Electrical & Mechanical Engineers: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 22:09, 9 October 2006
On 1 Feb 1944, the Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers were formed by re-organizing units of the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (Engineering Branch). This move was made in response to the creation of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the British Army.
On 20 Apr 1944, the new corps was granted the "Royal" prefix to become "Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers" (RCEME).
On 13 Apr 1953, the title was changed to The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
On 1 Feb 1968, as part of Unification, the Land Ordnance Engineering Branch was created as a branch of the new Canadian Armed Forces.
The branch was created from combining personnel of the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers with former Royal Canadian Air Force mechanics.
The former RCEME trades of Electrical Mechanical Technician, Vehicle Technician, and Weapons Technician were maintained.
The new abbreviation was LORE and a new "wankel" cap badge was adopted.
A strong feeling of loss of tradition among former RCEME soldiers led to the renaming on 15 May 1984.
By 1990 there was intense pressure coming from within the branch to get the 'horse back on the badge'. Approval for the bilingual EME/GEM 'horse' badge was given in the summer of 1990, and all members were rebadged by 3 Jun 1991.
The branch is often referred to simply as EME in English.
Like RCEME and LORE, EME's existence owed much to the growing complexity and power of guns, radios, radar and vehicles, and the dependence of the Canadian Army on such equipment. Technicians were needed both in forward units and in rear areas to repair, recover, design, and modify equipment as needed.
