251:. Both the Staff Corps and the General Service Corps have been expanded and now provide not only a body of board level leaders in engineering, logistics, data & digital, finance & commerce but also a cohort of senior managers in communications, advertising, marketing and academia able to advise the army. “The beauty of them is they think like a military person but have industrial experience; it’s a perfect blend,” said Brigadier
56:
278:. Membership is by invitation only and promotion generally follows seniority with some discretion to allow for individual officers' statuses in their profession and their level of participation in the corps. Officers who cease to be engaged in a relevant profession must offer to resign their commissions but may retain their appointment on the Commanding Officer's recommendation and with the approval of the
398:“in all my more than 40 years of service this is the single greatest logistic challenge that I’ve come across. It has been a whole-force effort including not just regular military from all the three services but reservists as well; some 15% of the force has been reservists. It has involved defence civilians, defence contractors, scientists from
193:
establishment of 21 officers was expanded to 110 in 1908 before being subsequently reduced to a strength of 60 officers. The unit was always a volunteer unit, with members retaining their civilian jobs. Until its reorganisation in 1943 its members were entitled to wear a uniform similar to that of the
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Officers are regularly invited to relevant army conferences and equipment demonstrations to keep them up to date with current capabilities. However, members are rarely seen in uniform and enjoy an independence not seen elsewhere in the military. “If I have to sit in front of a three-star
General and
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The corps is administered by a Board of senior corps officers, chaired by the
Commander (a Colonel as Commanding Officer) and assisted by the Chief of Staff (formerly Acting Adjutant), normally a Lieutenant Colonel who also acts as the Board’s secretary. The Chief of Staff is always a retired army
192:
was to ensure "the combined action among all the railways when the country is in danger" and tasked particularly with "the preparation, during peace, of schemes for drawing troops from given distant parts and for concentrating them within given areas in the shortest possible time". The original
402:
and something called the
Engineer and Logistics Staff Corps, where we bring in people from industry who work inside the military in times of crisis and provide expert support for how we might link into the civilian community to bring forward skills and indeed industrial support.”
262:
Members of the
Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps hold their commissions as officers in the Royal Engineers (Volunteers) and are grouped into six directorates: engineering, infrastructure and systems; logistics; cyber and communications; corporate support and healthcare.
71:
circulars that year. In response, a "Volunteer
Engineering Staff Corps for the Arrangement of Transport of Troops and Stores, the Construction of defensive works and the destruction of other works in case of Invasion" was proposed in 1860 by
185:, was designated Lieutenant Colonel Commandant, a post he would hold until 1878, Manby was Acting Adjutant (until 1884) and a week later McMurdo became Honorary Colonel (until 1894) - he presided over the initial Council meeting in April.
96:, replied to say that he believed such a Corps would be a great advantage to the public service and that he would recommend Her Majesty to accept its formation as soon as the principal features had been agreed.
17:
730:, The Engineer & Railway Staff Corps RE (TAVR) (1969). This work contains a full list of the 417 officers appointed to the Corps from January 1865 until February 1969
182:
100:
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In recent times recruitment has diversified from road, rail and port specialists to cover almost all aspects of engineering. It also began to advise the
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in 2020, “they're always challenging us. They’re the backstagers. They’ll always be the unsung heroes but will never be catapulted into the limelight”.
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Since July 2024 the Corps’ current
Honorary Colonel is Lt General David Eastman MBE, Deputy Chief of the General Staff who succeeded Lt General (rtd)
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438:
111:, and went on to set out the objects and duties the Secretary of State would require of the Corps. On 7 November Manby submitted the names of 12
286:. All officers of the corps are briefed to expect calls at any time to provide impartial and confidential advice to the British Armed Forces.
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officer currently working in a relevant profession who acts as a point of contact for advice. The current officers are mainly
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In 2015 the
Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps, together with the General Service Corps, were incorporated into the
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749:
The Staff Corps: The
History of the Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps RE (V), 150-year Anniversary 2nd Edition
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220:. Until 2015 the unit was organisationally part of HQ Engineer in Chief (Army), constituted under the
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In 2015 the Staff Corps marked its 150th anniversary and celebratory events included a dinner at
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the Corps was described as 'probably the greatest military unit you've never heard of'.
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The establishment strength of 120 officers, increased from 60 in 2021, consists of 25
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In addition to peacetime roles in infrastructure, training, planning and logistics.
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All Rank and No File: A History of the
Engineer and Railway Staff Corps RE 1865-1965
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explain that he or she may be wrong, I need to be able to do that without wearing a
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had accepted the services of the Corps on 4 January 1865 the first 21 officers were
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to assist the
British Army, and the creation of volunteer corps were authorised in
568:
Lloyd, E M, 'McMurdo, Sir William Montagu Scott (1819-1894)', rev Roger T Stearn,
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The corps has advised British forces in the following operations, amongst others:
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took some time but in September 1864 the Inspector General of Volunteers, Colonel
439:"Revealed: the top bosses in secret Forces unit that built Nightingale hospitals"
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777:- 2016 Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport article on the corps
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39:. It is intended to provide advisers on engineering and logistics to the
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The Staff Corps: The History of the Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps RE
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Sir William McMurdo, Honorary Colonel of the Corps from 1865–1894
699:"UK Chief of Defence Staff participates in daily coronavirus briefing"
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Royal Engineer Cypher as used by the Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps
621:"Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps: A Network of Advisers to Defence"
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315:
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and 9 general managers who would form the nucleus of the Corps. Once
63:
In 1859 there was considerable public interest in the creation of a
373:
353:
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Cunningham, Hugh (2019). "Chapter 1:The Formation of the Force".
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The Volunteer Force: A Social and Political History 1859-1908
80:(ICE). He submitted his scheme to the War Office through the
747:
Sinclair, Major-General G.B. and Hindle, Colonel D.J.(Ed.):
656:"Royal Diary –The latest Royal engagements: 23-28 November"
644:
Sinclair and Hindle. Foreword message from HM The Queen
212:
in 1984 to reflect this. Following the creation of the
751:, The Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps RE (V) (2015);
294:” said the Commanding Officer, Gary Sullivan, in 2020.
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organisations, which together employ 100,000 people.
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conveyed the approval of the Secretary of State, now
43:at a senior level. Following its work creating the
788:
235:on 26 November at which the guest of honour was
782:The Royal Engineers song "Hurrah for the CRE"
382:In April 2020 the Corps was singled out at a
394:, who said of the military response to the
462:
216:in 1993 the unit was renamed again to the
769:Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps website
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571:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
396:COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
126:The founding civil engineers comprised
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237:HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
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341:CB, Commander Field Army 2019-2021
331:Colonel Richard Hunt CBE 2017-2019
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328:Colonel Keith White CBE 2008-2017
210:Engineer and Transport Staff Corps
174:and the general managers included
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437:Nicholls, Dominic (17 May 2020).
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218:Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps
76:, then honorary secretary of the
26:Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps
574:, Oxford University Press, 2004
190:Engineer and Railway Staff Corps
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540:. 3 February 1865. p. 504.
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99:Negotiations with the numerous
733:Sinclair, Major-General G.B.:
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78:Institution of Civil Engineers
1:
807:Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
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101:independent railway companies
797:British administrative corps
86:Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex
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325:Recent Commanders include:
10:
823:
559:Sinclair and Hindle pp 3-5
388:chief of the defence staff
90:Secretary of State for War
50:
577:accessed 25 February 2007
45:NHS Nightingale Hospitals
726:Townsend, Major C.E.C.:
677:"Staff Corps Membership"
224:and administered by the
202:Royal Corps of Transport
164:Charles Blacker Vignoles
160:George Robert Stephenson
156:George Willoughby Hemans
392:General Sir Nick Carter
233:One Great George Street
222:Reserve Forces Act 1996
208:) and was renamed the
152:Thomas Elliot Harrison
144:Charles Hutton Gregory
109:Earl de Grey and Ripon
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679:. Ministry of Defence
626:. Ministry of Defence
500:. Ministry of Defence
188:The objective of the
136:John Robinson McClean
82:Marquess of Salisbury
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550:Townsend pp 4-6, 106
413:No. 601 Squadron RAF
257:101 Logistic Brigade
214:Royal Logistic Corps
204:(in addition to the
176:James Joseph Allport
168:William Henry Barlow
128:George Parker Bidder
123:on 21 January 1865.
272:Lieutenant Colonels
226:Ministry of Defence
775:Back to the future
654:Howard, Victoria.
537:The London Gazette
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113:civil engineers
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121:commissioned
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41:British Army
37:Army Reserve
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532:"No. 22935"
400:Porton Down
359:Bosnian War
312:engineering
306:and senior
140:John Fowler
88:. The then
791:Categories
630:24 October
419:References
364:Kosovo War
345:Operations
339:Ivan Jones
292:rank slide
280:Army Board
69:War Office
683:1 January
320:logistics
316:transport
304:directors
117:the Queen
407:See also
374:Iraq War
354:Gulf War
308:managers
268:Colonels
661:22 June
282:of the
274:and 45
51:History
34:British
32:in the
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448:1 June
276:Majors
624:(PDF)
504:2 May
270:, 50
84:, as
753:ISBN
739:ISBN
710:2020
685:2013
663:2020
632:2010
506:2020
469:ISBN
450:2020
318:and
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24:The
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