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Royal Engineers

January 10, 2023

Not to be confused with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by the Chief Royal Engineer. The Regimental Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent, England. The corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and around the world.

Corps of Royal Engineers
Cap badge of the Corps of Royal Engineers
Active1716–present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Size22 Regiments
Part ofCommander Field Army
Garrison/HQChatham, Kent
Motto(s)Ubique and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt ("Everywhere" and "Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latin fas implies "sacred duty")[1]
MarchWings (Quick march)
Websitewww.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/corps-of-royal-engineers/
Commanders
Corps ColonelCol Matt Quare MBE ADC
Chief Royal EngineerLieutenant General Sir Tyrone Urch KBE
Insignia
Tactical recognition flash

History

 
Corps of Royal Engineers Cypher
 
Royal Engineers recruitment poster

The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England by William the Conqueror, specifically Bishop Gundulf of Rochester Cathedral, and claim over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown. Engineers have always served in the armies of the Crown; however, the origins of the modern corps, along with those of the Royal Artillery, lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century.[2]

In Woolwich in 1716, the Board formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery and established a Corps of Engineers, consisting entirely of commissioned officers. The manual work was done by the Artificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers. In 1772, a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in Gibraltar, the first instance of non-commissioned military engineers. In 1787, the Corps of Engineers was granted the Royal prefix, and adopted its current name; in the same year, a Corps of Royal Military Artificers was formed, consisting of non-commissioned officers and privates, to be led by the Royal Engineers. Ten years later, the Gibraltar company (which had remained separate) was absorbed, and in 1812 the unit's name was changed to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.[2]

The Corps has no battle honours. In 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique & Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt ("Everywhere" & "Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latin fas implies "sacred duty") was granted.[1] The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all the major conflicts of the British Army and almost all of the minor ones as well.[3][4]

In 1855, the Board of Ordnance was abolished, and authority over the Royal Engineers, Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, thus uniting them with the rest of the Army. The following year, the Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as the Corps of Royal Engineers, and their headquarters were moved from the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, to Chatham, Kent.[2]

The re-organisation of the British military that began in the mid-Nineteenth Century and stretched over several decades included the reconstitution of the Militia, the raising of the Volunteer Force, and the ever-closer organisation of the part-time forces with the regular army.[5] The old Militia had been an infantry force, other than the occasional employment of Militiamen to man artillery defences and other roles on an emergency basis. This changed in 1861, with the conversion of some units to artillery roles. Militia and Volunteer Engineering companies were also created, beginning with the conversion of the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire to engineers in 1877. The Militia and Volunteer Force engineers supported the regular Royal Engineers in a variety of roles, including operating the boats required to tend the submarine mine defences that protected harbours in Britain and its empire. These included a submarine mining militia company that was authorised for Bermuda in 1892, but never raised, and the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers that wore Royal Engineers uniforms and replaced the regular Royal Engineers companies withdrawn from the Bermuda Garrison in 1928.[6][7] The various part-time reserve forces were amalgamated into the Territorial Force in 1908,[8] which was retitled the Territorial Army after the First World War, and the Army Reserve in 2014.[9]

Units from the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery were in Australia, even after Federation.[10]

In 1911 the Corps formed its Air Battalion, the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces. The Air Battalion was the forerunner of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.[11]

The First World War saw a rapid transformation of the Royal Engineers as new technologies became ever more important in the conduct of warfare and engineers undertook an increasing range of roles. In the front line they designed and built fortifications, operated poison gas equipment, repaired guns and heavy equipment, and conducted underground warfare beneath enemy trenches. Support roles included the construction, maintenance and operation of railways, bridges, water supply and inland waterways, as well as telephone, wireless and other communications.[12] As demands on the Corps increased, its manpower was expanded from a total (including reserves) of about 25,000 in August 1914, to 315,000 in 1918.[13]

In 1915, in response to German mining of British trenches under the then static siege conditions of the First World War, the corps formed its own tunnelling companies. Manned by experienced coal miners from across the country, they operated with great success until 1917, when after the fixed positions broke, they built deep dugouts such as the Vampire dugout to protect troops from heavy shelling.[14]

Before the Second World War, Royal Engineers recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall (5 feet 2 inches for the Mounted Branch). They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve or four years and eight years. Unlike most corps and regiments, in which the upper age limit was 25, men could enlist in the Royal Engineers up to 35 years of age. They trained at the Royal Engineers Depot in Chatham or the Royal Engineer Mounted Depot at Aldershot.[15]

During the 1980s, the Royal Engineers formed the vital component of at least three Engineer Brigades: 12 Engineer Brigade (Airfield Damage Repair);[16] 29th Engineer Brigade; and 30th Engineer Brigade.[17] After the Falklands War, 37 (FI) Engineer Regiment was active from August 1982 until 14 March 1985.[18]

Regimental museum

The Royal Engineers Museum is in Gillingham in Kent.[19]

Significant constructions

The Royal Engineers conducted some of the most significant civil engineering projects around the world, including those that are described in A. J. Smithers's book Honourable Conquests.[20]

British Columbia

Main article: Richard Clement Moody

The Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, which was commanded by Colonel Richard Clement Moody, was responsible for the foundation and settlement of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia.[21][22]

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, recognisable the world over. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from every kind of performance genre have appeared on its stage. Each year it hosts more than 350 performances including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, tennis, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and lavish banquets. The Hall was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers.[23] The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[24]

Indian infrastructure

Much of the British colonial era infrastructure of India, of which elements survive today, was created by engineers of the three presidencies' armies and the Royal Engineers. Lieutenant (later General Sir) Arthur Thomas Cotton (1803–99), Madras Engineers, was responsible for the design and construction of the great irrigation works on the river Cauvery, which watered the rice crops of Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts in the late 1820s. In 1838 he designed and built sea defences for Vizagapatam. He masterminded the Godavery Delta project where 720,000 acres (2,900 km2) of land were irrigated and 500 miles (800 km) of land to the port of Cocanada was made navigable in the 1840s. Such regard for his lasting legacy was shown when in 1983, the Indian Government erected a statue in his memory at Dowleswaram.[25]

Other irrigation and canal projects included the Ganges Canal, where Colonel Sir Colin Scott-Moncrieff (1836–1916) acted as the Chief Engineer and made modifications to the original work. Among other engineers trained in India, Scott-Moncrieff went on to become Under Secretary of State Public Works, Egypt where he restored the Nile barrage and irrigation works of Lower Egypt.[26]

Rideau Canal

The construction of the Rideau Canal was proposed shortly after the War of 1812, when there remained a persistent threat of attack by the United States on the British colony of Upper Canada. The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communications route between Montreal and the British naval base in Kingston, Ontario. Westward from Montreal, travel would proceed along the Ottawa River to Bytown (now Ottawa), then southwest via the canal to Kingston and out into Lake Ontario. The objective was to bypass the stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State, a route which would have left British supply ships vulnerable to attack or a blockade of the St. Lawrence. Construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers. Directed by him, Lieutenant William Denison, determined the strength for construction purposes of old growth timber in the vicinity of Bytown, findings commended by the Institution of Civil Engineers in England.[27]

Dover's Western Heights

 
Drop Redoubt.

The Western Heights of Dover are one of the most impressive fortifications in Britain. They comprise a series of forts, strong points and ditches, designed to protect the United Kingdom from invasion. They were created to augment the existing defences and protect the key port of Dover from both seaward and landward attack. First given earthworks in 1779 against the planned invasion that year, the high ground west of Dover, England, now called Dover Western Heights, was properly fortified in 1804 when Lieutenant-Colonel William Twiss was instructed to modernise the existing defences. This was part of a huge programme of fortification in response to Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom. To assist with the movement of troops between Dover Castle and the town defences Twiss made his case for building the Grand Shaft in the cliff:

"... the new barracks. ... are little more than 300 yards horizontally from the beach. ... and about 180 feet (55 m) above high-water mark, but in order to communicate with them from the centre of town, on horseback the distance is nearly a mile and a half and to walk it about three-quarters of a mile, and all the roads unavoidably pass over ground more than 100 feet (30 m) above the barracks, besides the footpaths are so steep and chalky that a number of accidents will unavoidably happen during the wet weather and more especially after floods. I am therefore induced to recommend the construction of a shaft, with a triple staircase ... the chief objective of which is the convenience and safety of troops ... and may eventually be useful in sending reinforcements to troops or in affording them a secure retreat."[28]

Twiss's plan was approved and building went ahead. The shaft was to be 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter, 140 feet (43 m) deep with a 180 feet (55 m) gallery connecting the bottom of the shaft to Snargate Street, and all for under an estimated £4000. The plan entailed building two brick-lined shafts, one inside the other. In the outer would be built a triple staircase, the inner acting as a light well with "windows" cut in its outer wall to illuminate the staircases. Apparently, by March 1805 only 40 feet (12 m) of the connecting gallery was left to dig and it is probable that the project was completed by 1807.[28]

Pentonville Prison

 
Pentonville Prison designed by Capt Joshua Jebb RE

Two Acts of Parliament allowed for the building of Pentonville Prison for the detention of convicts sentenced to imprisonment or awaiting transportation. Construction started on 10 April 1840 and was completed in 1842. The cost was £84,186 12s 2d. Captain (later Major General Sir) Joshua Jebb designed Pentonville Prison, introducing new concepts such as single cells with good heating, ventilation and sanitation.[29]

Boundary Commissions

Although mapping by what became the Ordnance Survey was born out of military necessity it was soon realised that accurate maps could be also used for civil purposes. The lessons learnt from this first boundary commission were put to good use around the world where members of the Corps have determined boundaries on behalf of the British as well as foreign governments; some notable boundary commissions include:[30]

  • 1839 – Canada-United States
  • 1858 – Canada-United States (Captain (later General Sir) John Hawkins RE)
  • 1856 and 1857 – Russo-Turkish (Lieutenant Colonel (later Sir) Edward Stanton RE)
  • 1857 – Russo-Turkish (Colonel (later Field Marshal Sir) Lintorn Simmons RE)
  • 1878 – Bulgarian
  • 1880 – Græco-Turkish (Major (later Major General Sir) John Ardagh RE)
  • 1884 – Russo-Afghan (Captain (later Colonel Sir) Thomas Holdich RE)
  • 1894 – India-Afghanistan (Captain (later Colonel Sir) Thomas Holdich RE)
  • 1902 – Chile-Argentine (Colonel Sir Delme Radcliffe RE)
  • 1911 – Peru-Bolivia (Major A. J. Woodroffe RE)

Much of this work continues to this day. The reform of the voting franchise brought about by the Reform Act (1832), demanded that boundary commissions were set up. Lieutenants Dawson and Thomas Drummond (1797–1839), Royal Engineers, were employed to gather the statistical information upon which the Bill was founded, as well as determining the boundaries and districts of boroughs. It was said that the fate of numerous boroughs fell victim to the heliostat and the Drummond light, the instrument that Drummond invented whilst surveying in Ireland.[31]

Abney Level

An Abney level is an instrument used in surveying which consists of a fixed sighting tube, a movable spirit level that is connected to a pointing arm, and a protractor scale. The Abney level is an easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and when used correctly an accurate surveying tool. The Abney level was invented by Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney (1843–1920) who was a Royal Engineer, an English astronomer and chemist best known for his pioneering of colour photography and colour vision. Abney invented this instrument under the employment of the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham, England, in the 1870s.[32]

H.M. Dockyards

In 1873, Captain Henry Brandreth RE was appointed Director of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, later the Admiralty Works Department. Following this appointment many Royal Engineer officers superintended engineering works at Royal Navy Dockyards in various parts of the world, including the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, home base for vessels of the North America and West Indies Station.[33]

 
1848 Woodcut of HMD Bermuda, Ireland Island, Bermuda.

Chatham Dockyard

 
Slip 7 at Chatham Dockyard, designed by Col. G. Greene RE
 
Slip 3 at Chatham Dockyard, designed and built by the Corps

Chatham, being the home of the Corps, meant that the Royal Engineers and the Dockyard had a close relationship since Captain Brandreth's appointment. At the Chatham Dockyard, Captain Thomas Mould RE designed the iron roof trusses for the covered slips, 4, 5 and 6. Slip 7 was designed by Colonel Godfrey Greene RE on his move to the Corps from the Bengal Sappers & Miners. In 1886 Major Henry Pilkington RE was appointed Superintendent of Engineering at the Dockyard, moving on to Director of Engineering at the Admiralty in 1890 and Engineer-in-Chief of Naval Loan Works, where he was responsible for the extension of all major Dockyards at home and abroad.[34]

Trades

 
ME – Fabricator in Iraq
 
ME – Armoured operating an AVRE in Canada

All members of the Royal Engineers are trained combat engineers and all sappers (privates) and non-commissioned officers also have another trade. These trades include: air conditioning fitter, electrician, general fitter, plant operator mechanic, plumber, bricklayer, plasterer / painter, carpenter & joiner, fabricator, building materials technician, design draughtsman, electrical & mechanical draughtsman, geographic support technician, survey engineer, armoured engineer, driver, engineer IT, engineer logistics specialist, amphibious engineer, bomb disposal specialist, diver or search specialist.[35] They may also undertake the specialist selection and training to qualify as Commandos or Military Parachutists. Women are eligible for all Royal Engineer specialities.[36]

Units

Further information: Units of the Royal Engineers

The Royal School of Military Engineering

 
HQ Royal School of Military Engineering.

The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) is the British Army's Centre of Excellence for Military Engineering, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and counter terrorist search training. Located on several sites in Chatham, Kent, Camberley in Surrey and Bicester in Oxfordshire the Royal School of Military Engineering offers training facilities for the full range of Royal Engineer skills. The RSME was founded by Major (later General Sir) Charles Pasley, as the Royal Engineer Establishment in 1812.[37] It was renamed the School of Military Engineering in 1868 and granted the "Royal" prefix in 1962.[38]

  • Royal School of Military Engineering[39]
    • Combat Engineer School
      • 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, in Minley:[40]
        • 55 Training Squadron
        • 57 Training Squadron
        • 63 Headquarters and Training Support Squadron
      • Communication Information Systems Wing
    • Construction Engineer School
      • 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, in Chatham:[40]
        • 24 Training Squadron
        • 36 Training Squadron
        • Boat Operations
        • Hackett Troop (Plant)
      • Civil Engineering Wing
      • Electrical and Mechanical Wing
    • Royal Engineers Warfare Wing (Founded in 2011 and split between Brompton Barracks, Chatham and Gibraltar Barracks at Minley in Hampshire, this is the product of the amalgamation between Command Wing, where Command and Tactics were taught and Battlefield Engineering Wing, where combat engineering training was facilitated.)
      • United Kingdom Mine Information and Training Centre
    • Defence Explosive Munitions and Search School (formally Defence EOD School and the National Search Centre)
  • 28 Training Squadron, Army Training Regiment[41]
  • Diving Training Unit (Army), (DTU(A))[42]
  • Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers (The band are part of the Royal Corps of Army Music)[43]

Corps' Ensign

 
Camp Gate Flag of the Royal Engineers
 
Royal Engineers' Ensign

The Royal Engineers, Ports Section, operated harbours and ports for the army and used mainly specialised vessels such as tugs and dredgers. During the Second World War the Royal Engineers' Blue Ensign was flown from the Mulberry harbours.[44]

Bishop Gundulf, Rochester and King's Engineers

 
Rochester Castle from across the Medway. Engraving from image by G.F. Sargent c1836.
 
Rochester Cathedral from the West

Bishop Gundulf, a monk from the Abbey of Bec in Normandy came to England in 1070 as Archbishop Lanfranc's assistant at Canterbury. His talent for architecture had been spotted by King William I and was put to good use in Rochester, where he was sent as bishop in 1077. Almost immediately the King appointed him to supervise the construction of the White Tower, now part of the Tower of London in 1078. Under William Rufus he also undertook building work on Rochester Castle. Having served three kings of England and earning "the favour of them all", Gundulf is accepted as the first "King's Engineer".[45]

Corps Band

 
Musicians from the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers during a Medals Parade for 32 Engineer Regiment.

The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers is the official military band of the RE. The RE Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1880. It was recognised by Queen Victoria seven years later, with her command that they perform at Buckingham Palace for a banquet on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. In 1916–1917, the band toured France and Belgium, giving over one hundred and fifty concerts in a journey of 1800 miles. The band continued its tour of Europe following the cessation of hostilities. In 1936, the band performed at the funeral of George V and played the following year for the Coronation of George VI in 1937. The band appeared at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and has since been called on to play at state occasions, military tattoos and military parades. It has notably performed during the opening ceremonies of the Channel Tunnel and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.[46]

The Institution of Royal Engineers

 
The Ravelin Building at the Royal School of Military Engineering, Chatham, is now home to the Institution and the Corps Museum.

The Institution of Royal Engineers, the professional institution of the Corps of Royal Engineers, was established in 1875 and in 1923 it was granted its Royal Charter by King George V. The Institution is collocated with the Royal Engineers Museum, within the grounds of the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton in Chatham, Kent.[47]

Royal Engineers Journal - published tri-annually and contains articles with a military engineering connection. The first Journal was published in August 1870. The idea for the publication was proposed at the Corps Meeting of May 1870 by Major R Harrison and seconded By Captain R Home, who became its first editor (The Journal eventually superseded the Professional Papers, which were started by Lieutenant WT Denison in 1837 and continued to be published until 1918).[48]

The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers is currently in its 12th volume. The first two volumes were written by Major General Whitworth Porter and published in 1889.[49]

The Sapper is published by the Royal Engineers Central Charitable Trust and is a bi-monthly magazine for all ranks.[50]

The Royal Engineers' Association

The present Royal Engineers Association promotes and supports the Corps among members of the Association in the following ways:[51][48]

  • By fostering esprit de corps and a spirit of comradeship and service.
  • By maintaining an awareness of Corps traditions.
  • By acting as a link between serving and retired members of the Corps.
  • To provide financial and other assistance to serving and former members of the Corps, their wives, widows and dependants who are in need through poverty.
  • To make grants, within Association guidelines, to the Army Benevolent Fund and to other charities which further the objectives of the Association.

Sport

Royal Engineers' Yacht Club

 
Un-defaced Blue Ensign flown by members of the REYC.
 
REYC Burgee.

The Royal Engineers' Yacht Club, which dates back to 1812, promotes the skill of watermanship in the Royal Engineers.[52]

They have entered every Fastnet Race since the second in 1926, which they won sailing IIlex.[53]

Royal Engineers Amateur Football Club

Main article: Royal Engineers A.F.C.

The club was founded in 1863, under the leadership of Major Francis Marindin. Sir Frederick Wall, who was the secretary of The Football Association 1895–1934, stated in his memoirs that the "combination game" was first used by the Royal Engineers A.F.C. in the early 1870s.[54][55][56] Wall states that the "Sappers moved in unison" and showed the "advantages of combination over the old style of individualism".

FA Cup

 
The Royal Engineers pictured in 1872. Back: Merriman, Ord, Marindin, Addison, Mitchell; Front: Hoskyns, Renny-Tailyour, Creswell, Goodwyn, Barker, Rich.

The Engineers played in the first-ever FA Cup Final in 1872, losing 1–0 at Kennington Oval on 16 March 1872, to regular rivals Wanderers.[57] They also lost the 1874 FA Cup Final, to Oxford University A.F.C.

Their greatest triumph was the 1874–75 FA Cup.[57] In the final against Old Etonians, they drew 1–1 with a goal from Renny-Tailyour and went on to win the replay 2–0 with two further goals from Renny-Tailyour.[58][59] Their last FA Cup Final appearance came in 1878, again losing to the Wanderers.[57] They last participated in 1882–83 FA Cup, losing 6–2 in the fourth round to Old Carthusians F.C.[57]

The Engineers' Depot Battalion won the FA Amateur Cup in 1908.[60]

On 7 November 2012, the Royal Engineers played against the Wanderers in a remake of the 1872 FA Cup Final at The Oval. Unlike the actual final, the Engineers won, and by a large margin, 7–1 being the final score.[61]

Rugby

The Army were represented in the very first international by two members of the Royal Engineers, both playing for England, Lieutenant Charles Arthur Crompton RE and Lieutenant Charles Sherrard RE.[62]

Related units

Several Corps have been formed from the Royal Engineers.

Notable personnel

Engineering equipment

Main articles: Royal Engineers bridging and trackway equipment and Modern equipment of the British Army

Order of precedence

Decorations

Victoria Cross

The following Royal Engineers have been awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.[70]

 
Rorke's Drift, 22–23 January 1879, a battle fought under the command of Lt. John Chard, RE. Eleven Victoria Crosses were won during the battle, including one by Chard. Painting by Alphonse de Neuville

The Sapper VCs

In 1998, HMSO published an account of the 55 British and Commonwealth 'Sappers' who have been awarded the Victoria Cross. The book was written by Colonel GWA Napier, former Royal Engineers officer and a former Director of the Royal Engineers Museum. The book defines a 'Sapper' as any "member of a British or Empire military engineer corps, whatever their rank, speciality or national allegiance", and is thus not confined to Royal Engineers.[71]

Memorials

Rivalry

The Royal Engineers have a traditional rivalry with the Royal Artillery (the Gunners).[73]

See also

References

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  61. ^ "First FA Cup final recreated". BBC Sport. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  62. ^ . www.aru.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009.
  63. ^ Porter, Maj Gen Whitworth (1889). History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol II. Chatham: The Institution of Royal Engineers.
  64. ^ "Royal Signals Heritage". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  65. ^ "Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers". National Army Museum. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  66. ^ "Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers -- History". 26th Regiment RA Association. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  67. ^ Aves, William A. T. (2009). The Railway Operating Division on the Western Front : the Royal Engineers in France and Belgium 1915-1919. Donington : Shaun Tyas. ISBN 978-1900289993.
  68. ^ . The Royal Logistic Corps Museum. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  69. ^ "Tommy's Mail & the Army Post Office". World War 1 postcards. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  70. ^ "Royal Engineers". Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  71. ^ . Royal Engineers Museum. Archived from the original on 10 August 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  72. ^ "Monument to the Royal Engineers at Arromanches Saint-Combe-de-Fresne France". Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  73. ^ "Royal Regiment of Artillery/Corps of Royal Engineers". Hansard. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

Further reading

  • Durie, William (2012). The British Garrison Berlin 1945 - 1994: nowhere to go ... a pictorial historiography of the British Military occupation / presence in Berlin. Berlin: Vergangenheitsverlag (de). ISBN 978-3-86408-068-5. OCLC 978161722.
  • Follow the Sapper: An Illustrated History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, by Colonel Gerald Napier RE. Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers, 2005. ISBN 0-903530-26-0.
  • The History of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners: From the Formation of the Corps in March 1772, to the Date when Its Designation was Changed to that of Royal Engineers, in October 1856, by Thomas William John Connolly. Published by Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1857.
  • History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, by Whitworth Porter, Charles Moore Watson. Published by Longmans, Green, 1889.
  • The Royal Engineer, by Francis Bond Head. Published by John Murray, 1869.
  • Papers on Subjects Connected with the Duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers, by Great Britain Army. Royal Engineers. Published by The Corps, 1874.
  • Professional Papers of the Corps of Royal Engineers, by Great Britain Army. Royal Engineers, Royal Engineers' Institute (Great Britain). Published by Royal Engineer Institute, 1892.
  • The Royal Engineers in Egypt and the Sudan, by Edward Warren Caulfeild Sandes. Published by Institution of Royal Engineers, 1937.
  • Citizen Soldiers of the Royal Engineers Transportation and Movements and the Royal Army Service Corps, 1859 to 1965, by Gerard Williams, Michael Williams. Published by Institution of the Royal Corps of Transport, 1969.
  • Royal Engineers, by Derek Boyd. Published by Cooper, 1975. ISBN 0-85052-197-1.
  • The Royal Engineers, by Terry Gander. Published by I. Allan, 1985. ISBN 0-7110-1517-1.
  • Versatile Genius: The Royal Engineers and Their Maps: Manuscript Maps and Plans of the Eastern Frontier, 1822–1870, by University of the Witwatersrand Library, Yvonne Garson. Published by University of the Witwatersrand Library, 1992. ISBN 1-86838-023-8.
  • The History of the Royal Engineer Yacht Club, by Sir Gerald Duke. Published by Pitman Press, 1982. ISBN 0-946403-00-7.
  • From Ballon to Boxkite. The Royal Engineers and Early British Aeronautics, by Malcolm Hall. Published by Amberley, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84868-992-3.
  • A Harbour Goes to War. The story of the Mulberry and the men who made it happen, by Evans, J. Palmer, E & Walter, R. Published by Brook House, 2000. ISBN 1-873547-30-7.
  • Danger UXB. The Heroic Story of the WWII Bomb Disposal Teams, by James Owen. Published by Little, Brown, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4087-0195-9.
  • Designed to Kill. Bomb Disposal from World War I to the Falklands, by Major Arthur Hogben. Published by Patrick Stevens, 1987. ISBN 0-85059-865-6.
  • UXB Malta. Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal 1940–44, by S A M Hudson. Published by The History Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7524-5635-5.
  • The Underground War. Vimy Ridge to Arras, by Robinson, P & Cave, N. Published by Pen and Sword, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84415-976-5.
  • XD Operations. Secret British Missions Denying Oil to the Nazis, by Brazier, C. C. H. Published by Pen and Sword, 2004. ISBN 1-84415-136-0.
  • Blowing Our Bridges. A Memoir from Dunkirk to Korea via Normandy, by Maj Gen Tony Younger. Published by Pen and Sword, 2004. ISBN 1-84415-051-8.
  • Code Name Mulberry. The Planning - Building & Operation of the Normandy Harbours, by Guy Hartcup. Published by Pen and Sword, 2006. ISBN 1-84415-434-3.
  • Summon up the Blood. The war diary of Corporal J A Womack, Royal Engineers, by Celia Wolfe. Published by Leo Cooper, 1997. ISBN 978-0-85052-537-3.
  • Fight, Dig and Live. The Story of the Royal Engineers in the Korean War, by George Cooper. Published by Pen and Sword, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84884-684-5.
  • Stick & String, by Terence Tinsley. Published by Buckland Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-7212-0897-5.
  • Honourable Conquests. An account of the enduring works of the Royal Engineers throughout the Empire, by Smithers, A. J. Published by Leo Cooper, 1991. ISBN 0-85052-725-2.
  • Never a Shot in Anger, by Gerald Mortimer. Published by Square One Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-872017-71-1.
  • Platoon Commander (Memoirs of a Royal Engineers Officer), by Peter Steadman. Published by Pentlandite Books, 2001. ISBN 1-85821-901-9.
  • Commander Royal Engineers. The Headquarters of the Royal Engineers at Arnhem, by John Sliz. Published by Travelouge 219, 2013. ISBN 978-1-927679-04-3.
  • The Lonely War. A story of Bomb Disposal in World War II by on who was there, by Eric Wakeling. Published by Square One Publication, 1994. ISBN 1-872017-84-3.
  • Bombs & Bobby Traps, by H. J. Hunt. Published by Romsey Medal Centre, 1986. ISBN 0-948251-19-0.
  • With the Royal Engineers in the Peninsula & France, by Charles Boothby. Published by Leonaur, 2011. ISBN 978-0-85706-781-4.
  • Inland Water Transport in Mesopotamia, by Lt Col L. J. Hall. Published by Naval & Military Press, 1919. ISBN 1-84342-952-7.
  • A Short History of the Royal Engineers, by The Institution of Royal Engineers. Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers, 2006. ISBN 0-903530-28-7.
  • Don't Annoy The Enemy, by Eric Walker. Published by Gernsey Press Co. ISBN Not on publication.
  • Oh! To be a Sapper, by M. J. Salmon. Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers. ISBN 0-9524911-4-1.
  • Middle East Movers, Royal Engineers Transportation in the Suez Canal Zone 1947–1956, Hugh Mackintosh. Published by North Kent Books, 2000. ISBN 0-948305-10-X.
  • Mediterranean Safari March 1943 - October 1944, by A. P. de T. Daniell. Published by Orphans Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7212-0816-9.
  • A Sapper's War, by Leonard Watkins. Published by Minerva Press, 1996. ISBN 1-85863-715-5.
  • A Game of Soldiers by C. Richard Eke. Published by Digaprint Ltd, 1997. ISBN 0-9534264-0-8.
  • Wrong Again Dan! Karachi to Krakatoa, by Dan Raschen RE. Published by Buckland Publications, 1983. ISBN 0-7212-0638-7.
  • Send Port & Pyjamas!, by Dan Raschen RE. Published by Buckland Publications, 1987. ISBN 0-7212-0763-4.
  • Highly Explosive, The Exploits of Major Bill Hartley MBE GM late of Bomb Disposal, by John Frayn Turner. Published by George G. Harappa & Co Ltd, 1967. ISBN Not on Publication.
  • Sapper Martin, The Secret War Diary of Jack Martin, by Richard Van Emden. Published by Bloomsbury, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4088-0311-0.
  • "The History of Central Volunteer Headquarters Royal Engineers" by Col GF Edwards TD, an Inst RE publication
  • Drainage Manual - Revised Edition, 1907, by Locock and Tyndale.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Engineers.
  • Official website  
  • Institution of Royal Engineers
  • Royal Engineers – Continuous Professional Development
  • Royal Engineers Association
  • Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive
  • Airborne Engineers Association
  • Find sappers past and present http://www.sapperco.uk//

January 10, 2023
royal, engineers, confused, with, royal, electrical, mechanical, engineers, corps, usually, called, commonly, known, sappers, corps, british, army, provides, military, engineering, other, technical, support, british, armed, forces, headed, chief, royal, engine. Not to be confused with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers usually called the Royal Engineers RE and commonly known as the Sappers is a corps of the British Army It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by the Chief Royal Engineer The Regimental Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent England The corps is divided into several regiments barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and around the world Corps of Royal EngineersCap badge of the Corps of Royal EngineersActive1716 presentCountry United KingdomBranch British ArmySize22 RegimentsPart ofCommander Field ArmyGarrison HQChatham KentMotto s Ubique and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt Everywhere and Where Right And Glory Lead in Latin fas implies sacred duty 1 MarchWings Quick march Websitewww wbr army wbr mod wbr uk wbr who we are wbr corps regiments and units wbr corps of royal engineers wbr CommandersCorps ColonelCol Matt Quare MBE ADCChief Royal EngineerLieutenant General Sir Tyrone Urch KBEInsigniaTactical recognition flash Contents 1 History 2 Regimental museum 3 Significant constructions 3 1 British Columbia 3 2 Royal Albert Hall 3 3 Indian infrastructure 3 4 Rideau Canal 3 5 Dover s Western Heights 3 6 Pentonville Prison 3 7 Boundary Commissions 3 8 Abney Level 3 9 H M Dockyards 3 9 1 Chatham Dockyard 4 Trades 5 Units 6 The Royal School of Military Engineering 7 Corps Ensign 8 Bishop Gundulf Rochester and King s Engineers 9 Corps Band 10 The Institution of Royal Engineers 11 The Royal Engineers Association 12 Sport 12 1 Royal Engineers Yacht Club 12 2 Royal Engineers Amateur Football Club 12 2 1 FA Cup 12 3 Rugby 13 Related units 14 Notable personnel 15 Engineering equipment 16 Order of precedence 17 Decorations 17 1 Victoria Cross 17 2 The Sapper VCs 17 3 Memorials 18 Rivalry 19 See also 20 References 21 Further reading 22 External linksHistory Edit Corps of Royal Engineers Cypher Royal Engineers recruitment poster The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England by William the Conqueror specifically Bishop Gundulf of Rochester Cathedral and claim over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown Engineers have always served in the armies of the Crown however the origins of the modern corps along with those of the Royal Artillery lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century 2 In Woolwich in 1716 the Board formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery and established a Corps of Engineers consisting entirely of commissioned officers The manual work was done by the Artificer Companies made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers In 1772 a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in Gibraltar the first instance of non commissioned military engineers In 1787 the Corps of Engineers was granted the Royal prefix and adopted its current name in the same year a Corps of Royal Military Artificers was formed consisting of non commissioned officers and privates to be led by the Royal Engineers Ten years later the Gibraltar company which had remained separate was absorbed and in 1812 the unit s name was changed to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners 2 The Corps has no battle honours In 1832 the regimental motto Ubique amp Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt Everywhere amp Where Right And Glory Lead in Latin fas implies sacred duty was granted 1 The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all the major conflicts of the British Army and almost all of the minor ones as well 3 4 In 1855 the Board of Ordnance was abolished and authority over the Royal Engineers Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to the Commander in Chief of the Forces thus uniting them with the rest of the Army The following year the Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as the Corps of Royal Engineers and their headquarters were moved from the Royal Arsenal Woolwich to Chatham Kent 2 The re organisation of the British military that began in the mid Nineteenth Century and stretched over several decades included the reconstitution of the Militia the raising of the Volunteer Force and the ever closer organisation of the part time forces with the regular army 5 The old Militia had been an infantry force other than the occasional employment of Militiamen to man artillery defences and other roles on an emergency basis This changed in 1861 with the conversion of some units to artillery roles Militia and Volunteer Engineering companies were also created beginning with the conversion of the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire to engineers in 1877 The Militia and Volunteer Force engineers supported the regular Royal Engineers in a variety of roles including operating the boats required to tend the submarine mine defences that protected harbours in Britain and its empire These included a submarine mining militia company that was authorised for Bermuda in 1892 but never raised and the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers that wore Royal Engineers uniforms and replaced the regular Royal Engineers companies withdrawn from the Bermuda Garrison in 1928 6 7 The various part time reserve forces were amalgamated into the Territorial Force in 1908 8 which was retitled the Territorial Army after the First World War and the Army Reserve in 2014 9 Units from the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery were in Australia even after Federation 10 In 1911 the Corps formed its Air Battalion the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces The Air Battalion was the forerunner of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force 11 The First World War saw a rapid transformation of the Royal Engineers as new technologies became ever more important in the conduct of warfare and engineers undertook an increasing range of roles In the front line they designed and built fortifications operated poison gas equipment repaired guns and heavy equipment and conducted underground warfare beneath enemy trenches Support roles included the construction maintenance and operation of railways bridges water supply and inland waterways as well as telephone wireless and other communications 12 As demands on the Corps increased its manpower was expanded from a total including reserves of about 25 000 in August 1914 to 315 000 in 1918 13 In 1915 in response to German mining of British trenches under the then static siege conditions of the First World War the corps formed its own tunnelling companies Manned by experienced coal miners from across the country they operated with great success until 1917 when after the fixed positions broke they built deep dugouts such as the Vampire dugout to protect troops from heavy shelling 14 Before the Second World War Royal Engineers recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall 5 feet 2 inches for the Mounted Branch They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve or four years and eight years Unlike most corps and regiments in which the upper age limit was 25 men could enlist in the Royal Engineers up to 35 years of age They trained at the Royal Engineers Depot in Chatham or the Royal Engineer Mounted Depot at Aldershot 15 During the 1980s the Royal Engineers formed the vital component of at least three Engineer Brigades 12 Engineer Brigade Airfield Damage Repair 16 29th Engineer Brigade and 30th Engineer Brigade 17 After the Falklands War 37 FI Engineer Regiment was active from August 1982 until 14 March 1985 18 Regimental museum EditThe Royal Engineers Museum is in Gillingham in Kent 19 Significant constructions EditThe Royal Engineers conducted some of the most significant civil engineering projects around the world including those that are described in A J Smithers s book Honourable Conquests 20 British Columbia Edit Main article Richard Clement Moody The Royal Engineers Columbia Detachment which was commanded by Colonel Richard Clement Moody was responsible for the foundation and settlement of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia 21 22 Royal Albert Hall Edit The Royal Albert Hall designed by Captain Francis Fowke RE The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK s most treasured and distinctive buildings recognisable the world over Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871 the world s leading artists from every kind of performance genre have appeared on its stage Each year it hosts more than 350 performances including classical concerts rock and pop ballet and opera tennis award ceremonies school and community events charity performances and lavish banquets The Hall was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Major General Henry Y D Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers 23 The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres but had also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the Victoria and Albert Museum 24 Indian infrastructure Edit Much of the British colonial era infrastructure of India of which elements survive today was created by engineers of the three presidencies armies and the Royal Engineers Lieutenant later General Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton 1803 99 Madras Engineers was responsible for the design and construction of the great irrigation works on the river Cauvery which watered the rice crops of Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts in the late 1820s In 1838 he designed and built sea defences for Vizagapatam He masterminded the Godavery Delta project where 720 000 acres 2 900 km2 of land were irrigated and 500 miles 800 km of land to the port of Cocanada was made navigable in the 1840s Such regard for his lasting legacy was shown when in 1983 the Indian Government erected a statue in his memory at Dowleswaram 25 Other irrigation and canal projects included the Ganges Canal where Colonel Sir Colin Scott Moncrieff 1836 1916 acted as the Chief Engineer and made modifications to the original work Among other engineers trained in India Scott Moncrieff went on to become Under Secretary of State Public Works Egypt where he restored the Nile barrage and irrigation works of Lower Egypt 26 Rideau Canal Edit The construction of the Rideau Canal was proposed shortly after the War of 1812 when there remained a persistent threat of attack by the United States on the British colony of Upper Canada The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communications route between Montreal and the British naval base in Kingston Ontario Westward from Montreal travel would proceed along the Ottawa River to Bytown now Ottawa then southwest via the canal to Kingston and out into Lake Ontario The objective was to bypass the stretch of the St Lawrence River bordering New York State a route which would have left British supply ships vulnerable to attack or a blockade of the St Lawrence Construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers Directed by him Lieutenant William Denison determined the strength for construction purposes of old growth timber in the vicinity of Bytown findings commended by the Institution of Civil Engineers in England 27 Dover s Western Heights Edit Drop Redoubt The Western Heights of Dover are one of the most impressive fortifications in Britain They comprise a series of forts strong points and ditches designed to protect the United Kingdom from invasion They were created to augment the existing defences and protect the key port of Dover from both seaward and landward attack First given earthworks in 1779 against the planned invasion that year the high ground west of Dover England now called Dover Western Heights was properly fortified in 1804 when Lieutenant Colonel William Twiss was instructed to modernise the existing defences This was part of a huge programme of fortification in response to Napoleon s planned invasion of the United Kingdom To assist with the movement of troops between Dover Castle and the town defences Twiss made his case for building the Grand Shaft in the cliff the new barracks are little more than 300 yards horizontally from the beach and about 180 feet 55 m above high water mark but in order to communicate with them from the centre of town on horseback the distance is nearly a mile and a half and to walk it about three quarters of a mile and all the roads unavoidably pass over ground more than 100 feet 30 m above the barracks besides the footpaths are so steep and chalky that a number of accidents will unavoidably happen during the wet weather and more especially after floods I am therefore induced to recommend the construction of a shaft with a triple staircase the chief objective of which is the convenience and safety of troops and may eventually be useful in sending reinforcements to troops or in affording them a secure retreat 28 Twiss s plan was approved and building went ahead The shaft was to be 26 feet 7 9 m in diameter 140 feet 43 m deep with a 180 feet 55 m gallery connecting the bottom of the shaft to Snargate Street and all for under an estimated 4000 The plan entailed building two brick lined shafts one inside the other In the outer would be built a triple staircase the inner acting as a light well with windows cut in its outer wall to illuminate the staircases Apparently by March 1805 only 40 feet 12 m of the connecting gallery was left to dig and it is probable that the project was completed by 1807 28 Pentonville Prison Edit Pentonville Prison designed by Capt Joshua Jebb RE Two Acts of Parliament allowed for the building of Pentonville Prison for the detention of convicts sentenced to imprisonment or awaiting transportation Construction started on 10 April 1840 and was completed in 1842 The cost was 84 186 12s 2d Captain later Major General Sir Joshua Jebb designed Pentonville Prison introducing new concepts such as single cells with good heating ventilation and sanitation 29 Boundary Commissions Edit Although mapping by what became the Ordnance Survey was born out of military necessity it was soon realised that accurate maps could be also used for civil purposes The lessons learnt from this first boundary commission were put to good use around the world where members of the Corps have determined boundaries on behalf of the British as well as foreign governments some notable boundary commissions include 30 1839 Canada United States 1858 Canada United States Captain later General Sir John Hawkins RE 1856 and 1857 Russo Turkish Lieutenant Colonel later Sir Edward Stanton RE 1857 Russo Turkish Colonel later Field Marshal Sir Lintorn Simmons RE 1878 Bulgarian 1880 Graeco Turkish Major later Major General Sir John Ardagh RE 1884 Russo Afghan Captain later Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich RE 1894 India Afghanistan Captain later Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich RE 1902 Chile Argentine Colonel Sir Delme Radcliffe RE 1911 Peru Bolivia Major A J Woodroffe RE Much of this work continues to this day The reform of the voting franchise brought about by the Reform Act 1832 demanded that boundary commissions were set up Lieutenants Dawson and Thomas Drummond 1797 1839 Royal Engineers were employed to gather the statistical information upon which the Bill was founded as well as determining the boundaries and districts of boroughs It was said that the fate of numerous boroughs fell victim to the heliostat and the Drummond light the instrument that Drummond invented whilst surveying in Ireland 31 Abney Level Edit An Abney level is an instrument used in surveying which consists of a fixed sighting tube a movable spirit level that is connected to a pointing arm and a protractor scale The Abney level is an easy to use relatively inexpensive and when used correctly an accurate surveying tool The Abney level was invented by Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney 1843 1920 who was a Royal Engineer an English astronomer and chemist best known for his pioneering of colour photography and colour vision Abney invented this instrument under the employment of the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham England in the 1870s 32 H M Dockyards Edit In 1873 Captain Henry Brandreth RE was appointed Director of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering later the Admiralty Works Department Following this appointment many Royal Engineer officers superintended engineering works at Royal Navy Dockyards in various parts of the world including the Royal Naval Dockyard Bermuda home base for vessels of the North America and West Indies Station 33 1848 Woodcut of HMD Bermuda Ireland Island Bermuda Chatham Dockyard Edit Slip 7 at Chatham Dockyard designed by Col G Greene RE Slip 3 at Chatham Dockyard designed and built by the Corps Chatham being the home of the Corps meant that the Royal Engineers and the Dockyard had a close relationship since Captain Brandreth s appointment At the Chatham Dockyard Captain Thomas Mould RE designed the iron roof trusses for the covered slips 4 5 and 6 Slip 7 was designed by Colonel Godfrey Greene RE on his move to the Corps from the Bengal Sappers amp Miners In 1886 Major Henry Pilkington RE was appointed Superintendent of Engineering at the Dockyard moving on to Director of Engineering at the Admiralty in 1890 and Engineer in Chief of Naval Loan Works where he was responsible for the extension of all major Dockyards at home and abroad 34 Trades Edit ME Fabricator in Iraq ME Armoured operating an AVRE in CanadaAll members of the Royal Engineers are trained combat engineers and all sappers privates and non commissioned officers also have another trade These trades include air conditioning fitter electrician general fitter plant operator mechanic plumber bricklayer plasterer painter carpenter amp joiner fabricator building materials technician design draughtsman electrical amp mechanical draughtsman geographic support technician survey engineer armoured engineer driver engineer IT engineer logistics specialist amphibious engineer bomb disposal specialist diver or search specialist 35 They may also undertake the specialist selection and training to qualify as Commandos or Military Parachutists Women are eligible for all Royal Engineer specialities 36 Units EditFurther information Units of the Royal EngineersThe Royal School of Military Engineering Edit HQ Royal School of Military Engineering The Royal School of Military Engineering RSME is the British Army s Centre of Excellence for Military Engineering Explosive Ordnance Disposal EOD and counter terrorist search training Located on several sites in Chatham Kent Camberley in Surrey and Bicester in Oxfordshire the Royal School of Military Engineering offers training facilities for the full range of Royal Engineer skills The RSME was founded by Major later General Sir Charles Pasley as the Royal Engineer Establishment in 1812 37 It was renamed the School of Military Engineering in 1868 and granted the Royal prefix in 1962 38 Royal School of Military Engineering 39 Combat Engineer School 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment in Minley 40 55 Training Squadron 57 Training Squadron 63 Headquarters and Training Support Squadron Communication Information Systems Wing Construction Engineer School 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment in Chatham 40 24 Training Squadron 36 Training Squadron Boat Operations Hackett Troop Plant Civil Engineering Wing Electrical and Mechanical Wing Royal Engineers Warfare Wing Founded in 2011 and split between Brompton Barracks Chatham and Gibraltar Barracks at Minley in Hampshire this is the product of the amalgamation between Command Wing where Command and Tactics were taught and Battlefield Engineering Wing where combat engineering training was facilitated United Kingdom Mine Information and Training Centre Defence Explosive Munitions and Search School formally Defence EOD School and the National Search Centre 28 Training Squadron Army Training Regiment 41 Diving Training Unit Army DTU A 42 Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers The band are part of the Royal Corps of Army Music 43 Corps Ensign Edit Camp Gate Flag of the Royal Engineers Royal Engineers Ensign The Royal Engineers Ports Section operated harbours and ports for the army and used mainly specialised vessels such as tugs and dredgers During the Second World War the Royal Engineers Blue Ensign was flown from the Mulberry harbours 44 Bishop Gundulf Rochester and King s Engineers Edit Rochester Castle from across the Medway Engraving from image by G F Sargent c1836 Rochester Cathedral from the West Bishop Gundulf a monk from the Abbey of Bec in Normandy came to England in 1070 as Archbishop Lanfranc s assistant at Canterbury His talent for architecture had been spotted by King William I and was put to good use in Rochester where he was sent as bishop in 1077 Almost immediately the King appointed him to supervise the construction of the White Tower now part of the Tower of London in 1078 Under William Rufus he also undertook building work on Rochester Castle Having served three kings of England and earning the favour of them all Gundulf is accepted as the first King s Engineer 45 Corps Band Edit Musicians from the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers during a Medals Parade for 32 Engineer Regiment The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers is the official military band of the RE The RE Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1880 It was recognised by Queen Victoria seven years later with her command that they perform at Buckingham Palace for a banquet on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee In 1916 1917 the band toured France and Belgium giving over one hundred and fifty concerts in a journey of 1800 miles The band continued its tour of Europe following the cessation of hostilities In 1936 the band performed at the funeral of George V and played the following year for the Coronation of George VI in 1937 The band appeared at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and has since been called on to play at state occasions military tattoos and military parades It has notably performed during the opening ceremonies of the Channel Tunnel and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge 46 The Institution of Royal Engineers Edit The Ravelin Building at the Royal School of Military Engineering Chatham is now home to the Institution and the Corps Museum The Institution of Royal Engineers the professional institution of the Corps of Royal Engineers was established in 1875 and in 1923 it was granted its Royal Charter by King George V The Institution is collocated with the Royal Engineers Museum within the grounds of the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton in Chatham Kent 47 Royal Engineers Journal published tri annually and contains articles with a military engineering connection The first Journal was published in August 1870 The idea for the publication was proposed at the Corps Meeting of May 1870 by Major R Harrison and seconded By Captain R Home who became its first editor The Journal eventually superseded the Professional Papers which were started by Lieutenant WT Denison in 1837 and continued to be published until 1918 48 The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers is currently in its 12th volume The first two volumes were written by Major General Whitworth Porter and published in 1889 49 The Sapper is published by the Royal Engineers Central Charitable Trust and is a bi monthly magazine for all ranks 50 The Royal Engineers Association EditThe present Royal Engineers Association promotes and supports the Corps among members of the Association in the following ways 51 48 By fostering esprit de corps and a spirit of comradeship and service By maintaining an awareness of Corps traditions By acting as a link between serving and retired members of the Corps To provide financial and other assistance to serving and former members of the Corps their wives widows and dependants who are in need through poverty To make grants within Association guidelines to the Army Benevolent Fund and to other charities which further the objectives of the Association Sport EditRoyal Engineers Yacht Club Edit Un defaced Blue Ensign flown by members of the REYC REYC Burgee The Royal Engineers Yacht Club which dates back to 1812 promotes the skill of watermanship in the Royal Engineers 52 They have entered every Fastnet Race since the second in 1926 which they won sailing IIlex 53 Royal Engineers Amateur Football Club Edit Main article Royal Engineers A F C The club was founded in 1863 under the leadership of Major Francis Marindin Sir Frederick Wall who was the secretary of The Football Association 1895 1934 stated in his memoirs that the combination game was first used by the Royal Engineers A F C in the early 1870s 54 55 56 Wall states that the Sappers moved in unison and showed the advantages of combination over the old style of individualism FA Cup Edit The Royal Engineers pictured in 1872 Back Merriman Ord Marindin Addison Mitchell Front Hoskyns Renny Tailyour Creswell Goodwyn Barker Rich The Engineers played in the first ever FA Cup Final in 1872 losing 1 0 at Kennington Oval on 16 March 1872 to regular rivals Wanderers 57 They also lost the 1874 FA Cup Final to Oxford University A F C Their greatest triumph was the 1874 75 FA Cup 57 In the final against Old Etonians they drew 1 1 with a goal from Renny Tailyour and went on to win the replay 2 0 with two further goals from Renny Tailyour 58 59 Their last FA Cup Final appearance came in 1878 again losing to the Wanderers 57 They last participated in 1882 83 FA Cup losing 6 2 in the fourth round to Old Carthusians F C 57 The Engineers Depot Battalion won the FA Amateur Cup in 1908 60 On 7 November 2012 the Royal Engineers played against the Wanderers in a remake of the 1872 FA Cup Final at The Oval Unlike the actual final the Engineers won and by a large margin 7 1 being the final score 61 Rugby Edit The Army were represented in the very first international by two members of the Royal Engineers both playing for England Lieutenant Charles Arthur Crompton RE and Lieutenant Charles Sherrard RE 62 Related units EditSeveral Corps have been formed from the Royal Engineers Royal Flying Corps RFC 1912 Air Battalion Royal Engineers formed 1911 was the precursor of the Royal Flying Corps which evolved into the Royal Air Force in 1918 11 Royal Corps of Signals R Sigs 1920 The Telegraph Troop founded in 1870 63 121 became the Telegraph Battalion Royal Engineers who then became the Royal Engineers Signals Service which in turn became the independent Royal Corps of Signals in 1920 64 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers REME 1942 When REME was created in 1942 it was formed from personnel previously in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps the Royal Army Service Corps Royal Signals and Royal Engineers 65 After the war the responsibilities of REME were increased in stages so that by 1968 it had taken over responsibility for the maintenance of all Royal Engineers equipment except construction equipment 66 Royal Corps of Transport RCT 1965 The Royal Engineers were responsible for railway and inland waterway transport port operations and movement control until 1965 when these functions were transferred to the new Royal Corps of Transport See also Railway Operating Division 67 The Royal Corps of Transport merged into the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993 68 Royal Logistic Corps RLC 1993 In 1913 the Army Post Office Corps formed in 1882 and the Royal Engineers Telegraph Reserve formed in 1884 amalgamated to form the Royal Engineers Postal Section Special Reserve In 1959 it was restyled Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Communications and added to the regular cadre of the British Army it was renamed Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Services in 1979 The RE PCS became a Defence Agency known as the Defence Postal and Courier Service in 1992 and in the same year Postal amp Courier trained operators of the Women s Royal Army Corps WRAC were re cap badged as Royal Engineers The Service was transferred to the Royal Logistic Corps on its formation in 1993 see British Forces Post Office 69 Notable personnel EditCategory Royal Engineers soldiers Category Royal Engineers officersEngineering equipment EditMain articles Royal Engineers bridging and trackway equipment and Modern equipment of the British ArmyOrder of precedence EditPreceded byRoyal Regiment of Artillery Order of Precedence Succeeded byRoyal Corps of SignalsDecorations EditVictoria Cross Edit The following Royal Engineers have been awarded the Victoria Cross VC the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces 70 Rorke s Drift 22 23 January 1879 a battle fought under the command of Lt John Chard RE Eleven Victoria Crosses were won during the battle including one by Chard Painting by Alphonse de Neuville Tom Edwin Adlam 1916 Thiepval France Adam Archibald 1918 Ors France Fenton John Aylmer 1891 Nilt Fort India Mark Sever Bell 1874 Battle of Ordashu Ashanti now Ghana John Rouse Merriott Chard 1879 Rorke s Drift South Africa Brett Mackay Cloutman 1918 Pont sur Sambre France Clifford Coffin 1917 Westhoek Belgium James Morris Colquhoun Colvin 1897 Mohmand Valley India James Lennox Dawson 1915 Hohenzollern Redoubt France Robert James Thomas Digby Jones 1900 Ladysmith South Africa Thomas Frank Durrant 1942 St Nazaire France Howard Craufurd Elphinstone 1855 Sevastopol Crimea George de Cardonnel Elmsall Findlay 1918 Catillon France Gerald Graham 1855 Sevastopol Crimea William Hackett 1916 Givenchy France Reginald Clare Hart 1879 Bazar Valley Afghanistan Lanoe Hawker 1915 While serving with the RFC Charles Alfred Jarvis 1914 Jemappes Belgium Frederick Henry Johnson 1915 Hill 70 France William Henry Johnston 1914 Missy France Frank Howard Kirby 1900 Delagoa Bay Railway South Africa Cecil Leonard Knox 1918 Tugny France Edward Pemberton Leach 1879 Maidanah Afghanistan Peter Leitch 1855 Sevastopol Crimea William James Lendrim 1855 Sevastopol Crimea Wilbraham Oates Lennox 1854 Sevastopol Crimea Henry MacDonald 1855 Sevastopol Crimea Cyril Gordon Martin 1915 Spanbroekmolen on the Messines Ridge Belgium James McPhie 1918 Aubencheul au Bac France Philip Neame 1914 Neuve Chapelle France John Perie 1855 Sevastopol Crimea Claud Raymond 1945 Talaku Burma now Myanmar John Ross 1855 Sevastopol Crimea Michael Sleavon 1858 Jhansi India Arnold Horace Santo Waters 1918 Ors France Thomas Colclough Watson 1897 Mamund Valley India Theodore Wright 1914 Mons BelgiumThe Sapper VCs Edit In 1998 HMSO published an account of the 55 British and Commonwealth Sappers who have been awarded the Victoria Cross The book was written by Colonel GWA Napier former Royal Engineers officer and a former Director of the Royal Engineers Museum The book defines a Sapper as any member of a British or Empire military engineer corps whatever their rank speciality or national allegiance and is thus not confined to Royal Engineers 71 Memorials Edit Rochester Cathedral Kent has major historical links with the Corps and contains many memorials including stained glass mosaics and plaques The cathedral hosts services on the annual Corps Memorial Weekend and is supported by the Corps on Remembrance Sunday Royal Engineers First World War memorial at La Ferte sous Jouarre National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas Staffordshire The memorial to the Royal Engineers at Arromanches the site of the Mulberry Harbours during the Second World War 72 Rivalry EditThe Royal Engineers have a traditional rivalry with the Royal Artillery the Gunners 73 See also Edit United Kingdom portal War portalRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Royal Engineers Columbia Detachment Bermuda Volunteer Engineers a territorial unit that replaced the Regular Army RE companies of the Bermuda Garrison in 1930 Disbanded 1946 Canadian Military Engineers created in 1903 to provide a replacement for the RE in Canada List of international professional associations The Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors Institution of Engineers AVREReferences Edit a b No 18952 The London Gazette 10 July 1832 p 1583 a b c A brief history of the Royal Engineers PDF The Masons Livery Company Archived from the original PDF on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 30 January 2015 British Army Website Corps of Royal Engineers Badges and Emblems Archived 22 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine Anon 1916 Regimental Nicknames and Traditions of the British Army 5th Ed London Gale and Polden Ltd p 36 War Office Circular 12 May 1859 published in The Times 13 May Army Notes Royal United Services Institution Journal Volume 73 Issue 490 1928 ARMY ESTIMATES 1928 Hansard 8 March 1928 hansard millbanksystems com Tony Mason and Eliza Ried Sport and the Military The British Armed Forces 1880 1960 Cambridge Cambridge University Press p 39 Territorial Army to be renamed the Army Reserve BBC News 14 October 2012 Retrieved 26 December 2015 Our history Australian Army Retrieved 6 September 2021 a b The Air Battalion The RAF Museum Retrieved 30 January 2015 The Corps of Royal Engineers in the First World War The Long Long Trail Retrieved 19 August 2020 The Corps of Royal Engineers National Army Museum Retrieved 19 August 2020 Tunnelling Companies in the Great War Tunnellers Memorial Retrieved 30 January 2015 War Office His Majesty s Army 1938 Kendall Brigadier A J V September 1985 If You Know of a Better Ole Go to It The Development of Airfield Damage Repair PDF The Royal Engineers Journal 99 3 153 onwards Retrieved 2 January 2019 Isby and Kamps Armies of NATO s Central Front RE Journal Vol 99 No 3 p 141 Royal Engineers Museum British listed buildings Retrieved 30 January 2015 Smithers A J 1991 Honourable Conquests An Account of the Enduring Work of the Royal Engineers Throughout the Empire Pen amp Sword Books Ltd ISBN 978 0 85052 725 4 Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Volume 90 Issue 1887 1887 pp 453 455 OBITUARY MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD CLEMENT MOODY R E 1813 1181 The Royal Engineers Colonel Richard Clement Moody Retrieved 3 November 2016 Lucas Charles Thomas Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press 2004 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 49439 Subscription or UK public library membership required Royal Albert Hall Famous Wonders 21 May 2013 Retrieved 30 January 2015 Cotton Lady 1900 General Sir Arthur Cotton RE KCSI His Life and Work Hodder amp Stoughton Scott Moncrieff Sir Colin Campbell The Indian Biographical Dictionary 1915 Watson Ken Bye By The Story of Lieutenant Colonel John By R E and his fall from grace Retrieved 30 January 2015 a b Ingleton Roy 2012 Fortress Kent Pen amp Sword Military pp 115 116 ISBN 978 1848848887 Joshua Jebb on Pentonville Prison London Elton Engineering Books Archived from the original on 9 March 2012 Retrieved 31 December 2013 Fenwick SC Boundary Commissions 1832 1911 Corps History Part 12 Engineers in a Civic role 1820 1911 Royal Engineers Museum Demonstrations 19 Limelight Leeds University Archived from the original on 6 June 2007 Retrieved 31 January 2015 Hearnshaw John 2014 Abney William de Wiveleslie Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers pp 12 14 doi 10 1007 978 1 4419 9917 7 10 ISBN 978 1 4419 9917 7 Woolwich Dockyard Area PDF University College London Archived from the original PDF on 23 June 2015 Retrieved 31 January 2015 Chatham Royal Naval Barracks PDF Retrieved 31 January 2015 The Roles PDF Army life Your guide to the Royal Engineers pp 12 35 Archived from the original PDF on 3 September 2014 Retrieved 31 January 2015 Welcome PDF Army life Your guide to the Royal Engineers Ministry of Defence p 3 Archived from the original PDF on 15 February 2017 Retrieved 16 November 2016 Corps History Part 6 Archived 5 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Royal Engineers Museum Corps History Part 17 Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Royal Engineers Museum Royal School of Military Engineering Ministry of Defence Retrieved 31 January 2015 a b Royal Engineers Units British Army Retrieved 15 August 2019 Army Training Centre Pirbright say farewell to 76 Battery Royal Artillery Royal Artillery Association Retrieved 31 January 2015 Diving Training Unit Army Ministry of Defence Retrieved 31 January 2015 Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers Ministry of Defence Retrieved 31 January 2015 Flag Blue Ensign Royal Engineers Imperial War Museum Retrieved 31 January 2015 The Towers that Gundulf Built Kate Shrewsday 18 February 2014 Retrieved 31 January 2015 ether 25 March 2014 The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers Kent County Show Kentshowground co uk Retrieved 24 April 2020 The Institution of Royal Engineers Retrieved 31 January 2015 a b Baker Brown W 1952 History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol IV Chatham The Institution of Royal Engineers Institution of Royal Engineers InstRE Articles Royal Engineers Museum Archived from the original on 1 June 2010 Retrieved 19 November 2010 The Sapper Magazine Retrieved 31 January 2015 Royal Engineers Association Retrieved 31 January 2015 Sapper Sailing Retrieved 6 July 2022 About sappersailing org Retrieved 6 July 2022 Wall Sir Frederick 2005 50 Years of Football 1884 1934 Soccer Books Limited ISBN 978 1 86223 116 0 Cox Richard 2002 The Encyclopaedia of British Football Routledge United Kingdom History of Football Archived 18 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine a b c d Royal Engineers A F C at the Football Club History Database The English Association Football Challenge Cup Montrose Arbroath and Brechin Review 19 March 1875 p 4 Retrieved 1 July 2020 Memoirs Col H W Renny Tailyour PDF The Royal Engineers Journal XXXII 123 125 September 1920 Retrieved 30 June 2020 The late Colonel H W Renny Tailyour PDF The Royal Engineers Journal XXXIV 103 February 1922 Retrieved 30 June 2020 History Section Welfare and Sports Archived from the original on 21 October 2009 First FA Cup final recreated BBC Sport 8 November 2012 Retrieved 8 September 2020 aru org uk www aru org uk Archived from the original on 1 September 2009 Porter Maj Gen Whitworth 1889 History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol II Chatham The Institution of Royal Engineers Royal Signals Heritage Ministry of Defence Retrieved 31 January 2015 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers National Army Museum Retrieved 19 August 2020 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers History 26th Regiment RA Association Retrieved 19 August 2020 Aves William A T 2009 The Railway Operating Division on the Western Front the Royal Engineers in France and Belgium 1915 1919 Donington Shaun Tyas ISBN 978 1900289993 The Royal Logistic Corps and Forming Corps The Royal Logistic Corps Museum Archived from the original on 14 August 2013 Retrieved 13 May 2013 Tommy s Mail amp the Army Post Office World War 1 postcards Retrieved 31 January 2015 Royal Engineers Retrieved 31 January 2015 History Section Sappers VCs Royal Engineers Museum Archived from the original on 10 August 2006 Retrieved 19 August 2015 Monument to the Royal Engineers at Arromanches Saint Combe de Fresne France Retrieved 30 January 2015 Royal Regiment of Artillery Corps of Royal Engineers Hansard 4 July 2016 Retrieved 9 April 2020 Further reading EditDurie William 2012 The British Garrison Berlin 1945 1994 nowhere to go a pictorial historiography of the British Military occupation presence in Berlin Berlin Vergangenheitsverlag de ISBN 978 3 86408 068 5 OCLC 978161722 Follow the Sapper An Illustrated History of the Corps of Royal Engineers by Colonel Gerald Napier RE Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers 2005 ISBN 0 903530 26 0 The History of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners From the Formation of the Corps in March 1772 to the Date when Its Designation was Changed to that of Royal Engineers in October 1856 by Thomas William John Connolly Published by Longman Brown Green and Longmans 1857 History of the Corps of Royal Engineers by Whitworth Porter Charles Moore Watson Published by Longmans Green 1889 The Royal Engineer by Francis Bond Head Published by John Murray 1869 Papers on Subjects Connected with the Duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers by Great Britain Army Royal Engineers Published by The Corps 1874 Professional Papers of the Corps of Royal Engineers by Great Britain Army Royal Engineers Royal Engineers Institute Great Britain Published by Royal Engineer Institute 1892 The Royal Engineers in Egypt and the Sudan by Edward Warren Caulfeild Sandes Published by Institution of Royal Engineers 1937 Citizen Soldiers of the Royal Engineers Transportation and Movements and the Royal Army Service Corps 1859 to 1965 by Gerard Williams Michael Williams Published by Institution of the Royal Corps of Transport 1969 Royal Engineers by Derek Boyd Published by Cooper 1975 ISBN 0 85052 197 1 The Royal Engineers by Terry Gander Published by I Allan 1985 ISBN 0 7110 1517 1 Versatile Genius The Royal Engineers and Their Maps Manuscript Maps and Plans of the Eastern Frontier 1822 1870 by University of the Witwatersrand Library Yvonne Garson Published by University of the Witwatersrand Library 1992 ISBN 1 86838 023 8 The History of the Royal Engineer Yacht Club by Sir Gerald Duke Published by Pitman Press 1982 ISBN 0 946403 00 7 From Ballon to Boxkite The Royal Engineers and Early British Aeronautics by Malcolm Hall Published by Amberley 2010 ISBN 978 1 84868 992 3 A Harbour Goes to War The story of the Mulberry and the men who made it happen by Evans J Palmer E amp Walter R Published by Brook House 2000 ISBN 1 873547 30 7 Danger UXB The Heroic Story of the WWII Bomb Disposal Teams by James Owen Published by Little Brown 2010 ISBN 978 1 4087 0195 9 Designed to Kill Bomb Disposal from World War I to the Falklands by Major Arthur Hogben Published by Patrick Stevens 1987 ISBN 0 85059 865 6 UXB Malta Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal 1940 44 by S A M Hudson Published by The History Press 2010 ISBN 978 0 7524 5635 5 The Underground War Vimy Ridge to Arras by Robinson P amp Cave N Published by Pen and Sword 2011 ISBN 978 1 84415 976 5 XD Operations Secret British Missions Denying Oil to the Nazis by Brazier C C H Published by Pen and Sword 2004 ISBN 1 84415 136 0 Blowing Our Bridges A Memoir from Dunkirk to Korea via Normandy by Maj Gen Tony Younger Published by Pen and Sword 2004 ISBN 1 84415 051 8 Code Name Mulberry The Planning Building amp Operation of the Normandy Harbours by Guy Hartcup Published by Pen and Sword 2006 ISBN 1 84415 434 3 Summon up the Blood The war diary of Corporal J A Womack Royal Engineers by Celia Wolfe Published by Leo Cooper 1997 ISBN 978 0 85052 537 3 Fight Dig and Live The Story of the Royal Engineers in the Korean War by George Cooper Published by Pen and Sword 2011 ISBN 978 1 84884 684 5 Stick amp String by Terence Tinsley Published by Buckland Publishing 1992 ISBN 0 7212 0897 5 Honourable Conquests An account of the enduring works of the Royal Engineers throughout the Empire by Smithers A J Published by Leo Cooper 1991 ISBN 0 85052 725 2 Never a Shot in Anger by Gerald Mortimer Published by Square One Publications 1993 ISBN 1 872017 71 1 Platoon Commander Memoirs of a Royal Engineers Officer by Peter Steadman Published by Pentlandite Books 2001 ISBN 1 85821 901 9 Commander Royal Engineers The Headquarters of the Royal Engineers at Arnhem by John Sliz Published by Travelouge 219 2013 ISBN 978 1 927679 04 3 The Lonely War A story of Bomb Disposal in World War II by on who was there by Eric Wakeling Published by Square One Publication 1994 ISBN 1 872017 84 3 Bombs amp Bobby Traps by H J Hunt Published by Romsey Medal Centre 1986 ISBN 0 948251 19 0 With the Royal Engineers in the Peninsula amp France by Charles Boothby Published by Leonaur 2011 ISBN 978 0 85706 781 4 Inland Water Transport in Mesopotamia by Lt Col L J Hall Published by Naval amp Military Press 1919 ISBN 1 84342 952 7 A Short History of the Royal Engineers by The Institution of Royal Engineers Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers 2006 ISBN 0 903530 28 7 Don t Annoy The Enemy by Eric Walker Published by Gernsey Press Co ISBN Not on publication Oh To be a Sapper by M J Salmon Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers ISBN 0 9524911 4 1 Middle East Movers Royal Engineers Transportation in the Suez Canal Zone 1947 1956 Hugh Mackintosh Published by North Kent Books 2000 ISBN 0 948305 10 X Mediterranean Safari March 1943 October 1944 by A P de T Daniell Published by Orphans Press 2000 ISBN 0 7212 0816 9 A Sapper s War by Leonard Watkins Published by Minerva Press 1996 ISBN 1 85863 715 5 A Game of Soldiers by C Richard Eke Published by Digaprint Ltd 1997 ISBN 0 9534264 0 8 Wrong Again Dan Karachi to Krakatoa by Dan Raschen RE Published by Buckland Publications 1983 ISBN 0 7212 0638 7 Send Port amp Pyjamas by Dan Raschen RE Published by Buckland Publications 1987 ISBN 0 7212 0763 4 Highly Explosive The Exploits of Major Bill Hartley MBE GM late of Bomb Disposal by John Frayn Turner Published by George G Harappa amp Co Ltd 1967 ISBN Not on Publication Sapper Martin The Secret War Diary of Jack Martin by Richard Van Emden Published by Bloomsbury 2009 ISBN 978 1 4088 0311 0 The History of Central Volunteer Headquarters Royal Engineers by Col GF Edwards TD an Inst RE publication Drainage Manual Revised Edition 1907 by Locock and Tyndale External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Engineers Official website Institution of Royal Engineers Royal Engineers Continuous Professional Development Royal Engineers Association Royal Engineers Museum Library and Archive Royal Engineers Band The Royal Engineers in Halifax Photographing the Garrison City 1870 1885 Airborne Engineers Association Find sappers past and present http www sapperco uk Royal Engineers Companies 1944 1945 at www BritishMilitaryHistory co uk Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Royal Engineers amp oldid 1119134163, wikipedia, wiki, book, 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