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The Regimental Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent. The corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and Germany.
The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England by William the Conqueror and claim over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown. Engineers have always served in the armies of the Crown, however the origins of the modern corps, along with those of the Royal Artillery, lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century. In 1717, the Board established a Corps of Engineers, consisting entirely of commissioned officers. The hard work was done by the Artificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers. In 1782Events January 7 The first American commercial bank opens ( Bank of North America). January 15 Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the United States Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage February 5 Span, a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in GibraltarGibraltar is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is located in southwestern Europe adjoining the southern coast of Spain, a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. History Main a, and this was the first instance of non-commissionedA non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer , or NCO is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been delegated leadership or command authority by a commissioned officer. The non-commissioned officer corps is the junior management of military engineers. In 1787Events In Britain, Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp formed the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade with support from John Wesley, Josiah Wedgwood and others. January 11 William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus. Februa, the Corps of Engineers was granted the Royal prefix and adopted its current name and in the same year a Corps of Royal Military Artificers was formed, consisting of non-commissioned officers and privatesThis article is about the military rank of Private''. For alternative meanings see: Private (disambiguation). A Private short for "private soldier", is a soldier of the lowest military rank. Private insignia(U. Army) In the U. Army, Private refers to the, to be officered by the RE. Ten years later the Gibraltar company, which had remained separate, was absorbed and in 1812Events January 1 the Allgemeines Burgerliches Gesetzbuch, the Austrian civil code enters into force in the Austrian Empire February 2 Russia establishes a fur trading colony at Fort Ross, California February 7 The strongest in a series of massive earthqua the name was changed to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.
In 1855Events Births January 5 King Camp Gillette, inventor († 1932) January 21 John Moses Browning, inventor († 1926) January 28 William Seward Burroughs, inventor of the calculator († 1898) March 13 Percival Lowell, astronomer († 19 the Board of Ordnance was abolished and authority over the Royal Engineers, Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the ForcesThe Commander-in-Chief of the Forces or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C was the professional head of the British Army from 1672 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General St, thus uniting them with the rest of the Army. The following year, the Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as the Corps of Royal Engineers. In 1862 the corps also absorbed the British officers and men of the engineer corps of the East India Company.
The Corps has no battle honours, but its motto Ubique (Everywhere), awarded by King William IV in 1832, signifies that it has seen action in all the major conflicts of the British Army. A second motto is Quo Fas et Gloria ducunt (Where right and glory lead).
The Royal Engineers museum is in Gillingham in Kent.