Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Mounted Blazer Button, Queen’s Crown (16mm)

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers blazer button in gilt finish, produced in the mounted construction pattern and surmounted by a Queen’s Crown, consistent with the style worn from approximately 1955 following the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. This British Army corps blazer button displays the recognised REME device in clear relief, incorporating a rearing horse with a coronet around its neck and a chain attached over its back, standing on a globe, with a lightning flash behind, surmounted by a Queen’s Crown above a scroll inscribed “REME”. The reverse carries a short shank loop for attachment to garments. The composition reflects the symbolic traditions of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as established at the adoption of the Horse and Lightning device.

The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was formed on 1 October 1942 to consolidate the maintenance and repair responsibilities previously distributed across the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Engineers, and Royal Army Service Corps. The Horse and Lightning badge device was designed and sealed in 1947, formally adopted in 1949, and applied to buttons as well as headdress insignia. Each element of the device carries specific symbolism: the rearing horse with its chain represents mechanical power under control, the globe denotes the worldwide deployment of the Corps, and the lightning flash signifies the electrical engineering function of REME. The Queen’s Crown above the scroll is consistent with manufacture and wear from approximately 1955 onward, distinguishing this pattern from the King’s Crown examples produced between 1949 and that date. The corps motto, “Arte et Marte” (Latin: “By Skill and by Fighting”), reflects the dual identity of REME as both a technical corps and a fighting arm of the British Army.

Manufactured in gilt metal with the design mounted separately in silver plate, this 16mm button provides a clean, well-defined representation of the standard REME corps device suitable for blazer use or as a collectible example of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers uniform hardware. REME blazer buttons are collected as examples of British Army corps uniform accessories, insignia of the technical corps of the British Army, and militaria associated with the post-war and Cold War era British Army.

Dimensions 16mm diameter

Condition Very good