Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) (French: Corps du génie électrique et mécanique royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CF) that provides army engineering maintenance support. All members of the corps wear army uniform. From the 1980s to 2013 it was called the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch.
Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
15 May 1944–present
Canada
RCEME School situated at CFB Borden
Bluebell
Blue, yellow, red, light blue
- "REME Corps March Past" (Both "Lillibulero" and "Auprès de ma blonde" should be played)
- Slow march: "The Craftsman"[1]
Sadie
Dark blue beret
The concession to adopt the EME letters spurred an interest in reviving tradition, and bringing the horse badge back, which was spearheaded by Brigadier-General Jim Hanson, Chief Warrant Officer John Sloan and Chief Warrant Officer Ron Roy, and led into the early 1990s. The new badge would have to be modelled on the old horse, but at the same time, reflect the changes in the army and in the trades that had occurred since. The new badge had several proposals. It would definitely include the letters EME and GEM (Génie électrique et mécanique) in place of the former RCEME title. The original proposal had the title GEM on one side of the horse's head, and EME on the other, so that it conformed to the pattern of other Commonwealth services (REME (UK), RAEME (Australia), RNZEME (New Zealand)), but it was decided that "GEMEME" would not be used, and it was thus reversed to EME GEM to conform with CF rules on signs. (On documents and other items that include both French and English, the English goes on the left and the French on the right.) There are other subtle differences between the old horse badge and the new one, such as the collar of fleur-de-lis being replaced with four maple leaves, and the horse's nose being shortened to accommodate three letters in front of it instead of two.
The RCEME are charged with the maintenance of all electrical and mechanical equipment in use in the Canadian army today. The branch is broken down into four trades:
Training[edit]
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers School[edit]
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers School (RCEME School) (French: Ecole du génie électrique et mécanique royal canadien) in Borden, Ontario conducts training for Electrical and Mechanical Engineering officers, vehicle, weapons, electronic-optronic (formerly fire control systems) and material technicians. RCEME School conducts individual and specialized training for the Regular and Reserve forces. The school offers 54 different technical courses for approximately 900 students.[3]
The RCEME School was once known as the Royal Canadian School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and has been alternately located in Kingston, Ontario, Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, and the Saint-Jean Garrison, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. In the early years of RCEME, the school alternated between Kingston and Borden, holding both English and French courses, until the General J.F. Allard Megaplex was built in Saint-Jean. This not only served as the recruit school for French-speaking recruits, but also became the home of the École technique des Forces canadiennes (Canadian Forces Technical School), where French-speaking craftsmen (artisans) studied in their trades before being posted to their respective units. This changed when the ETFC was merged with RCEME School in the early 1990s, in order to make room for the English-speaking recruits in Saint-Jean when CFLRS Cornwalis was closed. The school is located at Canadian Forces Base Borden, and has five companies: Headquarters Company, Regimental Company, Artisan Company, Weapons Company, and Vehicle Company.