II Corps Troops, Royal Engineers
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II Corps Troops, Royal Engineers (II CTRE) was a battalion-sized unit of Royal Engineers (RE) attached to the British II Corps Headquarters in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It served with the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuation, and later in Home Defence until disbandment in 1943.


Precursor units

Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the ''Army List'' from December 1875. This assigned all
Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...
and
Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
units serving in the UK to a theoretical order of battle of eight army corps. II Army Corps based at
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
was to have the following units of the Royal Engineers (RE) assigned as Corps Engineers:''Army List'', various dates.Spiers, pp. 59–60, Appendix 3. * A pontoon troop * Half a telegraph troop * A field company and field park The 1875 plan was over-ambitious: there were not enough engineers for eight corps and no staff; although there was a post for a Colonel Commanding Royal Engineers with II Corps, the position remained vacant. The only RE unit actually assigned to II Corps was half of C (Telegraph) Troop at Aldershot. The Childers Reforms of 1881 only provided for an overseas expeditionary force of one complete army corps, but the revised mobilisation plan of 1886 (codified in the subsequent Stanhope Memorandum of 1891) allowed for an expeditionary force of two army corps, each with a 'field battalion' of RE
sappers A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing fie ...
. In 1887 2nd Field Battalion supporting II Corps comprised 12th, 26th, 37th and 38th Field Companies. The field battalions were shortlived: by 1898 the RE component of each corps was supposed to comprise a pontoon troop, a telegraph division, a balloon section, a field company, a field park and a railway company. The corps remained paper arrangements only, without assigned staff, and when the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
broke out in 1899 the formations and units assigned to the army corps proceeded overseas separately, and never concentrated in South Africa. After the Boer War the Haldane Reforms of 1908 established an expeditionary force of six divisions with a detailed mobilisation scheme, so that every unit had a defined position in the order of battle and mobilisation was regularly practised. The divisions became permanent formations, but II Corps HQ had to be improvised from the staffs of Eastern Command and Southern Command for the Army Manoeuvres of 1912, and again when the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was mobilised on the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.


World War I

When mobilisation began on 5 August 1914, the Chief Engineer (CE) of Irish Command, Temporary Brigadier-General
A.E. Sandbach Major-General Arthur Edmund Sandbach (30 July 1859 – 25 June 1928) was a British Army general officer who served in the Royal Engineers and on the General Staff, eventually rising to command the 68th (2nd Welsh) and 59th (2nd North Midland ...
, was immediately appointed CE of II Corps and went with it to France. At this date the RE was responsible for the Army's Signal Service, and Major A.B.R. Hildebrand also went as Assistant-Director of Signals for II Corps.Becke, pp. 137–41. As the BEF assembled in France, the following RE troops were assigned to II Corps: * 2nd Corps Signal Company ** E, M, O and P Sections * No 2 Bridging Train II Corps served on the Western Front throughout the war. RE units were assigned to the corps as required for operations, but by 1916 each corps had two 'army troops' companies, one tunnelling company and one special works company. In September 1918 CE II Corps had the following units under command:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 22. * 20th Army Troops Company * 138th Army Troops Company * 289th Army Troops Company * 556th (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company * 255th Tunnelling Company At the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
on 11 November 1918 II Corps Signals were organised as follows: * 'B' Corps Signal Company ** No 33 (Motor) Airline Section ** No 83 (Motor) Airline Section ** AP Cable Section ** J Cable Section II Corps formed part of the
British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...
after the Armistice. Its HQ and CE staff were disbanded about November 1919.


World War II


Mobilisation

II Corps was mobilised again when a new British Expeditionary Force was sent to France at the beginning of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. II Corps was assigned a mixed group of RE companies as II Corps Troops, RE (II CTRE) under the command of Lt-Col P.F. Foley:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 130. * 14 Corps Field Survey Company – mobilised at
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
from the Survey Battalion, RE, (
Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...
)Watson & Rinaldi, p. 152. * 222 (2nd London) Army Field Company – at
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from London Division ( Territorial Army (TA))Watson & Rinaldi, p. 162. * 234 (Northumbrian) Army Field Company – at Gateshead from GHQ Troops (TA)Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 163–4. * 240 (Lowland) Army Field Company – at
Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbrid ...
from 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division (TA) * 108 (Essex) Corps Field Park Company – at
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, from GHQ Troops ( Supplementary Reserve)Watson & Rinaldi, p. 157. In mid-September the companies assembled at Savannah Barracks,
Bordon Camp Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps are British Army training camps close to the A3 and A325 roads in and around the settlements of Bordon, Longmoor, Liss and Liphook in Hampshire, England. The main street of the Longmoor part of the camp is bui ...
, and collected motor transport (MT), both from
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ordnance depot and requisitioned civilian vehicles from Guildford. The transport then moved to
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
to embark for France, 222 Fd Co aboard the troopship ''Manxman'' bound for Cherbourg.Edwards, pp. 157–61.


Battle of France

Once concentrated, II Corps moved on 12 October up to the French frontier, where the sappers spent the
Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...
period on defence works to extend the Maginot Line. II CTRE assigned 222 Field Co to assist 3rd Division at Bouvines. When the German offensive in the west opened on 10 May 1940. the BEF advanced into Belgium in accordance with 'Plan D'. 222nd Field Co immediately went forward to blow the Dyle bridges round Louvain. However, the German Army broke through the Ardennes to the east, forcing the BEF to withdraw again, and by 19 May the whole force was back across the Escaut and then went back to the so-called 'Canal Line'. The engineers carried out as many bridge demolitions as possible to delay the German advance. By 26 May the BEF was cut off and the decision was made to evacuate it through Dunkirk (
Operation Dynamo Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
), with II Corps acting as flank guard against the German penetration where the Belgian Army had surrendered. The last of the BEF who could enter the Dunkirk bridgehead had done so by 29 May and the evacuation progressed: III Corps went first, followed by II Corps after handing over responsibility for the eastern flank to the rearguards of
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
. 222 Field Co reached Bray-Dunes on 30 May and was embarked on several vessels, most on HMS ''Calcutta'', which landed them at Sheerness next day, others party aboard HMS ''Halcyon'', which landed them at Dover. Various detached demolition parties came back later. Most of II Corps including the rest of II CTRE was evacuated on the night of 31 May/1 June.


Home Defence

After the evacuation, the companies of II CTRE reassembled at Blandford Camp, then II Corps concentrated in East Anglia under Eastern Command and concentrated on building defence works – described by General Ironside (
Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces was a senior officer in the British Army during the First and Second World Wars. The role of the appointment was firstly to oversee the training and equipment of formations in preparation for their deployment ove ...
) as 'minor Maginot Lines along the coast' – in which task the RE was assisted by large numbers of civilian contractors. 14 Field Survey Company left, and on 16 July 222 Fd Co returned to 2nd London Division, but in September II CTRE was reinforced by the arrival of 173 Railway Tunnelling Company. II Corps continued in Eastern England during 1941–43, preparing for an invasion that never came. 173 Tunnelling Company left II CTRE during 1941 (it later served in the Siege of Malta). By the middle of 1943 most of the fighting units in Britain had been sent to overseas theatres or were assigned to 21st Army Group for the planned invasion of Normandy ( Operation Overlord). II Corps had no role in these plans and in July 1943 II Corps HQ was disbanded (it retained a notional existence as a deception formation in Operation Fortitude North) and its units dispersed. II Corps Troops RE merged with I CTRE, with 234 and 240 Fd Cos joining the latter and later taking part in Overlord. Brigadier P.F. Foley, who had commanded II CTRE during the Battle of France, went on to be Chief Engineer (CE) of 'Fortbase', the administrative echelon of
15th Army Group The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of ...
in the
Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...
, and CE Works during the Italian Campaign.Pakenham-Walsh, Vol IX, pp. 35–7, 82.


Footnotes


Notes


References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Sir Arthur Bryant, ''The Turn of the Tide, 1939–1943'', London: Collins, 1957.
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1914'', Vol I, 3rd Edn, London: Macmillan,1933/Woking: Shearer, 1986, . * Maj D.K. Edwards, ''A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967'', London, 1967.
Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004.
* Halik Kochanski, ''Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian Hero'', London: Hambledon, 1999, . * Joshua Levine, ''Operation Fortitude: The Greatest Hoax of the Second World War'', London: Collins, 2011, . * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * D.S. Macdiarmid, ''The Life of Lieut. General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson'', London: Constable. 1923.
D.J. Newbold, ''British planning and preparations to resist invasion on land, September 1939 - September 1940'' Thesis, King's College, University of London.
* Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol VIII, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol IX, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, . * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . {{refend 2 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943