The Corps Badge (The Royal Arms) |
Corps badge |
On 10 July 1832 King William IV granted the Royal
Regiment of Artillery and the Corps of Royal Engineers permission
to wear on their appointments the Royal Arms and Supporters,
together with a cannon and the mottoes Ubique above the cannon and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt
below it. In 1868 the cannon was omitted from the Corps Badge.
Since then the actual design of the Royal Arms has changed slightly
with each reigning monarch.
The Corps Badge used to be worn on an officer's sabretache
(a flat bag slung from a sword belt) and cartouche (a
case for cartridges), as well as on parts of his charger's
saddlery.
It was worn by all ranks of the Corps of the Regular Army on their full-dress blue spiked helmet until 1914. The Royal Engineers Militia, Volunteers and Territorials had a slightly different Badge in that the motto Ubique was omitted from the Scroll under the Royal Arms and its place taken by a laurel branch.
The mottoes of the Royal Arms are Dieu et mon Droit
(God and my right) and Honi soit qui mal y pense
(Evil to him who evil thinks) |
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The Cap Badge |
First RE cap badge (1899)
Current RE cap badge (1953) |
In 1782 the device worn on officers' sword
belts was the King's cypher with the crown over it. At
some time later the cypher was surrounded by the garter,
on which was placed 'Corps of Royal Engineers'. This was
later changed again to simply 'Royal Engineers'. A similar
device was worn on the breastplate of cross belts introduced
for the Royal Sappers and Miners in 1823. It is not known
when the laurel wreaths were added but it was probably
in recognition of the work done by the Corps during the
Napoleonic Wars (1809-15).
The Cap Badge was first used as a hat badge on the khaki
helmets issued to troops during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)
(see top left image)
The design of the Cap Badge is the Garter and Motto surmounted
by a Crown; within the Garter the Royal Cypher, which changes
with each reigning monarch; without the Garter a wreath of laurel;
on a scroll at the bottom of the wreath, the words Royal Engineers.
The motto on the Garter is Honi soit qui mal y pense
(Evil to him who evil thinks).
In 1952 the colouring of badge changed from bronze to
the current silver and gold style (see bottom left image).
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Chief Royal Engineer |
 General Sir Bindon Blood GCB GCVO (1842-1940)
First Chief Royal Engineer (1936-40) |
The title of 'Chief Engineer' first
appeared in the Restoration era (1660's). Colonel Sir
Charles Lloyd was appointed to the post in September
1660. The title was confirmed in the Royal Warrant (26
May 1716), which authorised the formation of Corps of
Engineers, but was changed to 'Engineer-in-Chief' in
1782.
The title of 'Engineer-in-Chief' remained in used until
21 April 1802, when Lieutenant General Robert Morse
was appointed head of the Corps with the new title of
'Inspector General of Fortifications' (IGF). The post
of 'Inspector General of Fortifications' was abolished
in 1904 and replaced by the post of 'Director of Fortifications
and Works'.
In 1936 General Sir Bindon Blood GCB GCVO (1842-1940)
was selected by HM King George V (1910-36) to fill the
re-created post of 'Chief Royal Engineer'. Sir Bindon
was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1860 and
had a distinguished active career until he retired in
1907 aged 65. He was thus 94 years old when appointed
'Chief Royal Engineer'. He resigned in 1940 and died
a month later aged 97.
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| Since 1941 the professional head of the Corps has been
the 'Engineer-in-Chief' (EinC) who as 'Director of Royal
Engineers', acts as the engineer advisor to the Chief
of the General Staff (CGS) as well as to the Royal Navy,
the Royal Air Force and other government ministries
on matters of military engineering on behalf of the
CGS. On the domestic (regimental) side of the Corps
he issues instructions on behalf of the 'Chief Royal
Engineer'. The 'Chief Royal Engineer' is 'Head
of the Corps of Royal Engineers' and is invariably a
distinguished officer of the Corps, his tenure in the
post is normally for a period of 5 years. He is responsible
for seeing that the Corps' traditions and customs are
preserved and the continuity of important matters of
Corps policy. He keeps the Colonel-in-Chief
informed on Corps matters and maintains contact with
engineer units in the Commonwealth. He will usually
have previously served as a Colonel
Commandant and will continue to fill one of the
Colonel Commandant vacancies.
| Chief Royal Engineer - 1936 to the
present day |
| 1936 |
General Sir Bindon Blood GCB GCVO
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1982 |
General Sir Hugh Beach GBE KCB MC
DL |
| 1940 |
Lieutentant General Sir Ronald Charles KCB CMG
DSO |
1987 |
General Sir George Cooper GCB MC DL |
| 1946 |
General Sir Guy C Williams KCB CMG DSO |
1993 |
General Sir John Stibbon KCB OBE |
| 1951 |
General Sir Edwin Morris KCB OBE MC |
1999 |
Lieutentant General Sir Scott Grant KCB |
| 1958 |
General Sir Kenneth Crawford KCB MC |
2004 |
General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE |
| 1961 |
General Sir Frank Simpson GBE KCB DSO |
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| 1967 |
General Sir Charles Jones GCB CBE MC |
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| 1972 |
General Sir Charles Richardson GCB CBE DSO |
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| 1977 |
Lieutentant General Sir David Willison KCB OBE
MC |
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See a full biography of Sir
Bindon Blood
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Colonel-in-Chief |
HRH Prince George William Frederick
Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904) the first Colonel-in-Chief
(1861-1904) of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
HM King Edward VII (1901-1910)
the first Sovereign to honour the Corps of Royal Engineers
by assuming the role of its Colonel-in-Chief in 1904. |
From the earliest days since the formation
of the Standing Army after 1660, the Colonelcy of a regiment
of cavalry or infantry was highly esteemed for its prestige
and as a source of income. The Colonel was the 'owner'
of a regiment and, indeed, for some years regiments were
known by the name of its Colonel (a surviving example
is the Green Howards). A Colonelcy was a sound investment
and they often changed hands for large sums of money.
This did not apply in the Corps of Engineers because together
with the Artillery they were, in effect, a 'private army'
of the Board of Ordnance and engineer officers did not
receive military rank until 1757.
With the development of the Standing Army the status
of the Colonels began to change. There was a gradual
shift to more central government control via the War
Office on an Army basis rather than regimentally. Nevertheless,
'the Colonel' was still an important and powerful figure
and so evolved the post of Colonel-in-Chief as a sort
of 'supreme colonel' of a regiment. It also evolved
that this post was given to a senior officer (sometimes
retired) who had achieved high honour and prominence
within the Army and the affairs of the Nation. Although
all soldiers swear allegiance to the Sovereign at the
start of their service in the Army, the Sovereign may
honour a regiment or corps by becoming its Colonel-in-Chief.
In 1856 the Board of Ordnance was abolished; the Corps
of Royal Sappers and Miners was amalgamated with Corps
of Royal Engineers and the newly formed Corps was placed
under the control of the War Office thus clearing the
way for the Corps to consider an appointment of a Colonel-in-Chief
in line with other army regiments and corps.
HRH Prince George William Frederick Charles, Duke of
Cambridge (1819-1904), the Commander-in-Chief of the
British Army (1856-95), was appointed the first Colonel-in-Chief
of the Corps in 1861 and held the post until his death
in 1904. HM King Edward VII (1901-1910) then became
the first Sovereign to assume the post and this has
continued with succeeding Sovereigns honouring the Corps
by assuming the role of Colonel. HM Queen Elizabeth
II is the present Colonel-in-Chief.
For the more on the historical context of these appointments
see Corps History Part 8 Corps
amalgamation and Coastal Defence (1855-1905) and
Part 15 The
Corps between the wars (1919-1939).
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Colonels Commandant |
| In the early 19th Century the strength
of the Corps of Royal Military Artificers, who were renamed
Royal Sappers and Miners in 1812, was reckoned in "battalions"
and members of the Royal Engineers, as Colonels Commandant,
were appointed to command them. These posts attracted
a higher rate of pay (£ 1,000 per year in 1813)
and therefore were much sought after by generals and other
senior officers. After 1874 the battalion system of reckoning
strength was changed and in 1881 the special pay for Colonels
Commandant was dispensed with. Since then, the appointment
within the Corps has been honorary but nevertheless a
valued method of honouring a distinguished officer's service.
The current establishment is for 12 Colonels
Commandant, one of whom, with the Colonel-in-Chief's approval,
is appointed Representative Colonel Commandant for a year.
He thus assists the Chief Royal Engineer in the proper
representation of the Corps at official ceremonies and
functions. The upper age limit for Colonels Commandant
is 65. |
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Corps Collect and Graces |
Collect
The words of the Corps Collect are as follows:
- O God, whose righteousness is exceeding glorious,
may it please Thee to send out Thy Light and Thy Truth so
to lead us Thy Servants of the Corps of Royal Engineers
that everywhere we may be enabled to do our duty, and so
may glorify Thee our Father in Heaven, for the sake of Jesus
Christ our Lord, Amen.
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Graces
The normal grace to be used before meals is:
- Lord God, we thank you for this food and your
provision for us everywhere - Amen
If grace is said at the conclusion of a meal, it should be:
- For what we have received, thank God - Amen
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Corps Colours |
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The Corps Colours are Red (BS 04 D 45) and Blue
(BS 20 C 40).
Stripes, where applicable, will be in the proportions Red 4/32,
Blue 5/32, Red 14/32. Blue 5/32 and Red 4/32, and will normally
be horizontal. |
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Royal Engineers Cypher or Monogram |
RE cypher or monogram |
The Royal Engineers Monogram or Cypher is
not worn on uniform, but instead is used on notepaper,
Christmas Cards, Invitations etc. and is emblazoned on
the Fanfare Trumpet Banners of the Royal Engineers Band.
The mottoes on the Cypher are Ubique
(Everywhere) and Quo Fas et Gloria ducunt
(Where Right and Glory Lead). |
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RE Grenade |
RE grenade
(nine-flamed) |
An embroidered grenade was first worn
on the tail of an Royal Engineers Officer's full dress
scarlet Goatee (jacket) in 1824. The following year a
brass grenade was introduced for other ranks of the Royal
Sappers and Miners. The grenade was later worn on the
epaulet and then on the collar.
The number of flames to the grenade has varied, but in 1922
a nine-flamed grenade, with the motto Ubique (Everywhere)
below it, was authorized. The Royal Artillery (RA) grenade is
similar, but has only seven flames. |
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Corps Lanyard and Stable Belt |
Lanyard - The Royal Engineers
lanyard is navy blue and worn on the right shoulder. Since
19th century plain lanyards were used for securing the
jackknife which was issued to all mounted troops. It was
intended to be worn around the waist but soldiers soon
found it to be more convenient to wear it on the shoulder
with the knife in the breast pocket. The Royal Engineers,
as did other corps and regiments of the British Army,
introduced the lanyard to brighten up their battledress
uniform in 1951.
Stable Belt - A Corps stable belt was
approved by the Engineer-in-Chief in 1958. The belt has
five coloured strips running horizontally one above the
other. The colours and their proportions are: Red 4/32,
Blue 5/32, Red 14/32. Blue 5/32 and Red 4/32. |
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Corps Marches |
The Corps has two Regimental Quick Marches:
- Wings (the preferred tune)
- The British
Grenadiers
The Corps has no official Slow March.
The reason that the Corps has two regimental marches is
that prior to 1870 many in the Corps were unaware that
authority had been granted for The British
Grenadiers to be adopted as its Regimental
Quick March so it quick marched to I'm Ninety-Five,
an old 95th or Rifle Brigade march. However, in 1870 the
Commandant, School of Military Engineering, who was one
of those unaware of the arrangements concerning The
British Grenadiers, directed that the Band
Committee should adopt a popular air of the day as the
Regimental Quick March. The Committee chose the tune Wings.
It was originally scored by Bandmaster Newstead of the
Royal
Engineers Band to combine two tunes; one being from
the air The Path Across the Hills,
a tune of unknown German origin, and the other Wings,
a contemporary popular song by Miss Dickson.
It is believed that The British Grenadiers
tune originated from a piece entitled The
New Bath, which can be found in one of John
Playford's dance books dating from the 1600's. The first
known performance of the tune by the British
Army was made during the American War of Independence
(1777-83) at the battle of Brandywine (11 September 1777)
and it was recently adapted for the theme tune of the
popular BBC comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth
featuring Rowan Atkinson.
In 1889 the Corps was ordered to adopt The
British Grenadiers, but it was not until
1902 that Wings was officially
recognised.
See Royal
Engineers Band for more information about the RE Band.
For more information about the American War of Independence
(1777-83) see Corps History Part 5 Global
Wars and a third Corps. |
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Corps Mottoes |
When originally granted by King William
VI, the Corps' motto was Ubique;
Quo Fas et Gloria ducunt, but
by custom and practice it has been separated into two
mottoes:
- Ubique (Everywhere)
- Quo Fas et Gloria ducunt (Where Right and Glory Lead)
They symbolize the Corps' service throughout the world and summarize the
many Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.
For more information about the campaigns the Corps
has been actively engaged in see the Corps
History page. |
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Corps Nicknames |
In the 19th century it became fashionable
in the British Army to refer to regiments and corps
by their nickname. The Royal Engineers had several nicknames,
but in modern times only one remains:
- Sappers - from the role
of 'sapping', that is the digging of saps towards
an enemy's fortification. This nickname is still used
today. It is used to refer to the Corps as a whole
or to a member(s) of the Corps. In 1856, on the amalgamation
of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners with the
Royal Engineers officers to form the Corps of Royal
Engineers, Sapper was the
designation of the rank given to a private soldier
of the newly expanded Corps.
The word is derived from the French 'sapeur' and first
came into common usage in the mid 1620's possibly
introduced into the English language by British mercenaries
who had served in the continental armies during the
Thirty Years War (1618-1648). The phrase Follow
the Sapper was coined during the Crimean
War (1854-56), where many of the assaults through
the saps onto the Russian positions were led by Royal
Engineer officers and members of the Royal Sappers
and Miners.
For further information on 'sapping' read Origins
of the term "Sapper" and on the Royal Sappers and Miners
- see Corps History Part 4 Engineer
Soldiers (1772-1856)
.
The other nicknames were:
- Flying Bricklayers - in
reference to the mounted contingent of the Corps and
an engineer trade (i.e. bricklaying which had been
taught at the School of Military Engineering since
the 1830's). The first sapper mounted unit was raised
in 1885 on an experimental basis, from a detachment
of the 11th Field Company, to assist in the Suakin
Expedition. In 1886 the establishment of Royal Engineers
allowed for a mounted contingent which consisted of;
'A' Bridging Troop, 1st Division Telegraph Battalion,
7th, 12th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 26th Field Companies,
and the Field Park and Depot (N Company), based at
Aldershot. The nickname was possibly introduced in
the late 1880's but fell into disuse with the mechanisation
of the army in the early 20th century.
For more information about the Suakin Expedition (1885)
- see Corps History Part 9 The
Corps and the late Victorian Wars (1882-1902).
- Measurers - it is believed
to be a reference to the ordnance survey activities
of the Corps, which involved the measurement of ground.
Surveying became a Corps task in 1747 and from the
1820's to the end of the 19th century members of the
Corps were heavily engaged in surveying the British
Isles and other parts of the British Empire. This
nickname fell into disuse at the end of the 19th century.
For more information about Survey - see Specialist
Engineering page
- Mudlarks - from digging
saps in wet ground and the Corps' river bridging role;
but it may also have alluded to the Corps' Submarine
Mining Service (1871-1905), which was engaged in the
defence of ports throughout Britain and its empire
by laying mines around their entrances. Mudlark was
a colloquial term first introduced into the English
language in 1796 and was used to refer to a person
who dabbles, works, or lives in mud. It began to be
used as a nickname for the Corps in the late 1870's
and was the most commonly used one after 'Sappers',
but had fallen into disuse by the beginning of the
First World War (1914-18).
For more information about the Submarine Mining Service - see Corps History Part 8
Corps
amalgamation and Coastal Defence (1855-1905).
The phrase mad, married or Methodist
used to refer to Royal Engineer officers began as a
Victorian army joke. It partly derived from the disparity
between the pay of engineer officers and that of the
rest of the army. In general, from Victorian times to
the beginning of the Second World War (1939-45), the
pay of army officers (except for Royal Engineers) was
insufficient for them to seriously consider marrying
and starting a family until they had at least attained
the rank of captain, usually achieved in their early
30's. By contrast the Royal Engineers, who had highly
marketable skills, were from the moment that they were
commissioned were paid more than a living salary in
order to retain their services, and were therefore able
to support a family earlier in their careers than their
contemporaries in the rest of the army. The joke, it
can be assumed, was part told with a twinge of envy
of the engineers' financial security that allowed them
to marry earlier in their careers. In part the phrase
may also refer to the eccentricities of the (mad) engineer
officers who led assaults on well fortified positions
or were enthusiastically engaged in the developments
of the cutting-edge technologies of their day, such
as; telegraph, steam traction, torpedoes and ballooning.
Finally, the Christian religious practice of 'Methodism'
was common among Victorian engineer officers.
For more information about the telegraph, steam traction,
torpedoes and ballooning - see Corps History Part 8
Corps
amalgamation and Coastal Defence (1855-1905).
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Corps Song |
Hurrah for the CRE
is the Corps song, which originated among Royal Engineers
units during
the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).
The lyrics are a mixture of English and Zulu. The song is sung
to the tune of the traditional South African song Daer
de die ding. The lyrics are as follows:
Hurrah for the CRE
Good Morning Mr Stevens and Windy Notchy Knight,
Hurrah for the CRE
We're working very hard down at Upnor Hard,
Hurrah for the CRE
You make fast, I make fast, make fast the dinghy,
Make fast the dinghy, make fast the dinghy,
You make fast, I make fast, make fast the dinghy,
Make fast the dinghy pontoon.
For we're marching on to Laffan's Plain,
To Laffan's Plain, to Laffan's Plain,
Yes we're marching on to Laffan's Plain
Where they don't know mud from clay.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Ooshta, ooshta, ooshta, ooshta,
Ikona malee, picaninny skoff,
Ma-ninga sabenza, here's another off.
Oolum-da cried Matabele,
Oolum-da, away we go.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Shush ....................... Whoow!
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Explanation
and glossary
- Mr Stevens - Chief Clerk
in the Chief Instructor's Fieldworks Office
- Windy Notchy Knight - ex-Warrant
officer instructor in the School of Military
Engineering Workshops
- CRE - Commanding Royal Engineer
- Upnor Hard - Wet bridging
site, on the River Medway at Upnor, Kent
- Laffan's Plain - Training
area at Aldershot, named after Major (later
Major General Sir) Robert Laffan RE, who was
Commanding Royal Engineer (CRE) Aldershot (1866-72),
where he was responsible for many improvements
to the Camp, particularly in relation to the
landscaping and planting of trees.
- Ooshta - South African native
working cry
- Ikona malee - No money (Matabele)
- Picaninny skoff - Little
food (Matabele)
- Ma-ninga sabenza - Lots of
work (Matabele)
- Oolum-da - South African
native working cry
The Zulu words are a complaint that there is
too much work for too low wages and little food,
and that they are leaving.
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Download a copy of the lyrics of the Corps song Hurrah
for the CRE (pdf 123kb).
Hear the Band of Corps of Royal Engineers sing Hurrah for the CRE (wma 1.5MB)
Download free Adobe®
Reader® software to read pdf (portable
document format) files.
For more information about the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902)
see Corps History Part 9 The
Corps and the late Victorian Wars (1882-1902).
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Regimental Precedence
There is a regimental precedence within the British Army and within that precedence the Corps of Royal Engineers fall between the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Royal Corps of Signals. The precedence is:
- The Cavalry (includes: Life and Household Guards, Dragoons, Hussars
and Lancers)
- Royal Tank Regiment
- Royal Regiment of Artillery
- Corps of Royal Engineers
- Royal Corps of Signals
- The Infantry (includes: Guards, Line regiments, Airborne, Gurkhas
and SAS)
- Army Air Corps
- Royal Army Chaplains' Department
- Royal Logistic Corps
- Royal Army Medical Corps
- Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Adjutant General's Corps
- Royal Veterinary Corps
- Small Arms School Corps
- Royal Dental Corps
- Intelligence Corps
- Army Physical Training Corps
- Queen Alexandra's Royal Nursing Corps
The Royal Warrant of 25 April 1787 which granted the Royal title to the Corps also stated:
...And we are further pleased to direct that Our said Corps of
Royal Engineers shall rank in Our Army with the Royal
Regiment of Artillery, and whenever there shall be occasion
for them to take post with any other corps of Our army
the post of the Corps of Royal Engineers shall be on
the right with Royal Regiment of Artillery, according
to the respective dates of the commissions of the officers
belonging to the Royal Regiment of Artillery and Corps
of Royal Engineers...
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The 'Gauge' |
| Until the early 1950s the officers
of the Royal Engineers used to observe a unique custom
of putting newly commissioned officers through the 'Gauge'.
On first being commissioned into the Corps every officer
was dined as a guest in the RE HQ Mess at Chatham and
after dinner he was put through the 'Gauge'. The 'Gauge'
consisted of a Dinner Wagon, which had a bottom, centre
and top shelf. With due ceremony every new officer was
pushed through the bottom space between the bottom and
middle shelves, which was the smallest space. To make
the officer 'fit through' he was 'beaten into shape'
with tightly rolled magazines and newspapers.
Later in his service, the first time he dined in the
HQ Mess as a Field Officer (i.e. Major or above), he
was put through the next higher space, which was slightly
larger and therefore more suitable for a Field Officer's
figure. Once again, on becoming a General Officer the
'Gauge' was used, but on that occasion the general went
over the top.
This custom was related to Major TJ Edwards by Brigadier
CC Phipps CBE, MC, Secretary of the Institution of Royal
Engineers in the late 1940's.
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Author: SC Fenwick, FoREM
Sources:
- History of the Corps of Royal Engineers
Vols VII, X. (Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1952)
- Royal Engineers Corps Memoranda
(CD-ROM version, Chatham, 2003)
- Military Customs Edwards Maj TJ (Gale and Polden, Aldershot, 1961)
- The Regimental Records of the British Army Farmer JS (Grant Richards, London, 1901)
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