Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
Overview
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the British Territorial Army, having given continuous loyal service to the crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
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) the only unit to have two 'Royal' prefixes in its title.
It is not the oldest regiment in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
; this honour goes to the Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
(from 1296 but chartered in 1537), but Militia always takes precedence over Volunteers
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
, although The Jersey Field Squadron (M)
Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey
Formed in 1337, the Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey can claim to be the oldest regiment of the British Army, although, because it is a Militia regiment, and was disbanded for some years in the late 20th Century, it is not the most senior.-History:...
can trace its origins back to 1337.
The regiment is also unusual in having the word Royal appear twice in its name.
