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The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is a Corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 of the Australian Army
Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force....
 (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The Engineer Corps is ranked 4th in seniority of the Corps, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured
Royal Australian Armoured Corps

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army....
 and Artillery Corps. The Corps was formed by the amalgamation of the various engineer corps of the States and territories of Australia
States and territories of Australia

The Australia is made up of six states and two major mainland territories. There are also lesser territories that are under the administration of the federal government....
.

The motto of the Royal Australian Engineers is Ubique (Everywhere), a motto shared with RAE's parent corps, the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....
.






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The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is a Corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 of the Australian Army
Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force....
 (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The Engineer Corps is ranked 4th in seniority of the Corps, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured
Royal Australian Armoured Corps

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army....
 and Artillery Corps. The Corps was formed by the amalgamation of the various engineer corps of the States and territories of Australia
States and territories of Australia

The Australia is made up of six states and two major mainland territories. There are also lesser territories that are under the administration of the federal government....
.

The motto of the Royal Australian Engineers is Ubique (Everywhere), a motto shared with RAE's parent corps, the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....
. This motto was bestowed by King William IV in 1832 in recognition that both Sappers and Gunners where not entitled to carry Regimental Colours and typically served as small detachments instead of a whole unit. The current Engineer Hat badge features a leather garter adorned with a crown and the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil be to him who evil thinks), mirroring the motto of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom....
. This honor was awarded to the RAE in 1947 for their efforts during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The original motto of the RAE, adopted at Federation was Facimus et Frangimus (We make and we break) and appeared on the engineer hat badge up until 1947 when it was replaced by Honi soit qui mal y pense. It now only appears on the Corps Cipher.

The Engineers also adopted the Royal Engineers practice of calling their private soldiers "Sapper
Sapper

A sapper is an individual engineer soldier usually in British Army or Commonwealth military service.Considered the most elite combat engineer soldiers in the United States Army, a pionier in the German Army and a sapeur in the French Army, a sapper/combat engineer may perform any of a variety of combat engineering duties....
s", in recognition of the fact that the very earliest engineers had been primarily concerned with driving saps (tunnels) both towards the enemy lines, and underneath fortifications.

The Corps provides combat engineering
Combat engineering

Combat engineering is a combat arms role of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of engineering by troops in peace and war, but specifically in combat....
, construction and other technical support to the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the Armed forces responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
. One of the objectives of the corps is mobility and counter mobility. That is providing mobility to friendly forces while denying movement to enemy forces. Engineers are able to conduct tasks including penetrating minefields, locating and disarming booby traps, purifying water and building roads and bridges. The Corps also performs the majority of the army's demolition tasks and is trained to fight as infantry if needed.

History

Origins of the Royal Australian Engineers date back to 15 November 1860, when the Corps of Engineers was founded in the colony of Victoria by Peter Scratchley. By 1876, five of the six colonies had raised their own engineer units. These were amalgamated on 1 July 1902 as The Corps of Engineers. At this time, the Corps consisted of field, fortress, telegraph, electric and submarine mining companies.

In 1911, the Australian Corps of Signallers
Royal Australian Corps of Signals

Australia has the unique distinction of having had the first regularly formed signal unit in the British Empire. The Royal Australian Corps of Signals is one of the 'arms' of the Australian Army....
 was absorbed into the Engineers as the RAE Signal Service. Four years later, in July 1915, all members of the Survey Section RAE, separated to form the Australian Survey Corps
Royal Australian Survey Corps

The Royal Australian Survey Corps was a Corps of the Australian Army that was formed on 1 July 1915 and disbanded on 1 July 1996. This Corps was responsible for the mapping of Australia and countries where the Australian Defence Force was deployed on operations....
. During this period the School of Military Engineering was established at Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales

Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Moore Park is located 3 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of Local Government Areas in Australia of the City of Sydney....
 in Sydney. The school was disbanded at the end of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
.

On 1 January 1925 the RAE Signal Service was separated to form the Australian Corps of Signals. This was followed in 1932 by the Survey Section separating to form the Australian Survey Corps
Royal Australian Survey Corps

The Royal Australian Survey Corps was a Corps of the Australian Army that was formed on 1 July 1915 and disbanded on 1 July 1996. This Corps was responsible for the mapping of Australia and countries where the Australian Defence Force was deployed on operations....
. 1939 saw the School of Military Engineering re-established in the Liverpool Military Area on Steele Barracks.

The Royal Australian Engineers colours are blue and red, though unit colour patches typically consist of a red feature on a purple field. The banner depiction of the colours consist of a blue field with two horizontal red bands near the top and bottom of the field.

On 1 July 1996 the RAE reabsorbed the Royal Australian Survey Corps.

Corps titles

  • July 1902 to September 1907 - The Corps of Engineers
  • September 1907 to January 1936 - Australian Engineers
  • On 31 January 1936, the Corps was given Royal Assent
    Royal Assent

    The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarchy completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament....
    , and was subsequently renamed Royal Australian Engineers


Structure

The Corps has both Regular and Reserve units. The current Regular units are:
  • 1st Combat Engineer Regiment (Darwin
    Darwin, Northern Territory

    Darwin is the List of Australian capital cities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 120,900, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely peopled Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities....
    )
  • 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment
    2nd Combat Engineer Regiment (Australia)

    The 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment is a regiment of the Royal Australian Engineers, which is part of the Australian Army. It is located at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, Queensland, and is part of Australian 7th Brigade....
     (Brisbane
    Brisbane

    Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
    ) - N.B. this is currently an integrated unit
  • 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment (Townsville)
  • 1st Topographical Survey Squadron (Brisbane
    Brisbane

    Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
    ) (formerly a member of the Royal Australian Survey Corps
    Royal Australian Survey Corps

    The Royal Australian Survey Corps was a Corps of the Australian Army that was formed on 1 July 1915 and disbanded on 1 July 1996. This Corps was responsible for the mapping of Australia and countries where the Australian Defence Force was deployed on operations....
    )
  • 21st Construction Squadron (Brisbane),
  • 17th Construction Squadron (Sydney
    Sydney

    Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
    )
  • School of Military Engineering (Sydney).
  • 19 CE Works (Randwick, Victoria)


The current Reserve (part-time) units are:
  • 4th Combat Engineer Regiment (Ringwood East, Victoria)
  • 5th Combat Engineer Regiment (Sydney)
  • 8th Combat Engineer Regiment (Newcastle, NSW)
  • 9th Combat Engineer Regiment (3rd Field Squadron) (Adelaide)
  • 13th Combat Engineer Regiment
    13 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers

    13 Field Squadron is a Australian Army Reserve unit of the Royal Australian Engineers of the Australian Army. 13 Field Squadron provide the combat engineering capability of the Western Australia based reserve Australian 13th Brigade....
     (13th Field Squadron) (Perth)
  • 11th Combat Engineer Regiment (35th Field Squadron) (Townsville)
  • 21st Construction Regiment (Holsworthy, NSW)
  • 22nd Construction Regiment
    22nd Construction Regiment, Royal Australian Engineers

    22 Construction Regiment is an Army Reserve Unit based in Victoria, Australia and forms part of the 4th Brigade . The Regimental Headquarters and 105 Construction Squadron are based at Oakleigh, Victoria....
     (Oakleigh and Newborough, Victoria)


Former Army Reserve units of the Corps included the 1st Port Construction and Repair Group, at Haberfield, NSW. A former Regular unit was 12 CE Works at Mendi
Mendi

Mendi, Papua New Guinea, is the provincial capital of the Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea, and is also the name of one of the seven districts of that province....
 in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands ....
.

Golf club

The Royal Australian Engineers operate a golf club on Steele Barracks, open to the public since the mid 1980s. The club aims to provide a recreational facility to members of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the Armed forces responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
 and their families, and is run with non-public funds. The club is operated in accordance with military regulations and is responsible to the Chief Instructor of the School of Military Engineering.

Order of precedence