theability to machine and hand sew.


Then it was into the warm and the Gala dinner.Three courses, a couple of speeches, and loyal

toasts later we were onto the evening’sentertainment. It was a very welcomereturn to the Reunion for the formerREME Bandsmen lead by JonathonBowden. Re-uniting as a band after anumber of years apart theyentertained us with some big bandnumbers and then slipped in a littleABBA and disco just for good measure.I am told that the party went on wellinto the early hours but I am afraid Ihad to get a little bit of beauty sleep.The more serious side of the weekend

took place on Sunday morning with theChurch Service this year led by the excellent

Padre Stuart Powell, of the Army Cadet Force.After lunch I am pretty sure everyone took anap… Those who had not already left forhome enjoyed a great evening ofentertainment from our very own GwynPrichard who wowed us with his widerange of songs and great repartee. Of course, nothing is ever as smooth as

glass and so, to make sure lessons arelearned to improve next year’s Reunion, afeedback form has gathered in lots ofhelpful suggestions including thepossibility of a continental style breakfastand a board for those REME photos taken

‘back in the day.’So, my advice is if you are thinking of coming to the REME

Reunion 2020 is to book now (this year sold out) and to get insome early nights beforehand, so that you are up to thechallenge of having fun and swinging that lamp.The venue for the Reunion next year will be held at

Eastwood Hall near Nottingham (Post Code NG16 3SS) overthe weekend 8 - 11 May 2020.To book, contact IOW Tours on 01983 405116.

I’m rather sure that the week after the annualREME Reunion was a quiet one for allattendees. Such a lot was packed into an,

all too short, weekend in Coventry thisApril. The weekend began with welcome

drinks, a chance to catch up with oldfriends, buy some raffle tickets andbrowse some of the REME relatedstock from our shop After dinner, wewere treated to a fantastic dancedemonstration by ‘Coventry’s StrictlyChristmas’ Team and I’m sure I don’tneed to explain how that worked!Some lucky people even got to dancewith Coventry’s equivalent of Anton duBecke but we did without any Craig-typejudges, so everyone had fun. Those whodidn’t trip the light fantastic had a littleflutter with their REME pounds on thecasino tables.On the Saturday you could relax in the

pool, Jacuzzi or spa if you wanted to, butalso on offer were laser clay pigeonshooting, skittles, a tea dance, target golf,archery, flower arranging and all before5pm.After that, there was just time to

freshen up (and put your best party frockon) before strolling out on to the lawn forthe Standards Parade and Beating Retreat.The weather was not kind this year and theStandard Bearers had to use a lot of muscle power to stop theStandards carrying them away! The City of Coventry Corps ofDrums kept our parade spirits up too. We were unable to getan Army Band for the Reunion, so they stepped in at veryshort notice, marching and playing superbly. Some of thesebandsmen are very young and it was wonderful to see threegenerations on parade together, all enjoying the spirit ofLillibulero.

By: Maxine Williams Photography: Nigel Williams, Black Iris Images

A CRACKING REUNION!



pushed onto Emerlo in theNetherlands for the first stop at aNetherlands Army NCO TrainingEstablishment.Although the weather had

cleared the previous evening,Capt Selka had the pleasure ofputting his wet leathers back onin the morning. Good wet and drydrills. The next leg was mostlyuneventful as they travelled toBielefeld. The team stayed in theBritish Forces Germany Officers’Mess where they were well lookedafter by the staff and Lt Col DannyWild MBE BEM. The sunny weathercame out along with variousstories of Germany ‘back in theday’. The group were joined by

Ateam of motorcyclists made up ofmembers from RHQ REME and theREME Association rode from RHQ

REME to Volkswagen HQ with the intent ofmaintaining the Corps’ relationship with VWand their history.After the end of the Second World War in

1945, Maj Ivan Hirst REME was sent to scrapthe factory in Wolfsburg but saw thepotential to get it up and running again.After convincing his superiors, he had thefactory producing 1,000 vehicles a month in1946, and signed the factory back over to theGermans on 8 October 1949. The companyhas since grown into the VW group we seetoday.Organised by Lt Col (Retd) Mike Tizard, the

team was made up of him, Col (Retd) BobFram MC, the Corps Adjutant, Capt Matt Ball,Capt James Hinwood, Capt Archie Selka andSgt Brad Delaney. Before crossing the channel, the group metfor a brew at the Channel Tunnel early on the morning ofWednesday 12 June. Some had come from MoD Lyneham,some from elsewhere but with everyone now together, theyembarked on their journey across Europe.Coming off the

train in Calais,the team weremet withovercast weatherthat almostimmediately turned into a torrential downpour. The heavensopened in impressive fashion, completely soaking everyone.Capt Selka got the worst of it as shown by the amount ofwater pouring out of his sleeves at the first fuel stop after twohours. At least his waterproofs were dry - still in his panniers.The service station staff were particularly unimpressed as theybrought out an industrial floor cleaner to absorb the variouswet trails from the team. With waterproofs put on by all, they

RHQ REME

REME’s Enduring Link with Volkswagen and their HistoryVisit to Volkswagen

Scribe: Capt Archie Selka Photos: by kind permission of VW GmbH

Seven bikes


former RCT WO, Bill Buckley, a legend in the ArmyMotorcycling world. He was somehow convinced to wearone of the REME polo shirts the team had brought withthem, a victory for Colonel Mike.On Friday 14 June the team, including Bill, set off to the

VW Factory in Wolfsburg. They arrived at the entrance in abaking hot 30+ degrees Celsius heat with a ten-minute walkto the factory building. I’ll leave you to imagine what that was

like in full leathers. They only saw a tiny glimpse of the factory,which as the largest manufacturing plant in the world is over6.5 million square metres and has 63,000employees.After a quick change, the team was

welcomed by the VW Archivist, Dr UrikaGutzmann, and shown around the VWArchives. The archives have 9000 metresof documents, adding 400 metres eachyear with only 13 people to organisethem. Due to the sheer volume ofmaterial some documents will never beseen by anyone ever again. With only asection of their archives having humidityand temperature control, it wasfascinating to see documents signed byMaj Ivan Hirst himself dating back to1945. All meeting minutes were writtenout in immaculate handwriting both inGerman and English with Maj Hirst’scomments down the side. A real glimpseinto the day to day work that got the

Five days

12 fuel stops

factory running again. Maj Hirstsigned the factory back over to the

Germans on 8 October 1949, the 70th anniversary of which isthis year. The group were then shown around the factoryitself. It was an incredible sight. There was a stark contrastbetween old and new as the high-tech assembly line washoused within the original factory building that Maj Hirst tookover 74 years ago. The assembly line was a mix of robotic armsdiving up and down to pick up and put down parts on acentral vehicle like an upturned spider’s legs, each with a

mind of their own. Welding arms addedto the factory feel, showering sparksacross the floor. The only humans wereloading parts in-between processes.As the shells of soon-to-be-VW-Golfs

moved along a conveyor belt like somekind of empty roller coaster, the teamalso moved on, walking away from themain factory walkway and down into thepassages underneath. This was wherethey were led to the Volkswagen ‘Place

VW factory stats:• The Volkswagen Plant is the largestmanufacturing plant in the world.

• VW employs 63,000 people just at themanufacturing plant.

• The whole site is 6.5 million squaremetres of which 1.5 million squaremetres are buildings (For comparison,MOD Lyneham (including the airfield)is 4.5 million square metres.)

• 3,500 vehicles are produced per day(~700,000 vehicles per year).

• Eight types of car are shipped to 50countries around the world.

• 12,000,000 Beetles were built beforestopping production.

• Over 30,000,000 Golfs have been builtso far.


of Remembrance’ or ‘Bunker 1’ as it saidon the door. As the name suggests itwas an old air raid shelter that had beenconverted into a place to remember thechequered history of the Volkswagenfactory. Complete with its original paintand a semi-caved in wall from a crashedAmerican bomber, it was a sombreplace. During the war the factory hadmade a range of different weapons ofwar and had used forced labourextensively. Labour had been drafted infrom concentration camps and VWdon’t want to brush the horrifyingmistakes of the Second World Warunder the carpet. Hence the variousexhibitions in the rooms of the bunker.If ever given the opportunity, a visit ishighly recommended.From the factory the team were given

passes to visit the VW Autostadt; ashowcase of every branch of the VWbrand including Seat, Skoda, VW, Audi,Porsche, Lamborghini and Bugatti. Aftera couple hours there, they headed back

to Bielefeld for the night before their journeyback to the UK. The team used the openAutobahn and their only day withoutpanniers to see what their bikes could do.Capt Hinwood managed to get up to

148mph on a bike with a speedometer that only goes up to150mph. Brave.The team bade farewell to Bill and headed to Arnhem on

their way back to the UK. After a brew near the famous ‘BridgeToo Far’, they visited the Oosterbeek Cemetery to remember

those who died in OperationMarket Garden, the mission tocapture and hold ArnhemBridge. It was an awe-inspiringplace with 1770 graves ofCommonwealth, Dutch andPolish soldiers.The team then made their final

journey back to the UK. Once back at MoD Lyneham, they haddriven around 1,400 miles (2250km) over five days. It wasthoroughly enjoyed by all and a fantastic experience. Manythanks to all who supported them along the way, particularlyDr Gutzmann who hosted them at the archives and factory.The team are looking forward to celebrating the 70thanniversary of Maj Hirst handing the factory back over to theGermans on 8 October. Watch this space! If you would like tofind out more about Maj Ivan Hirst and VW then visit theREME Museum to see the VW exhibit and find out more aboutthe Corps’ history.

1400Miles


7 AV I AT I O N

SUPPORT BATTALION

Ex MERCURY EAGLE –Bat t le f ie ld Study in Crete

In 1941, only one year after the Battle of Britain and just weeks before the German invasion ofRussia, Germany invaded Greece, steam rolling through the region. Some 42,000 evacuatedBritish, Australian, New Zealand and Greek forces landed on the island of Crete and were

ordered to hold it, at all costs, from the invading German Forces. The German invasion began on20 May 1941, using airborne troops. The operation was named MERCURY, or MERKUR, by theGermans. The outcome of the battle saw an Allied withdrawal from Crete but not withoutinflicting huge losses on the Axis forces. The losses were so significant that Hitler did not allowthe use of German Airborne troops for the remainder of the war.Members of 7 Avn Sp Bn deployed to Crete on 23 to 27 June to study Op MERCURY, compare

the events to today’s doctrine, and identify lessons that can be applied to future conflicts.As the study progressed, the team retraced the battle across the island from the initial German

objective at Maleme Airfield, through Prison Valley, into Imbros Gorge and to Sfakia where theAllied forces were evacuated from after 13 days of fighting.

A

B C D

E F

A Final day group photo inthe Souda Bay WarCemetery

B The Memorial at MalemeAirfield

C The dedication on theMaleme AirfieldMemorial

D Studying the NewZealand defence atMaleme Airfield

E The New Zealandpositions aroundMaleme Airfield

F Day 1 group photo atthe Maleme AirfieldMemorial


Maleme Airfield was the primary Germanobjective on the first day of the invasion. Bycapturing this, they would then have anAirhead to bring more troops andequipment to Crete. They were defendedhere by New Zealand forces. On the first day of the study, the group

was kindly allowed onto the current airfieldat Maleme to discuss the New Zealanddefence of the area comparing it to thecurrent principles of defence used by theBritish Army. From there, they went on toTavronitis Bridge, the location where theGerman paratroopers consolidated afterinitial losses and began their push to theairfield. At this location, air land integrationwas discussed as well as whether Airborneforces were a viable option in such a conflict.In the midday heat, they then climbed to Hill107, where the NZ HQ was located to discusssustainment operations, General MajorStudent’s motivations, and the Principles ofCommand in relation to the Battle of Crete.After a good day of study, discussion anddebate, the group retired to the villa for awell-earned rest by the pool.

Day 1- Maleme Airfield

Day 2 – Prison Valley, Cemetery Hill and Golgotha

Galatas, Prison Valley and Cemetery Hill weresome areas where the defence of the islandwas at its fiercest. Most notable was the useof the New Zealand Petrol Company at

Cemetery Hill personifying the ‘soldier first’mentality.The second day began with a discussion in

Galatas about the local population duringthe battle, focussing specifically uponcaptured personnel and the considerations acommander must take into account whendealing with them. After a brief drive to anunfortunately unfinished Battle of CreteMuseum, the group studied the efforts ofthe NZ Petrol Company, a group oflogisticians, chefs and mechanics who werere-rolled into the conflict as an infantrycompany, tasked with defending CemeteryHill. It was here that the Soldier First ethoswas so obviously enacted, leaving the groupunderstanding the importance of such amind-set, even in the ContemporaryOperating Environment. The final stand of

G Tavronitis BridgeH The German War Cemetery on Hill 107

near Maleme AirfieldI Studying the fighting in and around

GalatasJ The Memorial at the top of Cemetery HillK The location of some of the atrocities in

GolgothaL A bike on display in the Battle of Crete

MuseumM The Galatas MemorialN German helmets on display in the Battle

of Crete MuseumO A motorbike on display in the Battle of

Crete MuseumP Weapons on display in the Battle of

Crete Museum

G H I

J K L

N O P

M

Day 3 – Imbros Gorge

It was through Imbros Gorge that the Alliedforces retreated once the Germans had afoothold on the island and their manpower

the day was at Golgotha, the location ofsome of the atrocities that occurred duringthe battle. Here, a debate on thenormalisation of atrocities took place,comparing the acts that took place in 1941to other atrocities such as the My LaiMassacre and discussing the lessons thatshould be learned from such events.


Day 4 – Commonwealth Cemetery, Souda Bay

Q R S

U V

Q Imbros GorgeR Walking through Imbros GorgeS RSM leadership study at Imbros GorgeT Wreath laying at Souda BayU A grave of a Craftsman in the Souda Bay

War CemeteryV The Souda Bay War CemeteryW Personal reflection in the Souda Bay War

Cemetery

and equipment seemed limitless. The Alliedforces used the gorge to slow the Germanforces to allow as many people as possiblebe evacuated from Sfakia on the Southerncoast of the island.To start the day, the group visited a local

Museum dedicated to the Battle of Crete,allowing the time for personal reflection ofthe events of 1941. The Museum was run bya local family and held an impressivenumber of relics from all sides of the conflictfrom weapons, to uniforms and vehicles.After this period of reflection, it was a shortdrive to the top of Imbros Gorge which waswhere the Allied Forces began their journeyto Sfakia harbour to be evacuated. Tracing their footsteps through the gorge,

the group took a couple of stops to discusscurrent doctrine of such a fightingwithdrawal and compare that to the eventsthat took place in 1941. Another stop alongthe way was to discuss the relationshipbetween leadership and morale. This was ledby the RSM and brought on some goodgroup discussion on the definition ofleadership, fellowship and the impact that

Located in Souda Bay, one of the locationsfiercely defended by the Allies during theinvasion. It holds 1500 Commonwealthservicemen from the Battle of Crete.

For the final act of the Study, the grouphad a brief remembrance service led by SgtChassang (132 Sqn) in the CommonwealthCemetery. It was a chance to reflect on thestories and accounts heard throughout theweek and put into perspective the sacrificethese Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen made, sofar from home, in the fight against evil. Massive thanks go to Capt Titley and

WO2(CSM) Madine from 132 Sqn fororganising and running such an excellentBattlefield Study. Everyone left havinglearned something, not only about the Battleof Crete but also about the application ofour current doctrine. As Rommel said inWW2 ‘The British write some of the bestdoctrine in the world; it is fortunate theirOfficers do not read it.’ Opportunities such asthis ensure this is no longer the case.

has on morale. The group completed thewalk through the gorge. This really led to theunderstanding of what the Allied forceswent through all that time ago, especiallyconsidering the kit they were carrying, whatthey had gone through, and the situationthey were going through at the time. Uponcompletion of the walk, it was once againback to the villa for an amazing group BBQprepared by the two chefs.

T

W

counter-offensive at Kurskon the Eastern front, led tothe collapse of Mussolini’sfascist government and thewithdrawal of Italy from thewar. Conversely, anexemplary Axis withdrawalacross the Messina Straitsled to further bloodshed onthe Italian mainland whilstInter-Service, internationaland inter-personal frictionshindered Allied effortsthroughout. It was acrucible for Allied jointoperations and became aproving ground forOperation OVERLORD.We deployed to Sicily on

the first of the twopackages, meeting up atGatwick for breakfast priorto our flight. The journeyout was very smooth. Thecollection of the hirevehicles gave us our firsttaste of Italian urgency,resulting in a delay of two

hours to sign for three vehicles! Vehicles collected, weall made our way to the hotel where we received anintroductory briefing from the admin team and MilitaryHistorian, Lt Colonel (Retd) David Barron.The group had been divided into three separate

syndicates which ensured a spread of cap badges andranks from Craftsman to Lt Colonel. This led to somevery interesting discussions and ensured thesyndicates and wider group benefitted from a broadrange of experience and knowledge. Each dayconsisted of three stands. At each stand David wouldgive a 20 to 30-minutes brief on the site visited andwhat had happened at each location. It was then overto the syndicates to present their findings onpreviously posed questions. The individual thenpromulgated the information prior to setting eachsyndicate a topic for discussion. After the discussionthe group then came back together as a collective toshare their findings. This worked extremely well and

Why Op HUSKY? Perhaps one of the lesswell-known campaigns of the SecondWorld War, the Allied invasion of Sicily inJuly - August 1943 was the largestoperation in history in terms of

manpower and material delivered into theatre in a singleday. It was the first major airborne operation and entailed38 days of high-intensity combat in extremely difficultterrain before the island was finally cleared. It was foughton both sides by combined, multinational forces; the USand the Commonwealth on one side, the Italians andGermans on the other. Its strategic impacts wereprofound; it caused the Germans to cancel their planned

Scribe: Cpl Tamani

Members of the Head of Capability Combat ServiceSupport Team deployed on a Battlefield Study. Thiswas conducted in two five-day packages between 6 -17 May. The aim was to study Operation HUSKY, theAllied invasion of Sicily in 1943 to enhanceunderstanding of current operations, doctrine,training, enablement and sustainment through theprism of historical analysis and insights drawn fromthe tactical, operational and strategic actions.


ensured that blended learning wastaking place within the syndicates andgroup.On the first day we followed the

Operation from the invasion at LambaDoria to Ponte Gradde Bridge. TheOperation planner’s foresight must becommended as the beach wasbreathtaking and the pistachio icecream a delight. All the stands whichwe visited really helped set the sceneand the answers delivered by thesyndicate members nominated, set thetone for the remainder of the week. Itwas abundantly clear that everyonehad made the effort to research theirallocated questions. The highlight ofthe first day was Sergeant Slater’s stand.He initiated his brief by completing aforward roll with military precision andaccuracy that would have put any PTI toshame. We then had the opportunity tovisit Syracuse and enjoy a meal as agroup, with the Cathedral as a strikingbackdrop.The second day began at Ponte Dei Malati Bridge, captured by

3 Commando Assault on the 13 July 1943 and ended at the 51stHighland Division Memorial near Gerbini. The group had theopportunity to take in a spot of hill walking to the site of theHighland Division Memorial, on a beautiful warm Mediterraneanday. Whilst delivering his own stand, Lt Colonel DominicMoorhouse decided to up the ante and compete with SergeantSlater’s roly poly, with a perfectly executed paratroopers roll. Onreflection, the second day was as impressive and informative asthe first.

On the third day we travelled to Assoro with a steep assent upto the stand location. A thorough warm up and stretchingsession was led by Major James Brudenell, ensuring no onesustained any injuries. On completion of the first stand wemoved to the Canadian War Cemetery at Agira. The location wasbeautiful and overlooked the ground of their assault on the Etnadefences from the west. Our final move was to Centuripe forsome more outstanding views of the stunning Sicilian terrain.Although picturesque, the terrain was extremely arduoustherefore it must have been a punishing environment in which tosoldier. From there, with the stands completed we headed back

to the hotel for a final night BBQ andrefreshments.A visit to the British War Memorial in

Catania on the final morning gave anopportunity for reflection and an Actof Remembrance was conducted byall who attended. This was a fantastic opportunity for

everyone concerned to develop andwe bonded as a collective. Ithoroughly enjoyed the study of OpHUSKY and must commend MajorSekhon and his admin team forhosting such an insightful andinformative study. The week wassummarised by Colonel Richard Gibbrelaying a spell binding account of theOperational Honours and Awards.

Arte Et Marte



EXER C I S E

ARMY CRAFTSMAN 2019Scribe: WO2 (AQMS) Bott - HQ FTC

With another change of name, Ex ARMYCRAFTSMAN 2019 (Ex AC19) was held onthe Swynnerton and Nescliffe Training

areas over the period 7-17 May 2019. The exerciseis an annual REME Special to Arm trainingopportunity for both Regular and Reserve FitterSection strength teams to achieve CT1 trainingand larger establishments to get a chance toexercise their C2 capabilities.In a substantial change to recent years, the

Exercise took the format of a patrollingcompetition rather that a series of individualstands. This took considerably more effort to planand control, but feedback from participatingteams suggests that this was a positive stepforward.This year 11 Reserve teams and 23 Regular teams took part from

across FTC, 3 UK Div and 1 UK Div as well as an Internationalcontingent from both the French and US Armies.

5 Regt RA WkspRegular Phase Winning Team

4 CS Bn REME/US Team

Scribe: Cpl MouldOnce our team was picked, a couple of weeks before thecompetition began, we headed down to ATU York for some finaltraining and team bonding, which we were all thrilled about…honest. These few days turned out to be very worthwhile as wewould eventually turn out to be the winners of Ex-ARMYCRAFTSMAN 2019.Upon arrival all vehicles in our packet were subjected to a CES

check and random members of the section were taken away for a kitcheck. Myself and our 2IC went off to receive orders where we soonfound out that this year’s competition was not like any of theprevious years.During the week our section competed against numerous other

sections from the Corps on all kinds of serials and tasks designed totest both military and trade proficiency. As the hours went by andthe more tasks we completed, the morale in the section grew andgrew and you could genuinely see how much everyone wasenjoying themselves.In the end we were awarded first place, which came as a complete

surprise, but one I felt my section thoroughly deserved. Everyonewas on a high with the news of the win, especially Cpl Lomax whosaw this as his time to finally get the CO’s coin he’d been chasing. Hewasn’t disappointed.

Real Life SupportScribe: Capt Lewis

Real life support is vital to the success of any exercise; Ex ARMY CRAFTSMAN was noexception. In order to give the most realistic experience possible, we enabled the use ofLCHs and FRAGOs to task teams where possible. These varied from; recovery assets,equipment support and RLS. The ownership of these requests laid with the teams andwas coordinated by an army of Watchkeepers within the CP. Throughout the period ofthe exercise there were Medics, Recovery Mechanics, Vehicle Mechanics and Storemenall stood-by awaiting any request. The success of the RLS was pivotal to keepingmaximum traction on the ground throughout the exercise. There were some minorcases that required attention throughout, but with a dedicated team these werequickly eradicated. This was achieved through the deployment of an FRT headed up byWO1 Jimmy Phillips who, with the greater knowledge of Cpl Barnes, managed to keepthe punch in REME’s fist.

Congratulations to the following teams, who picked up prizes for their efforts:

Regular Phase1st place The Griffin Trophy 5 Regt RA Wksp2nd place The Serco Pursuit Trophy 5 FS BnREME/French team3rd place Western Approaches Trophy 2 Sig Regt LADBest Stand The Harris Cup 12 Regt RA WkspReserve Phase1st place The Turners’ Company Shield 133 Coy, 103 Bn REME2nd place The Broxhead Trophy 158 Coy, 101 Bn REME3rd place The 5 Division Trophy 153 Coy, 103 Bn REMEBest Manufacture The Illingworth Trophy 118 Coy, 103 Bn REME

Scribe: LCpl GausdenThe exercise was a fantastic competition. It incorporated all theaspects and challenges that a REME Soldier could encounterthroughout their career and put anyone involved, regardless ofexperience, to the test.Personally, I was put into a team of Americans who were all drivers

(equivalent to our RLC). Working with the Americans was a privilegeand a great deal of fun. They taught me new things and observingthe way a different nation operates was both interesting andeducational. I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity.

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documentation for the vehicles and the Radio Operatorcollected a radio. The other members of the team got theirpersonal kit ready for inspection and the collection ofrations and ammunition.

By the end of the weekend we were all fairly confidentof scoring well but were still surprised to walk away asoverall winners, adding 133 Coy to the trophy once again.

Despite the long drive and the lack of sleep over theweekend, the competition was a fantastic experience andall members of the team are keen to return next year totry and retain the trophy.

103 Bn REMEReserve Winners

Scribe: Cpl Lovell Sect Comd: WO2 SmithAfter a long drive from Ashford and Croydon, we finally arrived atSwynnerton Camp in the early hours of the morning. Thecompetition began immediately and after booking in we wentstraight into a briefing and lined the trucks up for inspection. TheSection Commander and 2IC went to get orders, drivers to get all

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It was decided that all of the annual Engineering Awards (asdetailed in Corps Instruction H3) would be presented at thelunch and an invitation list was composed to capturerepresentation from all levels of the Corps. Commanders ESand other appropriate OF5s were asked to co-ordinateattendance with the direction from the new Corps Colonel,Colonel Andy Rogers ADC that ‘It is not just those who havebeen nominated for an award; this should be a celebration oftechnical achievement across the Corps throughout the yearand therefore I would expect all areas to be represented and

The inaugural REME Engineering Awards Ceremonywas held in the Princess Marina Officers’ Mess,Lyneham, on Tuesday 9 April 2019.

This event developed from a desire to formallycelebrate the Corps’ engineering and professionalachievements in a similar way to the Sports AwardsDinner.Babcock International Group kindly offered to sponsor

the entire event as well as providing prizes for therecently introduced REME Apprentice and ApprenticeChampion awards. It would be no exaggeration to saythat without the support of Babcock the event would nothave been the resounding success that it turned out tobe.

Scribe: Lt Col (Retd) DW White, SO2 Engineering Assurance, RHQ REME

The Inaugural REME

Engineering Awards Ceremony

mark the occasion.’ Invitations were also sent to theProfessional Engineering Institutions, WorshipfulCompanies and Defence Contractors who provide theprizes for the awards.The lunch was attended by 150 guests including the

Master General and the Master of the WorshipfulCompany of Turners and representation from across theCorps. Colonel Rogers opened the lunch and the variousawards were then presented between the courses, withthe winner’s citation being read out in full. The lunch wasconcluded by the Master General, who issued a clearimplied task that the REME Engineering Awards

Ceremony should take place in forthcoming years. I havetaken note!It would be remiss of me not to publicly thank those

organisations and individuals without whom the event wouldnot have taken place: Babcock International Group, Mess Staffand Chefs Princess Marina Officers’ Mess, Capt Matt Ball REME,WO1 (CASM) Paul Hembery, WO2 (AQMS) Mick Shipp and allof the Professional Engineering Institutions, WorshipfulCompanies and Defence Contractors who kindly provide theprizes.

The intent:‘As part of our drive to encourage professional recognition, to focuson our role as the Army’s professional engineers, and to lift theambition of our soldiers and officers to value their professionalskills and knowledge, we intend to introduce an annual REMEEngineering Awards celebration. For its first year (then subject toreview), we propose to hold an awards ceremony centred around alunch in the HQ Officers’ Mess to announce the winners of theAnnual Engineering Awards and to congratulate those who havewon trade training prizes during the preceding year (such as bestArtificer student and best Upgrader student). Our prize sponsorsand other significant supporters of the Corps’ engineeringachievements will also be present.’


LCpl Green, 118 Rec Coy, receiving the Blackford Trophy for theBest REME Reserve Sub-Unit from Mr Mark Dixon, Babcock

Lt Col Cummings, CO 6 ACS Bn REME, receiving the WorshipfulCompany of Turners Trophy for the Best REME Battalion from MrDavid Batchelor, Master of the Worshipful Company of Turners

Lt Col Torbet, CO 102 Bn REME, receiving the Gardiner Trophy forthe Best REME Reserve Battalion from Mr Mark Dixon, Babcock

LCpl Glennon, 2 YORKS LAD, receiving the IETAward for the Best REME First Line Unit from Mr Mark Organ, Head of Membership, IET

Colonel REMEopening the eventEngineering

AwardsCeremonyPresentations


SSgt Ridge, 6 ACS Bn REME, receiving the REME ApprenticeChampion Award from Mr Matt Freemantle, Babcock

Cpl Millership, 36 Engr Regt Wksp, receiving the SOE award for the Best REME JNCO from Mr Bruce McGill, CEO SOE

Capt Robinson, 1 YORKS LAD, receiving the LockheedMartin Operational Engineering Award for the Best

REME Officer from Mr Pete Somerville, Lockheed Martin

MG REMEdelivering hisclosing speech

SSgt McGlone, 32 Engr Regt LAD, receiving the IMechE Award forthe Best REME SNCO from Mrs Jill Dwyer, Defence LO IMechE

LCpl Bond, KRH LAD, receiving the Best REME Apprentice Award from Mr Matt Freemantle, Babcock


had to offer and conduct our recce at a much more relaxed andenjoyable pace.

Given our additional free days at the start we took anopportunity to have a look into Charleston history and there wasplenty of it. It was the slave capital of the world back in the dayand a major hub for military culture too. I got asked to organise amilitary trip to Fort Sumter for a cultural insight. After a fewphone calls and bookings, I managed to get a tour and wereceived a good understanding of the history of the conflict, asthis fort was part of a battle where the first shots were fired. Visitsto the slave market, military museums and other military fortsfollowed to keep us out of the bars!

The ship finally arrived and it was back to the reality of the taskahead; living on board and having to organise the considerable

Regeneration – Scribe: Cfn ThompsonHaving only been at the unit for a week, I was surprised to beasked if I wanted to deploy on exercise with RFA Mounts Bay inPort Charleston, South Carolina. Being fresh from Lyneham, ofcourse I grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Getting awayon deployment is what we all join to do, right? It also ensuredthat I had a good month’s worth of concentrated production tostart attacking my 3-2 Development Book.

We flew to Charleston before the ship’s arrival so wecould do a recce of the area, find our bearings and locatelocal purchase outlets. However on arrival the first‘disaster’ struck; we were told that the ship had beendelayed… by a week. Brilliant! However, much to theannoyance of the budget holder, our hotel stay had justdoubled and so had our down time! This gave us theopportunity to take in the sights and culture the State

OC: Capt Shelmerdine-Hare

Humanitarian Aid andDisaster Relief Regen 2019

IntroductionHumanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) is a joint deploymentwith elements of 24 Cdo RE to support nations affected by naturaldisasters in, and around the Pacific Ocean. With a number ofequipments deployed on ship, it’s up to personnel from the UnitWorkshop to fly to Port Charleston and conduct an ES regeneration toensure that it remains serviceable for the duration of the CoreHurricane Season. Throughout the year, two tradesmen from theWorkshop remain on ship for six months to ensure maximumavailability, whilst also taking part in multi-national exercises andbeing ready to react should the need arise.


task of disembarking all the equipment into a repairfacility provided by a local dockyard company. Themajority of the tasks were straight forward. However,having been on ship for three years, the sea airplayed its part in corroding all exposed assembliesto add to the challenge. It also became apparentthat gremlins had worked their way into the electricswith one Pinzgauer needing to be rewired correctly.This fault took some time to rectify as the sea air hadcorroded a number of connections and wasthrowing a number of ghost faults that had even thebest chasing their tails. Another task thankfullyresolved itself when the con-rod made anappearance through the engine wall! Not easy toreplace an engine in the few weeks we had intheatre. That said, most of the kit was in good order

and had been left in a good place by the previous HADR Troop.This didn’t let us off the hook though as there was still plenty ofscheduled maintenance, servicing, inspections, LOLER testingand preventative maintenance to get through. As well as the

electrical fault which kept our top class 1 busy fornearly three weeks! Remember, always check thefuses…Working days aside we managed to get a few

weekends off, which allowed us to see more ofwhat South Carolina had to offer. The entireteam took a trip to the USS Yorktown, which was

a WWII naval ship that played a huge part in American navalhistory. Even though it was a hot day, going from one metal box

to another metal box wasinteresting, as it allowed us tosee how American shipsdiffered to ours, mainly just insize! This was an incredible shipand is a must for anyonevisiting Charleston. Towards the end of the trip

we had word that our ship hadbeen delayed again due tosome fuelling issues, so two ofus had to stay on a bit longerto oversee and assist thereloading of the vehicles backon to ship. Once again, I seizedthis opportunity to stay out fora little bit longer sovolunteered immediately. Itwas only going to be a week soit didn’t seem too bad. Funnilyenough the day we were dueto fly home there was anotherdelay… I learned again thatwhen it happens, it happens.So remain flexible! When wecould load, all of us jumped on

to it and got everything back on board,loaded, secured, covered and good togo. In the blink of an eye, my firstexperience of Army sightseeing wasover, and back to Heathrow it was.I was lucky to get away when I did

being so new into a unit, but obviouslyI jumped on the opportunity. Whowouldn’t? Doing a vital task insupporting the Humanitarian Aid andDisaster Relief (HADR) effort as well asexperiencing how we operate in adifferent environment was the start of,I’m sure, a fantastic time here in 24 CdoRE Wksp REME.

Getting away ondeployment is

what we all jointo do, right?

“”


Looking out to sea, the village of ResoluteYes, I know, mixed dress! But at -60 the

issue smock just didn’t cut it!

had opted for January to March 2019 and would be hosted by 1Service Battalion (1 Sv Bn) Maintenance Company, RoyalCanadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME). The Battalionis the only ES second line support unit to the 1 CanadianMechanised Brigade Group (1 CMBG), totalling an approximate900 personnel and located in the Canadian Forces Base inEdmonton, Alberta. Flying with Air Canada was a nice change to the RAF’s

Voyagers, but it was accompanied by a sense of trepidation as Irealised that I would be representing not only the Corps but alsothe British Army. From the moment I landed I couldn’t have beenmade to feel to more welcome. I spent the first week finding myfeet and being introduced to countless people as well asattending a Corps Dinner Night. My hosts at 1 Svc Bn were keenfor me to get the most out of my stay and they arranged aprogramme where I could spend time with some of the first lineunits within the Bde and the various companies anddepartments of the Battalion.

Ihave been to Canada numerous times over theyears on various exercises and winter repairs.During each deployment I have always tried to see

somewhere new or do something different. Foranyone who has done the same, you’ll know it is notalways easy to get time away from a Battlegroup and,in a country as big as Canada, a couple of days doesn’tget you very far. But despite these challenges I’vealways had great adventures.When an email from the Bn Ops Officer ended up in

my inbox asking for volunteers to take part in anexchange programme with the Canadian army I didn’thesitate to put my name forward. With no objectionsfrom the hierarchy I replied, short and to the point, notexpecting anything to come of it. With much surprise Ireceived a reply from Army International Brancharound a week later. I had been successfully selectedto participate in the Canadian Exchange ProgramLong Look 2018 (EXPLL 18). The exchange would be for a three-month period, I

Scribe: AQMS WO2 Godliman, 9 Armd Coy 4 CS Bn REME

One of the vehicles owned by the Historical Vehicle Tp, she runs and drives!

C A N A D I A N E X C H A N G E P R O G R A M M E

Long Look 2018


Moving a Leopard 2 Power Pack RCEME style

As an A Mech I naturally opted to be with the Armour. Ishadowed the ETs (equivalent to an ASM) and spent timein coveralls on the shop floor with the Vehicle Technicians.It was a pleasure to work with the Lord Strathcona ofHorse (Leopard 2 Tank Regiment) and 1 Cbt Engr Regt(Armoured Engineers). It was working with the ‘Tankies’,Engineers and RCEME tradesmen in these units that mademe realise how similar our armies are. Some of theyounger soldiers were amused that a WO wanted to workon the shop floor, but for me it was a busman’s holiday, achance to get out from behind the desk and do somethingI love, fix tanks. The conversations I had could have beenthose at any unit I’ve served with, except they drink bettercoffee and have a Tim Hortons on base.It was about half-way through the exchange when I was

offered a once in a life-time chance which started with‘how do you feel about the cold’? This was soon followedby ‘would you like to go to the Artic?’ Naturally myresponse was YES! It was a comparatively warm -25degrees C in Edmonton at this point compared to the -60degrees C in the North. I collected my full Arctic clothing a coupleof days later and flew shortly after with eight others on a smallchartered flight to Resolute Bay as part of an EC inspection team.This is the Canadian Army’s second furthest outpost in the Northand home to their Arctic Survival Training Base. I spent anamazing week exploring the tundra by snow mobile, with theprivilege to see Polar Bears in the wild. I will always beexceptionally grateful to havebeen given theseopportunities.I had one last big event in

my exchange time table, theRCEME Bonspiel - I didn’tknow either. This is a seventy-two-hour nonstop ice curlingtournament where RCEMEteams from across theBrigade compete in a knock-out Tournament and the barnever closes! What could gowrong? Having never throwna Curling rock before, wesomehow managed to makeit to the Final from a startingfield of seventy-five teamsand with no broken bones.The novice normally throws

first as they can’t mess the game up too much and they do themajority of the sweeping. This was me. Before the tournament Ididn’t think Curling was a strenuous sport. I have a new foundappreciation for those who play/sweep.Preparation for the Brigade’s annual major exercise started to

conclude towards the end of March, with most units taking blockleave prior to deploying. This gave me a great opportunity to dosome travelling. I rented a car and drove to Vancouver for the

week, taking the North Highway through theBritish Columbia Rocky Mountains and down tothe West Coast. This was the type of trip that youget encouraged to take when you arrive in BATUSwith the Battlegroup, but I’d never had the timeuntil now. British Columbia is a truly beautifulplace and Vancouver is a great city. Anotherexperience I was lucky to get.Three months flew by and, before I knew it, it

was time to return home. It was a privilege to havetaken part in the 2018 Canadian EXPLL; I have metnew friends and had a great time. What I didn’trealise at the start was how it would change myperspective. It’s not until you work with anothernation’s army that you can compare and contrastyour own. As an army and as REME we do a lot ofthings very well as do the Canadians; we can stilllearn a lot from each other. I hope the CanadianEXPLL programme continues for many years tocome and if you get the chance to go, take it!

No Portaloo here, this literally is the Ig-loo

A chance to warm up during a halt parade


The Administration Instruction can be found on the REME Winter Sports SharePoint Page at the following link:

https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/teams/14931/REMEWS/SitePages/Home.aspx Unit representatives requiring further information should contact the following personnel:

Supreme Glacier 2019E X E R C I S E

(a) (b) (c)

Week Activity Breakdown Dates

0 Instructor only development week. 10 - 15 Nov 19

1Instruction and development for Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced -Alpine and Snowboard.

17 - 22 Nov 19

2Instruction and development for Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced -Alpine and Snowboard.

24 - 29 Nov 19

3Instruction and development for Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced -Alpine, Snowboard and Telemark.

1 - 6 Dec 19

4Instruction and development for Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced -Alpine, Snowboard, and Telemark.

8 - 13 Dec 19

Ex OIC Capt P Hodgson [email protected] Tel: 01904 665843

Ex Sergeant Major WO2 (CSM) Morley [email protected] Tel: 01980 650074

Alpine (Chief Instr) SSgt L Tidd [email protected] Tel: 01980 656819

Telemark (Chief Instr) Capt L Condron [email protected] Tel: 01199 355504

Snowboard (Chief Instr) SSgt C Jacks [email protected] Tel: 01252 355504

Exercise SUPREME GLACIER 2019 (11 November – 13 December) is the annual REME Alpine,Snowboarding and Telemark Race Development Camp held in Stubai in Austria.

The weekly activity breakdown is detailed below.

REME Winter Sports Race Development Camp


all the team but this year itwas to be a Silver medal asREME lost out to the IntCorps by just one fight. Veryclose, but we will be backnext year.Epee was the weapon for

Thursday’s individual events,along with the Inter-Unitthree-man team event andthe Officers against theOther Ranks. Again, therewere strong performanceswith some further medalsuccess for LCpl Seymourwho won a Bronze medal,

narrowly losing out on a place in the Final. RHQ REME (Col Simpson, Maj Lee and Capt Ball) entered a team

in to the Inter-Unit three-man team event and walked away withgold! This was a wonderful result for a small unit and the teamwill now go on to represent the Army at the Inter-ServicesChampionship in August. In the Officers vs Other Ranks event theOfficers managed to sneak a win despite only winning one of thethree events.

On the final day of competition, it was the Foilindividual events. There was more medal successfor the Corps as Capt Tankaria won Bronze. CplFirth (KRH LAD) also qualified for the Inter-Services Championships with his tenth-placefinish. This Championships were also the last

opportunity for the Army Fencing Union to saygoodbye to Lt Col Martin Kirchel, as he is retiringfrom the Army this year. He has been involved inArmy Fencing for the best part of 37 years, mostof these as member of the Committee. He haspreviously been shortlisted for the Army Officialof the Year and last year was awarded a REMELifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Awardsdinner. He has introduced many members of theCorps to the sport during his several postings toBordon and will be sorely missed.

REME has a long tradition of success in Fencing. ModernPentathlon and the Army Championships 2019 provedno exception. The Championships were back in

Aldershot from 1 - 5 April, after a little time away. Two daysof training at the start ensued that all participants, whethernovice or a recent international, understood the rules,weapons and format of the competition. As well as thetraining, members of the Army and Royal Navy FencingUnions completed level 1 and 2 refereeing courses to gainBritish Fencing qualifications. The Competition started on Wednesday with the Men’s

and Ladies’ Individual Sabre, Inter-Unit six-man team andInter-Corps events. Seven members of the Corps took part inthe individual events with some excellent results. Inparticular, Capt Tankaria (7 Bn REME) won the Men’s eventhaving, unfortunately, met and knocked out Capt Ball (RHQREME) in the Quarter Finals. This was his seventh consecutivetitle - a fantastic achievement. The Ladies’ Final was an allREME affair for the third year in a row, with Maj Lee (RHQ

REME) winning her twelfth Army Sabre title in 15 years and LCplSeymour (7 Bn REME) taking the Silver medal. The Inter-Corps event always proves tricky for REME with four

very strong Sabre fencers but the competition requiring one forFoil, one for Epee and one for Sabre. As the defendingchampions, it was decided that the same team as last year shouldgo for it again: Capt Ball (Sabre), Capt Tankaria (Epee), LCplSeymour (Foil). Once again it was a very strong performance from

Name Foil Epee Sabre Teams

Col Simpson (RHQ REME) *11th 25th *Inter-Unit 3-man GOLD

Lt Col Kirchel (1 GE/NL Corps HQ) 13th

Maj Lee (RHQ REME) *1st *Inter-Unit 3-man GOLD

Capt Ball (RHQ REME) *9th *5th *Inter-Unit 3-man GOLD, Inter-Corps GOLD

Capt Tankaria (7 Bn REME) *3rd *7th *1st Inter-Corps GOLD

Cpl Firth (KRH LAD) *10th 41st 26th

LCpl Seymour (7 Bn REME) *3rd *2nd Inter-Corps GOLD

Overall REME Results:

*denotes selection for the Army Team for Inter-Services Championships 2019

ARMY FENCING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019Scribe: Major Naomi Lee


Atotal of 27 boxers, including three females from across theCorps and a small number of attached arms entered this year.Preliminary bouts took place on Monday with the boxers

fighting for a place in the Final on the Wednesday night. Supportedby Battalion personnel in station, the boxers traded blows andfought gallantly for the right to fight under the lights in the bigevent. The highlight of these bouts was the clash between two 7 Bnboxers, LCpl Shah and LCpl Loughlin who had trained together sinceChristmas, with LCpl Shah coming out on top to progress to theFinal.

Under the lights and in front of an eager crowd including a 2 StarGeneral and two 1 Star Brigadiers, the contests took place providingsome excellent displays of boxing. At Welterweight, a smiling LCplBrierley (7 Avn Sp Bn), in his first ever fight fought bravely in a closecontest to beat Cfn Sanders (5 FS Bn) by split decision. He was eggedon, not only by the home crowd but also his family watching alongon the Facebook Live stream on the Battalion Facebook page.

Another extraordinarybout was the all 7 Bn LightHeavyweight contestbetween LCpl Coulson andLCpl Hess. Both in the sameCompany and very good

7 Avn Sp Bn REME host theREME Boxing Championships 2019

During the week starting 13 May 2019, the REMEBoxing Championships began in Wattisham hostedby 7 Bn. The boxers from REME units all over the UKtrained for months in preparation for the event tofight for the title of 2019 Corps Champions.

Unit Champion 7 Avn Sp Bn

Best Boxer LCpl Shah 7 Avn Sp Bn

Most Gallant LCpl Hess 7 Avn Sp Bn


2019 and had many new boxers, were Corps Champions. Well done to all those that took part in the organisation, set up

and running of an excellent event. The biggest acknowledgementshould go to all the boxers who took part in the event. It takes a lotof courage to stand up in front of any number of people and trade

blows for six minutes. All those that took parttruly embodied our values and standards. Welldone!!!Videos of the fights are available on the 7

Avn Sp Bn REME Facebook page for anyonethat missed them on the night and would liketo see the amazing event for themselves.

Red Corner Unit Blue Corner Unit Winner

2Lt Welsh 1 CS Bn Cpl Wood 4 Armd CS Bn Cpl Wood

Cfn Ambler 6 Armd CS Bn Cpl Mills 7 Avn Sp Bn Cfn Ambler

Cfn Sanders 5 FS Bn LCpl Brierley 7 Avn Sp Bn LCpl Brierley

LCpl Small 6 Armd CS Bn LCpl Miller 1 CS Bn LCpl Small

LCpl Hume 5 FS Bn LCpl Adey 7 Avn Sp Bn LCpl Adey

LCpl Coulson 7 Avn Sp Bn LCpl Hess 7 Avn Sp Bn LCpl Coulson

Cfn Collins 6 Armd CS Bn Pte Koroibanuve 7 Avn Sp Bn Cfn Collins

LCpl Berry 5 FS Bn LCpl Shah 7 Avn Sp Bn LCpl Shah

friends, they had been training together for 13 weeks. When it cameto the fight itself it was a close contest with both boxers tradingblows. With the bell at the end of Round 3 sounding, thedemonstration of controlled aggression was outstanding. Bothboxers had started the fight as friends, fought tirelessly against eachother for six minutes and then at the end embraced as friends.Unfortunately, there could only be one winner and this was LCplCoulson. Further success for the Battalion was gained by LCpl Shah(Middleweight) and LCpl Adey (Super Heavyweight). At the end of an amazing evening with some incredible displays a

Unit Champion had to be awarded. Presented by Maj GeneralHamilton CBE, 7 Avn Sp Bn REME were crowned REME BoxingChampions 2019. The team, who hadn’t existed at the beginning of



BADMINTONCorps

Championship

1 October – 4 October 2019Those interested should contact:

[email protected]

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Scribe: LCpl Katie Drelaud

LCpl Drelaud and LCpl Kentcompleted a 24 mile in 24-hourswim charity event starting at

1000hrs on 4 April at the RNASYeovilton Pool. The chosen charity for the event was

CALM (Campaigning Against LivingMiserably), a charity that is leading themovement battling male suicide. Currently male suicide is the biggest

killer of young males under 45 in theUK, with three-quarters of suicidesbeing young males. CALM help andsupport people who are at a low pointin their lives, showing them optionsand helping them battle thestereotype of being unable to talk to get help. Fundraising began a month before the event. Both ladies

raised a total of £2753.21, through the support of family,friends and others donating through the pages they hadset up online and collection pots on the poolside. Thetraining began months prior to the event, both beingproficient swimmers, having taken part in Inter-Corps andInter-Services Competitions representing the Corps. The

support received and the awareness raised was enough forthe girls to push through the 24 miles in 24 hours,completing a mile an hour, the time remaining was theirrest, before getting back in the water on the hour. Theevent ended with the support of members of the Regimentat the poolside and the Commanding Officer of 1 Regt AACjoining them for the last mile.

24 Hour Swim

Our next Forces competition is on Wednesday 26 June so if anyone is interested in getting involved in Forces and REME Strong Soldier, open to both male and female competitors, please contact either myself on

[email protected] or WO2 (AQMS) Dan Wall on [email protected]

CHIPPENHAM’S

Being a local boy inChippenham, I choseChippenham’sStrongest Man as myreturn to thecompetitive stage andset myself a fivemonth training andpreparation phase. Mygym work did not alter as

I currently train the fourmain compound lifts (squat,

bench press, deadlift andoverhead press) following a

strength programme anyway, butonce the events were released in early

January I was able to tailor my events specific training to suit. Thefive events were 1) 130kg (in each hand) Farmers walk for 20m, 2)Overhead press medley with 120kg steel log then 100kg beer barrel

followed by a110kg axle pressand lastly a 100kgOlympic barbell 3)340kg Super Yokefor 20m, 4) 10Ttruck pull for 20mand lastly 5)130kg Atlas stonefor reps over a 4ftbar. The conditions

on the day werefantastic and a bigcrowd had turnedout to cheer us allon. The first eventstarted at 1030and to be honest Ididn’t get off to agreat start. Mygrip is normallyvery good but asthe day started to

heat up, the skin on my hands was starting to get very soft, evenwith plenty of chalk applied. I picked up the Farmers implements butthey slipped from my hands within a few steps, so I had to pick themup again. This lost me a lot of time and I finished this event in 5thplace. The next event, overhead pressing, is my strongest event and Iwon this event, which moved me back up to 2nd place overall. The3rd event was the Super yoke, another favourite of mine, and Imanaged to finish in 2nd place in this one, which kept me in 2ndoverall. By this time the sun was fully out, and temperatures werenow in the high 20’s, which was making it difficult for everyone, butwe had to push on. The 4th event was the 10T truck pull, an event I really enjoy but

can lose points as I am not as heavy as a lot of the other competitorswhich is a huge disadvantage in this event. Regardless, I finished thisevent in 3rd place which meant that I was heading into the finalevent in 3rd overall. The final event was the Atlas stone for reps. Iknew that I only needed a couple of reps to finish on the podium, sowhen I got four reps and won the event I was overwhelmed. If itwasn’t for cramp I could’ve gotten a few more reps also. With theevent win I knew that I would finish on the podium but wasn’t sureat this point whether it would be 3rd or 2nd.When they announced the 3rd placedand 2nd placed competitors I wasstarting to worry as my namehadn’t been called, but then Iwas announced as thewinner by one pointoverall and couldn’tcontain my excitement.I was using this

competition to gaugewhether I could still becompetitive in thesport and my targetwas for a top fivefinish, so to come awaywith the win completelyoverwhelmed me andhas reignited my passionto compete again. I willcertainly be training forChippenham’s Strongest Man2020 to try and retain my title.

Scribe: WO1 (ASM) Simon Cooper Photographs by Paul Rubery (Image5)

Within the sport of Strongman, competitors require both physical and mentalstrength and endurance, and as soldiers we have an abundance of both. For thelast 9 years I have been involved in the sport not only as a competitor but also

as the secretary for Forces and REME strong soldier, where we runregular competitions for Forces personnel throughout the

year. The organising and running of these competitionshad taken me away from competing for the last two

years, so I wanted to return to competition to seewhether I still had it in me now that I amapproaching 40 years young!

Strongest Man 2019


SSgt Martin Loveridge racing hard on the loose soil at Minehead in the Southern Enduro Championships

and often consists of four to eight timed race stages linked togetherwith transitions (which are sometimes also timed depending on therace organiser), the times recorded on each stage are added togetherto give an over-all race time and finish position. The courses are oftenremote with good elevation, rocky and steep technical natural-typetrails.The bikes typically have full suspension (front and rear) with

140mm -170mm suspension travel and the masses are on either27.5” or 29” wheels, which when discussed with tyre choice will setmost Enduro riders of on a heated debate. Hardtail bikes (frontsuspension only) have their own category when racing because all of

The REME MTB Enduro Team has been steadily growing over thelast three years. The growth has been exceptional with the teamnow competing in the National Enduro series and dominating

the Inter-Corps Championships that runs in-line with the nationalseries. The team is managed by a very passionate SSgt RichardBunting who has enabled the Corps Team to race, train and socialisetogether. SSgt Bunting writes ‘I love managing a team of like-mindedfocused riders and work hard on trying to reduce the costs to theteam members and make a pretty expensive sport more accessibleto the masses as the sport inevitably grows over the next few years’. So what is MTB Enduro? MTB Enduro is a multi-stage racing format

Scribe: Sgt Mark Wadham

Introducing

LCpl Jacob Draper running through a section after snapping his chain earlier in the stage


Major Mark Foster lookingwhere he wants

to go next in the Lake DistrictWO2 Ben Hartlebury set ready for the next loose, dusty and rocky section in South Wales

those riders are a strange breed who are gluttons for punishment to ride the trails on aboneshaker bike. A good all-round Enduro bike will cost from around £2000 upwards.The kit required to race is very personal, but as a minimum for racing cycling specific shoes

with extra grippy soles are worn, biking socks pulled up as high as possible, knee pads andlong shorts to cover the gap between each other (obviously no one wants to be ridiculed forthe Enduro sin of exposed leg skin), full finger gloves, jersey and then a full-face helmet andgoggles for race day. (Another Enduro rider rule: if goggles are not worn over eyes, they mustbe placed on the back of the helmet to ‘look Enduro’).Necessary vocabulary additions include ‘Gnar’, ‘shred’, ‘rail’ and ‘boost’. These are terms of

endearment for the sport and events or situations within a race.We are always looking for the sport to grow and will be releasing a detailed winter riding

plan for those interested in applying. Come and have a look at what we do and see the natureof the trails that are typical of a race event. It is a very professional sport but really relaxed andwelcoming. We look forward to meeting some new riders over the winter.

Follow us on Facebook (REME Off-Road Cycling) and Instagram (@reme_mtb_enduro_team)for the remaining races and events of the 2019 season.

Sgt Mark Wadham in full race mode at Round One of the 2019 National Enduro Series

LCpl Alice Bowen floating though a slab/rock section, making it look easy



The Race Teamswill be on hand toprovide help and

support, whateveryour level of

riding

Interested inracing? This is the ideal time to catch the race teams forany questions you

may have, andpotential to do

your race licenseon the day

Use Code BATD19for the reduced

cost of £105

Book through NoLimits Trackdayson 01525 877087

Book now to avoiddisappointment

The 2019 British Army Motorcycle Track day is being held at Cadwell Park Circuit on Thursday 8 AugustOpen to all Serving Soldiers, Veterans and friends.

The aim of the day is for riders to transfer skills from track to the roadsand ultimately make for a safer road riding

You can use a road bike or a track bike. There are also track bikehire companies available on the day (booked in advance)

For any queries contact us via [email protected]

or Sgt Richard Spencer-Fleet, 5 Battalion REME, 94342 3292

BRITISH ARMYTRACKDAY 2019

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Post a CD to Corporate Comms Manager, RHQ REME, The Prince Philip Barracks, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham SN15 4XX

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Post a CD to Corporate Comms Manager, RHQ REME, The Prince Philip Barracks, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham SN15 4XX

exercise, adventurous training or participating in sport within the last 12 months - caption is required for each.We need high resolution JPEG photographs (min 1mb) depicting your unit on operations, in barracks, on


from the pair.The other REME Road Race Riders include Sgt ‘Spence’

Spencer-Fleet. He is in his second year in The Ducati Tri-Options Cup. This series is a supporting championships to thewell-known British Superbikes. Last year he was plagued withmechanical problems, but this year he has already clickedwith the bike and is fighting for championship points. Havingrecently competed at the first round of BSB, he finished 20thin Race 1 and then only 1.2 seconds of 15th in Race 2. Sgt Spencer-Fleet is also running the British Army Track-Day.

This event is aimed at riders who want toimprove their road riding in a saferenvironment, but also for those who areaiming to race. The event is being held atCadwell Park on 8 August 2019. The teamswill also be on hand to offer support andhelp on and off the track, whether bodyposition, tyre pressure or suspension setup. Sgt Spencer-Fleet, Captain Brown andWO2 Morgan are the only three ArmyRoad Race Instructors and will also betaking people through their race licence.

Please check out the Army MotorcycleRoad Race Team Facebook page. Or ifinterested and want to get involved as arider or as pit crew please use the PMservice.

During 2019 the Army Motorcycle Road Team has grownagain this year, with seven REME riders and numerousREME pit crew. The Army Team is made up of two main

categories, Sprint and Endurance. The Sprint team race withinthe Thundersport GB Championships and an Inter-ServiceChampionships, which they are currently leading. Sprint racesare normally between 10-15 laps. Endurance takes place onlywithin the No Limits National Championships. Their races lastbetween three and, this year, 10 hours. Teams consist of twoor three riders and it is a tag style race, where the transponderis swapped between the riders.

Sprint - Captain ‘Pep’ Brown and Sgt‘Leon’ Wilton have recently raced in theInter-Services Championships at BrandsHatch and came home in first and thirdplace respectively, with another ArmyRider coming second, taking the teaminto the second round of the Inter-Services Championships as leaders.

Endurance - WO1 ‘Andy’ Day, SSgt‘Daz’ Williams, Sgt ‘Andy’ McSweeny andLCpl ‘Celvin’ Heaver all race within theteam but with separate team membersand separate Championships. In thefirst round of the EnduranceChampionships Team 2 with WO1 ‘Andy’Day finished P5 in Clubman 1000 andTeam 4 SSgt ‘Daz’ Williams finished in P5in Clubman 600. The best result of theweekend was the rookie team of Sgt‘Andy’ McSweeney and LCpl ‘Celvin’Heaver taking the podium and finishingjust outside the places in the Clubman600 class in P4. An excellent display

Army Motorcycle Road Race TeamScribe: Sgt Richard Spencer-Fleet

More details on the Army Track Day canbe found on the Facebook page or bycontacting Sgt [email protected]

Capt Rikki Abel pulling the car out into the pit lane after a mid-session tyre change

dependent. The option tyre is either a soft or a hardcompound, depending on the circuit and is used in the otherrace. The team decide, depending on their strategy, on whichrace to use each compound of tyre. So, with that, we nowneed to go to Dunlop, the tyre supplier, with enough wheelsto accept all the new tyres required. After Dunlop have donetheir bit and fitted the new tyres to our wheels, it’s now backto me to start organising them into their sets ready forSaturday’s two practices sessions and qualifying session. Eachwheel and tyre is marked with a unique code, which getsused only once per season, to identify exactly which tyre it isand for which car it belongs to. This allows the engineers tostrategically move its position on the car, i.e. from front left to

rear right, throughout the weekend to optimise itslongevity and its performance. After this, all

tyre pressures are then set to an overnightbase pressure and then racked up on thetrolleys. The rest of the afternoon is thenspent helping the technicians in thegarage set up their workshop space,ensuring everything is in its place. Finallythe trucks get a good wash down andpolish. After all Power Maxed is a car

detailing company, where image iseverything. Saturday morning starts at around 0730hrs in

‘hospo’ with a full English breakfast. It’s important tofill up now, as Saturday is a busy one. As one of the tyreguys, my first job is to move all of our loaded tyre trolliesout of the garage, back into the tyre prep area and getthem laid out ready for the day’s pressures to be set.Deciding what the pressures need to be set to is downto the race engineer, however he first requires me totake ambient air, track and tyre temperatures. From thisthe engineer will work exactly what pressure each tyreneeds to be set to. Each corner of the car will be set to adifferent pressure. This varies due to the amount of forceor ‘load’ that is being put though each tyre. The more‘load’ that is put into a tyre, the hotter it will get andtherefore the bigger the temperature rise will be andconsequently the bigger the rise in pressure. So,generally, the front left is set to the lowest pressure andthe rear right is set to the highest, with both frontsalways being lower than the rears. Once this is completewe hand over a set of wheels to be fitted to the car,

Firstly, we will set up an area outside the back of the garagecalled the tyre prep area, which will be used for exactlythat, preparing the wheels and tyres, all 80+ of them.

There are two cars in the team; each has seven sets ofwheels/tyres. Each race weekend each car is allocatedthree brand new sets of prime tyre and one brand newset of the option tyre, with ‘wets’ being weather

Scribe: Cpl James Child

2019 BRITISH

CHAMPIONSHIPTOURING CAR

I have done 10 rounds with Power Maxed Racing (PMR) overthe past two seasons of the British Touring Car Championship(BTCC) and have thoroughly enjoyed my time working withthe team.A typical race weekend starts on a Friday morning, meeting atthe main entrance to the circuit by 0800hrs. From there wemake our way through the paddock, meet the team and havesome breakfast before starting a busy weekend. After breakfast we split into the two main elements, thehospitality or ‘hospo’ team and the garage team. When in‘hospo’ you will be required to help out in many ways toensure that the 100 plus guests that will arrive on race day,receive the full VIP treatment. Those in the garage team thenmove, with the rest of the garage staff, to the back of the pitlane area and start to set up the garage and tyre bay. As amember of the garage team, I was predominantly workingwith the ‘tyre guys’.

80+ brand new tyres awaiting their initial pressure setting

Thepatch is a level

area which all teamsuse to ensure they have

set the ride height of the carto the lowest possible settingand to weigh the car. Theseare formalities that all theteams will go through toensure that their carsare legal to race.


with their pit stop practices to ensure they are ready forevery eventuality.

With tyre pressures now set, we push the car back tothe patch to ensure any setting changes done overnighthasn’t affected the cars ride height or weight, or at leastin a way that makes the car illegal. Once everyone ishappy and the car is in tip top condition, it’s time for meto get some practice with the air jacks. It will be my job tojack the car up when it arrives on the grid before eachrace. This allows the technicians to make any last-minutechanges that the driver or engineer want, just before therace starts.

During the race I performed a number of differentroles; from taking tyre temps and pressures if the car hasto pit to helping repair bodywork damage that may havebeen sustained. But by far my favourite job has beenstanding on the pit wall with the drivers pit board,listening into the team’s radios and giving the driverinformation on his position and how many laps there arestill to run.

Maybe not the most technical of jobs but when you arestood inches away from the cars as they come hurtlingpast. Now that is a buzz.

Between races I go back to the tyre bay and ensure that allwheels used get cleaned, the tyres get scrapped and the nextrace set of tyres are racked up and good to go. The BTCC isrenowned for its close racing. With that, more often than not,some damage to the cars is inevitable. So once the tyres are allsorted it’s time to lend a hand to the technicians and get the cars

straightened out again for the next race. There are three racesover the course of the day, so as you can imagine, it can get

very busy if things don’t go your way. On the flip side,when they do go your way, it is a very satisfying andrewarding feeling to be stood in pit lane as the driverreturns and to be there to celebrate with themknowing your hard work has contributed to the result.

Post the last race of the day it is time to pack up allthe equipment into the trucks, say good bye to all my

wheels and tyres and start to look forward to the nextround.

We are running low on volunteers to help out at these raceweekends, so if you have an interest in motorsports and wouldlike to work with a race winning team, in the top form of BritishMotorsport, then please get in contact.

which is then pushed down pit lane to ‘the patch’. Time for the first practice session of the day and time to see all

our hard work be put into action on track for the first time.During this session, and the next, the drivers will run on all of thenew tyres in order to ‘scrub’ them in. All new tyres come with analmost protective film over them making them quiteshinny. This must be removed in order to get the bestperformance out of the tyre and the best way to dothat is to do a few laps around the circuit. Duringthe session I will assist the technicians inchanging the wheels in the pit stops and take tyretemps and pressures as they come of the car,which I record and give to the engineer. After thesession the recorded data that I have taken is usedalong with all the data received by the cars computerto determine the best set up for the qualifying session

After qualifying has finished, depending on how well thecar has performed, depends on how much work we still have todo. On a good weekend we will just have to clean and scapetyres. On a bad weekend where the car has not qualified as wellas hoped, the techniciansand engineers become verybusy, stripping the car downand working out theproblems. Although this isnot good for the team, it is agood opportunity to see theintricate details of the racecar and get involved withsome of the stripdown/rebuild of the car.

Sunday morning and itsrace day. Today is where allof our efforts over the pastcouple of days cometogether. First things first,after breakfast of course, isto take tyre, track and airtemps in order for theengineer to decide the day’styre pressures. While this ishappening the team start

Contact: WO2 Keith Sharlott ([email protected]) Cpl Jim Childs ([email protected])

Josh Cook’s car going through technical checks

Time to load the cars after a very successful weekend

Airjacks are

pneumatic ramsthat protrude from theunderside of the car,when pressurised air

enters the system,lifting the car off

the ground.



surprise visit was to present formerWO1 (ASM) Geoffrey Culverhouse withthe President’s Commendation. Thecitation, reproduced below, was readout by the Branch Secretary. GeneralSharman informed the memberspresent that the commendation hadbeen signed by Lieutenant General PWJacques CBE the President of the REMEAssociation and he took great pleasurein presenting it to Geoffrey in honourof his many years of dedicated work onbehalf of the Branch. The memberspresent were then encouraged topartake of the sandwiches prepared bythe club in celebration of the event.

Plans are being looked at for our2020 annual dinner following the

success of this year’s event, which was held at Blacknest Golf Clubon Saturday 12 April. Our Branch outings this year have included aSkittles evening at the Jolly Farmer at Blacknest, a super eveningenjoyed by all who attended. After a failed attempt in January wemanaged to mount a successful visit, ably assisted by Lt Col StuartCowen, to RHQ REME at Lyneham and the Corps Museum on 17April 2019. There are many more outings in the pipeline organisedby Cyndi Fryer our Social Secretary. To join us and find out more,why not get in touch at:

[email protected].

For the first time in several years wehave decided to submit an articlefrom the Bordon Branch to

celebrate a happy event that tookplace recently, more of that later. Weare a very happy band of membersunder the direction of our Chairman,Mr Barry Farrington. We are 28 innumber and regularly manage a dozenor so at our monthly branch meetings.

We have successfully managed tostay vibrant following the departure ofthe Corps from Bordon, having had tovacate our meeting place of theSergeants’ Mess at Prince PhillipBarracks. We moved to the RAFCommunity Centre who looked after usvery well, but the building is now upfor redevelopment to house the local Air Training Squadron with anew first floor being added to the current building.

At Linford Working Man’s Club on 10 May the evening wasgoing well. The Chairman had opened our monthly meeting,minutes had been read and business was progressing. Our BranchPresident Major General Alan Sharman CBE, accompanied bysome of the members’ wives arrived in the meeting room. It was acomplete surprise to one person, who had been issued with adifferent meeting agenda to the others. The purpose of his

President’s Commendation forFormer WO1 (ASM) Geoffrey Culverhouse

Scribe: Gregor Anderson

President’s CommendationGeoffrey Culverhouse was Chairman of Bordon Branch REME Associationfrom March 2009 until last year. He brought complete commitment to thetask. He has at times run the Branch single-handedly. During 2011/2013 hisBranch Treasurer, Social Secretary and Welfare Officer all died. He coveredeach of these appointments. In recent years his own health hasdeteriorated but with the unstinting support of his wife, Norma, he hascarried on with considerable determination. In 2015 he successfullyrecruited a new Secretary, Treasurer, and Welfare Officer. He also steered theBranch through the challenge of the departure of the Corps from Bordon.Without his efforts it may well not have survived. As it is, the Branch isthriving and has developed close links with the local community to ensureits future. His contribution to REME esprit de corps, generosity and thesupport and welfare of members has been second to none. His passion andenergy for Branch affairs is outstanding and a great example to all. He iswithout doubt a worthy recipient of this commendation.


R E M E A S S O C I AT I O N

Remembrance Sunday, when it is generally cold, wet and windy.In preparation for the event, 133 Rec Coy had repainted the huge

memorial gates at the entrance to the cemetery. Branch membershad been involved in the refurbishment of the two REME plaques,mounted on the brick piers which support the gates. Theimprovement was impressive and I would like to thank all of thoseinvolved.Poppy wreaths were laid, as part of the service, and our Chairman,

Chris Vaughan, paraded the Branch Standard. The wreath on behalfof the Branch was laid by our President, Major Tony Finch, andBranch Member, Ric Skoulding, laid a wreath on behalf of the Goughfamily, who were unable to attend. Brig Gough was 2IC at the time ofthe tragedy and, following his death, his family have continued toremember the loss of the 52 soldiers from his unit. Wreaths were alsolaid on behalf of the Borough of Ashford, RHQ REME, TRBL andLenham Parish Council.After the service, we were all invited back to Ashford ARC for a

lovely curry lunch and, on behalf of Ashford Branch, I would like tothank 103 Bn for their hospitality.

On Saturday, 22 June, 14 members of Ashford Branchjoined 50 soldiers of 103 Bn for an event in the villageof Lenham, Kent. It was a hot and sunny day as we

joined together to commemorate the 75th Anniversary ofthe Flying Bomb which killed soldiers of 6 Guards TankBrigade REME, who are buried in Lenham Cemetery. The daywas a stark contrast to our usual service there on

Ashford Branch – 75th Anniversary, LenhamScribe: Clare Gomme, Secretary

Annual REME Quartermasters’Dinner 2019

For further information please contact Maj Stu Kitchen.Civ: 01748874490 Mil: [email protected]

The annual REME Quartermasters’ Dinner willtake place on Friday 4 October 2019 in thePrincess Marina Officers Mess, Lyneham. It isopen to all serving and retired QM’s, QM

qualified officers and all non-technical officers

For a copy of the Admin Instruction which includes abooking proforma, please contact Maj Marc Wilding

[email protected]

The 2019 ECE Reunion willbe held on 7 September2019 in the Harris MMWarrant Officers’ and

Sergeants’ Mess at DSEME Lyneham (by kindpermission of the Corps ASM).

Electronic ControlEquipment (ECE)

TechnicianReunion

The Craftsman is YOURmagazine, air YOUR views,

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30058180 LCpl CM Green 18-Jun-19 VM30018298 LCpl MJ Gregson 21-Jun-19 VM30135453 LCpl SP Millins 22-Jun-19 Rec Mech

To be Lance Corporal30254085 Cfn AL Hopkins 26-Aug-18 Tech Ac30143452 Cfn LCT Dutton 10-Sep-18 VM30199389 Cfn S Forrester 01-Oct-18 VM30242400 Cfn KL Drelaud 08-Oct-18 Armr30071409 Cfn SC Sanders 08-Oct-18 Armr30203734 Cfn MS Kwenda 08-Oct-18 VM30241127 Cfn KC Badley 08-Oct-18 TSS30225817 Cfn MG Richardson 21-Jan-19 VM30240826 Cfn L Price 04-Feb-19 Armr30264425 Cfn CJA Kennedy 03-Mar-19 TSS30221854 Cfn SA Hancock 01-Apr-19 Rec Mech 30219209 Cfn JR Jones 15-Apr-19 VM30208342 Cfn C White 15-Apr-19 VM30209982 Cfn S Johnson 22-Apr-19 VM30209400 Cfn EJ Bundy 29-Apr-19 VM25225532 Cfn SR Cumming 29-Apr-19 Rec Mech 30272483 Cfn KL Burrows 30-Apr-19 VM30270825 Cfn RS Shrimpton 30-Apr-19 VM30123963 Cfn S Downing 06-May-19 VM30210224 Cfn DN Vosper 06-May-19 VM30281552 Cfn B Cole-Jones 13-May-19 VM30282090 Cfn DV Murphy 13-May-19 VM30191210 Cfn RD Lewis 15-May-19 Rec Mech 30190197 Cfn S Bartlett 27-May-19 Tech Ac30215161 Cfn BJ Hayles 03-Jun-19 VM30191581 Cfn RD Hizzett 10-Jun-19 VM30207770 Cfn M Ducker 14-Jan-19 Tech Elect30191207 Cfn SM Curran 04-Mar-19 Tech Elect30101553 Cfn TD Rose 30-Apr-19 Tech Elect30277238 Cfn KA Young 30-Apr-19 Tech Elect30222340 Cfn JA Caddick 06-May-19 Tech Elect30218476 Cfn J Holden 06-May-19 Tech Elect30211088 Cfn JJ Townsend 06-May-19 VM30222969 Cfn LS Smith 06-May-19 VM30281612 Cfn AM Hassan 13-May-19 VM30260462 Cfn WG Simmonds 13-May-19 VM30281547 Cfn FA McGregor 13-May-19 VM30274892 Cfn DLS Summers 13-May-19 VM30278616 Cfn H Aslam 13-May-19 Tech Elect30275772 Cfn CJ Bell 13-May-19 Tech Av30242751 Cfn JH Rothon 20-May-19 Tech Av30208356 Cfn O Fairburn 11-Jun-19 Tech AvW1064333 Cfn JJ Gleave 14-Jun-19 VM

Number Rank Initials Name Effective Date Trade

To be Warrant Officer Class 125053567 WO2 C Radford 31-Aug-18 Art Veh 25068077 WO2 SJ Duncan 04-Mar-19 TSS25085120 WO2 AM Holmes 01-Apr-19 Rec Mech 25068842 WO2 MA Stifman 01-Apr-19 Rec Mech 25065554 WO2 LD Smith 24-Jun-19 Art Wpn

To be Warrant Officer Class 225077645 SSgt C Smyth 13-Aug-18 TSS25125780 SSgt JFT Watterson 15-Oct-18 Art Veh25127981 SSgt DR Gale 07-Jan-19 Art Veh24936359 SSgt RE Shoemaker 31-Mar-19 Art Wpn25067028 SSgt ST Hail 01-Apr-19 Art Elect25104416 SSgt R Howells 01-Apr-19 Art Veh25113003 SSgt SSR Seduadua 01-Apr-19 Art Veh25066450 SSgt L Pankua 01-Apr-19 VMW1043828 SSgt DM Miller 15-Apr-19 TSS25049770 SSgt CP Dodds 20-Apr-19 Rec Mech 25045078 SSgt AJ Wallace 30-Apr-19 VM25161684 SSgt JA Hayes 13-May-19 Art Veh 25146314 SSgt DJ Devlin 13-May-19 ArtVeh25167690 SSgt JA Donohue 13-May-19 Art Veh25137924 SSgt RS Hutchinson 03-Jun-19 Art Veh 25162807 SSgt SA Pugh 17-Jun-19 Art Veh25099335 SSgt LD Kirkham 24-Jun-19 Rec Mech 25140192 SSgt MA Bavington 24-Jun-19 Art Veh

To be Staff Sergeant25226706 Sgt MD Cusdin 15-Mar-19 Art Elect25156695 Sgt V Lawrence 29-Mar-19 Art AV25111092 Sgt DS Shiels 31-Mar-19 TSSW1060675 Sgt RE Metters 01-Apr-19 TSS25072813 Sgt KM Terry 06-May-19 VM

To be Sergeant25206595 Cpl S Kimmings 01-Oct-18 Rec Mech 25217838 Cpl JS Cash 19-Nov-18 Rec Mech 30050491 Cpl A Campbell 07-Jan-19 VM30034614 Cpl TP Jones 04-Feb-19 Tech Elect25148100 Cpl TJ Barber-McLean 04-Mar-19 TSS25187864 Cpl BAM McQueen 18-Mar-19 Rec Mech 25180296 Cpl SA Swingler 08-Apr-19 VM25187376 Cpl NB Northall 15-Apr-19 VM30102025 Cpl E Oppong 29-Apr-19 TSS25131607 Cpl MR Mitchell 06-May-19 Armr25177223 Cpl SA Anderson 13-May-19 VM 25205067 Cpl DM McLoughlin 13-May-19 VM25196018 Cpl DJ Benfield 13-May-19 VM30023149 Cpl CS Mansell 13-May-19 VM25224084 Cpl CW Strand 13-May-19 VM25175309 Cpl TE Laws-Beatham 26-Jun-19 Armr25141100 Cpl IJ Culham 28-Jun-19 VM

To be Corporal30147323 LCpl G Lawrence 08-Jan-18 Mtsm30172637 LCpl LM Kirby 17-Sep-18 Tech Elect25155405 LCpl MJ May 28-Sep-18 Mtsm30122555 LCpl JLB Rhodes 01-Oct-18 Rec Mech 30148712 LCpl LJ Taylor 01-Oct-18 VM30183367 LCpl TJ Cox 01-Oct-18 Tech Elect30158132 LCpl AJ Challender 01-Oct-18 Tech Av30120139 LCpl EW Ikua 01-Oct-18 VM30106301 LCpl J Grant 15-Oct-18 VM30013571 LCpl BW Foreman 29-Oct-18 VM30106624 LCpl L Heath 29-Oct-18 VM30194640 LCpl B Danson 04-Nov-18 Tech Av30199133 LCpl SB Howard 05-Nov-18 Tech Ac25143144 LCpl SP Crookes 12-Nov-18 Rec Mec 30191087 LCpl JJ Nancarrow 12-Nov-18 TSS30110392 LCpl JT Featherstone 28-Nov-18 VM30147321 LCpl BP Sewell 03-Dec-18 Mtsm30107266 LCpl PJ Ward 19-Dec-18 VM30198720 LCpl ML Andrew 20-Dec-18 Tech Av25178649 LCpl L Lagrue 07-Jan-19 VM21171774 LCpl B Thapa 07-Jan-19 TSS30173034 LCpl MDDD Kemp 07-Jan-19 TSS30122566 LCpl BA Shelley 07-Jan-19 Mtsm30057547 LCpl LH Parry 07-Jan-19 VM30156331 LCpl LM Peet 09-Jan-19 VM30124993 LCpl NL Persaud 18-Jan-19 VM30146388 LCpl C Roe 06-Feb-19 VM30174521 LCpl GA Corrigan 29-Apr-19 Tech Elect30106813 LCpl DW Buckley 06-May-19 VM30213319 LCpl LS Kay 15-May-19 Tech Ac30156068 LCpl CJ Hutchinson 15-May-19 Tech Ac30211658 LCpl CJ Rankine 15-May-19 Tech Av30154918 LCpl E Siawor 17-Jun-19 VM30027579 LCpl SE Dack 17-Jun-19 VM30025550 LCpl WR Kinsella 17-Jun-19 VM

Corps Orders

Officer Assignments

AugustLieutenant ColonelL Agathangelou Super Yoda RMAS 01-Aug-19KF Badham-Thornhill Snr UKLO to CCL OP TURUS 01-Aug-19SJ Bharat SO1 ES Avn Plans D Cap 05-Aug-19AT Craig SO1 DS 7 Defence Academy JSCSC 01-Aug-19DL Kelly-Smith Chief G5 Policy NATO 1 DEU NLD Corps HQ 05-Aug-19T Lambert SO1 Eqpt D Support 26-Aug19JD Torbet Iraq Team Leader CJTF OIR OP SHADER 11-Aug-19EJM Wigmore LE VST ATP Dep PF Ldr DES 01-Aug-19A Yarker CO 3 CS Bn REME 12-Aug-19MajorCD Baker SO2 CAP Plans Co Ord DG FIN MIL Cap 19-Aug-19MA Britton APACHE ENGMECHEA Core ACQ DES 01-Aug-19D Dalrymple SO2 G4 ES DCOS HQ 8 Engr Bde 03-Aug-19D Finner SO2 ES Org D Cap 18-Aug-19RD Hughes SO2 DCC Eqpt Plans D Support 03-Aug-19PJ Isitt OC 1 Regt AAC Wksp REME 02-Aug-19KM Keen BEME 2 Med Bde 15-Aug-19MJ Keogh SO2 OSB A D Support 03-Aug-19G Logie OC 14 Regt RA Wksp REME 26-Aug-19RH Macklin SO2 Pers Strat Plans D Pers 17-Aug-19EG McCann OC 7 Armd Coy 2 CS Bn REME 26-Aug-19DM Melia APC Req Mgr ABW 03-Aug-19PL O’Brien SO2 SF TAC Mob Air JFC HOC SP 03-Aug-19DA Risdale SO2 ES HQ 102 Log Bde 12-Aug-19J Rix UK PITT SO2 INFO OPS OP SHADER 18-Aug-19TS Sekhon 2IC 3 Armd CS Bn REME 25-Aug-19JP Sewell OC ES Sqn CDO Log Regt RM 12-Aug-19PA Smithurst PJHQ Orbital HQ BPC Core HQ 21-Aug-19MP Spencer SO2 Land Sys Surv DSTL Plat A PTN 03-Aug-19


DE Tawlks LE VDM COS DES 17-Aug-19SC Thompson OC BATUS Wksp 03-Aug-19M Warrener SO2 ATTK JHC HQ Land 12-Aug-19DAJ Waterston OC 5 Regt RA Wksp REME 26-Aug-19LG Wilson WR Army Req Mgr ABW 03-Aug-19CJ Woods OC C Sqn ATFC Winchester 10-Aug-19 SR Woods OC Normandy Coy 8 Trg Bn REME 10-Aug-19CaptainAS Brownlie 2IC 1 Regt AAC Wksp REME 01-Aug-19JJ Coughlan OC 1 SG LAD REME 10-Aug-19LSJA Duggan OC 30 Sig Regt LAD REME 26-Aug-19MJ Hobson OC 75 Engr Regt LAD REME 05-Aug-19JC Lawrence Ops Offr 2 CS Bn REME 05-Aug-19DJ Lumsden SO3 Trials CSS TDU 05-Aug-19GM McKenna Pl Comd 8 Trg Bn REME 01-Aug-19LD Underwood OC 14 Sig Regt LAD REME 28-Aug-19MH Watson SO2 G4 ES HQ 7 Inf Bde and HQ East 05-Aug-19KJ Williams OC RDG LAD REME 26-Aug-19J Williamson OC 23 PARA Engr Regt REME 14-Aug-19Amendment to June's Officer Assignments:MajorJC Bartlett Trg Major 102 Bn REME 10-Jun-19

18 June 2019REGULAR ARMY

Intermediate Regular Commissions (Late Entry)Warrant Officer Class 2 Robert James CUPPLES 25108267 tobe Captain 8 April 2019

2 July 2019REGULAR ARMY

Commands and StaffColonel D. N. T. ANSELL 525774 retires 6 May 2019PromotionsThe undermentioned Colonels to be Brigadiers 30 June 2019with seniority 30 June 2019:P. D. PROSSER 539645A. REILLY 548012The undermentioned Lieutenant Colonels to be Colonels 30June 2019 with seniority 30 June 2019:T. D. HIRST 543302A. J. ROGERS ADC 547179S. G. SMITH MBE 550819Regular CommissionsMajor P. J. LINES 565316 from Intermediate Regular Commis-sion 3 November 2016 to be Major with seniority 31 July 2014(Belated Entry)Regular Commissions (Late Entry)Captain (Acting Major) D. J. R. BAILEY 25039677 to be Major22 March 2019

ARMY RESERVEGroup A Major P. B. GLASS 563152 resigns commission 8 May 2019

Extracts from theLondon Gazette

Death Notice RequirementsIn order to publish a death notice we require the followinginformation: Surname, first name, rank, full date of death,ages and dates of service. An obituary with additional careerand life information is welcome. To inform us of the death, please contact Ms Bev Bate,

Co r p s We l f a r e Manage r on ( 01249 894523 o r 8 [email protected]

ARMIGER – Former SSgt Jack Armiger, passed away 13 June2019, aged 78. Dates of Service 1961-1978. CLARKE – Former Private Peter G Clarke, passed away 31 May2019, aged 91. Dates of Service 1943-1952.STRATFORD – Former WO1 Eric Stratford, passed away 25 Sep-tember 2018, aged 97. Dates of Service 1935-1964.

Death Notices

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Starting at 1230hrs1 August - Elliot Hampton, Trombone & Piano

Stirling Hampton, Trumpet & Piano Sorella Hampton, Flute

Accompanist: Guy Murgatroyd, Piano7 November - Christopher Dew, Organ

Admission is free, to include a bu�et lunch

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Retiring plate donationsin support of

St Eligius Community Church

13/06/2019 15:18:50

We’re open: 9.30 - 16.30 Monday to Saturday.

Find us in the REME Museum at Lyneham


The Trustees of The REME Charityacknowledge with sincere thanks thedonations received during the monthof JUNE 2019. They also wish toacknowledge the regular subscriptionsreceived from the Officers and Soldiersof the Corps and retired members of the REME Institution:

DonationsCycling Tynemouth to Whitehaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£310.00Kevin Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£120.00REME Skydivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£237.70CAFGYE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£5.00In memory of David Williamson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£74.28REME Association Lancashire Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£68.82Site Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£36.95In memory of Lt Col Thomas McConnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£50.00TWiGS Ladies Dining Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£100.00Worshipful Company of Turners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£250.00Running 60k in 60 days in my 60th year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£40.003 Ultra Marathons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£280.00St Eligius Endurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£45.00S Castello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£30.00Michael Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£10.00Douglas Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£400.00James Erskine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£20.00PayPal Giving Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£367.89

Total Donations (May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£2,445.64Total £’s paid in Grants (May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£15,083.72No. Grants (May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Average Grant (May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£431.10

If you would like to see how your money is spent, we welcomeone or two observers at The REME Charity meetings. The meet-ings are held midweek, approximately every three weeks. If youwould like to observe a meeting, please contact The REMECharity Secretary on ( Mil: 95481 4527 or Civ: 01249 894527in the first instance.

The REME Charity is here for both veterans and serving person-nel in times of hardship or need. Contact via SSAFA ( 0800 7314880 www.ssafa.org.uk or The Royal British Legion ( 0808 8028080 www.britishlegion.org.uk or your Unit Welfare if serv-ing. All enquiries and information is dealt with in the strictestconfidence. If you wish to discuss any benevolence need youcan contact us on ( 01249 894523.

Anyone wishing to leave a legacy to The REME Charity, which is exempt from inheritance tax, can add a

codicil to their will. Our registered charity number is 1165868

The REME Charity

Professional RecognitionAwards in Engineering

Level 4 Licentiateship (LCGI) JNCO CLM Pt 3Level 5 Affiliateship (AfCGI) SNCO CLM Pt 3 Level 6 Graduateship (GCGI) WO CLM Pt 3 Level 7 Membership (MCGI) ISC(L) All parts

The awards are National Qualifications Framework(NQF) accredited qualifications which enablecandidates to demonstrate their knowledge and

skills within any sector or role. Those achieving theseawards will be entitled to use an appropriate,internationally recognized post-nominal: Level 4Licentiateship (LCGI), Level 5 Affiliateship (AfCGI), Level6 Graduateship (GCGI) or Level 7 Membership ISC(L).They can also help candidates working towards higherlevel qualifications.

ELIGIBILITY

LicentiateshipREME personnel who have attained two years substantiveCpl and have completed all three phases of the JNCOCLM training are eligible for the Level 4 Licentiateship(LCGI) award in engineering. £80.00

AffiliateshipREME personnel who have attained two years substantiveSgt and who have completed all three phases of theSNCO CLM training are eligible for the Level 5Affiliateship (AfCGI) award in Engineering. £95.00

GraduateshipREME personnel who have attained two years substantiveWO2 and who have completed all three phases of the WOCLM training are eligible for the Level 6 Graduateship(GCGI) award in Engineering. £110.00

MembershipREME personnel who have attained two years substantiveMajor and who have completed all parts of the ISC(L)training are eligible for the Level 7 Membership (MCGI)award in Engineering. £135.00

The POC in the first instance isMrs Debbie Jefferies on

Email: [email protected]: 95481 4383 Civ: 01249 894383

OR: Call into A&V, MOD Lynehamfor further information

Select The REME Charity when shopping on Amazon Smile and the charity will receive 0.5% of your purchase amount.

Corps Calendar2019-2020

S E P T E M B E R

4REME Museum Policy CommitteeMeeting

10REME Association ExecutiveCommittee

12 REME Command Group

12 Corps Dinner Night

20 Retired Officers Dinner

21-27REME Commissioning AssessmentBoard

24REME Institution and HQ OfficersMess Executive Committee

26The REME Charity Finance andInvestment Committee

28 Corps WOs’ and Sgts’ Dinner Night

O C T O B E R4 Quartermasters’ Dinner

17 Corps Conference

19-20 Reserves Conference and Dinner

24 Autumn Guest Night

N OV E M B E R7 Field of Remembrance

13 The REME Charity Trustees Meeting

14 REME Corps Council

D E C E M B E R1 Eligius Day

J A N UA RY 2 0 2 016 Corps Dinner Night

F E B R UA RY

18The REME Charity Finance andInvestment Committee

29 Regimental Guest Dinner Night

M A R C H

9REME Association ExecutiveCommittee

12 Colonels’ Commandant Dinner

18 The REME Charity Trustees Workshop

19 Corps Council Meeting

25 REME Engineering Awards

31REME Institution and Officers MessExecutive Committee

A P R I L4 Broxhead Club Dinner

9RMAS Commissioning Parade (with partners)

23 Spring Guest Dinner Night

23 The REME Charity Trustees Meeting

M AY

7Young Officers Conference andDinner

8-11 REME Association Annual Reunion

14 Corps Dinner Night

21 NMA Annual Memorial Service

J U N E18 Corps Council Meeting

18 Beating Retreat & Cocktail Party

23REME Institution and Officers Mess AGM

J U LY4 REME Institution Corps Ball

12 Regimental Sunday

16 Corps Sports Dinner

Please register your attendance on the Corps Comms (RHQ SharePoint)

https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/teams/cui1-476/corpscomm/Lists/Corps%20WOs%20and

%20Sgts%20Mess%20Autumn%20Guest%20Dinner%20Night/overview.aspx

Corps Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’Mess Autumn Guests Dinner Night

Saturday 28 September 2019Closing date for returns: Wednesday 11 September

For further information please contact:

WO2 Colin McNab on 95481 4512 or 01249 894512 or [email protected]

the craftsman - reme museum · 2020-01-17 · reme helped me gain confidence in my abilities as an...

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