Brigadier G.A. Gayton sought approval for a RAEME Regimental Flag in a letter to AHQ in April 1951. The design and colours were that of the REME Flag as authorised in the REME Corps Instructions Number 26 (1950), except it was to carry the RAEME Badge.
It was proposed that this flag would be flown at Unit and other RAEME HQ, Officers Messes, appropriate sports meetings and at other gatherings. A reply six months later in September asked for a comment on the wording of the proposed instruction about Corps Flags in general. Brigadier Geyton offered the following suggestions in reply:
The Instruction read that the Corps Flag would be flown at the HQ of a unit commanded by a LT COL. He pointed out that there were only four such units in RAEME, he had wanted most of his units to fly the flag so he suggested that Major commands to be included. Next he observed in the instruction that it was not clear whether the rite to fly the flag was by establishment only or whether it could be flown when a Major was administering command. He also commented that in war time some RAEME units were commanded by Colonels and it was desirable that the words of the Instruction should be such that it would not keep requiring future amendments. To overcome these criticisms he suggested the following revision. ‘They may be flown at the HQ of a Unit, which is, by establishment the command of an officer of Field Rank, and at Officers Mess’s, Unit Quarter Guards etc, and at appropriate sports and social gatherings’.
The application for a Corps Flag was successful and by January 1952 it had become the subject in RAEME Corps Instructions Number 3.
Over the years Brigadier Gayton’s ideas on when the flag could be flown were modified and when this information was researched the instruction was:
‘RAEME Units may fly two other flags. A RAEME Unit distinguishing flag and a Flag Identifying a RAEME Workshop (three colour).
There have been a number of suggestions to the colours of the RAEME and REME Flags. The author of this paper researched through countless documentation and picked many members brains for the origin. There were three origins to the colours, they were gained from old REME publications and other sources. Being:
The basic Logistic colours:
Blue - Maintenance
Yellow - Movers
Red - Supplier
The regal colours
Blue - Loyalty
Yellow - Technical experience
Red - Profession at Arms
The amalgamation in 1940 of the three Corps into REME
Blue - Ordnance Corps
Yellow - Service Corps
Red - Transport Corps
If any reader or member can advise on the true origin of the colours please get in contact with the Webmaster so this can be edited.
