Supporting the Crown: The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum

The CRARRV served in several operational deployments and provided much-needed support to units in the field by recovering vehicles. It is one of the many highlights on exhibit at the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum. Courtesy of John Norris

The British Army regiment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) was formed in 1942 using personnel transferred from other specialist support regiments, such as the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, which itself could trace its origins back to 1875. The new specialist support regiment was created to cope with the maintenance of the increasing range of weaponry and equipment, including communications, entering service at the time.

In support regiments, personnel with the necessary skills from the REME are attached to other regiments and units that require their services. Because of this the REME can quite rightly claim to have served in every post-war deployment of the British Army, including the Korean War, Malayan “Emergency”, Falkland Islands and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. In doing so, it has lived up to its regimental motto of “Arte et Marte” (By Skill and By Fighting).

Courtesy of John Norris

The foundations of the regiment were laid during WWII, but REME continued to grow and develop in post-war years as its role evolved to include specialist areas. Today there are more than 9,000 personnel, both male and female, serving in one of eight trades in one of the 150 units within the REME. They support a range of more than 8,600 different items of equipment in use with the British Army. This ranges from vehicles and helicopters to communications and weapons. Although not yet 100 years old, making it one of the youngest regiments in the British army, the REME has amassed its own unique regimental history, which can be seen at its purpose-built museum, which opened in 2017 at Lyneham in Wiltshire (www.rememuseum.org.uk)

The first thing that strikes a visitor on entering the museum is the tidy, orderliness of everything. Fully interactive, all thoughtfully laid out on the ground floor, this is a family-friendly museum divided into several exhibition areas covering the role of the regiment from the past to present.

The first exhibition hall the visitor enters covers the period of WWII when the regiment was formed (Oct. 1, 1942). The new soldiers were tested in combat for the first time during the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa. After the war Field Marshal Montgomery praised the regiment, noting “the REME is a new corps which was born in the late war. The corps has done magnificently, and has won its spurs in battle”.

The museum’s World War II hall houses vehicles used by the REME during the war, including a Beach Armored Recovery Vehicle, BARV, a type of design still in use today, next to which is Churchill tank. Both these types were used during the Normandy campaign where the BARV was especially useful during the landing phase of the operation. The hall is well lit with plenty of room to move around the exhibits so that visitors can take photographs from all angles. There are smaller, personal items on displays, such as artwork done my POWs when they were in captivity.

A fine display of historical firearms to satisfy any collector or general interest. Some, like the BAR and MG42. are familiar, but others, like a Mauser C96 pistol with a shoulder stock, are very unusual. Courtesy of John Norris

It is in this section that the story of how a REME officer, Colonel Michael McEvoy, upon seeing the ruins of the Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg, believed it could be put back to work and produce vehicles. Assisted by fellow REME officer Major Ivan Hirst, McEvoy gathered the pre-war work force and oversaw the production of vehicles. At first they produced the Kubelwagen as vehicles for the Allied occupying forces to use as transport, but those were not popular. They then hit on the idea of producing the Volkswagen Beetle and took an example of the design to the British HQ at Bad Oeynhasen. This resulted in an order for 20,000 vehicles. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Moving from this area visitors pass into a smaller space fitted out with a desk, giving it an office-like feel. This was the desk used by Major General Sir E. Bertram Rowcroft, the first director of the REME Corps and considered by many to be the “Father of the REME”. It was his firm belief that the REME should have its own independent role and identity and own museum, the result of which is what visitors come to see every day.

A field workshop based on a Bedford QL Type M as used by light aid detachments supporting units in WWII. It has a lathe, grinder and drills, along with a full range of hand tools. Courtesy of John Norris

The largest of the exhibition halls is called “Around the World”. It illustrates the various duties serving personnel of the REME have undertaken during deployments around the world since the end of the war. This is where the big stuff is on display, such as an example of a recovery vehicle built by Western Sta, based in Calgary, Canada. The vehicle is known as “Big Red” due to its color scheme. Weighing 21.65 long tons and measuring over 32 feet in length, it is one of the largest exhibits on display. In this hall is also an example of the FV343 Armored Repair Vehicle alongside which is displayed a Challenger Armored Repair and Recovery Vehicle (CRARRV) and an International M5 half-track converted for a recovery role.

Display cabinets contain examples of uniform, kit and equipment as worn and used by REME personnel, which includes respirators to protect against attacks by chemical agents. Unlike other regiments with longer histories, much of the equipment examples seen are items in current service.

Overhead, suspended from the roof, is an unusual exhibit featuring a Lynx helicopter depicting delivery of underslung cargo to a REME unit. Visitors have ample room to move freely around exhibits and take photographs with friendly members of staff on hand, often volunteer REME veterans, to answer questions.

This M5 International half-track is fitted with a boom to serve as a recovery vehicle. Vehicles of this type continued to serveuntil the 1970s. Courtesy of John Norris

The next hall visitors will find is called “Beyond the Uniform” and provides insight into the roles undertaken by the men and women serving in the REME today. This in turn leads into the “Armourers Hall”, which features wall-mounted cabinets displaying a variety of weapons, some familiar and other not so well known. These are some of the weapon types, past and present, which REME armorers had to repair in service during operational deployment to places including Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea. There are the usual types from the period of WWII, including German weapons, which all add to the experience, especially for visitors who may not have seen such things before.

The last exhibition hall is called simply “Remembrance”. It serves as a reminder of those who have been killed while on operational deployment. A regimental museum would not be complete without a display of medals and the REME exhibition includes a good selection of awards, including campaign medals from WWII to those awarded for serving in peace-keeping role with United Nations forces. Finally as visitors prepare to leave, they pass a small room reserved for temporary exhibitions.

This is a modern museum with plenty of interactive exhibits to interest all ages and family groups. Being all on the ground floor means no staircase to negotiate and makes it easy to move round. There is an archive section which can be accessed by prior appointment and an online museum newsletter which visitors can sign up to free of charge through the website. Education and conference rooms can also be reserved for functions by appointment.

It is a very worthwhile museum to visit for military enthusiast and collectors, or simply travelers looking for an interesting day out.

The only surviving example of the Western Star “Big Red” used by the REME. It served in the recovery role on the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada. Courtesy of John Norris

The FV 434 recovery vehicles were fitted with folding jibs and carried all the tools and equipment necessary to support armored units. Courtesy of John Norris

Some of the motorcycles used by REME in WWII: top; Matchless G3: center & bottom; BSA M20. To the left is an example of the coats worn by riders. Courtesy of John Norris

Vehicles like this Snow-Trac ST4 AKTIV were used by the British Army during Arctic warfare training. Fitted with wide tracks and an air-cooled engine, the Swedish-built ST4 was versatile and ideal design for sub-zero conditions. Courtesy of John Norris

The BARV was based on a Sherman chassis and served throughout WWII. The basic design is still used today, but with modern tank chassis designs. Courtesy of John Norris

When REME personnel are attached to a unit they keep their regimental badge, but wear it in the beret of the regiment with which they are serving. Courtesy of John Norris

The Volkswagen display explains the role played by the REME in launching the Beetle into the world. Visitors can sit in the car to watch a short information film. Courtesy of John Norris

Some of the personal kit carried by REME troops, including mess tins, respirator, helmet and food. Courtesy of John Norris

We know you love military history and vehicles, but do you collect anything else? Ever wonder about the baseball cards in a box in the basement or Grandma’s old coins in a jar? Do you love old cars or spin vinyl? Head on over to Collect.com and see what you are missing. Collect.com is the who, what, when and where of the collecting world! https://www.collect.com/