24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers is a Regiment of the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers which will be formed in early 2007 around existing Commando trained elements of the Corps; 59 Independent Commando Squadron and 131 Independent Commando Squadron (Volunteers).
The Regiment will be based at Barnstaple in Devon and will come under the Operational Control of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.
Personnel are volunteers and undertake the All Arms Commando Course following posting to the Regiment.
The Regiment will be one of three Army formations attached to 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, the others being 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and 1st Battalion, The Rifles.
Contents |
[edit] Existing Units
[edit] 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers
59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers is the commando-trained, regular, unit of the Corps. Soldiers are drawn from the regular units of the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers. The Squadron will form the core of 24 Regiment and is currently based at Barnstaple.
[edit] 131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers)
131 Independent Commando Squadron RE(V) is an Army reserve unit of the British Territorial Army which will be allocated to 24 Engineer Regiment.
Since 1978 the unit has been allocated to 3 Commando Brigade providing combat engineer support to the Brigade.
In January 2003 the Squadron was compulsorily mobilised and deployed in Iraq as part of Op TELIC 1. The Squadron returned in May 2003.
Today the Squadron consists of four troops in locations around the UK:
- HQ & Support Troop (London)
- 299 Troop (Hull)
- 300 Troop (Plymouth)
- 301 Troop (Birmingham)
It is planned that by the end of 2007, the squadron will gain a new troop (302 Troop) to be raised in Bath but lose 299 Troop who will go on to become part of a new Air Assault Engineer Squadron (299 Parachute Squadron, RE(V)).
The Squadron has regulary sent teams to the annual Exercise Cambrian Patrol competition held at the Sennybridge Training Area.
[edit] 131 Ind Cdo RE (V) History
First raised in 1947 as an Airborne Engineer Regiment with Squadrons in London, Hull, Croydon and Liverpool, it once fielded over 1,000 trained parachute engineers.
In the 1960’s the unit was believed to have to most amount of men earning their annual bounty. During this period, squadron sized detachments served their annual camps in many overseas theatres, carrying out construction engineer tasks as well as parachuting with Canadian, French and Italian forces. In 1964, the bulk of the Regiment went to camp in Aden and in 1965 a force, based on 299 Squadron, and went to Little Aden. During the 1964 camp, two of the Squadrons were attacked on the Dhala Road near the Yemen frontier by the enemy. Two men including the Squadron Sergeant Major were killed. The Regimental Doctor who risked his life to give first aid and rescue two badly injured men caught out in the open was awarded the MBE for gallantry. He was recommended for the MC but that award could not be made, as the Regiment had not been embodied for active service.
The regiment was reduced to a single Independent Squadron in 1967 as 131 Independent Parachute Sqn, Royal Engineers (V) - Sqn HQ was in Kingsbury, London with Troops in Birmingham, Hull and Grangemouth, it was part of 44th Parachute Brigade (V) until 1978 when it re-roled into a Commando unit.
In 1977 came drastic reductions in Regular and TA airborne forces. The volunteer traditions of 131 Regiment and Squadron were such that the only cap badge the volunteer members would wear was that of the Royal Engineers but it had to be on a Special Forces beret. It was a great honour for the Squadron that the Royal Marines accepted it into their order of battle of 3 Commando Brigade. The Squadron, now in green berets but retaining the parachute capability, did not have to move from its locations. The transfer from red to green berets was more challenging than anticipated. Every member, whatever his age, had to attend the demanding Reserve Forces Commando Course, however this was the challenge that 131 thrived upon
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Royal Engineers Museum - Military Engineering Histories (Commando)
