11 EOD Regiment
Encyclopedia
11 EOD Regiment is a regiment of the British Army
's Royal Logistic Corps
(RLC) responsible for Explosive Ordnance Disposal
(EOD). The unit is manned by Ammunition Technical Officer
s and Ammunition Technician
s. This Regiment takes its place with the Joint Service EOD Operators of the Royal Engineers
, Royal Navy
and Royal Air Force
, in responding to suspicious package/bomb calls in the UK mainland outside of London; the Metropolitan Police
have their own unit for the London area.
In addition to bomb disposal duties in Mainland UK, 11 EOD Regiment takes it in turns with 33 Engineer Regiment EOD and 101 Engineer Regiment EOD to command Bomb Disposal
operations in Iraq
(Op Telic) and Afghanistan
(Op Herrick). The Regiment provides Bomb Disposal
teams to work with all other EOD units at all times. The Regiment reports to 29 EOD & Search Group, part of 8 Force Engineer Brigade.
, Oxfordshire
; and on 19 November 2010, in a ceremony at Didcot Parkway railway station
, a High Speed Train locomotive
, no. 43087 operated by First Great Western
(FGW), was named 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps. The ceremony was attended by Lt Col Gareth Bex (Commanding Officer); soldiers of the Regiment; Mark Hopwood, of FGW; Keith Mitchell, leader of the county council
; and the MP for Wantage
, Ed Vaizey.
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...
's Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
(RLC) responsible for Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
(EOD). The unit is manned by Ammunition Technical Officer
Ammunition Technical Officer
An Ammunition Technical Officer is an officer involved in all aspects of the army's use of ammunition. This includes; bomb disposal, explosives accident investigation, procurement, in service management, storage, and inspection and repair....
s and Ammunition Technician
Ammunition Technician
An Ammunition Technician is a British Army soldier trained to inspect, repair, test and store, and modify all ammunition and explosives used by the British Army...
s. This Regiment takes its place with the Joint Service EOD Operators of 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 corps of the British Army....
, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, in responding to suspicious package/bomb calls in the UK mainland outside of London; the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
have their own unit for the London area.
In addition to bomb disposal duties in Mainland UK, 11 EOD Regiment takes it in turns with 33 Engineer Regiment EOD and 101 Engineer Regiment EOD to command Bomb Disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
operations in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(Op Telic) and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
(Op Herrick). The Regiment provides Bomb Disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
teams to work with all other EOD units at all times. The Regiment reports to 29 EOD & Search Group, part of 8 Force Engineer Brigade.
Subordinate units
- 321 EOD Squadron RLC321 EOD321 EOD Squadron is a unit of the British Army responsible for bomb disposal duties in Northern Ireland.The unit was previously 321 EOD Unit Royal Army Ordnance Corps and was re-badged as a unit of the Royal Logistics Corps in April 1993, now part of 11 EOD Regt. With its Headquarters at Thiepval...
, based in Northern Ireland - 521 EOD Squadron RLC, based in the North of England
- 621 EOD Squadron RLC, based in the South of England
- 721 EOD Squadron RLC, based in the Midlands
- 821 EOD Squadron RLC, based at HQ 11 EOD Regiment
- 921 EOD Squadron RLC, based in Rhine Army
Notable personnel
- Gary O'DonnellGary O'Donnell (British Army soldier)Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary John O'Donnell GM & Bar was a British Army bomb disposal expert who was awarded the George Medal twice. The George Medal is the second highest decoration for "acts of great bravery" not "in the face of the enemy". His second George Medal was the first such award in 26...
- Olaf SchmidOlaf SchmidStaff Sergeant Olaf Sean George Schmid GC was a British Army bomb disposal expert who was killed in action in the Afghanistan conflict. Schmid was posthumously awarded the George Cross after he made safe 70 devices before his death in October 2009...
- Karl LeyKarl LeyKarl Ley is Class 2 Warrant Officer in the British Army and a bomb disposal expert from the 11 EOD Regiment who was awarded the George Medal for bomb disposal duties in Afghanistan, where he defused more roadside IEDs than anyone else during his six month tour of duty.-Personal life:Born in...
- Lisa HeadLisa HeadCaptain Lisa Jade Head was a British army officer. She was the first female bomb disposal officer ever to be killed on operations. She died on 19 April 2011 at the age of 29, having sustained serious injuries on active service in Afghanistan...
Honours
The regiment is based at Vauxhall Barracks, DidcotDidcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
; and on 19 November 2010, in a ceremony at Didcot Parkway railway station
Didcot Parkway railway station
Didcot Parkway is a railway station serving the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire in England. The station was opened as Didcot on 12 June 1844, and renamed Didcot Parkway on 29 July 1985 to reflect its role as a park and ride railhead....
, a High Speed Train locomotive
British Rail Class 43 (HST)
The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982....
, no. 43087 operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
(FGW), was named 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps. The ceremony was attended by Lt Col Gareth Bex (Commanding Officer); soldiers of the Regiment; Mark Hopwood, of FGW; Keith Mitchell, leader of the county council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
; and the MP for Wantage
Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
, Ed Vaizey.