26 Engineer Regiment (United Kingdom)

26 Engineer Regiment
Active1950 – 1994
2000 – present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
RoleEngineer
SizeRegiment
622 personnel[1]
Part ofRoyal Engineers
Garrison/HQSwinton Barracks, Salisbury Plain
Website26 Engr Regt RE

26 Engineer Regiment is a regiment of the British Army's Royal Engineers. It is based at Swinton Barracks, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

History

26 Engineer Regiment working at a desert camp in Afghanistan

The unit was formed in 1950 and in April 1956 moved to 4th Armoured Division in the same role. In November 1957, the regiment was reorganised and re-titled as "Headquarters Royal Engineers, 4th Division" and moved to Paderborn, Germany. By 1969, it was expanded in size and in 1970, the regiment moved to Iserlohn. From July to November 1974, the regiment was tasked as an infantry unit and served in Northern Ireland. By 1978, the regiment was reorganised again as the new 3rd Armoured Division's Armoured Engineer Regiment.[2] The Regiment reformed in 2000 with 38 HQ and Support Squadron and 8 Armd Engr Sqn and from August to February of the same year the regiment served as part of Kosovo Force. When the regiment came back from operations it moved to Horne Barracks, Larkhill, but later moved to Corunna Barracks Ludgershall. The regiment served in both Operation Telic and Operation Herrick, namely TELIC VI, HERRICK VI and HERRICK XVI. In January 2009 the regiment moved to Swinton Barracks at Perham Down.[3]

Under Army 2020 the regiment moved to 25 (Close Support) Engineer Group.[4][5]

Organization

Its structure is as follows:[3]

  • 26 Engineer Regiment, in Swinton Barracks
    • 38 Headquarters and Support Squadron
    • 8 Armoured Engineer Squadron
    • 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron
    • 33 Armoured Engineer Squadron

References

  1. ^ "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. ^ The Corps Of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889—2018. p. 225.
  3. ^ a b "26 Engineer Regiment". British Army. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Army 2020 Update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Minutes of the 127th Meeting of the Management Committee of the Royal Engineers Association, Held in 063MR13, Ministry of Defence, Main Building, London, on Thursday 20th July 2017" (PDF). Royal Engineers Association. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2020. 25 (Close Support) Engineer Group 26 Engr Regt training year continues to develop at pace