THE
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL
ENGINEERS
The vital
repair and maintenance role for the Australian Army is provided by the Royal
Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME).
Although
the Corps is �young� it has already developed proud traditions. It is fully
combatant and Workshop Units and Corps members have served with distinction
during war wherever Australian troops have been involved since the formation of
the Corps during World War II. The late Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, in
giving praise to the Corps stated:
�They exist to keep the punch in
the Army�s fist. They are a new Corps, born in the late war, they have done
magnificently and have won their spurs in battle�.
The date
of the formation of RAEME as a corps was 1 December 1942 however, the evolution
of the Corps reaches back into earlier Australian military history and before,
even back to earlier armies of England.
With the
development of firearms, cannon and mortars the responsibility of Ordnance
Officers became more important and their armourers and artificers were tradesmen
of particular high skills. Those �craftsmen� started a tradition of skills and
pride in their workmanship, which is evident in todays RAEME soldiers. The name
�Craftsman�, a proud and noble designation from the time immemorial, is the rank
exclusive to RAEME private soldiers.
From the
arrival of the first fleet in 1788 until their withdrawal in 1870, defence of
the colonies was entrusted to British troops. Until Federation on 1 January
1901, each of the colonies was responsible for its own defence forces. In
Victoria, the Ordnance Commissariat and Transport Corps was formed in 1886 and
Richard Harding Esquire, a qualified engineer from England, was appointed the
first Inspector of Ordnance Machinery on the 19 September 1888 with the honorary
rank of lieutenant and with a staff of 12 Armament Artificers. Present day RAEME
professional engineering officers can trace lineage to Richard Harding, the
first officer appointed by Australian forces to fill an engineering appointment.
After
Federation and the amalgamation of the State Defence Forces, the Ordnance
Department of the Commonwealth Military Forces was formed. The Chief Ordnance
Officer (COO), a civilian, and civilian storemen were the focal point of
Ordnance activity in the military districts. The technical advisor to the COO in
each military district was the Ordnance Mechanical Engineer (OME) and in the
Army Headquarters in Melbourne was the Principal Mechanical Engineer (PME) who
was technical advisor to the Master General of the Ordnance.
Small
Ordnance Workshops in each military district were staffed by military members
named Australian Army Ordnance Corps (P), ( AAOC(P) ), and civilian public
servants who filled the trade positions of wheelwrights, blacksmiths, saddlers
and carpenters.
Artificers
were transferred to the Engineering Branch of the Ordnance Department however,
those serving with artillery companies or batteries remained attached. The
Armament Artificers, known as the �Corps of Armament Artificers� came under the
command of the Inspector of Ordnance Machinery. Lieutenant Harding, promoted to
Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, was appointed to that position in 1909 and remained
such until his retirement in 1925.
In 1914,
the Corps of Armament Artificers were mobilized for active service and by the
time the war had ended their numbers had increased to 55. Corps members
distinguished themselves during the war; many of whom served overseas with
Australian Artillery units and three were awarded Military cross for bravery.
Between
the wars the Army establishments were reduced. However, after the Minich crisis
of 1938, limited expansion of the Army was authorised and the Ordnance Workshops
undertook the reconditioning of the Army�s mobilisation stores held by the
Ordnance Service. The AAOC(P) personnel augmented by temporary civilian
tradesmen, upgraded the equipment predominantly of artillery nature. This
included adoption of 6 inch Naval guns for land service and modification of 18
pr and 4.5 inch Howitzer field guns for pneumatic tyred wheels. In 1938 the
first intake of Army Apprentices were authorised, serving their time in various
Military District Ordnance Workshops.
At the
outbreak of the 2nd World War in 1939, the responsibilities of the
Mechanical Engineering Branch of the AAOC were more limited compared to later as
other Corps such as Engineers, Transport and Signals were also responsible for
mechanical maintenance. However, as the war continued, the commitments of the
AAOC(P) increased dramatically due to the increasing sophistication of the
Army�s technical equipment.
The
problem was not unique to the Australian Army and in its endeavour to keep pace
with the trend towards machine warfare the British Government commissioned a
committee to investigate the various aspects for the best use of skilled
tradesmen in the services. The �Beveridge Report� recommended that a new Corps
of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) be formed to assume the
responsibilities of the workshop organisation of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
as well as certain repair functions of the Royal Army Signals Corps (RASC) and
Royal Engineers (RE). This took place on the 1st October 1942.
The
British proposal had been studied by the Australian Army, it was accepted in
principle and adapted for Australian requirements. General Routine Order
(GRO)G465 authorised the formation of the new Corps of Australian Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers (AEME) as part of the Master General of the Ordnance
Branch.
GRO 0578
ordered the new Corps to take effect in two phases:
Phase 1 of
AEME to be the transfer of personnel of the Mechanical Engineering Branch of the
AAOC on the 1st December 1942: and Phase 2 of AEME to be the transfer
of unit maintenance tradesmen on 1st May 1943.
Until
victory in 1945, AEME units and personnel were involved in all phases of war.
They served in Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Cyrenacia, Greece and Crete, Syria,
Malaya, New Guinea and South West Pacific.
In
recognition of service during the 2nd World War a numbers of Corps
including AEME were granted the title of �Royal� by King George VI on the 10
November 1948.
The Corps
today continues to be responsible for ensuring the Army�s equipment operates
reliably and efficiently and is expeditiously restored to useful condition after
failure or damage.
With
rapidly changing technology and ever increasing operational requirements of the
battlefield the Corps will continue to have heavy demands placed on it.
The
foundations laid by the members of the Corp in its short history provide a sound
basis for meeting these future challenges.