The 1st Middlesex Engineers was the senior engineer unit of Britain's

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

, raised in 1860 and originally recruited from the

South Kensington Museum South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

. It provided

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

(RE) units to the

47th (1/2nd London) Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

, the

47th (London) Infantry Division The 47th (London) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and remained in the United Kingdom until the end of the war. In March 1939, after the re-emergenc ...

, the 56th (London) Divisions, and the

60th (2/2nd London) Division The 60th (2/2nd London) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army raised during World War I. It was the second line-formation of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, and was the second of two such Territorial Force ...

during both World Wars. The engineers served on the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

's Western Front from 1915 to 1918, and in a number of theatres during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It also served in the postwar Territorial Army, until 1967.

Volunteer Force

The enthusiasm for the

Volunteer movement The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrate ...

following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in time of need. Soon the need for military engineer ('

Sapper A sapper, also called a 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 field defenses ...

') units to support the Rifle Volunteers was recognised, and a group from the

, headed by

Norman MacLeod of MacLeod Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (18 July 1812 – 5 February 1895) was the 25th Chief of Clan MacLeod. Biography Norman MacLeod of MacLeod was born on 18 July 1812 at Dunvegan, Skye. He was the son of John Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (1788–1835) ...

, approached the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

(WO) with an offer to raise two companies from the engineering and allied professions. The proposal was accepted in January 1860 and enlistment began on 6 February, creating the first Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVC). MacLeod was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in command and a year later was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

as the unit rapidly grew beyond its initial two companies. By November 1863 the 1st Middlesex EVC had 10 companies and was recruiting an 11th:Beckett, Appendix IX.Westlake, pp. 11–2.2nd London Engineers at Regiments.org
/ref>''Monthly Army List'', various dates. * Nos 1, 2, 3 & 5 Companies at South Kensington Museum * No 4 Company at Chelsea * No 6 Company at

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

* No 7 Company at

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

* No 8 Company at Brompton * No 9 Company at

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

* No 10 Company at

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

* No 11 Company at 69

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,1st Essex, 1st London and 1st Tower Hamlets EVCs were administratively linked to the 1st Middlesex (these units became independent from 1871, 1868 and 1868 respectively). The unit outgrew its headquarters (HQ) at the South Kensington Museum and moved a short distance to Whitehead's Grove in Chelsea (it dropped its '(South Kensington)' subtitle in 1862) and in 1865 opened a purpose-built drill hall in College Street (today's Elystan Street) in Chelsea, designed by Capt

Francis Fowke Francis Fowke (7 July 1823 – 4 December 1865) was an Irish engineer and architect, and a captain in the Corps of Royal Engineers. Most of his architectural work was executed in the Renaissance style, although he made use of relatively new ...

, RE, who had designed the new South Kensington Museum (the V&A). MacLeod relinquished command in 1871 and was appointed honorary colonel of the corps.Edwards, Appendix F. By the end of 1873 the corps had dwindled to 210 men in six companies and a recruiting campaign was held, which brought it back up to nine companies, including two (A and G) in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

and one based at the

Royal Indian Engineering College The Royal Indian Engineering College (or RIEC) was a British college of Civil Engineering run by the India Office to train civil engineers for service in the Indian Public Works Department. It was located on the Cooper's Hill estate, near Egham, ...

, Cooper's Hill, near

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

. When the

1st Sussex Engineers The 1st Sussex Engineers was a Volunteer Force, Volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Engineers raised in Eastbourne in 1890. It became the engineer component of the 44th (Home Counties) Division of the Territorial Force, but its units saw action with ...

was raised in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

in 1890 it was attached to the 1st Middlesex until 1892 when it was transferred to the 1st Hampshire. The

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

Cadet Corps was affiliated with the 1st Middlesex in 1893. All the EVCs' titles were changed to simply 'Royal Engineers (Volunteers)' in 1896.

Active service

In 1882 the 1st Middlesex offered a detachment for service in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, which was accepted. After

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of Sunday 10 December – Sunday 17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg on Sunday 10 December, Mage ...

in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. The 1st Middlesex Engineers sent a detachment of one officer and 25 other ranks (ORs) to work with the

(RE). They embarked at

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

aboard the ''

Tintagel Castle Tintagel Castle () is a England in the Middle Ages, medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island adjacent to the village of Tintagel (Trevena), North Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Ro ...

'' with similar sections from 11 other EVCs on 10 March 1900. The ship arrived at

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

on 31 March. The detachments returned home after a year's service, but the 1st Middlesex sent a second detachment in 1901. Members of the 1st Middlesex also volunteered for other active service units, bringing the total of those who served in South Africa to two officers and 100 ORs, of whom five died.Edwards, p. 23, Appendix Ai.

Territorial Force

When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

(TF) under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the e ...

of 1908, the 1st Middlesex Engineers provided the divisional engineers for the TF's

2nd London Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

with the following organisation:Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 69–75.Lord & Watson, pp. 156–8.Nalder, p. 610. SaatchiGallery

* HQ at

Duke of York's Headquarters The Duke of York's Headquarters is a building in Chelsea, London, Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England. In 1969 it was declared a listed building at Grade II*, due to its outstanding historic or architectural special i ...

(DOYHQ), Chelsea * 3rd London Field Company * 4th London Field Company * 2nd London Divisional Telegraph Company ** No 1 Section, Duke of York's Headquarters ** No 2 (4th London) Section ** No 3 (5th London) Section ** No 4 (6th London) Section Nos 2–4 Sections of the Telegraph Company were attached to and largely manned by the 4th–6th infantry brigades of the division. It was termed a Signal Company from 1911. Tonbridge School Cadet Corps became part of the Junior Division of the

Officers Training Corps The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC), are British Army reserve units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which recruit exclusively from universities and focus on ...

, but the Royal Engineer Cadets (2nd London Division) continued to be affiliated to the unit.

First World War

Mobilisation

When war was declared on 4 August 1914 most units of 2nd London Division had just reached camps at

Perham Down Perham Down is a village in Wiltshire, England, in Tidworth parish on the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain. It lies on a minor road about east of the town of Tidworth and southwest of the town of Ludgershall. The county border with Hampshire is ...

to carry out annual training. They immediately returned to their HQs and mobilised. 3rd London Field Company went to

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

to carry out defence works, but by mid-August the whole division was concentrated at its war stations around

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

. The Divisional Commander, RE (CRE) was Lieutenant-Colonel H.H. Taylor, who had his HQ at

Gorhambury Old Gorhambury House located near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, is a ruined Elizabethan mansion, a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. History The old house It was built in 1563–68 by Nicholas Bacon (courtier), S ...

, 3rd Company was at Shafford's Farm, 4th Company at Gorhambury Park, and the Signal Company in

billet In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

s in St Albans. On the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the WO issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later the 2nd Line were prepared for overseas service and 3rd Line units were raised. The WO also decided that each infantry division should have an additional RE field company, to allow one for each brigade. For 2nd London Divisional Engineers this should have been the 1/6th London Company, but the 2/3rd Field Company had already been formed at Chelsea in October, and this took the place, so the 1/6th Company joined the 2/2nd London Division when it was formed. 2/3rd Field Co trained with the rest of the 2nd Line at St Albans until it was ready to go overseas.Edwards, p. 44.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 34.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 62.

47th (1/2nd London) Divisional RE

Shortly after mobilisation, elements of 2nd London Division went to France independently to reinforce the BEF fighting on the Western Front: 1/3rd London Fd Co left for

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

in January 1915 to join the newly formed 28th Division, composed mainly of Regular units brought back from Colonial garrisons. 28th Division embarked at Southampton 15–18 January and took its place in the line. The company suffered its first casualties, including the officer commanding (OC), Major S.D. Sewell, killed while working in the line in the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient, around Ypres, in Belgium, was the scene of several battles and a major part of the Western Front during World War I. Location Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. The city is overlooked b ...

. However, 1/3rd London Fd Co returned to 2nd London Division on 6 April 1915, before 28th Division went into large-scale action.Maude, Appendix D. 1/2nd London Division was chosen as one of the first complete TF formations to join the BEF. It began its move on 8 March 1915 and by 22 March had concentrated in the

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a town in northern France, Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department. Geography Béthune is located in the Provinces of Fran ...

area.Edwards, p. 48. From the formation of the 2nd Line, the 1st Line Signal Company was commanded by Major Sir Lionel Alexander, Bart, from 23rd Bn London Regiment (and originally the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

). Once in France, although 'vaguely' under the divisional CRE, the company usually came under the control of Corps HQ, while the sections were with their brigades. On 11 May the division was designated as 47th (2nd London) Division, and the RE as 47th (London) Divisional RE. The division took over a section of the line near

Festubert Festubert () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southwest of Lille. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert ...

, and its infantry played a part in the

Battle of Festubert The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British ...

. The sappers were engaged in improving trench systems, and suffered a steady trickle of casualties, including the OC of 1/4th London Fd Co, Major H.H.S. Marsh. 2/3rd London Field Company left St Albans on 22 June, embarked on the SS ''City of Dunkirk'' for

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

, and joined the rest of the divisional RE at

Nœux-les-Mines Nœux-les-Mines () is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Nœux-les-Mines is situated some south of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the jun ...

Loos

The division's first major offensive action was the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used Chemical weapons in World War I, ...

.The front lines were opposite

Loos-en-Gohelle Loos-en-Gohelle (, ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography It is a former coal mining town, three miles northwest of the centre of Lens. The two largest (184 m & 182 m) spo ...

and on 27 August the divisional RE began work on a new start line. Each night an infantry battalion was brought up from Nœux-les-Mines to dig under the supervision of the sappers, and of trenches were dug in three weeks, including special recesses for gas cylinders. At 06.30 on 25 September, after a 40-minute discharge of

poison gas Many gases have toxic properties, which are often assessed using the LC50 (median lethal concentration) measure. In the United States, many of these gases have been assigned an NFPA 704 health rating of 4 (may be fatal) or 3 (may cause serious ...

, the infantry of 47th Division 'went over the top' accompanied by parties of sappers. Two sections from 1/3rd Fd Co were with

140th (4th London) Brigade The 140th (4th London) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army's Territorial Army (TA) that had its origins in a South London Brigade (known as the 'Grey Brigade') of the former Volunteer Force. It served on the Western Fro ...

and two from 1/4th Fd Co were with

141st (5th London) Brigade The 141st (5th London) Brigade (141 Bde) was an infantry brigade of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army, part of the British Army, that served in the World War I, First World War and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the Wo ...

; two more sections of 1/3rd Fd Co were with 142nd (6th London) Brigade, which was only to make a demonstration. The remainder of the Divisional RE was in reserve. Casualties in the attack were moderate, and the division's two attacking brigades took their objectives with the exception of one strongpoint where the Germans held out for 48 hours. Major E.B. Blogg, OC of 1/4th Fd Co, was awarded a

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) after he went out under heavy shellfire to cut the electric leads to

mines Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun Mi ...

laid by the enemy under the church tower at Loos. However, the flanking divisions had not done as well, and 47th Division was forced to fight to hold onto its gains. After four days the frontline brigades were relieved, while 142nd Bde relieved part of the

Guards Division The Guards Division was an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division was responsible for providing tw ...

, and in turn spent three days in the line. During this period the brigade signal office in a Loos cellar was blown in, causing casualties, but communication back to Divisional HQ was restored in about 10 minutes/Edwards, p. 51. Once the front line had settled down, signal lines were quickly laid from brigade HQs to battalion HQs and in some cases company HQs, while the motorcycle despatch riders (DRs) did good work on the exposed road into Loos. Maintaining communication from divisional HQ back to corps HQ proved more difficult, because wagon movements after dar continually disrupted the signal cables. The division was engaged on 8 October when heavy enemy counter-attacks were repulsed.

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

used 9000

Grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

s in two-and-a-half hours, all of which had to be fused by the RE working under great pressure. 47th Division spent the winter of 1915–16 in the Loos salient, with the REs attempting to shore up trenches collapsing under incessant rain. The divisional RE built a new fire trench using Russian saps, but this was damaged by German

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

. On 23 January British tunnellers blew 'Harrison Crater', but this did much damage to the British trenches. In attempting to seize and consolidate the crater, 1/4th Fd Co suffered heavy casualties and had to be relieved by 2/3rd Fd Co. The crater was lost later after a German retaliatory mine was fired. On 15 February the division was relieved and went into GHQ Reserve. From March to July the division was in the

Vimy Vimy lemish: Wimi or ; ) is a commune in the French department of Pas-de-Calais. Located west of Vimy is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Canadian soldiers who were killed during the First Wor ...

area, where there was intensive mining by both sides and the sappers were employed in consolidating the craters. Major Blogg was mortally wounded by a sniper in March and his successor was killed within a few days. On 3 May the British fired four mines north of 'Ersatz Avenue' trench forming three big craters, which were seized and consolidated by the 1/21st Londons and 2/3rd London Fd Co. One of these craters was named 'Love Crater' after Major Love, OC 2/3rd Fd Co. The crater lips gave splendid observation over the German lines. On 21 May the Germans began an intensive bombardment of this area, extending into the British rear areas. The smoke and dust thrown up obscured observation for the British guns, and lachrymatory shells increased the confusion. After fours hours the Germans fired a mine and attacked in overwhelming numbers: they 'had little more to do that take possession of the 140th Brigade sector'. The situation was so critical for a while that all three companies of 47th Divisional RE were brought up under the CRE, Lieutenant-Colonel Sydney D'Aguilar Crookshank, to man the trenches. In June 1/19th Londons carried out a trench raid, accompanied by sappers from 1/4th London Fd Co carrying slabs of

Gun-cotton Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

to blow in

dugouts Dugout may refer to: * Dugout (shelter), an underground shelter * Dugout (boat), a logboat * Dugout (smoking), a marijuana container Sports * In bat-and-ball sports, a dugout is one of two areas where players of the home or opposing teams sit whe ...

High Wood

In August the division moved to the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

sector to join the British offensive, and began training for an attack at

High Wood The Attacks on High Wood, near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme ''département'' of northern France, took place between the British Fourth Army and the German 1st Army during the Battle of the Somme. After the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 Ju ...

. This was made on 15 September, resulting in extremely heavy casualties; the RE went in with the attackers and 2/3rd London Fd Co were instrumental in consolidating the 'Starfish Line' after its capture on 18 September. 47th (2nd London) Division took part in further attacks on the Somme in October, capturing

Eaucourt l'Abbaye Warlencourt-Eaucourt (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Warlencourt-Eaucourt is situated some south of Arras, at the junction of the D929 and the D10E roads. Population Plac ...

before being relieved and sent to the Ypres Salient, where it spent the winter in trench warfare and raiding. On 1 February 1917 all TF RE companies received numbers; in 47th Divisional RE they were assigned as follows: * 1/3rd London Fd Co became 517th (1/3rd London) * 1/4th London Fd Co became 518th (1/4th London) * 2/3rd London Fd Co became 520th (2/3rd London) On 20 February a party from 520th Fd Co and

2nd Australian Tunnelling Company The 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Australian Engineers during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines ...

accompanied 1/6th Londons in a successful trench raid near Hill 60, but a similar raid next month by 1/18th Londons and a detachment of 517th Fd Co turned into a pitched battle with heavy casualties. The division took part in the Battle of Messines in June, when a deep penetration was made into the enemy position and the signal company quickly established communications. 47th (2nd L) Division then remained in the Ypres Salient, with the sappers working under shellfire to prepare tracks and railways for the resumption of the Third Ypres Offensive (the

Battle of the Menin Road Ridge The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, sometimes called "Battle of the Menin Road", was the third British general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle took place from 20 to 25 September 1917, in the Ypres Salient ...

) in September.

Bourlon Wood

47th (2nd London) Division left the Ypres Salient on 21 September and travelled south to hold the line around Oppy and

Gavrelle Gavrelle () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France northeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the Pas ...

until November, where the infantry carried out a major trench raid on 4 November with RE demolition teams and signal parties in support. It then went to take over positions in

Bourlon Wood The Bourlon Wood Memorial, near Bourlon, France, is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps during the final months of the First World War; a period also known as Canada's Hundred Days, part of the Hundred Day ...

that had been captured during the Battle of Cambrai. The relief was carried out under gas shelling, and on 30 November the division was hit by a fierce German counter-attack. Some of the RE acted as infantry reinforcing the hard-pressed 1/15th Londons, others as stretcher-bearers. After bitter fighting and heavy casualties, the division was ordered to retreat on the night of 4/5 December while the RE destroyed dugouts and equipment that could not be withdrawn, and the signallers recovered their cables. They were the last to leave the wood, blowing up the captured enemy guns that had not been taken away, and destroying the catacombs under Graincourt.

Spring Offensive

The

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

broke on 47th Division's positions near Cambrai on 21 March 1918. Casualties were heavy, and the division was withdrawn that night, coordinated by the Signal Company's buried cable communications. It continued to be forced back the following day, and the field companies went into the line to reinforce the infantry, proving in the words of the divisional history 'that they were as good fighters as they were engineers'. On 24 March the Germans threatened the retreat of the divisional transport, but the divisional RE and pioneer battalion defended the road until it could withdraw, causing heavy casualties to the attackers. By now the division had no cable communications and had to rely on despatch riders: its OC, Major W.F. Bruce, took vital messages up to the brigade HQs in person, and was captured. The division crossed the

Ancre The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near Pu ...

on 25/26 March, and got one day's rest before going back to improve the defence line. On the night of 3/4 April a party of 518th Fd Co went out with an infantry fighting patrol to destroy Black Horse Bridge. On 5 April the Germans made a heavy attack on the division, but were held after desperate fighting. 47th Division was finally relieved on 8/9 April.

Hundred Days

47th (2nd London) Division occupied a quiet part of the line until August while it rested and absorbed drafts, though there was plenty of work for the sappers digging new trenches and constructing concrete machine gun positions and dugouts. The division joined in the Allied

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

on 22 August, meeting strong opposition, but captured its objectives after a night attack on 23/24 August. The advance continued from 31 August to 2 September. The CRE had his sappers and pioneers hard on the heels of the advancing infantry, who ended this phase by constructing crossings over the

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise in Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal in Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

. By now the division was very weak, and it was withdrawn to prepare to relieve another division from the Italian Front. However, the Germans on the Western Front were retreating quickly, and 47th (2nd L) Division was brought back to the line to hasten their departure. The RE spent much time repairing roads and bridges to allow the transport to keep up with the advance. The division masked

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

for 10 days and then took the outer forts with little opposition on 16 October. It took part in the official entry into the city on 28 October. On 8 November the enemy evacuated

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

, the sappers built footbridges over the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

and began work on a heavy trestle bridge. The 1st Engineer Company of the

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

was attached to the division at this time. The

Armistice with Germany {{Short description, none This is a list of armistices signed by the German Empire (1871–1918) or Nazi Germany (1933–1945). An armistice is a temporary agreement to cease hostilities. The period of an armistice may be used to negotiate a peace t ...

took effect on 11 November, and the division concentrated round Tournai. While awaiting

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...

, the division repaired the Tournai–

Ath Ath (; , ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, Irchonwelz, Isières ...

railway, and then settled down into winter quarters around Béthune, where it had originally concentrated in 1915. The first parties left for England in early January, and by 28 March all the units had been reduced to cadre strength.

60th (2/2nd London) Divisional RE

Major R.Q. Henriques, OC of 4th London Field Company, was promoted to CRE of the 2/2nd Division and began recruiting at the Duke of York's HQ in early September 1914. The divisional RE particularly sought artisans and volunteers from various local engineering works and gained a number of recruits who had returned to the UK from engineering jobs overseas in order to volunteer. Training was carried out with borrowed tools and equipment. By November four companies each of 250 men had been enlisted: 2/3rd, 3/3rd, 2/4th and 1/6th, of which the 2/3rd was despatched as the third field company for the 47th Division at St Albans (''see above''). At the new year the division moved into billets in Surrey, with the RE companies at Nutfield, where they practised entrenching in a field. The whole division took part in digging anti-invasion defences along the Surrey Hills. In March 1915 the division had to send large drafts to bring the 1st Line division up to establishment before it proceeded overseas; a further vigorous recruiting campaign was therefore carried out. The 2/2nd London Division then took the place of the 1st Line in the St Albans area, with the RE at

Radlett Radlett is a large village in Hertfordshire, England, between Elstree and St Albans on Watling Street, with a population of 10,060. It is in the council district of Hertsmere in the south of the county, and forms part of the civil parish of A ...

and

Shenley Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Chipping Barnet, Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 14 miles from Central London. As of 2021, the population of the parish was 5,390; however, the parish stretc ...

. The division moved to

Bishops Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the London commuter belt, near the border with Essex, just west of the M11 motorway and Stansted ...

in May, where training was pushed forward. In August 1915 the division was numbered as 60th (2/2nd London) Division.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 25–32.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 36–7. In January 1916 the 60th Division moved to the

Warminster Warminster () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of 18,173 in 2021. The name ''Warminster'' occurs first i ...

training area on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

, based at

Sutton Veny Sutton Veny is a village and civil parish in the Wylye valley, to the southeast of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England; the village is about from Warminster town centre. 'Sutton' means 'south farmstead' in relation to Norton Bavant, on ...

. It built a complete trench system and practised trench warfare. On 24 April a warning order to proceed overseas was received, and on 21 June the division began embarking for Le Havre, concentrating near

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

on 29 June. From now on the field companies generally accompanied the infantry brigades: 2/4th with

179th (2/4th London) Brigade The 179th (2/4th London) Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the First World War. It was assigned to the 60th (2/2nd London) Division and served in the Middle East. Raised by Colonel, later Brigadier-General, Ned Baird. Formation ...

, 1/6th with 180th (2/5th London), and 3/3rd with 181st (2/6th London). The division was attached to

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the World War I, First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was ra ...

for its introduction to trench warfare, and then took over the line on its on account in mid-July. The whole area was overlooked by the enemy on Vimy Ridge and was honeycombed with mine galleries and mine craters. Fresh mines were regularly blown, each followed by a fight over possession of the crater lips involving both infantry and sappers. The division was also active in trench raiding. Autumn rains damaged the trenches and created much work for the sappers.

Salonika

60th (2/2nd London) Division had been earmarked to join in the

Somme Offensive The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, but instead was switched to the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

. This required the RE companies to reorganise with pack mule transport rather than horse-drawn wagons. The CRE and 2/4th Fd Co left in the first ship from

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, SS ''Translyvania'', and reached

Salonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

with 179th Bde on 30 November. The rest of the division followed by mid-December, while 179th Bde and 2/4th Fd Co were sent to guard the southwestern approaches to Salonika: the sappers had to repair the railway to allow their train to proceed. The company then spent the next three months constructing a pier at Skala Vromeria, defences to cover the Petra Pass, and the requisite roads including 'Chelsea Bridge' (built by 2/4th Fd Co and a working party of the 2nd London Scottish). At the end of 1916 the rest of the divisional RE moved up to the main line, 1/6th Fd Co joining 180th Bde south of Lake Doiran, 3/3rd Fd Co and 181 Bde arriving last, east of the Lake. The field companies in 60th Divisional RE were now assigned numbers as follows:Edwards, p. 76. * 3/3rd London Fd Co became 519th (3/3rd London) on 5 February * 2/4th London Fd Co became 521st (2/4th London) on 7 February * 1/6th London Fd Co became 522nd (1/6th London) on 1 February On the Doiran front 60th Division began a policy of vigorous raiding of Bulgarian outposts. For example, on the evening of 17 February 181st Bde attacked the village of Brest, evicting the garrison and holding it all night while an RE demolition party rendered it untenable. Each time the Bulgarians repaired the defences, the brigade raided Brest and the Hodza Redoubt, taking prisoners and causing destruction. At the end of March 179 Bde and 521st Fd Co rejoined the division, which took up new positions for the opening of the Spring offensive. On 5 April German

Gotha bomber ''Gothaer Waggonfabrik'' (''Gotha'', GWF) was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building. World War I In World War I, Go ...

s raided Karasuli, catching a column of waggons waiting to load up with RE stores: only one man was wounded but all the waggons and mules were destroyed. The Allies launched their offensive (the Battle of Doiran at the end of April, with 60th Division carrying out a diversionary raid on the night of 24/25 April against 'The Nose'. The infantry of 2/20th Londons were accompanied by sappers of 519th Fd Co carrying

Bangalore torpedo A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially ...

es to breach the

barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...

. They were caught by searchlights while negotiating the gaps in the wire, and only one party was able to dash through into the Bulgarian trenches. Here they fought off counter-attacks while the sappers carried out demolitions before withdrawing; casualties were severe. For the second phase of the battle on 8/9 May 179th Bde carried out a surprise attack accompanied by 521st Fd Co. All five objectives were taken without serious resistance, and the gains were extended the following morning and then counter-attacks were beaten back on 10 May while the sappers and pioneers consolidated the ground won.

Palestine

The fighting died down in later May, and on 1 June 60th Division was given new orders: it was to re-embark on 12 June, bound for

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

to reinforce the

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a military formation of the British Empire, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–1915), at the ...

(EEF). After arriving in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

on 3 July the engineers had to reorganise for wheeled and camel transport, followed by desert training. Lieutenant-Colonel C.B. Thomson took over as CRE on 27 August. On 30 October the 60th Division concentrated for the

Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the Ba ...

and took part in the attack on Beersheba the following day. The division advanced with two brigades (179th and 181st), each accompanied by its field company, the third field company being held ready to move into Beersheba at short notice. The town fell to the

Desert Mounted Corps The Desert Mounted Corps was an army corps of the British Army during the First World War, of three mounted divisions renamed in August 1917 by General Edmund Allenby, from Desert Column. These divisions which served in the Sinai and Palestine ...

, and 519th and 521st Fd Cos entered the town to get the water supply going: only two of 17 wells had been destroyed, though the remainder were prepared for demolition. The Sheria position, with its water supply, was taken on 6–7 November after a march across the desert and a pre-dawn attack, and Huj was taken on 8 November. After a rest, the division marched again in the operation to capture

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, advancing on 8 December with 179th Bde and a section of 521st Fd Co leading the attack on the right, 180th Bde with 519th Fd Co on the left, and 181st Bde and 522nd Fd Co in reserve. As 179th Bde's columns advanced, RE parties with pioneers were dropped off at intervals to improve the muddy track and direct the follow-up troops. Despite bad weather, the attacks were successful in driving back the Turks, and on 9 December the city's civilian leaders surrendered it to two sergeants of 2/19th Londons. The division then had to defend its gains against fierce Turkish counter-attacks (22–28 December) before resuming its advance to positions from which it could cover the city during the next pause in operations. Early in February the division began advancing on

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

, advancing as three independent brigade groups with their usual RE companies attached (the RE detachment with 180th Bde in the centre was specially tasked with repairing culverts). After preliminary moves on 14 February, the brigades attacked on 18 February and by 21 February had fought their way over very bad ground to within of Jericho, and the town was captured next day by the ANZAC Mounted Division. Auja pontoon bridge

60th Division was now tasked with crossing the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic basin, endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and d ...

in order to raid the enemy's communications around

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

: it was to cross at

Ghoraniyeh Ghoraniyeh or El Ghorahiyeh is a crossing (ford (crossing), ford) by the Jordan River south of Wadi Nimrin on the left bank where it joins Wadi an Nuway'imah (Nuei'ameh, Nu'eima, etc.) on the right bank.Trelawney Saunders, ''An Introduction to the ...

, one of two bridging sites that had been identified. 521st Field Co extemporised rafts of timber, wire netting and tarpaulin to get infantry across and then form the basis for an infantry assault bridge. However, the floodwater prevented them being launched on the nights of 21/22 or 22/23 March. The first infantry only got across on 23 March after the Anzacs had already crossed, 521st's assault bridge then being quickly followed by a barrel pier constructed by 519th Fd Co and by a pontoon bridge by the army's bridging train. 522nd Field Co then began to build a heavy timber trestle bridge on 25 March, but the rising floodwater caused this to be abandoned on 29 March. Instead 522 Fd Co built a suspension bridge between 1 and 18 April after cables had been brought from Egypt. A second raid lasting from 30 April to 4 May was launched from this bridgehead. The EEF now had to provide urgent reinforcements to counter the German Spring Offensive on the Western Front. 60th Division was 'Indianised' and about three-quarters of its London infantry battalions went to France, to be replaced with

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

units. In the Divisional RE, 522nd Fd Co went to

7th (Meerut) Division The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army and, before 1895, the Bengal Army, that saw active service during World War I. Pre-1857 The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the comman ...

on 18 July 1918, and No 1 Company, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners joined in exchange.Perry, pp. 83–90.

Megiddo

The final offensive in Palestine (the Battle of Megiddo) began on 19 September, with 60th and 7th (Meerut) Divisions rapidly breaking through along the coastal plain to capture Tulkarm and Tabsor respectively, opening a gap for the cavalry to exploit. The pursuit after the battle was a cavalry affair, and 60th Division was left behind on battlefield salvage work, while 7th (Meerut) Division participated in the advance across the Jordan to

Baalbek Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...

. The Armistice with Turkey came into force on 31 October. By 26 November the whole of 60th Division was back in Alexandria, where the RE carried out various engineering tasks while demobilisation got under way. At one point 519th Fd Co was put under orders to proceed to Russia, but these were cancelled. Units were progressively reduced to cadre, and the division was disbanded on 31 May 1919. 7th (Meerut) Division remained as part of the occupation force in Palestine until its units were dispersed in 1920.

3/2nd London Engineers

Once it became clear that the 2/2nd London Division would be sent overseas, its units began forming a 3rd Line to continue the role of training reinforcement drafts for overseas service and to take over the men who had enlisted for Home Service only. In mid-1915 the 3/2nd London Divisional Engineers came into being at Chelsea, with the 2/6th, 3/4th and 4/3rd London Field Companies and the 3/2nd London Signal Company. They moved for training to

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt racing, National Hunt races and one Group One, Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Sta ...

, with the 3/1st London Divisional Engineers billeted nearby. 3/2nd Signal Company then moved a short way to join other signal units for specialist training at

Oatlands Park Oatlands Palace is a former Tudor and Stuart royal palace which took the place of the former manor of the village of Oatlands near Weybridge, Surrey. Little remains of the original building, so excavations of the palace took place in 1964 to ...

, with Company HQ at Stafford Lodge and the cable wagons and horses in the stables of the Oatlands Park Hotel. Early on the strength of the 3rd Line units was fairly high, but significant numbers of officers and NCOs were detached on the staff, as clerks or as draughtsmen, and there was continual turnover of personnel as drafts were sent to the 1st and 2nd Lines and others posted back to Home Establishment. In February 1917, in common with the rest of the TF RE units, the field companies were numbered: * 2/6th London Fd Co became 523rd (2/6th London) * 3/4th London Fd Co became 524th (3/4th London) * 4/3rd London Fd Co became 525th (4/3rd London) At the end of 1917 Sandown Park was required for other purposes, so the units moved to houses nearby, and the sappers practised dry bridging and field works in Oxshott Woods, with attachments to

Brightlingsea Brightlingsea (, traditionally , , ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the Tendring District, Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, at the mouth of the River Colne, Essex, River Colne, on ...

for wet bridging and pontoon work. By Christmas 1917 the demand for drafts had depleted the units, which were reduced to a single company (525th Reserve Fd Co). This in turn was disbanded in early 1918, with a final draft of 140 sappers being sent to France and all remaining horse transport drivers being sent to the RE depot at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

Interwar years

47th (2nd London) Division began to reform at home on 16 February 1920. At first, the divisional RE was to reform as two battalions: 3 and 4 Bns (2 London), then only 3 Bn was proceeded with. When the TF was reconstituted as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921, the battalion idea was dropped and the divisional RE adopted the following organisation:Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 90, 100. * 220 (2nd London) Field Company * 221 (2nd London) Field Company * 222 (2nd London) Field Company * 223 (2nd London) Field Park Company – absorbed into Divisional RE HQ on 1 May 1924 The signal company transferred to the new

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

as 47th (2nd London) Divisional Signals. In the coal strike of April 1921 a Defence Force was formed, drawing its personnel from the TA, many of whom did not rejoin the unit after the political crisis had ended. Recruitment was also hampered by the migration of working Londoners away from Chelsea. Mechanisation of the unit began in 1934. To meet the growing threat of air attack, a number of TA units began to be converted to the anti-aircraft (AA) role during the 1930s. On 16 December 1935, 47th (2nd London) Divisional HQ was redesignated 1st AA Division, and a number of London infantry battalions were converted. The remaining battalions and the divisional assets were pooled under 56th (1st London) Divisional HQ, which became simply the London Division; 47th Division provided the divisional RE of the merged formation.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 143.

Second World War

Mobilisation

Following the

Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the German annexation of part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudete ...

, the TA was doubled in size. As a result, the London Division became the 1st London Division and created the 2nd London Division in August 1939. These two formations would be renumbered as the 56th (London) and 47th (London), respectfully. Their RE organised as follows:Joslen, pp. 37–8.Joslen, pp. 41–2.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 140.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 162–3.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 168. 1st London Divisional RE * 220 (2nd London) Field Company – at Chelsea * 221 (2nd London) Field Company – at Chelsea; became independent later in 1939; to I Corps * 222 (2nd London) Field Company – at Chelsea; became independent later in 1939; to II Corps * 223 (London) Field Park Company – reformed at Chelsea 1939; to BEF; later to London defences * 501 (London) Field Company – from 2nd London Division 7 September 1939 * 563 Field Park Company – formed 15 January 1940, including 223 Fd Park Co's bridging section and transfers from 220 and 501 Fd Cos 2nd London Divisional RE * 501 (London) Field Company – formed at Chelsea, to 1st London Division 7 Sep 1939 * 502 (London) Field Company – formed at New Barnet * 503 (London) Field Company – formed at New Barnet * 504 (London) Field Park Company – formed at New Barnet

Battle of France

1st London Division was not sent to join the new British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, but most of its divisional RE went independently and did serve in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

: 221 Fd Co joined I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers (I CTRE) and 222 Fd Co joined II CTRE, while 223 Fd Park Co (less its bridging section) was with Force X, a group of TA RE units working on the BEF's

lines of communication A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicat ...

. The three companies mobilised at

Hurst Park Racecourse Hurst Park Racecourse was a racecourse at Moulsey Hurst, West Molesey, Surrey, near the River Thames. It was first laid out in 1890 and held its last race in 1962. There was racing at nearby Hampton, London, Hampton for many years until 1887. T ...

and then embarked for France in October 1939. The engineers spent the

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

period working on defensive positions. 223 Field Park Co with Force X was building reinforced concrete pillboxes along the Franco-Belgian frontier. I CTRE attached 221 Fd Co to 1st Division as an additional field company. Its role on the outbreak of hostilities, in conjunction with 1st Division's bridging section, was to open the road from Tournai to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and maintain an important canal crossing. When the German offensive in the west opened on 10 May 1940, the BEF abandoned the frontier defences and advanced into Belgium in accordance with 'Plan D'. 221 Field Co found itself in the lead, advancing ahead of the scouting armoured cars. Similarly 222 Field Co had been assigned by II CTRE to assist 3rd Division and went forward to blow the Dyle bridges round

Louvain Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...

.Edwards, pp. 154–61. Shortly afterwards the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

broke through the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

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'. 221 Field Co was tasked with destroying bridges along a 10 km stretch of the

Brussels–Charleroi Canal The Brussels–Charleroi Canal (; ), also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freycinet gauge, and its Walloon portion is long. It runs from Ch ...

to delay the German advance, then to prepare a 'stop line' on the

La Bassée La Bassée () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry Personalities La Bassée was the birthplace of the painter and draftsman Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845). Another native was Ignace Franç ...

Canal. 222 Field Co also fell back, destroying bridges as it went.Ellis, ''France & Flanders'', Chapter IV.
/ref>
/ref> During the retreat to the Escaut a dangerous gap opened up between the BEF and the French to the south. The GHQ assembled a scratch force at

Orchies Orchies (; ) is a commune in the department of Nord in the Hauts-de-France region of French Flanders, northern France. Its inhabitants are called Orchésiens. Orchies is the biggest town of the Pévèle. It is especially known for its ''Mus� ...

to fill this gap under the command of the Director of Military Intelligence, Major-General Noel Mason-MacFarlane, and known as 'Macforce'. It was formed around

127th (Manchester) Brigade The 127th (Manchester) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service during both the First and Second World Wars. It was assigned to the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division and served in the Middle East and on the Wes ...

with some artillery and supporting services; 223 Fd Pk Co was assigned from X Force to Macforce, working on emergency defences. By 23 May the French had filled the dangerous gap in the line, so Macforce was shifted north to the Forest of

Nieppe Nieppe (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is in the Lys Plain and a portion of it is in the Leie, Lys Valley (Leiedal in Dutch). Population Geogra ...

to extend the Canal Line.Edwards, pp. 170–1. By 26 May the BEF was cut off and the decision was made to evacuate it through

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

(

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-Man ...

), with II Corps acting as flank guard against the German penetration where the Belgian Army had surrendered, and I Corps acting as rearguard, its sappers blowing bridges and cratering roads to form a defensive perimeter 221 Field Co moved down to Dunkirk and destroyed its vehicles and stores before boarding a variety of vessels. One party was on the ''Queen of the Channel'', which was bombed and sunk on 28 May: the passengers and crew were picked up and taken to England aboard the ''Dorrien Rose''. Another party from the company arrived the following day on HMS ''Greyhound''. 222 Field Co reached

Bray-Dunes Bray-Dunes (; ) is a Commune of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is situated on the Belgian border, with Adinkerke being the closest Belgium, Belgian town. Bray-Dunes i ...

on 30 May and also embarked on several vessels, most on HMS ''Calcutta'', which landed them at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

next day, the OC's party and several field park personnel aboard HMS ''Halcyon'', which landed them at Dover. 223 Field Park Co was evacuated in small parties from the open beaches east of Dunkirk.

56th (London) Divisional RE

Apart from a composite section from 220 and 501 Fd Cos that saw action in the Norwegian Campaign, the divisional engineers had been training round

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

during the winter. They moved to

Tenterden Tenterden is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The 2021 census published the population of the parish to be 8,186. Geography Tenterden is connected to Kent's county town of Maidstone by the A262 road an ...

in May, and after the Dunkirk evacuation were engaged in constructing anti-invasion defences along the South Coast. 221 Field Co reassembled under I CTRE at Newark, but in June was converted from a motor to an infantry division, and required a third field company, so 221 rejoined. 1st London Division held the critical south-east corner of England throughout the period of greatest invasion threat. The divisional engineers worked closely with the Petroleum Warfare Department, installing flame installations on beaches at Dumpton Gap and

Deal In cryptography, DEAL (Data Encryption Algorithm with Larger blocks) is a symmetric block cipher derived from the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Its design was presented by Lars Knudsen at the SAC conference in 1997, and submitted as a proposa ...

. 563 Field Park Co built the first flame-projector mounted on a

Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier, a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament, was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Br ...

, which was later developed into the 'Wasp' and the

Churchill Crocodile The Churchill Crocodile was a British flame-throwing tank of late Second World War. It was a variant of the Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill Mark VII, although the Churchill Mark IV was initially chosen to be the base vehicle. The Croco ...

. On 18 November 1st London Division was redesignated 56th (London) Division. From November 1940, 56th (L) Division alternated with

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of Britain's Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the World War I, First ...

, being based at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

and the

Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...

towns until February 1941 and then again from June. In November 1941 the division drove through London to join

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

. The division was now fully equipped and undergoing intensive training. In May 1942 the divisional RE attended a bridging camp at

Wallingford, Oxfordshire Wallingford () is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, north of Reading, south of Oxford and north west of Henley-on-Thames. Although belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it ...

, and in June the division was ordered to mobilise for overseas service.

Middle East

During August 1942 the division moved to the embarkation ports of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and sailed for the Middle East on 25 August. The fast troop convoy reached South Africa safely, but the slow convoy carrying guns and vehicles was heavily attacked by

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s off the coast of West Africa and lost several ships. From South Africa most of the troops sailed to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, while the RE drivers were sent to Egypt to collect the vehicles that had escaped the U-boats, which arrived at

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

in December. The main. body sailed from Bombay to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

on 4 November and then by road and rail to

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

where they were joined by the drivers who had brought the transport overland from Suez. 56th Divisional RE spent the spring of 1943 training for mountain warfare, particularly bridging ravines. In March,

168th (2nd London) Brigade The 168th (2nd London) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw service during both the World War I, First and the World War II, Second World Wars. Throughout its existence, serving under many different titles and des ...

accompanied by 501 Fd Co was detached to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Then the rest of the division began an overland drive to join Eighth Army in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, driving some between 18 March and 19 April. An advanced party of RE officers and NCOs had gone forward earlier (covering in four days) to be attached to

51st (Highland) Infantry Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

for battle experience.

Tunisia

On 22 April 201 Guards Motor Brigade joined the division as temporary replacement for 168 Bde, bringing with it 42 Fd Co, which became part of divisional RE for the rest of the year. Next day 56th (London) Division went into action for the first time at

Enfidaville Enfidha (or Dar-el-Bey, ') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia with a population of approximately 10,000. It is visited by tourists on their way to Takrouna. It lies on the railway between Tunis and Sousse, approximately 45 km northeast of ...

. The infantry were roughly handled, and the divisional RE suffered its first casualties, from shellfire and mines. The final attack on

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

(

Operation Strike Operation Vulcan (22 April – 6 May 1943) and Operation Strike (6–12 May 1943) were the final ground attacks by the Allied forces against the Italian and German forces in Tunis, Cape Bon, and Bizerte, the last Axis bridgeheads in North Afri ...

) began on 6 May, the division meeting strong resistance before the Germans surrendered on 12 May. 56th Divisional RE built its first operational bridge (a

Small Box Girder The Small Box Girder bridge (SBG) was a small assault bridge that could be used to span gaps of up to 30 feet. It was typically carried on a tank, such as the Churchill Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), and could be deployed without eng ...

(SBG) bridge) just before the end of the fighting. By the end of the month division had been pulled back to

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

to train for the invasion of Italy. Divisional RE lost 10 men to an accident with Bangalore torpedoes, while Sapper Robert Southall of 221 Fd Co won a

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...

for gallantry while clearing mines.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 153.

Sicily

Primosole_Bridge_over_the_Simeto_River1943

While the rest of 56th (London) Division trained for the assault on mainland Italy, 168 Bde and 501 Fd Co took a leading part in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

(Operation Husky) with

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two ''Ts'' in the divisional in ...

. The company had trained at the Combined Operations Training Centre at the

Great Bitter Lake The Great Bitter Lake (; transliterated: ''al-Buḥayrah al-Murra al-Kubrā'') is a large saltwater lake in Egypt which is part of the Suez Canal. Before the canal was built in 1869, the Great Bitter Lake was a dry salt valley or basin. Madl, ...

in Egypt, then sailed in convoy from Alexandria. 168 Brigade Group landed on 13 July (D+3), after the rest of the division had taken its objectives; 501 Fd Co disembarked dryshod on the quay at

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

. The company was involved in 168 Bde's failed night attack beyond Primosole Bridge on 17/18 July, and later built a

Folding Boat Equipment The Folding Boat Equipment, abbreviated as FBE, is a light pontoon bridge, pontoon bridging equipment which was in use by the British and its colonial armies during the 20th century. The equipment was introduced in 1928 and was the standard light ...

(FBE) bridge across the River Dittano there. It was then set to clearing mines and suffered several casualties. The retreating Germans had destroyed the cliff road at

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

, and while XXX Corps Troops, Royal Engineers bridged the gap and a tunnelling company of the

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; ) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE; ). The mission of the Canadia ...

excavated the cliff, 2 and 3 Platoons of 501 Fd Co were tasked with mine clearance on the beach below. While reconnoitring forward they became involved in a firefight with a German patrol. The other two platoons were landed north of Taormina to begin clearance from the other side. 50th (N) Division reached

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

on 17 August, when 168 Bde Group left the division. 501 Field Co constructed an SBG bridge and prepared launching points for the assault crossing of the

Straits of Messina The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily ( Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria ( Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, wi ...

(

Operation Baytown Operation Baytown was an Allied amphibious landing on the mainland of Italy that took place on 3 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy, itself part of the Italian Campaign, during the Second World War. Planning The attack wa ...

) on 3 September. After the beachhead had been secured and Eighth Army began driving north, 168 Bde and 510 Fd Co crossed over to travel overland to rejoin 56th (L) Division, which had landed at

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

on 9 September.

Operation Avalanche

56th (London) Division landed as the right hand half of

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

at Salerno before dawn on 9 September 1943 in

Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

. There were few beach defences, but once ashore there was plenty of work for the sappers. 503 (London) Fd Co (''see below'') was also present with one of the beach groups landed immediately after the first infantry waves. Bulldozer drivers from 220 Fd Co towed out seven bogged-down

Sherman tank The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. I ...

s of the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

on the first morning. 221 Field Co sent a party to

Montecorvino Airfield Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport , is an international airport airport located in the comune of Pontecagnano Faiano in southern Italy. It serves the city of Salerno and the coastal areas of Amalfi . It is also known as ''Salerno-Pontecagnano Airp ...

to disarm suspected demolition charges, but got involved in a firefight: the airfield was not fully cleared for several days. 563 Field Park Co came ashore during the morning and had a stores dump organised by evening. Sapper F. Martin of 563 Fd Park Co won a

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

(MM) for his work with a D7 armoured bulldozer, during which he was badly wounded. There was bitter fighting for 10 days along the Salerno beachhead: on 12 September 220 Fd Co took up defensive positions with its brigade when a German counter-attack threatened to break through, and on 14 September both 220 and 221 Fd Cos acted as infantry and took heavy casualties. On 22 September the Allies broke out and X Corps headed north towards

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. Meanwhile, the divisional reconnaissance unit ( 44th Reconnaissance Regiment) sent a mixed pursuit force, including a platoon of 220 Fd Co, eastward along Highway 18 to make contact with Eighth Army advancing from the south. It was held up by demolitions at

Battipaglia Battipaglia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy. The town is renowned for its production of buffalo mozzarella and is one of the most productive agricultural centers in the Sele ...

, so 220 Fd Co built the first

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

on this front. There was another blown bridge further on, so 220 Fd Co constructed a bypass while 221 Fd Co began work on a second Bailey bridge. On X Corps' main axis of advance over the

Sorrento Peninsula The Sorrento Peninsula or Sorrentine Peninsula is a peninsula located in southern Italy which separates the Gulf of Naples to the north from the Gulf of Salerno to the south. Geography Overview The peninsula is named after its main town, Sor ...

another platoon of 220 worked 'feverishly' to repair a damaged mountain road, and road clearance and repair became a major job as the force advanced across the plain of Naples. The retreating Germans had blown every bridge across the River Sarno for inland, but 56th Division captured an intact bridge at San Mauro and continued past Naples to

Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...

, where the Germans were making a stand on the River Volturno.

Volturno and Garigliano

The attempt to cross the Volturno began with a feint attack at Capua by 201 Guards Bde using assault boats, which was repulsed, but the neighbouring divisions got across, and 56th (L) crossed by a US-built bridge. The RE then set to work to build additional bridges, the main one being a Class 30 (30 ton load) Bailey pontoon, the first of its kind to be built operationally under fire, and something 56th Divisional Engineers had never tackled before. It became a joint effort of 220 Fd Co, 270 Fd Co from 46th Division and a corps RE company. 168 Bde Group, including 501 Fd Co, rejoined 56th (L) Division at

Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...

during these operations. After the Volturno, X Corps made rapid progress up Highway 6 until it reached the

Bernhardt Line The Bernhardt Line, or Reinhard Line, was a German Army defensive line in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Having reached the Bernhardt Line at the start of December 1943, it took until mid-January 1944 for the US Fifth Army ...

in the mountains round Monte Camino. The sappers built

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

tracks through the mountains, but there was bitter fighting on Monte Camino itself that lasted until its capture on 9 December, when the division was rested. The next obstacle in front of X Corps was the lower

Garigliano The Garigliano () is a river in central Italy. It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari (also known as the Rapido) and Liri. Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano" (which in Italian means something like "Gari from the Liri" ...

river south of

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

. 56th (London) Division's attack on the night of 17 January launched the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...

. Many assault boats were sunk in the crossing, but the divisional RE built and operated rafts of varying types: 501 Fd Co providing a Class 40 Bailey pontoon ferry powered by eight outboard motors, which operated for a week without being hit by the enemy's accurate mortar fire. Two nights later construction began on a Class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, which was completed by the evening of 20 January. However, fierce counter-attacks prevented X Corps from advancing far beyond the river.

Anzio

On 30 January 168 Bde (with 501 Fd Co) was about to resume the offensive on the Garigliano when it was hurriedly withdrawn to reinforce the landing further up the coast at

Anzio Anzio (, also ; ) is a town and ''comune'' on region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ve ...

, which had run into trouble. On 6 February the rest of 56th Division (less 201 Gds Bde and 42 Fd Co, which now left the division) was also withdrawn from the Gariglianao and landed as reinforcements at Anzio. Much of the work for the sappers consisted of repairing roads in the bridgehead, including quarrying the necessary stone, all under heavy artillery and air bombardment. There was also a programme of laying defensive wire and minefields. The infantry were continually engaged, and by 25 February were down to less than half strength, so the engineers had to go into the fighting line while enemy counter-attacks were repulsed. On 9 March the exhausted division and 501 Fd Co were evacuated from Anzio, but 220 and 221 Fd Cos remained behind working on roads and quarrying until 18 March. 56th Division now went back to Egypt for rest. While driving south to

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

to embark, the divisional engineers spent a day bulldozing the road clear of volcanic ash from the eruption of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...

. On arrival at

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

the division went into camp, leave was granted, and RE training resumed at various locations in Palestine and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. On 10 July the refitted division left Port Said to return to Taranto, from where it was sent to join

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

with Eighth Army on the Adriatic coast of Italy.

Gothic Line

Massive engineering works were required in preparation for Eighth Army's assault on the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

(

Operation Olive The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

), including opening up two heavily demolished roads and erecting 40 separate Bailey bridges, of which 220 and 510 Fd Cos built one apiece near

Pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

. V Corps opened the attack on 25 August, and by 1 September the Gothic Line had been cracked open, but 56th (L) Division coming up from reserve still had hard fighting at Monte Capello,

Montefiore Conca Montefiore Conca () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Montefiore Conca borders the following municipalities: Gemmano, ...

village and the

Gemmano Gemmano () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about 15 km (9 mi) south of Rimini. Gemmano borders the following municipalities: Mercati ...

ridge. During the Battle of Gemmano one RE bulldozer was forced by a German counter-attack to retreat down the ridge at speed, towing out a bogged jeep ambulance as it went. Eventually, 56th (L) Division bypassed the Gemmano ridge and crossed the Conca river, and finally took Gemmano village on 9 September. After a short rest, the division advanced on 16 September and fought its way to the swollen Fiumicino river by the beginning of October. At Savignano 501 Fd Co built a major bridge nicknamed 'Itsonitsoff' because the operation was 'on' and 'off' so many times during the week of fighting to secure the bridging site. By 7 October 56th (L) Division was exhausted and withdrawn, together with 563 Fd Park Co, while the field companies and 563's bridging platoon remained working in the line a few days longer.

Argenta Gap

In the middle of December the division returned to the line, moving via

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

Faenza Faenza (, ; ; or ; ) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. Faenza is home to a historical manufacture of majolica-ware glazed earthenware pottery, known ...

, where it spent the winter months, divisional RE working on road maintenance, mine clearance, and repairing the floodbanks of the River Lamone. For 56th (L) Division the

Spring 1945 offensive in Italy The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allies of World War II, Allied attack during the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack in the Lom ...

began on 5 April with an operation to clear a triangle of ground between the

River Reno The Reno () is a river of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, northern Italy. At ,Reno

and the south-west corner of Comacchio Lagoon. 220 Field Co built a Class 40 and a Class 12 raft at dusk, ready to be towed into position, when No 1 Platoon would cross with the infantry. Then 221 and 501 Fd Cos were to build a Bailey pontoon bridge at dawn the following day. The infantry assault went in at 23.00 and early on 6 April a tug pulled the Class 40 raft up, to be loaded with a bulldozer. Unfortunately there were still Germans dug in on the far bank, who sank the raft with an anti-tank (A/T) rocket, the dozer driver being drowned. In the subsequent firefight and recovery attempts led by the CRE, Lieutenant-Colonel R.E.C. Hughes, the OCs of 220, 501 and 563 Cos, and the

Regimental Sergeant Major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by a warrant officer (WO) in the British Army, the Royal Marines, and the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations. It is also an actual rank in the Iri ...

all became casualties. After a tank shelled the Germans, the post surrendered to Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes. The sappers then cleared dozens of mines from the approaches to allow the pontoon bridge to be built. On the night of 10/11 April 56th Division launched Operation Impact Plain to widen the bridgehead and open the 'Argenta Gap', for which the divisional RE had been reinforced by a company of the African Pioneer Corps and by

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

troops transporting bridging equipment and dozers, and driving tipper lorries. Prior to the assault 56th Divisional RE built two Bailey bridges to allow amphibious LVTs known as 'Fantails' to reach their assembly area, then following behind the advance built several bridges across the network of irrigation and drainage canals. On 15 April 501 Fd Co put up a FBE bridge and 221 Fd Co a Bailey. 56th Division renewed the attack that day, and on 16 April it took Bastia in Operation Impact Royal. However, it was held up at the Marina Canal. During 17 April 501 Fd Co was employed making a diversion route across country to the canal. Next day the divisional RE began to dam the canal, but handed the work over to 8th Army Troops RE in order to keep up with its division as the advance accelerated. On 25 April the division reached the

River Po The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are formed by a spring ...

. This was a formidable obstacle, but 56th (L) Division planned to make an assault crossing that night using LVTs and storm boats, while 220 and 221 Fd Cos built and operated three Class 9 close support rafts and two Class 40 rafts; there was also a Class 50/60 raft built and operated by H Assault Squadron of 2nd Armoured Regiment, RE. 501 Field Co supported 169 Bde in the assault and built ramps for the LVTs. In the event the infantry got across by storm boat in the afternoon to occupy

Crespino Crespino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about southeast of Rovigo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,111 and an area of .All demographi ...

, and the river assault after nightfall was almost unopposed. The Class 50/60 raft had arrived without motors, so the engines from close support rafts had to be used for it, reducing the number available. The division pushed on to the

Adige The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...

, where 501 Fd Co found a suitable bridging site near

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune in the region of Veneto, Northeast Italy, the capital of the province of Rovigo, eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Veni ...

and began a pontoon Bailey, which it then handed over to 221 Fd Co and 564 Fd Co of V Corps Troops RE for completion. 56th (London) Division and

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-G ...

were given the task of capturing

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, which they did on 28 April after a brief action. The war in Italy ended on 2 May with the

Surrender of Caserta The Surrender at Caserta (, ) of 29 April 1945 was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of German and Italian Fascist forces in Italy, ending the Italian Campaign of World War II. Background Since March 1945, SS ''Obergruppen ...

. 56th (London) Divisional RE remained in the area of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

and

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

, building camps, frontier posts and hospitals, until they were disbanded in the summer of 1946.

47th (London) Divisional RE

The 2nd Line divisional RE mobilised with its HQ at the Duke of York's HQ and its men scattered around houses in

Cadogan Gardens Cadogan Gardens is a street in Chelsea, London, that is part of the Cadogan Estate. Layout It forms a rough square, with arms leading off the east side to Sloane Street and Pavilion Road. It also connects with Cadogan Square, Cadogan Street, ...

, Chelsea. The recruits had at least benefited from attendance at the 1st Line's 1939 summer camp. Almost immediately, 501 Fd Co formed at Chelsea transferred to 1st London Division, the other 2nd Line companies forming at

New Barnet New Barnet is a neighbourhood on the north east side of the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb located east of Chipping Barnet, west of Cockfosters, south of the village of Monken Hadley and north of Oaklei ...

. While under training there, 503 Fd Co laid a water main to nearby

Hatfield House Hatfield House is a Grade I listed English country house, country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean architecture, Jacobean hous ...

to allow it to be used as an emergency hospital. In January 1940 the companies moved to St Albans, and then each was given responsibility for bomb disposal across a county: 502

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, 503

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, 504

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. They were then moved round the Midlands until June when they accompanied the division to

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

on anti-invasion duty (HQRE at

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a market town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a book town, "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the s ...

, 502 at

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

, 503 at

Porthcawl Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...

and 504 at

Skenfrith Skenfrith () is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. It is located on the River Monnow, close to the border between Wales and England, about north-west of Monmouth. History and amenities The Welsh placename ''Ynysgynwraidd'', ...

). The division was converted from a motor to an infantry division, requiring an additional field company, and was joined by 222 Fd Co. After Dunkirk, ''see above'' 222 Fd Co had reformed with the rest of II CTRE at

Blandford Camp Blandford Camp is a military base comprising some 390 hectares of downland lying 2 miles (3 km) north-east of Blandford Forum in the county of Dorset in southern England. Significant areas of the camp are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (S ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, going into billets round Sutton Veny in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

; it now moved to a tented camp at

Kington, Herefordshire Kington is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The parish had a population of 3,240. Geography Kington is from the border with Wales, and lies on the western side of Offa's Dyke. The town is in the shadow of Hergest Rid ...

, to join the 2nd London Division.) As part of the anti-invasion preparations, the companies were set to manufacturing '

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

' petrol bombs in large quantities for the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

. In the autumn they were moved into winter quarters: 222 at

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

, 502 at

Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...

and 504 at

Rugeley Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is north of Lichfield, southeast of Stafford, northeast of ...

; 503 remained at Skenfrith with the field park under cover at Blackbrook House. On 21 November the 2nd London Division officially became 47th (London) Division. In February 1941 it moved to the South Coast of England, with HQRE at

Hurstpierpoint Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district, in the county of West Sussex, England, southwest of Burgess Hill, and west of Hassocks railway station. It sits in the civil parish of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common which has an ...

and the companies with their brigade groups: 222 at

Haywards Heath Haywards Heath ( ) is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, ...

then

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, 502 at

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

, 503 at

Withdean Withdean is a former village, now part of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. Overview The area was originally named in the 12th century, when it was called Wictedene. The area was historically farm land but has been developed, mainly in the 1920 ...

and 504 at

Billingshurst Billingshurst is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street) at its crossroads with the A272, south-west of Horsham and north-east of Pulboro ...

. The sappers were tasked with re-laying and plotting the minefields that had been hurriedly laid during the previous summer's invasion scare, and suffered some casualties from this dangerous work. They also demolished coastal bungalows to improve fields of fire, and installed hidden bridges round

RAF Tangmere Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...

to allow for rapid counter-attack in case it was attacked by enemy paratroops. In July the division was moved back from the coast into reserve, with HQRE at

West Hoathly West Hoathly is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, located south west of East Grinstead. In the 2001 census 2,121 people, of whom 1,150 were economically active, lived in 813 households. At the 201 ...

, 222 at

Cuckfield Cuckfield ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Sussex District, Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northea ...

, 502 at Goodwood, 503 at

Chelwood Gate Chelwood Gate is a small village within the civil parish of Danehill in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Its nearest town is Uckfield, which lies approximately south-east from the village, just off the A22 road. The village is ne ...

, and 504 at

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

with

Three Bridges railway station Three Bridges railway station is a railway station located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, West Sussex, Three Bridges, which is now a district of the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. This station is where the Arun Valley ...

yard as its stores depot. The sappers constructed a divisional battle HQ in the grounds of

Knepp Castle The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 road (Great Bri ...

near

West Grinstead West Grinstead () is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles (6.3 km) northwest from Henfield. It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber. The ...

, while the field park set up a production line for blackout screens. The winter quarters that year were at Winchester (HQRE, with 222 at

Cottesmore School Cottesmore is a boarding preparatory school in the United Kingdom, founded in 1894. History Cottesmore was founded by Geoffrey Davison Brown in 1894 in Hove, East Sussex. He named the school after Cottesmore, Rutland, where he was born. The n ...

), Sparsholt (502 at Northwood House), Sheffield Park (503) and

Bishop's Waltham Bishop's Waltham (or Bishops Waltham) is a medieval market town situated at the source of the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It has a foot in the South Downs National Park and is located at the midpoint of a long-established route between ...

(504, with the station sidings for the RE dump). In December 1941 the division was placed on a lower establishment, though still with an operational role in Home Forces. 503 Field Co left on 29 November 1941 (''see below''), and 504 Fd Park Co was reduced to field stores section in January 1942. In January 1943 502 Fd Co moved to 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

; it later transferred to

38th (Welsh) Infantry Division The 38th (Welsh) Division (initially the 43rd Division, later the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division and then the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division) of the British Army was active during both the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wa ...

and remained with it in the UK until the end of the war. By now 47th (London) Divisional RE consisted solely of 222 Fd Co. It was joined by a new 601 Fd Co on 5 February and by 179 Fd Co (which had served as a tunnelling company in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

) on 8 February. 179 Field Co left the division on 22 September 1943 and was replaced by 507 Fd Co from 148 Bde Group.Edwards, p. 177.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 172. On 2 October 1943 222 Fd Co left (''see below''), breaking the last link between the division and its original London engineers. In January 1944 the division was downgraded to reserve status, but it was given a third field company once more when 93 Fd Co (converted from a chemical warfare company) joined on 20 April 1944. However, on 30 July 1944 all three field companies (93, 507, 610) and the field stores section left (probably disbanded), and 47th (London) Division was dispersed in August 1944. 76th Infantry (Reserve) Division was redesignated 47th Infantry (Reserve) Division on 1 September, bringing with it 250 (East Anglian) Fd Co together with a field stores platoon. Finally, 507 Fd Co returned on 29 January 1945, together with 649 Fd Co.

222 Assault Squadron

In October 1943 222 Fd Co left 47th (L) Division and was converted into an Assault Squadron to join 42nd Assault Regiment, RE, in 1st Assault Brigade, RE, of

79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy ...

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. The rest of the regiment comprised Lancashire RE squadrons from the disbanded 42nd Armoured Division. The regiment was to be equipped with the

Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers, is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers duri ...

(AVRE) for the Allied invasion of Normandy (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

). 222 Assault Sqn was joined by about 40 tank drivers from the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

and began training at

Orford Orford may refer to: Places * Orford, Cheshire, a suburb of Warrington, England * Orford, Suffolk, England ** Orford Castle ** Orford Ness ** Orford (UK Parliament constituency) * Orford, Quebec, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada ** Mont O ...

Battle Area. Although the regiment trained hard in its new role, it was not until April 1944 that the first production Churchill AVREs arrived.Doherty, pp. 58–60.Joslen, pp. 30–31, 147.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 125, 146–148. Churchill_AVRE_spigot

42nd Assault Rgt was not committed on

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, and remained in reserve, with 222 Assault Sqn quartered at

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of **Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

, moving in July 1944 to Worthing for final training before embarkation. It landed at

Juno Beach Juno and or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allies (World War II), Allied invasion of German occupation of France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the World War II, Second Wo ...

on 17 August and for the next week the whole of 1st Assault Bde was concentrated at the

River Orne The Orne () is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is long. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre. Geo ...

for training on the new Class 50/60 tank raft.

Le Havre

The_British_Army_in_North-west_Europe_1944-45_BU859

42nd Assault Rgt went into action in

Operation Astonia Operation Astonia was the code name for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a '' Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Fought from ...

to capture Le Havre on the evening of 10 September. Each attacking infantry brigade was supported by an assault team from 79th Armoured Division: a mixed group of Churchill AVREs, Sherman Crab mine flails and Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tanks. Part of 222 Assault Sqn provided AVREs for 56 Bde while 2

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

was with 146 Bde, both of

49th (West Riding) Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divi ...

. Three of the chosen lanes of attack crossed the fortress's A/T ditch. For these the regiment employed bridgelayer tanks and the AVRE 'Conger' mine clearance device (a flexible hose filled with liquid explosive) for its first use in action. An AVRE of 222 Assault Sqn deployed an older AVRE 'Snake' (utilising a rigid pipe instead of a flexible pipe), but this exploded as it was pushed across the ditch. The AVRE was then put out of action reversing over a mine, and the following bridgelaying AVRE also struck a mine. Thus the 'Hazel' lane through the defences had to be abandoned. In another lane the SBG bridge on the AVRE was hit and fell. A reserve bridge was brought up but was hit from the ditch. The AVRE crew dismounted and under heavy fire succeeded after 20 minutes in winching it into position. Several AVREs were knocked out by

88 mm 88 may refer to: * 88 (number) * one of the years 88 BC, AD 88, 1988, 2088 * Highway 88, see List of highways numbered 88 * The 88 (San Jose), a residential skyscraper in San Jose, California, USA * The 88, a nickname for the piano derived from t ...

A/T guns, but the remainder silenced enemy guns and used their Petard mortars against concrete positions. Once the town was entered, 2 Trp of 222 Sqn pushed on with 146 Bde to take

Harfleur Harfleur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western Fr ...

, destroying A/T guns and roadblocks as they went. At one point the AVREs used their petards to fell trees and fill in a ditch. The capture of Le Havre was completed on 12 September.

Low Countries

79th Armoured Division's squadrons with their varied equipment (the 'Funnies') were often widely scattered and rarely under regimental control. On 4 November 51st (Highland) Division attacked towards

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

with support from 79th Division, including a troop of 222 Assault Sqn, which transported an SBG bridge across of difficult terrain and laid it successfully over a ditch to allow armour to cross.Edwards, p. 166. Offensive operations came to a virtual halt during the winter, and 222 Aslt Sqn rested at Waterscheide. Early in 1945 the squadron took part in

Operation Blackcock Operation Blackcock was an operation to clear German troops from the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard in the Netherlands and Heinsberg in Germany during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. It w ...

to clear the

Roer The Roer (, ) or Rur (; ) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse (). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany. It is not to be conf ...

Triangle. On 17 January a troop laid three bridges for 7th Armoured Division's attack on

Susteren Susteren (; ) is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Echt-Susteren, about 7 km northwest of Sittard. It was a separate municipality until 2003, when it was merged with Echt. Susteren received cit ...

, while the other two troops operated with two columns formed by 8th Armoured Bde and

52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowlan ...

. Captain Herbert Baynton-Jones of 222 Sqn supporting 4th/7th Dragoon Guards was awarded a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(MC) for dismounting to take control of an RE mineclearing detachment and then leading his troop of AVREs to attack a village with their petards.

Germany

The_British_Army_in_North-west_Europe_1944-45_BU1718

42nd Assault Rgt next participated in the Battle of the Reichswald (

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...

). On 8 February 222 Assault Sqn supported 51st (Highland) Division, which advanced down three lanes cleared by flails. In each lane the flails were followed by two AVRE bridgelayers and two carrying

Fascine A fascine (pronounced ) is a rough bundle of wikt:brushwood, brushwood or other material used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion (a ...

s. In the right hand lane all went well; the centre lane was blocked by a knocked-out flail tank, but the AVREs completed a fascine crossing by the evening; the third lane was impassable due to mud. Captain D. Hamilton, OC 1 Trp, was awarded an MC for this operation. On 13/14 February 51st HD crossed the River Niers and took Heijin, where 222 Aslt Sqn bridged a crater and destroyed a roadblock, then laid a bridge that allowed the division to enter Hommersum. 222 Assault Sqn next helped 51st HD to capture Hervorst on 17 February; during the fighting 3 Trp attacked and destroyed a large pillbox with petards. Then on 19–20 March the squadron helped 51st HD capture

Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog) is a town in the Kleve (district), Kleve district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands, south of Kleve and southeast of Nijmegen. History Goch is at least 750 years old: th ...

, penetrating the defences and reducing pillboxes.Edwards, p. 167. While Veritable continued, 42 Assault Rgt was withdrawn to

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

to train for the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

crossing (

Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Lippe b ...

), particularly operating Class 50/60 rafts. These consisted of five linked pontoons supporting a section of roadway to ferry a tank. For the final stretch of their journey to the riverbank, the heavy pontoons on sledges were towed by AVREs. Once launched, the ferries were hauled to and fro across the river by RAF

Barrage balloon A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision with hostile aircraft, making the atta ...

winches. For the crossing on the night of 23/24 March, 42nd Assault Rgt was assigned to

15th (Scottish) Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served in the First World War. The 15th (Scottish) Division was formed from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, and served from 1915 to 1918 on the Wes ...

leading XII Corps' attack at

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the ...

. Having hauled their pontoons through the mud, 42nd Assault Rgt began assembling its rafts at 02.45 on 24 March, and had three operational by 21.00 that night. Two ferry points were used, each with two rafts; 222 Assault Sqn and half of 81 Assault Sqn operated the ferry point codenamed 'Abdullah'. The regiment ran its ferries until the afternoon of 26 March when a Bailey bridge was completed (by 503 Fd Co, ''see below''), during which period it carried 311 tanks and self-propelled guns and a few wheeled vehicles. After the Rhine crossing,

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

fanned out over North Germany towards the

River Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

. 222 Assault Sqn was in Second Army Reserve, then supported 3rd Division in crossing the flooded approaches to

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, using their petards to flush defenders out of strongpoints, and skid Baileys to cross breaches in the causeways. Most of Bremen was in British hands by 27 April. 21st Army Group continued its advance until the

German surrender at Lüneburg Heath On 4 May 1945, at 18:30 British Double Summer Time, at Lüneburg Heath, south of Hamburg, British Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany including ...

on 4 May, when the squadron had reached

Baden, Lower Saxony Baden is a human settlement near Bremen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is known to Africanists and Phoneticians as the place where Diedrich Hermann Westermann was born and died. It is a borough of the town of Achim in Verden district. Baden is o ...

.Edwards, p. 168. It was intended to reorganise 42 Assault Rgt for service in the Far East, but this was cancelled after the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

, and 222 Aslt Sqn was disbanded at

Garlstorf Garlstorf is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Al ...

in Germany.

223 (London) Field Park Company

After evacuation from Dunkirk the scattered parties of this company were gathered at

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and then reformed at

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

in late June. It was sent to

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East Greater London, London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. Etymology The name ''Penge'' is first attested in charter of ...

to work on the defences of London alongside civilian contractors and military labour. During the

London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

the company also dealt with unexploded bombs and assisted the

Civil Defence Service The Civil Defence Service was a civilian volunteer organisation in Great Britain during World War II. Established by the Home Office in 1935 as Air Raid Precautions (ARP), its name was officially changed to the Civil Defence Service (CD) in 1941. ...

Auxiliary Fire Service The Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of the Civil Defence Service. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. The Auxiliary Fire Service and the local brigades were superseded ...

, police and Home Guard. In 1941 the company moved to

Pinner Pinner is a suburb in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 38,698 in 2021. Originally a mediaeval ...

and then

Cockfosters Cockfosters is a suburb of north London to the east of Chipping Barnet, lying partly in the London Borough of Enfield and partly in the London Borough of Barnet. It is 10 miles (16 km) north of Charing Cross. Before 1965, it was in the count ...

in North London, where it was engaged in general works and training the Home Guard. It was disbanded in February 1942.

503 (London) Field Company

After 503 Fd Co left 47th Divisional RE on 29 November 1941 it joined London District Troops RE, and was billeted in

St Aloysius College, Highgate St Aloysius' College is a Roman Catholic, boys-only state school in the London Borough of Islington, England. Each year around 180 pupils are admitted to Year 7 (aged 11 or 12) on the basis of examination; the local education authority also ass ...

. For a year it trained as a normal field company, affiliated to 32 Independent Guards Bde. In 1942 it accompanied the brigade to Saunton Sands in Devon for training. It then became a posting unit for RE personnel who were unable to go overseas with their units, but in December 1942 it received 60 per cent reinforcements and mobilised for overseas service itself as an independent field company. On 16 January 1943 it embarked at Glasgow aboard the RMS ''Arundel Castle'' for the Middle East. It disembarked at

Port Tewfik The Suez Port (also called Port Tawfiq) is an Egyptian port located at the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea at southern entrance of the Suez Canal, serving the canal and the city of Suez. It is owned and operated by the Ministry of ...

in April and went into training in Egypt. While there it built a pontoon bridge in 24 hours to replace one damaged by a ship.

Italy

The company next went to Gaza to join 35 Beach Group, in training as a reserve unit for Operation Husky. It was then assigned to Operation Avalanche, the landing at Salerno (''see above''). It was transported by road and sea to Algeria, concentrating at Bougie.

Company Sergeant Major The company sergeant major (CSM) is the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company in the armies of many Commonwealth countries, responsible for administration, standards and discipline. In combat, their prime responsibility is the supply of ...

L.J. King was awarded a George Medal for rescuing some gunners from a vehicle whose ammunition was burning after a bombing raid. 35 Beach Group landed at Salerno on 9 September immediately after the leading infantry. The sappers' task was to lay Sommerfeld tracking and create roads across the beach to the intended supply dumps, as well as clear minefields. They suffered numerous casualties from shellfire, and won an MBE, two MCs and two MMs during the beachhead fighting. After the armies moved north, 503 Fd Co remained at Salerno for the rest of the year, carrying out municipal and civil engineering, repairing the sewer system and the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

, and operating a stone quarry for the usual road repairs. Formally, 503 Fd Co was now part of 14th GHQ Troops RE.Early in January 1944 the company moved north to the Volturno, then to

Teano Teano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, northwest of Caserta on the main line to Rome from Naples. It stands at the southeast foot of an extinct volcano, Rocca Monfina. Its St. Clement's cathedral is ...

near Naples. In early March the company was withdrawn and sailed from Naples to the UK

Normandy

The company landed at Liverpool, and after leave and training joined 7th Army Troops RE. This group of sapper units was earmarked for Operation Overlord (''see above''). It landed in Normandy on D+6, and one of its first tasks was to construct a road to bypass the congested town centre of

Bayeux Bayeux (, ; ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is also known as the fir ...

. This was wide between side drains, with a roadway wide chiefly composed of Sommerfeld track and chestnut paling covered with sand and gravel. The company then moved to

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

on bridge and road maintenance, losing casualties to enemy snipers. After 21st Army Group's breakout from the Normandy beachhead 7th Army TRE went to bridge the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

, but 503 Fd Co was not involved. Instead it went to camouflage the oil tanks erected for the

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

oil pipeline at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

and clear mines in the area. They also cleared beach obstacles at

Ambleteuse Ambleteuse (; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Imbelteuse'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in northern France. History Ambleteuse began as a hamlet of a few huts in the middle of the dunes, f ...

and at

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

once that port had been captured, losing further casualties in this dangerous work.

Holland and Germany

The_British_Army_in_North-west_Europe_1944-45-_Class_40_Bridge_Over_the_Rhine_BU2481

503 Field Co spent the winter of 1944–45 in

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

on bridge and road maintenance. At

Gennep Gennep () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands, Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the ...

in February it participated with 7th ATRE in building the longest Class 40 Bailey bridge yet constructed, ( including the approach viaducts across the floods at each end), followed in March by a Class 40 floating Bailey at

Well, Limburg Well (; ) is a village of about 2,500 residents in the municipality of Bergen in the province of Limburg in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. The town is located between Nijmegen and Venlo, it's east to the town of Venray. The village of ...

, and a Class 70 high level pontoon bridge at

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

. For the Rhine crossing (Operation Plunder, ''see above'') 503 Fd Co and 7th ATRE built a Class 40 tactical pontoon Bailey at Xanten, utilising an existing ferry site. Craters in the ferry approach road had to be filled by tipper trucks before zero hour while the barrage was being fired, but the bridge was built in 31 hours, the first one completed during the operation. It carried 29,139 vehicles in the next six days as 21st Army Group advanced across Germany. 503 Field Co was then ordered to

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

, but while the rest of 7th ATRE advanced to bridge the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

, the company was diverted back into Holland to join HQ Netherland Force, just before

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

. Over the following months the company was engaged in rehabilitation work in the liberated area, principally bridging rivers and canals, installing Bailey bridges with lifting sections. It also trained 5 Engineer Company of the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army (, KL) is the Ground warfare, land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised making the Dutch standing a ...

in Bailey bridging, and supervised German

Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

clearing mines on the

Frisian Islands The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denm ...

. 503 Field Co remained in Holland until November 1945 and was eventually disbanded in

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

, Germany.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 May 1947, the 56th (London) Divisional RE initially reformed as Y Regiment, RE, then taking its seniority (from 1st Middlesex Engineers) as the senior TA RE regiment, it was numbered 101 Field Engineer Regiment, RE, with HQ in a modern building at DOYHQ in Chelsea. It was the divisional engineer regiment for 56th (London) Division, which served as an armoured division from 1947 until 1956, and as an infantry division until disbandment in 1961. 101 Field Engineer Rgt received the 'London' designation in 1954.80–117 Rgts RE at British Army 1945 onwards.
/ref>Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 290, 301. In addition, the former 47th (London) Divisional RE together with the former London Corps TRE (descended from the

Tower Hamlets Engineers The Tower Hamlets Engineers was a Volunteer unit of the British Royal Engineers (RE) based in East London. Raised in 1868, it provided engineers for two London infantry divisions of the Territorial Force during World War I. In World War II it o ...

) formed 121 Construction Regiment, RE, based at Chelsea with the following organisation: * 316 Construction Squadron, field sqn from 1951, disbanded 1961 * 323 Electrical and Mechanical Squadron, absorbed by 101 Rgt 1950 * 328 Construction Squadron at Linden Grove,

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

, absorbed by 101 Rgt 1950 * 342 Electrical and Mechanical Squadron, disbanded 1961 * 579 Construction Squadron at Dover, became independent 579 Bomb Disposal Sqn in 1950 and was disbanded in 1967 The regiment became 121 Army Engineer Regiment in 1951 and was disbanded in 1961. Following absorption of part of 121 Construction Rgt on 1 July 1950, 101 Field Engineer Rgt had the following organisation: * RHQ at DOYHQ, Chelsea * 220 Field Squadron, moved to Vicarage Lane,

Heston Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing C ...

, on 1 October 1950 * 221 Field Squadron, absorbed 328 Construction Sqn from 121 Rgt and moved to Linden Grove, Peckham * 222 Field Squadron at DOYHQ * 223 Field Park Squadron at DOYHQ, absorbed 323 Electrical and Mechanical Sqn from 121 Rgt When the TA was reduced in 1961, 56th Division was disbanded and the regiment became 101 (London) Corps Engineer Rgt in 27 Engineer Group. It retained only a single squadron (222), but absorbed the remainder of the disbanded 121 Construction Rgt as 324 Field Sqn:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 304. * RHQ at Chelsea * 222 (Chelsea) Fd Sqn ** HQ Trp (from 222 Sqn) at Chelsea ** No 1 Trp (from 220 Sqn) at Heston ** No 2 Trp (from 221 Sqn) at Chelsea ** No 3 Trp (from 223 Sqn) at Chelsea * 324 Fd Sqn ** HQ, Nos 1 & 2 Trps at Uxbridge Road ** No 3 Trp at Epsom When the TA was reduced into the

Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. Descended from the Territorial Force ( ...

(TAVR) in 1967 the regiment was disbanded and its personnel became C Company in 10th Battalion,

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...

(Middlesex), while 324 Fd Sqn's men joined the Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary's). However, a new

101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal & Search) is a regiment of the British Army's Royal Engineers. Under Army 2020 Refine, the regiment moved from a hybrid regiment to a reserve EOD&S regiment with the regimental hea ...

formed in 1988 revived its name and heritage. In 1993, 590 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Squadron in 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment was redesignated 221 Field Squadron (EOD) to perpetuate one of the 47th's squadrons.

Ceremonial

Uniforms and insignia

The 1st Middlesex EVC wore RE uniform – a

Busby Busby may refer to: Clothing *Busby (military headdress), a kind of military headdress, made of fur, derived from that traditionally worn by Hussars. Places * Busby, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada *Busby, East Renfrewshire, a village in Scotland * ...

with white plume supported by a 'grenade' badge, scarlet tunic, and blue trousers with broad red stripe – but all badges, buckles, piping and lace were silver or white rather than gold or yellow. The 'RE' cipher on accoutrements was replaced by 'EV'; in 1871 the unit adopted a new 'grenade' badge with the Royal arms and '1 M.E.V.' lettering. A

Kilmarnock Bonnet The Balmoral bonnet (also known as a Balmoral cap or Kilmarnock bonnet) is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Developed from the earlier blue bonnet, dating to at least the 16th century, ...

was worn instead of the busby in working dress. In 1880 the blue

Home Service helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot hea ...

replaced the busby, with silver helmet plate, spike and chains in place of the RE's brass.

Khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan (color), tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage rela ...

service dress was adopted for training after the Second Boer War. Until 1908 the RE cap badge with 'Royal Engineer Volunteers' on the lower scroll was worn by volunteer units; however, the unit's Boer War memorial shows a crowned grenade badge over the letters 'RE /(V)/1st Middlesex', with the scroll showing 'Pro Patria'. The TF units of the RE continued to wear silver badges and buttons in full dress, but 2nd London Divisional RE was granted the distinction of gold or gilt in 1909. 56_inf_div_PW_-vector

During the First World War, sappers wore the formation signs of their divisions, the eight-pointed white star on a blue ground of the 47th, and the black bee on a yellow ground of the 60th. During the Second World War, the 1st London (56th) Division adopted a black silhouette of

Dick Whittington's cat ''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington ( 1354 – 1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the for ...

on a red ground as its formation sign, leading to its nickname of the 'Black Cats'. 2nd London (47th) Division used a bow of ribbon supporting two bells (for

Bow Bells The Church of St Mary-le-Bow () is a Church of England parish church in the City of London, England. Located on Cheapside, one of the city's oldest thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080, by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. Rebuilt sev ...

) in red on black, designed by

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

Valder of 504 Fd Park Co (both badges appear on the war memorial in St Luke's Church). When 222 Assault Sqn joined 79th Armoured Division it not only adopted the divisional badge of a black and white bull's head on an inverted yellow triangle, but also the regimental sign of 42nd Assault Regiment: a red diamond with a white centre, derived from 42nd Armoured Division. From 1948 56th (London) Armoured Division wore a blue knight's helmet superimposed on the upright red sword of

St Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

(from the

Coat of arms of the City of London A coat is typically an outer clothing, garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of Button (clothing), buttons, zippers, Hook-and-loo ...

), which 56th Division had worn in the First World War, but in 1951 it resumed the black cat, now with the red sword superimposed. 101 Field Engineer Rgt wore this until the division was disbanded in 1961, thereafter it wore the gold grenade on blue ground of 27 Engineer Group.

Affiliations

In 1951 the regiment was adopted by the

Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea The Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea was a metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965. It was created by the London Government Act 1899 from most of the ancient parish of Chelsea. Following the London Government Act 196 ...

, 220 Fd Sqn by the

Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth Heston and Isleworth was a local government district of Middlesex, England from 1875 to 1965. History Heston and Isleworth were both ancient parishes. The settlement of Hounslow grew up on the boundary between the two parishes, and was made its ...

, and 221 Fd Sqn by the

Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of ...

. The Freedom of the Borough of Chelsea was conferred on the regiment in 1960 and the subtitle 'Chelsea' was granted to 222 Sqn after the regiment was reduced in 1961. In 1962 the regiment was adopted by the

Worshipful Company of Paviors The Worshipful Company of Paviors is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Paviors can trace their history back to medieval times; they were responsible for the paving and maintenance of London's streets. It received a Royal Cha ...

, which supported the civil engineering industry.

Commanders

Commanding Officers

The following officers commanded the 1st Middlesex Engineers:Edwards, Appendix G. * Lieutenant-Colonel

, 1860–71 * Lieutenant-Colonel A. Ransome, 1871–80 * Lieutenant-Colonel F.T. Ball, 1880–92 * Lieutenant-Colonel F. Josselyn, VD, 1892–99 * Lieutenant-Colonel G.A. Petter, 1899–1902 * Lieutenant-Colonel E.T. Clifford, VD, 1902–08 ''47th (2nd London) Divisional Engineers''
The following served as Commanding Royal Engineer (CRE), of 2nd London Division (later 47th): * Colonel E.T. Clifford, VD, TD, 1908–10 * Lieutenant-Colonel H.H. Taylor, TD, 15 April 1910 – 31 August 1914 * Colonel A.H. Kenney, CMG, DSO,1 September 1914 – 30 July 1915 * Lieutenant-Colonel Sydney D'Aguilar Crookshank, DSO, CB, CIE, MVO, 30 July 1915 – 27 November 1916 * Lieutenant-Colonel W.S. Trail, DSO, 27 November 1916 – 24 May 1917 * Lieutenant-Colonel H.S. Christie, DSO, 24 May 1917 – 26 November 1917 * Lieutenant-Colonel A.B. Carey, CMG, DSO, 26 November 1917 – 1 November 1918 * Lieutenant-Colonel H.J. Couchman, DSO, MC, 1 November 1918–demobilisation * Lieutenant-Colonel A.G. Birch, DSO, 16 February 1920 – 2 June 1923 * Lieutenant-Colonel S.H. Fisher, MC, 2 June 1923 – 2 June 1929 * Lieutenant-Colonel C.E.P. Sankey, DSO, 2 June 1929 – 2 June 1933 * Lieutenant-Colonel R.G. Whitman, 2 June 1933–conversion ''60th (2/2nd London) Divisional Engineers''
The following served as CRE of 2/2nd London Division (later 60th): * Colonel R.Q. Henriques, TD, September 1914–8 August 1917 * Lieutenant-Colonel C.B. Thomson, DSO, 27 August 1917 – 27 May 1918 * Lieutenant-Colonel A.J.G. Bird, DSO, 27 May 1918–demobilisation ''56th (London) Divisional Engineers''
The following served as CRE of 1st London Division (later 56th): * Brevet-Colonel R.G. Whitman, TD, formation–December 1937 * Lieutenant-Colonel J. McEwan-Martin, OBE, TD, December 1937–June 1941 * Lieutenant-Colonel W. McM. Keane, June 1941–August 1942 * Lieutenant-Colonel R.I.C. Blenkinsop, DSO, August 1942–June 1944 * Lieutenant-Colonel H.B. Calvert, DSO, June 1944–November 1944 * Lieutenant-ColonelR.E.C. Hughes, DSO, MBE, MC, November 1944–April 1945 * Lieutenant-Colonel R.T. Brain, MC, April 1945–demobilisation ''47th (London) Divisional Engineers''
The following served as CRE of 2nd London Division (later 47th): * Lieutenant-Colonel S.C.P. Drury, DCM, TD, April 1939–April 1942 * Lieutenant-Colonel F.E. Pool, MBE, April–October 1942 * Lieutenant-Colonel C.P.C.S. Bright, October 1942–disbandment ''101 (London) Field Engineer Regiment''
The following commanded the regiment: * Lieutenant-Colonel A.R. Mais,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, TD, May 1947–May 1950 * Lieutenant-Colonel J.R. Grimsdell, MC, TD, May 1950–May 1953 * Lieutenant-Colonel H.E.A. Donnelly, MC, May 1953–February 1954 * Lieutenant-Colonel J.A.J. Darlow,

ERD ERD or Erd may refer to: * The IATA code for Berdiansk Airport in Ukraine * Economic Relations Division (Bangladesh), of the Bangladeshi Ministry of Finance * Elastic recoil detection * Emergency repair disk * Emergency Reserve Decoration, a Briti ...

, TD, February 1954–February 1957 * Lieutenant-Colonel R.E. Owen, OBE, TD, February 1957–February 1960 * Brevet-Colonel M.J. Grafton, OBE, TD, February 1960–February 1964 * Lieutenant-Colonel F.G. Dunford, TD, February 1964–disbandment

Honorary colonels

The following officers served as honorary colonel of the unit: * Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne, 1st Baronet, GCB, appointed 5 March 1861 * Colonel MacLeod of MacLeod, appointed 28 November 1871 * Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Simmons, GCB,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

, appointed 10 April 1895 * Colonel E.T. Clifford,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, VD, TD, appointed 23 May 1910 * Major-General Sir Sydney D'Aguilar Crookshank,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

, CB, CIE, DSO, MVO, appointed 3 March 1923 * Colonel S.H. Fisher, CB, MC, TD, appointed 23 November 1929 * Colonel A.R. Mais, OBE, ERD, TD, appointed 1958

Other prominent members

* Major Sir Lionel Alexander, 6th Baronet, OC 47th (2nd London) Signal Co 3 August 1913–December 1915 * Ven Henry Bevan,

Archdeacon of Middlesex The Archdeacon of Middlesex is a senior cleric in the Church of England, co-responsible for the Archdeaconry of "Middlesex", which mirrors the "Kensington" episcopal area of the Diocese of London — the other person responsible being the Bis ...

and Rector of

St Luke's Church, Chelsea The Parish Church of St Luke, Chelsea, is an Church of England, Anglican church (building), church, on Sydney Street, Chelsea, London, Chelsea, London SW3, just off the King's Road. Ecclesiastically it is in the Deanery of Chelsea, part of the D ...

, Chaplain from 21 April 1903 * Capt

Pierse Joseph Mackesy Major General Pierse Joseph Mackesy, (5 April 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a British Army officer who, early in the Second World War, led the attempt to recapture Narvik in April–May 1940 in the ill-fated Norwegian campaign. Early life Macke ...

, OC 518th (1/4th London) Fd Co 1 June 1917 – 22 March 1918 * Lt

Christopher Robin Milne Christopher Robin Milne (21 August 1920 – 20 April 1996) was an English author and bookseller and the only child of author A. A. Milne. As a child, he was the basis of the character Christopher Robin in his father's Winnie-the-Pooh stories ...

, with 56th Divisional RE in Italy, 1943

Memorials

An incised stone memorial plaque surmounted by the then badge of the 1st Middlesex RE Volunteers, commemorating the five sappers who died during the Second Boer War, is fixed to the north interior wall of St Luke's Church, Chelsea. 47th London Division memorial crosses

The 2nd London Divisional Royal Engineers are listed on the

London Troops Memorial The London Troops War Memorial, located in front of the Royal Exchange in the City of London, commemorates the men of London who fought in World War I and World War II. Description The memorial consists of a Portland stone column approximately ...

, erected after the First World War, in front of the

Royal Exchange, London The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor (agent), factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the Ci ...

(an addition for the Second World War was made to this memorial in 1955). There was also a bronze memorial listing the unit's 1914–18 losses at its drill hall. Two wooden memorial crosses erected at High Wood and Eaucourt l'Abbaye by carpenters of 517th (1/3rd London) Field Company in February 1918 were falling into disrepair by 1925, when they were replaced in stone. The restored wooden crosses were preserved at the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(the former divisional HQRE) until that building was sold in 2003, and are now at Connaught House, the HQ of the London Irish Rifles at Flodden Road,

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

. A stone plaque bearing the formation badges of 56th (1st London) and 47th (2nd London) Divisions and listing all the 1st and 2nd Line field companies that served in 1939–45 was unveiled in the inner porch of St Luke's Church in 1960.Edwards, p. 216.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* B.S. Barnes, ''The Sign of the Double 'T' (The 50th Northumbrian Division – July 1943 to December 1944)'', Market Weighton: Sentinel Press, 2nd Edn 2008, . * R. Money Barnes, ''The Soldiers of London'', London: Seeley Service, 1963. * A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * David L. Bullock, ''Allenby's War: The Palestine-Arabian Campaigns 1916–1918'', London: Blandford Press, 1988, . * Niall Cherry, ''Most Unfavourable Ground: The Battle of Loos 1915'', Solihull: Helion, 2005, .
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* P.H. Dalbiac, ''History of the 60th Division (2/2nd London Division)'', London: George Allen & Unwin, 1927/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, . * Richard Doherty, ''Hobart's 79th Armoured Division at War: Invention, Innovation and Inspiration'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011, . * Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, . * Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol IV, ''8th August–26th September: The Franco-British Offensive'', London: Macmillan, 1939/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military, 2009, . * Sir James E. Edmonds & R. Maxwell-Hyslop, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol V, ''26th September–11th November, The Advance to Victory'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1947/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1993, . * D.K. Edwards, ''A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967'', London, 1967.
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.
* L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Gen Sir William Jackson, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I, : June to October 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Gen Sir William Jackson, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I, I: November 1944 to May 1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1988/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * Alan H. Maude (ed.), ''The History of the 47th (London) Division 1914–1919'', London: Amalgamated Press, 1922/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony,''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol V: ''The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * R.F.H. Nalder, ''The Royal Corps of Signals: A History of its Antecedents and Developments (Circa 1800–1955)'', London: Royal Signals Institution, 1958. * R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol VIII, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol IX, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * F.W. Perry, ''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 5b: Indian Army Divisions'', Newport, Gwent: Ray Westlake, 1993, . * Major-General

I.S.O. Playfair Major general (United Kingdom), Major General Ian Stanley Ord Playfair, (10 April 1894 – 21 March 1972) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Colonel F.H.G. Playfair of the Hampshire Regiment and educated at Cheltenham ...

& Brig C.J.C. Molony, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol IV: ''The Destruction of the Axis forces in Africa'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1966/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Major-General

Whitworth Porter Whitworth Porter (1827–1892) was an English Major General of the Royal Engineers, known also as a historical writer. Life The second son of Henry Porter, of Winslade House, South Devon, he was born at Winslade, near Exeter, on 25 September 18 ...

, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol II, London: Longmans, 1889/Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1977. * Alan Wakefield and Simon Moody, ''Under the Devil's Eye: Britain's Forgotten Army at Salonika 1915–1918'', Stroud: Sutton, 2004, . * War Office, ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927. * Sir Charles M. Watson, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol III, Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1914, reprint 1954. * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . * R.A. Westlake, ''Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908'', Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983, . {{refend

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on

Geoff Sullivan's compilations at 'Hut Six'

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Middlesex Military units and formations in Chelsea, London Military units and formations in Kensington Military units and formations established in 1860 1860 establishments in England