Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers

Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)
Cap badge (above) and colours (below) of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
Active	1539-
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Territorial Army
Type	Militia
Role	Engineers
Size	One regiment
Part of	160 (Wales) Brigade
Garrison/HQ	RHQ - Monmouth 100 Fd Sqn - Cwmbran 108 Fd Sqn - Swansea 225 Fd Sqn - Oldbury Jersey Fd Sqn - St Helier
Motto	Ich Dien (I Serve) Ubique (Everywhere) Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt (Where Duty and Glory Lead)
March	Wings (Regimental March, Royal Engineers)
Engagements	1760-1854 {Home Defence} Crimean War {detachment with Royal Welch Fusiliers} South Africa World War I World War II Iraq War War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Commanders
Royal Honorary Colonel	HRH The Duke of Gloucester
Honorary Colonel	Major-General Keith Harington Cima
Insignia
Arm Badge	Militia Flash

The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) (R MON RE(M)) is the most senior regiment in the British Territorial Army, having given continuous loyal service to the crown since 1539. It is part of the reserve forces, and is the only remaining Militia unit in the British Army. The R Mon RE(M) is the only unit to have two 'Royal' prefixes in its title.

History

The Royal Monmouthshire Light Infantry in 1855 at Pembroke Dock.

Duke of Beaufort with officers inspecting Monmouth contingent of Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers in Chippenham car park, Monmouth to mark the 400th anniversary 1977.

View of soldiers of Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers marching through Agincourt Square, Monmouth as part of ceremony conferring Freedom of Borough in 1953

It is not the oldest regiment in the British Army; this honour goes to the Honourable Artillery Company (from 1296 but chartered in 1537), but Militia always takes precedence over Volunteers, although The Jersey Field Squadron (M) can trace its origins back to 1337.

The regiment is also unusual in having the word Royal appear twice in its name. It gained the first "Royal" in 1804 when it was known as the Monmouth and Brecon Militia. The second was acquired in 1877 when the regiment transferred from an infantry unit into a Special Reserve section of the expanding Royal Engineers.^[1] The regiment is also the only Royal Engineer regiment to possess colours because in 1914 they were given the colours of the East Monmouth Militia for safekeeping.

The regiment is headquartered at Monmouth Castle in Monmouth but has sub-units in Cwmbran, Cardiff, Bristol, Swansea, Birmingham and Jersey. Since 2003, the Regiment has provided composite units for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Previous to that, members of the unit have served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Falkland Islands.

References

External links

• Official site
• Regimental Museum
• Royal Engineers Museum - Militia, Volunteers and Territorials (1757–1979)