Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

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Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Active	12 December 1949 - Present
Country	Sri Lanka
Branch	Sri Lanka Army
Type	Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Regiment
Role	Combat Support
Size	4 Units
Regimental Centre	Kew Road, Slave Island, Colombo.
Nickname	SLEME
Motto	Skill to Battle
Colors	Oxford Blue, Golden Yellow and Signal Red
Anniversaries	12 December (Regimental day)
Engagements	1971 Insurrection Insurrection 1987-89 Sri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Centre Commandant	Col T.N. Jayasuriya USP
Colonel Commandant	Maj Gen W.G.M.U.R. Perera USP

The Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) a Combat Support corps of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of three regular regiments and one volunteer (reserve) regiment. Headquartered at Regiment Center Kew Road, Slave Island, Colombo.

1 Role
2 History
- 2.1 Unicorn
- 2.2 Unibuffel
3 Units
- 3.1 Regular Army
- 3.2 Volunteers
4 Alliances
5 Order of Precedence
6 See also
7 External links and sources

[edit] Role

The role of the Sri Lanka Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) is to repair and maintain all electrical and mechanical equipment in the Army, except for engineer plant and signal equipment. Repair and recovery teams are employed in the field to give repair and recovery support to operational commitments. In addition to its classic role SLEME is tasked to function essential services such as electricity (power generation), water supply drainage and railways during times of workers unrest and strikes. There are base workshops at Udawalawe, Katubedda and Colombo. The SLEME also under takes the production of Unibuffel APCs.

[edit] History

Sri Lankan Army Unibaffel

The Corps of Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (CEME) was born on 12th December 1949 with the enlistment of 2/Lt. R.A.J Ratnam CEME. The CEME first became operative as a small workshop, located in the Army Headquarters premises under the advisory capacity of Capt. Roy Davies REME. Activities were initially confined to minor repairs to mechanical transport vehicles, armaments, small arms and the production of a large quantity of training stores. Later an engineer officer, Maj N.V Matthysz was appointed Officer Commanding and was its first Commanding Officer in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The unit moved to Kew Road, Slave Island (where its present Regiment Centre is) on 01st September 1950. This was a command workshop of the REME and the CEME was fortunate to get the building with some of the available machinery as most of such machinery was back loaded by the British before the hand over. The CEME strength when moving to the new premises was 1 British Officer seconded form REME, 2 Ceylonese Officers, 4-seconded NCOs from the REME, 14 other ranks and some civilian tradesmen.

[edit] Unicorn

Main article: Unicorn class

Research began in 1985 by the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for a locally developed armored personnel carrier to protect troops against land mines and IEDs that became rampant in the in the north and eastern provinces with the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war. The design was based on the South African Buffels which had been brought in 1985. SLEME developed the Unicorn Mark I by 1987, that where produced in large numbers by the SLEME for the Sri Lanka Army and for the other services too with a total of 93 Unicorns being produced.