.
The two 'Royals' The regiment was formed as a
posse comitatus in 1539 during the reign of by
King Henry VIII; it went on to become a
trained band and then a
militia unit in 1660. It is unique in having the word 'Royal' appear twice in its name. It gained the first Royal in 1804 when it was the Monmouth and Brecon Militia. The second was acquired in 1896 when the regiment was retitled.
Seniority dispute with the Honourable Artillery Company The records of the
Honorable Artillery Company (HAC) indicate that it was formed two years prior to the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia). However, in 1930 the
Army Council (
Army Board from 1964) reviewed the Army's precedence table and King George V agreed that, on account of its status as a militia unit, the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) were the senior regiment. In recognition of its Light Infantry ancestry the regiment was afforded the right to wear a shoulder flash in 1943.
Engineer role Artillery Militia units had been created under the 1852 reforms; now the WO decided that it needed similar support for the
Royal Engineers (REs), whose role was growing in scale and importance. Two existing militia infantry regiments were chosen for conversion in 1877: the Royal Monmouth and the
Royal Anglesey Militia. The former became the
Royal Monmouthshire Engineers Militia on 1 April 1877, redesignated the
Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) (RMRE) from 1896. On 1 April 1967, the existing regiment absorbed
43rd Wessex Division RE (TA),
48th South Midland Division RE (TA) and
53rd Welsh Division RE (TA).
The Royal Jersey Militia '' by
John Singleton Copley. The
Jersey Militia were brought under the command of the R Mon RE (M) in 2007. The Jersey Militia was formed in 1337 when
Edward III ordered "all his faithful peoples of the islands" to be prepared - by forming a militia - for possible war with France. The militia defended the island against several pirate raids, and in 1549 against a French invasion attempt. The militia played a role in the
Battle of Jersey, for which its actions gained it the 'Royal' title. == Current organisation ==