Engineer (CEng) status. Holdfast Training Services 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. The contract commenced on 5 January 2009 to provide the RSME at Chatham and Minley with training, training support services and hard and soft FM services. These are provided by Babcock and three central secondary contractors: MKC Training Services, Pearson TQ and ESS. There was also a seven-year build programme undertaken by Carillion. The design, build and transition phase involved three sites and included 32 new builds, 21 refurbishments and the development of five training areas. The contract also provides limited hard FM services and IT support at Bicester. The core training capabilities delivered at the RSME (Chatham and Minley) are varied, and include: Combat and management of engineer tasks, Combat Engineering, Artisan, Technical and professional Engineering, Communication, Watermanship, and Driving specialist engineer vehicles. Commandants Commandants of the RSME have included: Major-General Henry F. Thuillier: November 1919–November 1923 Major-General Philip G. Grant: November 1923–June 1927 Major-General George Walker: June 1927–February 1931 Major-General Harry L. Pritchard: February 1931–February 1933 Major-General William G.S. Dobbie: February 1933–November 1935 Major-General Lionel V. Bond: November 1935–June 1939 Major-General Ridley P. Pakenham-Walsh: June–September 1939 Brigadier Ernest E.B. Mackintosh: –June 1940 Brigadier Rawdon Briggs: June–December 1940 Brigadier Maurice Luby: December 1940–November 1941 Brigadier Norman A. Coxwell-Rogers: November 1941–August 1942 Brigadier Desmond Harrison: August 1942–September 1943 Brigadier Horace T.S. King: September 1943–October 1945 Brigadier Bryan T. Godfrey-Faussett: October 1945–September 1948 Brigadier Basil C. Davey: September 1948–July 1951 Brigadier C.E.A. Browning: October 1951–August 1954 Brigadier Harold C.W. Eking: August 1954–September 1956 Brigadier Gerald W. Duke: September 1956–September 1959 Brigadier Edward F. Parker: September 1959–1962 Brigadier James G. Carr: September 1962–March 1965 Brigadier Ian H. Lyall Grant: March 1965–March 1967 Brigadier William M. Inglis: March 1967–March 1970 Brigadier Stephen E.M. Goodall: March 1970–February 1973 Brigadier John I. Purser: February 1973–December 1975 Brigadier George B. Sinclair: December 1975–December 1977 Brigadier C. Jeremy Rougier: December 1977–December 1979 Brigadier A.Christopher D. Lloyd: December 1970–February 1982 Brigadier Graham B. Fawcus: February 1982–December 1983 Brigadier John A.J.P. Barr: December 1983–December 1985 Brigadier David A. Grove: December 1985–October 1987 Brigadier John M. Lucken: October 1987–December 1989 Brigadier Anthony D. Pigott: December 1989–April 1992 Brigadier P.John Russell-Jones: April 1992–November 1994 Brigadier Robert Pridham: November 1994–January 1998 Brigadier D. Robert Burns: January 1998–October 2000 Brigadier Christopher M.