The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) Group provides a wide range of training for the British Army and Defence.

The Peninsular War (1808–14) revealed deficiencies in the training and knowledge of officers and men in the conduct of siege operations and bridging.

During this war low ranking Royal Engineers officers carried out large scale operations.

They had under their command working parties of two or three battalions of infantry, two or three thousand men, who knew nothing in the art of siegeworks.

[2] Captain Charles Pasley who had been pressing for such an establishment since 1809 was selected as the first Director with the rank of major and was sent to Woolwich.

The town was surrounded by batteries, bastions and ditches designed to be defended by 7,000 men and so provided excellent areas for training in siege operations.

The move was made possible by the completion of North Kent Railway, which facilitated a fast transport link into London.

[4] The first courses at the Royal Engineers Establishment were done on an all ranks basis with the greatest regard to economy.

[6] At the start of World War I the Royal Engineer battalions based at Chatham were deployed to defend the local area.

The Depot coped so well with this influx that on 3 October 1914, the King and Queen paid a private visit to the Corps, 12,001 all ranks were on parade in uniform on the Great Lines.

[8] Specialist, instructor and higher trade continued at Chatham but from June 1940 training was seriously interrupted by German efforts to destroy the dockyard.

Several sites with better training facilities were considered but the Treasury could not afford the cost of providing new quarters and SME returned to Chatham.

[14] It was reported in Medway Magistrates’ Court documents the next day that Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton was the victim of an attack by Anthony Esan.

This led to officers and soldiers conducting surveys (e.g. India 1820–1947, Palestine 1865–83, and Uganda railway 1890s) and boundary commissions throughout the world (e.g. North American 1843 and 1858, Russo-Afghan 1884, Gambia 1890, Kenya 1892 and Chile-Argentine 1902).

Captain (later Sir) William de Wiveleslie Abney RE, whilst acting as department head in the 1870s, invented the photolithographic process called 'Papyrotype'.

With the demise of great architectural works the prize has been transferred and today it is reproduced in bronze and is awarded to the top student in each of the Clerk of Works (Construction), (Electrical), (Mechanical) and Military Plant Foreman's courses at the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME).

[41] The RSME Group consists of a headquarters at Chatham, Kent and the following units:[42] Sappers are firstly trained as a soldier and then as a combat engineer.

Most trades require people to possess good practical abilities, mechanical aptitude and appetites for continuous learning.

In the 12-week long course, soldiers will learn combat engineering skills such as how to clear mines, construct bridges and cross water obstacles.

On successful completion soldiers will be awarded their Royal Engineer Stable Belt and officially become a Sapper.

All successful graduates of their Phase 2b courses are awarded a Military Engineer Class 2 qualification for their particular trade.

[49] In August 2008 Holdfast Training Services Ltd signed a 30-year public-private partnership contract, worth in the region of £3 billion, with the Ministry of Defence.

These are provided by Babcock and three central secondary contractors: MKC Training Services, Pearson TQ and ESS.

[50] Lieutenant-General (as he then was) Sir John Fox Burgoyne was appointed the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Engineers on 22 November 1854.