Pioneers in The British Army
Historically, British infantry regiments maintained small units of pioneers for heavy work and engineering, especially for clearing paths through forests and for leading assaults on fortifications. These units evolved into assault pioneers. They also inspired the creation of the Royal Pioneer Corps.
The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks. The Royal Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939 as the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. It was renamed the Pioneer Corps on 22 November 1940. It was renamed the Royal Pioneer Corps on 28 November 1946. On 5 April 1993, the Royal Pioneer Corps united with other units to form the Royal Logistics Corps.
There are currently 3 specialist pioneer units in the Royal Logistics Corps.
- 23 Pioneer Regiment based at Bicester, Oxfordshire
- The ARRC Support Battalion based at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth (previously at Rheindahlen Military Complex, Germany until June 2010)
- 168 Pioneer Regiment a specialist pioneer regiment in the Territorial Army, formed in 1995 with headquarters at Grantham.
All British infantry regiments still maintain assault pioneer units.
Read more about this topic: Pioneer (military)
Famous quotes containing the words pioneers, british and/or army:
“The emancipation of today displays itself mainly in cigarettes and shorts. There is even a reaction from the ideal of an intellectual and emancipated womanhood, for which the pioneers toiled and suffered, to be seen in painted lips and nails, and the return of trailing skirts and other absurdities of dress which betoken the slave-woman’s intelligent companionship.”
—Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960)
“The British tourist is always happy abroad as long as the natives are waiters.”
—Robert Morley (1908–1992)
“In one notable instance, where the United States Army and a hundred years of persuasion failed, a highway has succeeded. The Seminole Indians surrendered to the Tamiami Trail. From the Everglades the remnants of this race emerged, soon after the trail was built, to set up their palm-thatched villages along the road and to hoist tribal flags as a lure to passing motorists.”
—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)