The Glamorgan Fortress Royal Engineers was a Welsh Territorial Army (TA) unit of Britain's Royal Engineers, first raised in 1885 as a

Volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

unit of Submarine Miners to defend the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it carried out defence work in England and

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, and detachments served on the Western Front. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it served in the North African campaign, including 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 halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

, and the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

. Postwar, the unit continued in the TA until 1961.

Origin

When Lt-Gen Sir Andrew Clarke, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–6, did not have enough Regular Royal Engineers (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 1885 the 1st Gloucestershire (The Western Counties) Engineer Volunteers, Royal Engineers formed a company at

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

to cover the

.Westlake, pp. 8, 15–7. Under the new Volunteer Regulations of 1887, several officers of the unit gained certificates in signalling.Lord & Watson pp 164–6. In 1888 the submarine miners were constituted into a separate branch of the RE Volunteers, and the company became the Severn Division Submarine Miners, ranking second in the list of volunteer submarine mining divisions. By 1895 the unit consisted of three companies, based at 10 Charles Street, Cardiff. Pontypridd County School formed a

Cadet Corps A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes ...

in 1901, which was affiliated to the Severn Division and disbanded in 1910.Glamorgan Fortress Engineers at Regiments.org.
/ref> ''Monthly Army List'', various dates.
/ref> In 1907 the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

decided to hand all submarine mining duties over to

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

units and the Volunteer submarine miners were converted into electrical engineers to continue manning the electric searchlights of the harbour defences. The Cardiff unit briefly became the Severn Division Electrical Engineers.

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 ...

(TF) in 1908, most of the unit formed the Glamorgan Fortress Royal Engineers, but the early interest of the unit in signalling (''see above'') led to the simultaneous creation of the Welsh Divisional Telegraph Company, RE, with an initial strength of 44, which was the first TF telegraph unit recognised by War Office in 1908. Both units had their headquarters (HQs) at The Drill Hall, Park Street, Cardiff. While the telegraph (later signal) company was assigned to the TF's Welsh Division, the fortress engineers formed part of Western Coast Defences, with the following organisation: * No 1 Works Company at Park Street * No 2 Works Company at the Drill Hall, Gladstone Road, Barry * No 3 Electric Lights Company at Park Street (operating coast defence searchlights)

World War I

Mobilisation

When war was declared on 4 August the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers went to their war stations in the Western Coast Defences. Shortly after the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for overseas service and at the end of 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 the case of the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers 3rd Line and additional 1st Line units were also formed. Once it was clear that the threat to Britain's coastal defences was small, six of the fortress engineer units organised their 1st Line as 'Army Troops' companies for service on the

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 communicati ...

of the British Expeditionary Force. The Glamorgan Fortress Company embarked for France on 29 December 1914 and arrived at Rouen. The 2nd Works Company embarked for France on 8 March 1915.

Service

By the end of the war the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers had formed the following service companies (numbers were assigned to TF companies of the RE in February 1917): * 1/1st Glamorgan Field Company, assigned to 68th (2nd Welsh) Division 29 November 1915, became 441st (Glamorgan) Field Company * 2/1st Glamorgan Field Company, assigned to 68th (2nd Welsh) Division by January 1916, became 442nd (Glamorgan) Field Company * 3/1st Glamorgan Fortress Company, assigned to (as 3/1st Glamorgan Field Company) to 72nd Division by 20 November 1916, became 550th (Glamorgan) Field Company; in January 1918 converted into 550th (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company and embarked to join the BEF 22 June 1918; with Second Army until May 1919 * 1/2nd Glamorgan Field Company, became 557th (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company * 2/2nd Glamorgan Fortress Company, assigned (as 2/2nd Glamorgan Field Company) to 72nd Division by 20 November 1916, became 551st (Glamorgan) Field Company; in January 1918 converted into 551st (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company * 556th (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company, with II Corps September 1918, then with Second Army until June 1919 * 1/5th Glamorgan Works Company, sent to

in November 1916 and remained there until the end of the war; became 558th (Glamorgan) Works Company 68th (2nd Welsh) Division came into existence in January 1915 as the 2nd Line of the prewar Welsh Division (later 53rd (Welsh) Division). 441st and 442nd (Glamorgan) Field Companies joined it in November 1915 when the division was allotted a position in the Home Defence scheme and it joined First Army in

Central Force In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force. : \vec = \mathbf(\mathbf) = \left\vert F( \mathbf ) \right\vert \hat where \vec F is the force, F is a vecto ...

. At this time the division was concentrated in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. In September 1916 it was moved to General Reserve, Home Forces, with the field companies quartered at

Yatesbury Yatesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England. It is next to Cherhill, north of the A4 road between Calne and Marlborough. Yatesbury was an ancient parish and in the 19th century became a civil parish, which was absorbed by Cherhill parish in ...

and Bungay. In May 1917, 68th Division was transferred to

Northern Army (Home Forces) Northern Army was a home service formation of the British Army during the First World War, responsible for the defence of East Anglia. It was formed on 11 April 1916 under the command of Sir Bruce Hamilton, with headquarters at Mundford. The Arm ...

on the coast of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and Suffolk, and the field companies moved to Great Yarmouth (sometimes at

Herringfleet Herringfleet is a place and former civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is located north-west of Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district. The parish was combined with Somerleyton and Ashby to create the parish of Somerl ...

) and

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is ...

(sometimes at

Heydon, Norfolk Heydon is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is located north of the market town of Reepham. The village can be accessed by the public only from the south, resulting in the only road, called The Street, effectively being a cul- ...

); they remained in these positions until the end of the war. The division slowly lost its Welsh connections and became a training formation. After the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the division began to disband: by 6 January 1919 half the engineers had already been

demobilised 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 ...

. 72nd Division was an additional Home Service formation created in November 1916, when 550th and 551st fortress companies joined as field companies. The division assembled in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and in January 1917 it moved to Bedfordshire then in May to

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

in Suffolk, with 550th and 551st Fd Cos at Yatesbury. The division was part of

Southern Army (Home Forces) Southern Army was a home service formation of the British Army during the First World War, responsible for the defence of South-East England, including both sides of the Thames Estuary. It was formed on 11 April 1916 under the command of Sir Art ...

, responsible for defence of the East Coast. At the end of 1917 orders were received to break up the division. This process was completed on 8 April, when 550th Fd Co prepared to join the BEF and 551st Fd Co was broken up.

Anti-Aircraft defence

In addition to operating searchlights for the coastal defence guns, the RE fortress companies began to utilise them in the Anti-Aircraft (AA) role . As the war progressed, and raids by airships and fixed wing bombers became more frequent, the RE formed specialist AA Searchlight Companies. 1/3rd and 2/3rd Electric Light Companies of the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers are known to have operated in this manner in Home Defence. In January 1918, the AA defences were reorganised and RE searchlight personnel were attached to AA gun companies of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

Interwar

The TF was reconstituted as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1920–1 and the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers was reformed as an HQ and single No 1 (Electric Light & Works) Company at Barry as coast defence troops under 53rd (Welsh) Divisional area.

World War II

Mobilisation

On the outbreak of war the Glamorgan Fortress Engineers mobilised in Cardiff Coast Defences. However, by September 1940 it had been converted into 588 Army Troops Company and was under training as part of the

Reserve, earmarked for overseas service.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 172, 186. By the end of the year it was serving in Western Command, then joined the General Headquarters Reserve in February 1941 before returning to the WO Reserve and sailing for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

in March.

Alamein

On arrival, 588 Company worked in the

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

under

British Troops in Egypt British Troops in Egypt was a command of the British Army. History A British Army commander was appointed in the late 19th century after the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882. The British Army remained in Egypt throughout the First World War and, after t ...

. By early August 1942, when Eighth Army had retreated to the El Alamein position, the company was at the army's supply base at Burg el Arab, directly under Eighth Army HQ. During the subsequent

, the company was again under direct control of Army HQ. 588 Army Troops Company accompanied Eighth Army to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and probably continued into

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947 the unit reformed at Cardiff as 109 Construction Regiment, RE, with the following organisation:Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 292, 302–3.80–117 Rgts RE at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> * 246 Plant Squadron * 247 Construction Squadron * 283 Construction Squadron * 284 Construction Squadron * 588 Electrical & Mechanical Squadron at Barry – ''disbanded before 1961'' The regiment formed part of 23 Engineer Group in Western Command. It derived its seniority from the former 1st Gloucester Engineer Volunteers formed in 1861. When the TA was reduced in 1961, the regiment apart from 247 Sqn was absorbed by 108 Engineer Rgt, which was redesignated 53rd Divisional/District Engineers. 247 Squadron transferred to the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) as 247 (Glamorgan) Corps Field Park Sqn; this squadron disappeared in a further reorganisation in 1967.

Honorary Commandant

Maj-Gen Henry H. Lee, RE, was appointed Hon

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Commandant of the Severn Submarine Miners on 4 April 1888.

Memorial

There is a memorial plaque in

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Pet ...

, Cardiff, to the Glamorgan Royal Engineers who died in World War I.IWM WRM Ref 51093.
/ref>

Notes

References

* Maj 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, . * * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * Col L.F. Morling, ''Sussex Sappers: A History of the Sussex Volunteer and Territorial Army Royal Engineer Units from 1890 to 1967'', Seaford: 208th Field Co, RE/Christians–W.J. Offord, 1972. * Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol VIII, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 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. * 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, .

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on

Great War Centenary Drill Halls

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

* ttp://www.orbat.info/history/historical/uk/ta47.html Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''{{refend Fortress units of the Royal Engineers Military units and formations in Glamorgan Military units and formations in Cardiff Barry, Vale of Glamorgan