The 1st Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps was a

Volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

unit of Britain's

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 ...

, first raised in 1860. It went on to spin off a unit of fortress engineers and provided a signals training centre during 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 ...

. Its successor units provided signal support for West Lancashire Territorial Army (TA) formations in the early stages of 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 ...

, and for Eighth Army HQ during the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

, the advance to

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 ...

, invasion of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and through

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, ending the war in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Postwar successor units have continued in the TA and Army Reserve to the present day.

Origins

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, Artillery and Engineer 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. One such unit was the 1st Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVC) formed at

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 ...

on 1 October 1860. In the early part of 1864 it absorbed the 2nd Lancashire EVC, which had been formed at Liverpool on 29 December 1860 (the 3rd Lancashire EVC at St Helens became the new 2nd).Westlake, pp. 10–11. The unit ranked 4th (later 3rd) in the list of precedence of EVCs, and by 1866 it consisted of eight companies, with its headquarters at 44 Mason Street,

Edge Hill, Liverpool Edge Hill is a district of Liverpool, England, south east of the city centre, bordered by Kensington, Wavertree and Toxteth. Edge Hill University was founded here, but moved to Ormskirk in the 1930s. History The area was first developed in ...

.''Monthly Army List''. During the 1860s the 1st Lancashire EVC acted as a battalion headquarters, with several smaller EVCs attached to it: 1st Flintshire EVC (1863–1897); 1st Cheshire EVC (1864) and 2nd (St Helens) Lancashire EVC (1864–1867). The Rossall School Cadet Corps – the oldest school cadet corps in the UK, founded in 1860 – was attached to the 1st Lancashire EVC from 1890 to 1908. When Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–1886, did not have enough Regular

(RE) to man the fixed mines being installed to defend British seaports, he utilised the

Engineers for this task. After successful trials the system was rolled out to ports around the country. In October 1884 the 1st Lancashire EVC formed K Company to cover the

Mersey Estuary The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

, and in March 1888 this became independent as the Mersey Division Submarine Miners. Again, when Clarke needed engineers for railway construction at the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

port of

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin (, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north. Suakin used to be considered the height ...

for the British force engaged there in 1885, he sent a detachment of Volunteers to assist the Regulars. The detachment was drawn from the 1st Newcastle & Durham EV and the 1st Lancashire EV (seven men). The EVC titles were abandoned in 1888, when the units became 'Engineer Volunteers, Royal Engineers', proclaiming their affiliation to the Regular RE, and then simply 'Royal Engineers (Volunteers)' in 1896. The unit sent a detachment of 26 volunteers to assist the regular REs during 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 ...

in 1901.'Liverpool's Part in the War, Part XXVI', ''Liverpool Courier'', 22 July 1919.
/ref>

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) in 1908, the original plan was for part of the 1st Lancashire RE (V) to join the

Lancashire Fortress Royal Engineers The Lancashire (Fortress) Royal Engineers was a volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Engineers formed in 1884 to defend the Mersey Estuary. As well as serving in this role it also provided specialist engineer units in both World Wars, losing many me ...

formed by the former Mersey Submarine Miners, and the remainder of the unit would form the West Lancashire Divisional Telegraph Company. By 1910 this plan had changed: none of the 1st Lancashire transferred to the fortress company, but the telegraph company had been expanded to form the Western Wireless Telegraph, Cable Telegraph and Air-Line Telegraph companies, collectively known as the Western Signal Companies. These were 'Army Troops', forming part of Western Command.Lord & Watson, p. 133. By now the HQ was at 38 Mason Street. The Commanding Officer of the companies from 1912 was Lt-Col F.A.Cortez-Leigh, transferred from a TF battalion of the

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...

. In professional life he was chief electrical engineer of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

First World War

Mobilisation

When war broke out in August 1914 the TF was mobilised and the Western Signal Companies were quickly recruited up to full strength. The unit established a training camp in the public park known as The Mystery at

Wavertree Wavertree is a district and suburb of Liverpool, in the county of Merseyside, England. It is a Ward (country subdivision), ward of Liverpool City Council, and its population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 14,772. Located to ...

. Almost the whole unit volunteered for overseas service, and it was quickly called upon to provide two cable telegraph sections and two motor air line telegraph sections to join the British Expeditionary Force serving on the Western Front. These sections left Wavertree and embarked for France on 26 October 1914.

Training Centre

In the autumn of 1914 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 ...

decided to address the urgent need for trained signallers by using the TF to establish training depots. The Army Troops signal units of the five Home Commands were concentrated in

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 ...

, and the officers and men were transferred to the Regular RE for the duration of the war. The Western Signal Companies became the Western Signal Service Centre, RE, based at the empty manor house at

Haynes Park Haynes Park is a Georgian country house which stands in parkland at Haynes Church End, Bedfordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. Originally known as Hawnes Park it was built c.1725 for John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, a promin ...

in Bedfordshire, with many of the men being billeted in nearby

Clophill Clophill is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish nucleated village, clustered on the north bank of the River Flit, Bedfordshire, England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Clopelle''. "Clop" likely means 'tree-st ...

. The unit had to establish a complete depot in the park, with roads, huts, and electricity and water supplies. The training centre was later known as the Haynes Park Signal Depot, and remained under the command of Lt-Col Cortez-Leigh, who visited the Western Front in 1915 to see for himself the service conditions for which the men had to be trained. During the war some 2,000–3,000 officers and 20,000 NCOs and men from across the UK, together with thousands of horses and mules, were trained at Haynes Park. Mrs Cortez-Leigh took charge of a detachment of women of

Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) from 9 April 1918, was the women's corps of the British Army during and immediately after the First World War. It was established in February 1917 and d ...

at the park, which released men for active service.

Interwar

When the TF was reconstituted in 1920 as the Territorial Army (TA), the RE signal units became part of 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 ...

. The Western Command units became 2nd Western Corps Signals (Army Troops), based at Liverpool. However, the concept of Army Troops signal companies was soon afterwards abandoned and the unit reformed later the same year as 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals.Lord & Watson, pp. 167–168.Nalder, pp. 614–615. The new unit was based at Mason Street, with No 2 Company at

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civil parish population was 11,184 (5,265 males, 5,919 femal ...

, and was commanded by Colonel J. Tennant. It also had 235th Field Artillery Signal Section and 210th Medium Artillery Signal Section attached to it. In 1937 a new drill hall named Signal House was opened at Score Lane,

Childwall Childwall () is a suburb and ward of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, located to the southeast of the city. It is bordered by Belle Vale, Bowring Park, Broadgreen, Gateacre, Mossley Hill, and Wavertree. In 2019, the population was 13,640. ...

, Liverpool, and HQ moved in with Nos 1 and 3 Companies. In 1938 the unit provided the cadre for the new 4th AA Divisional Signals in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

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. The

55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Army (TA) that was formed in 1920 and existed through the Second World War, although it did not see combat. The division had originally ...

, which was organised as a Motor Division, spun off a duplicate,

59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Normandy. In March 1939, after Germany re-emerged as a significant military power ...

, to which the signal unit provided 59th (Motor) Divisional Signals. The TA was mobilised in the days preceding the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, and 59th Division and its units became active on 15 September.Joslen, pp. 90–91.Joslen, pp. 93–94.

55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals

The 55th (West Lancashire) Division mobilised in Western Command. It remained in the UK throughout the war, moving from place to place. In June 1940 it was reorganised as a normal infantry division, and in January 1942 it was placed on a lower establishment. Although it was restored to full war establishment shortly before

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 ...

, it never went overseas. 55th Divisional Signals acted as a training unit.

59th (Motor) Divisional Signals

59th Division also mobilised in Western Command, but early in 1940 the divisional signal unit was withdrawn and reorganised as 4th Army Signals. It was redesignated again in May 1940 as No 4 Line of Communication Signals, and in September it was sent to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

where it operated in the rear areas of

Western Desert Force The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Des ...

and later Eighth Army during the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

. It also provided signal detachments to British forces operating in

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

during the East African campaign and in

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 ...

during the

Syria–Lebanon Campaign The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France, a vassal state of Nazi Germany) in June and July 1941 by British Empire forces, during the Second World War. ...

.Lord & Watson, p. 251. British Eighth Army SSI

Eighth Army Signals

When Eighth Army HQ was formed in 1941, most of its administrative services, including signals, were provided by the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...

. 4th LoC Signals supported these units, and in mid-1942 it took over completely from the South Africans when the bulk of the unit became 8th Army Signals, also providing personnel to XIII Corps Signals and East African Signals. The unit served with Eighth Army HQ at the Battle of Alamein, the advance to

, 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 ...

, and the whole of the Italian campaign. It ended the war in Austria, remaining there with the Army of Occupation until 1947, when its HQ and No 1 Squadron were disbanded. The rest of the unit was reorganised into the independent Klagenfurt and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Signal Squadrons, and the

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

Signal Troop. In 1952 these were amalgamated into British Troops Austria Signals, which was reduced to a squadron in 1954 and disbanded in 1955.

Organisation

In 1939–1945 an Army Signal unit had the following organisation: * HQ * 1 Company – ''for construction'' ** two line-laying sections ** one line maintenance section * 2 Company – ''operating and maintenance'' ** teletype section ** wireless section ** messenger section ** technical maintenance section * 3 Company – ''operating and maintenance'' ** teletype section ** wireless section ** messenger section ** technical maintenance section By 1944 such was the volume of signal traffic that Army Signals had to be divided into two units, one for Main Army HQ and one for Rear Army HQ.

Postwar

55th (West Lancashire) Division was not reformed when the TA was reconstituted in 1947, but the Liverpool TA signals component did reform at Signals House as 22 (West Lancashire) Corps Signal Regiment. In 1949 the regiment became part of the Army Emergency Reserve (AER) (successors to the old

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

). Those TA members who chose not to accept the AER terms of service then became the nucleus of a new No 3 Squadron of 42 (Lancashire) Signal Regiment at Signal House. The AER regiment was disbanded about 1953. The former second-line 59th Divisional Signals also reformed in Liverpool in 1947, as 59 Mixed Signal Regiment ('Mixed' indicating that members of the

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992 except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chap ...

were integrated into the unit). When the TA was reduced to 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 became 59 (West Lancashire) Signal Squadron in

33 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment The 33rd (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment was a British Territorial Army regiment of the Royal Corps of Signals. History The regiment was originally a TAVR II (Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve) unit created due to defence cuts ...

based at

Huyton Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, Liverpool Built-up Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Merseyside, Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Netherley, Liverpool, ...

(which also included 42 Signal Squadron from the former 42 (Lancashire) Signal Rgt).Lord & Watson, pp. 140, 282. At the same time, a new 55 (Thames and Mersey) Squadron was formed in TAVR I (the 'ever-ready' portion of the reserves). It consisted of HQ at Liverpool, an Airhead Troop at

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

, and a Port Troop at

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. The London troop left in 1970, when the squadron was renamed 55 (West Lancashire) Signal Squadron. A radio relay troop at Liverpool joined in 1972 and the Cardiff troop left in 1983. The squadron operated in the logistic support role until it disbanded in February 1999. On 16 February 1999 the titles of 33 (L&C) Signal Regiment's squadrons were changed, 59 becoming 59 (City of Liverpool) Signal Squadron and HQ Squadron becoming 55 (Merseyside) HQ Squadron. 33 (L&C) Signal Regiment was reduced to a single squadron after the 2009 Defence Review.

Commanding Officers

Unit commanders included the following: 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals: * Lt-Col J. Tennant, DSO, TD, 1920 * Col W.T. Dodd, DSO, TD, 1927 * Lt-Col R. Baron,

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, 1935 * Lt-Col E.J.F. Higgs, 1942 * Lt-Col A.E. Taylor, OBE, 1944 * Lt-Col R.C.B. Stuart, 1945 59th Motor Divisional Signals: * Lt-Col R.W. Bailey, TD, 1939 * No 4 Line of Communication Signals: * Lt-Col R.W. Bailey, TD, 1940 * Lt-Col B.B. Kennett, MBE, 1941 * Lt-Col C. Knowles, OBE, 1942 * Lt-Col W.A. Peachell, 1942 * Lt-Col T.A. Darling, 1942 8th Army Signals: * Lt-Col W.A. Peachell, 1942 * Lt-Col R.H.E. Robinson, 1944 * Lt-Col W.J. Morris, MC, 1944 * Lt-Col F.W. Stoneman, MBE, 1945 * Lt-Col C.H. Lyddon, 1946–1947 * British Troops Austria Signals * Lt-Col P.M.P. Hobson, DSO 1952 * Maj T.M. Moon, 1954–1955 22 Corps Signal Regiment: * Lt-Col A. Ellison, MBE, TD, 1947 * Lt-Col R.F. Knight, TD, 1951 * Lt-Col R.J. Mitchell, TD, 1953

Honorary Colonel

The following officers served as Honorary Colonel of the 1st Lancashire EVC and successor units: * Field Marshal Sir

John Fox Burgoyne Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne, 1st Baronet, (24 July 1782 – 7 October 1871) was a British Army officer. After taking part in the Siege of Malta during the French Revolutionary Wars, he saw action under Sir John Moore and then under ...

, appointed 29 October 1861. * Lt-Col Christopher O. Ellison, VD, former commanding officer, appointed 30 July 1878. * Col John F. Robinson, VD, appointed 10 January 1906. * Lt-Col S.M. Newell, DSO, OBE, TD, appointed 23 February 1929. * Col W.T. Dodd, DSO, TD, appointed 23 February 1935.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj 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, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * Maj-Gen R.F.H. Nalder, ''The Royal Corps of Signals: A History of its Antecedents and Developments (Circa 1800–1955)'', London: Royal Signals Institution, 1958. * Maj O.M. Short, Maj H. Sherlock, Capt L.E.C.M. Perowne and Lt M.A. Fraser, ''The History of the Tyne Electrical Engineers, Royal Engineers, 1884–1933'', 1933/Uckfield: Naval & Military, nd, . * ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927. * Col Sir Charles M. Watson, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol III, Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, reprint 1954. * R.A. Westlake, ''Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908'', Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983, {{ISBN, 0-9508530-0-3.

External sources

Mark Conrad, ''The British Army, 1914''.

Lancashire Record Office, ''Handlist 72''

''London Gazette''.

Merseyside Roll of Honour.

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

* ttp://www.orbat.info/history/historical/uk/ta47.html Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947'' Military units and formations in Lancashire Military units and formations in Liverpool Military units and formations established in 1860 1860 establishments in the United Kingdom