168th Pioneer Regiment
Encyclopedia
168 Pioneer Regiment is a unit in the British
Territorial Army. The regiment is nationally recruited and provides a reserve unit of pioneers.
(RLC). This would be created from the amalgamation of the Royal Corps of Transport
, Royal Army Ordnance Corps
, Royal Pioneer Corps
, Army Catering Corps
and the Postal and Courier Branch of the Royal Engineers
. The implementation of the Reviews recommendations resulted in The Royal Logistic Corps being formed on 5 April 1993 from these Corps. The RLC was to make up over 17% of the regular Army's trained adult soldier strength and 20% of the Territorial Army.
On 1 April 1995, the 3 operational pioneer TA squadrons 34, 68 and 79 Squadrons (Sqn) were formed into 168 Pioneer Regiment, with the instructions that it was to become operational by 1 April 1998. These Squadrons were formed into the tasking Squadrons of the Regiment which were to become 34, 102, 103 Squadrons with the Headquarters Squadron being named 101 Squadron. A Regimental Headquarters was also formed under its first Commanding officer Lt Col Rod Othen who had served as a regular in the Royal Pioneer Corps (RPC) before retiring and joining the Territorial Army of the Royal Pioneer Corps. Lt Col Othen established the Regiment before handing it over to Lt Col Ron Gatepain who had seen service in the Royal Marines and TA service with the RPC.
The Strategic Defence Review
of 1998 resulted in 168 Pioneer Regiment being tasked to form two additional Squadrons which were to be Independent Sqns within the Specialist Regiment. These squadrons were to be formed in the North East of England. The Commanding Officer Lt Col Ron Gatepain recruited many of the soldiers from disbanding units in the area and formed 100 Sqn at Cramlington,Berwick upon Tweed,Hexham and 104 Sqn based at Middlesbrough which had between them units at six locations in the Northeast. It also made 168 Regiment the largest unit in the British Army with 678 personnel and created a new concept of mixing Specialist and Independent TA.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Territorial Army. The regiment is nationally recruited and provides a reserve unit of pioneers.
Formation
168 Pioneer Regiment was formed following the rationalisation of Army logistics instigated by the Logistic Support Review in 1990 which advocated that all logistic support matters should be the responsibility of a new corps, The Royal Logistic CorpsRoyal 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). This would be created from the amalgamation of the Royal Corps of Transport
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
, Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
, Royal Pioneer Corps
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...
, Army Catering Corps
Army Catering Corps
The Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
and the Postal and Courier Branch 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....
. The implementation of the Reviews recommendations resulted in The Royal Logistic Corps being formed on 5 April 1993 from these Corps. The RLC was to make up over 17% of the regular Army's trained adult soldier strength and 20% of the Territorial Army.
On 1 April 1995, the 3 operational pioneer TA squadrons 34, 68 and 79 Squadrons (Sqn) were formed into 168 Pioneer Regiment, with the instructions that it was to become operational by 1 April 1998. These Squadrons were formed into the tasking Squadrons of the Regiment which were to become 34, 102, 103 Squadrons with the Headquarters Squadron being named 101 Squadron. A Regimental Headquarters was also formed under its first Commanding officer Lt Col Rod Othen who had served as a regular in the Royal Pioneer Corps (RPC) before retiring and joining the Territorial Army of the Royal Pioneer Corps. Lt Col Othen established the Regiment before handing it over to Lt Col Ron Gatepain who had seen service in the Royal Marines and TA service with the RPC.
The Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
of 1998 resulted in 168 Pioneer Regiment being tasked to form two additional Squadrons which were to be Independent Sqns within the Specialist Regiment. These squadrons were to be formed in the North East of England. The Commanding Officer Lt Col Ron Gatepain recruited many of the soldiers from disbanding units in the area and formed 100 Sqn at Cramlington,Berwick upon Tweed,Hexham and 104 Sqn based at Middlesbrough which had between them units at six locations in the Northeast. It also made 168 Regiment the largest unit in the British Army with 678 personnel and created a new concept of mixing Specialist and Independent TA.