The 7th Signals Regiment was a regiment of the

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

within the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. The unit and its predecessors supported 1st (British) Corps from 1911 until the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. Afterwards the regiment supported the

Allied Rapid Reaction Corps The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization High Readiness Force (Land) Headquarters ready for deployment worldwide. History The ARRC was created on 1 October 1992 in Bielefeld based on the former I (Britis ...

until its disbandment in 2012.

Royal Engineers

When the Electrical telegraph was brought into use by the

during the Crimean War it became the responsibility of the

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

(RE). In 1884 the RE established a Telegraph Battalion, organised into two 'divisions', of which 2nd Division in London handled communications for the higher levels of command in conjunction with the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

. In 1907 2nd Division was split into a number of separate companies, including 1st Airline and 1st Cable Companies at Aldershot. These merged in 1911 to form 'A' Signal Company at Aldershot to provide communications for I Corps in the event of mobilisation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).Lord & Watson, pp. 36–9.

World War I

On the outbreak of war in August 1914, 'A' Company embarked for France as I Corps Signals as part of

I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers (I CTRE) was a battalion-sized unit of Royal Engineers (RE) attached to the British I Corps Headquarters in World War II. It served with the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuati ...

. It consisted of K, L, G and M Sections, under the command of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

M.G.E. Bowman-Manifold as Assistant-Director of Signals.Becke, pp. 131–6.Nalder, p. 609.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 22. I Corps fought in the

Battle of Mons A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and the subsequent retreat, the

Battle of the Aisne The Battle of the Aisne is the name of three battles fought along the Aisne River in northern France during the First World War. * First Battle of the Aisne (12–15 September 1914), Anglo-French counter-offensive following the First Battle of the ...

and the First Battle of Ypres. On 26 December 1914 the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of I Corps, Sir Douglas Haig was promoted to command a new First Army and began to form his headquarters (HQ). I Corps Signals was split up to provide signals for both HQs. I Corps continued to serve with the BEF on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

for the rest of the war, including the early battles of 1915, the Battle of Loos, the capture of Vimy ridge and Hill 70, the German spring offensive and the Allied

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

. On the outbreak of war an Airline Section had the following composition: * 1 Officer and 57 other ranks (ORs), 37 horses, 5 wagons, 1 car, 1 bicycle A Cable Section was composed as follows: * 1 Officer and 35 ORs, 30 horses, 4 wagons, 1 bicycle As the war progressed, horsedrawn airline sections were progressively replaced by motorised sections. Sub-units were moved between formations as required: by the end of the war L and M Cable Sections were serving with VIII CorpsLord & Watson, p. 234. and GHQ Italy respectively. At the Armistice on 11 November 1918 I Corps Signals were organised as follows: * 'A' Corps Signal Company ** No 5 (Motor) Airline Section ** No 85 (Motor) Airline Section ** K and AN Cable Sections AN Cable Section had embarked for France on 3 December 1915, and most of the Motor Airline Sections during 1916. I Corps HQ and RE staff was disbanded shortly after the Armistice with Germany, and I Corps Signals was reduced to a Cadre.

Royal Corps of Signals

'A' Corps Signals was reconstituted at Aldershot in 1923, now as part of the new

, and was raised to a lieutenant-colonel's command the following year. Until Supplementary Reserve units were raised in the 1920s to take over, 'A' Corps Signals was also responsible for GHQ communications. In 1939, the organisation of Corps Signals was as follows:Lord & Watson, p. 262. * HQ * 1 Company - for construction ** 4 line-laying sections ** 1 line maintenance section * 2 Company – operating ** 3 operating sections ** 3 wireless sections ** 2 messenger sections (each of 1

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

and 24 despatch riders) * 3 Company – corps artillery ** 1 section for each artillery regiment

World War II

Battle of France

In 1939 the unit went to France again with I Corps as part of the new British Expeditionary Force. After establishing defences along the French frontier during the Phoney War period, the BEF advanced into Belgium in accordance with 'Plan D' initiated after the German offensive in the west opened on 10 May 1940. However, the

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

broke through the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

to the east, forcing the BEF to withdraw again, and by 19 May the whole force was back across the Scheldt and then went back to the so-called 'Canal Line'. By 26 May the BEF was cut off and the decision was made to evacuate it through

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Operation Dynamo). I Corps acted as rearguard, forming a defensive perimeter around the port while the evacuation went on, the last troops that could be rescued leaving on 4 June.

Home defence

After the evacuation, I Corps was reassembled in Northern Command, becoming responsible for both field forces and coast defence artillery on the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coast. In 1941 corps signal units were reorganised so that 1 Company supported Main HQ and 2 Company supported Rear HQ. In April 1942 a large part of I Corps Signals was used to reform No 1 Line of Communication Signals (later sent to North Africa in

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

). I Corps Signals was restored to full strength in 1943 as the corps began training for the planned 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 invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

). By now corps signal units had disbanded their third company and divided its duties between signal troops assigned to individual artillery regiments and the new

Army Groups Royal Artillery An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a British Commonwealth military formation during the Second World War and shortly thereafter. Generally assigned to Army corps, an AGRA provided the medium and heavy artillery to higher formations within the ...

(AGRAs). At this point I Corps Signals HQ commanded the following units: I Corps

* I Corps Artillery Signal Section * 13 Cipher Section * 5 & 58 Despatch Rider Sections * 1 Line Maintenance Section * 41, 82, 91 Line Sections * 60 & 63 Operating Sections * 44 Signal Park * 108 Special Wireless Section * 43 Technical Maintenance Section * 10 HQ Section (with eight carrier pigeon lofts) * Inns of Court Regiment Signal Section * 86 Field Regiment Signal Section * 62 Anti-Tank Regiment Signal Detachment * 102 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Signal Section * Light Aid Detachment,

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

In 1944 corps signal regiments organised their sub-units into 1 & 2 Companies supporting Main HQ, a new 3 Company for line construction, and a new 4 Company supporting rear HQ.

Normandy

I Corps was an assault formation for D Day, attacking with 3rd Division at Sword Beach and

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...

Juno Beach Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold ...

. Although the GOC,

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

John Crocker, landed during the day to visit his divisions, I Corps HQ remained afloat on the HQ ship HMS ''Hilary'' to maintain good signal communications until D + 1. Having failed to seize

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Operation Goodwood, and coming under

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

as the forces ashore were built up. It continued to support the left while the Canadians advanced on Falaise, and then advanced eastwards along the coast after the breakout from Normandy in late August.

Clearing the ports

First Canadian Army's' next task was to liberate the Channel ports and make them available to supply

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 in ...

. I Corps took St Valery-en-Caux on 4 September and Le Havre, in Operation Astonia, 10–12 September. It then moved on to

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

: the city had quickly fallen to 21st Army Group's advanced elements, but there was a prolonged campaign to clear the approaches to the port, after which I Corps held the line of the River Maas for the winter. In March 1945 21st Army Group stormed across the Rhine and advanced rapidly across Germany. I Corps' role was limited to liberating the Netherlands and securing the lines of communication for 21st Army Group.

Postwar

After VE Day I Corps took over administration of a very wide area of occupied Germany and the unit became 1st Corps District Signal Regiment of nine squadrons, including one composed of Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) women, and two from captured '' Wehrmacht'' signal companies. The regiment disbanded in 1947. The regiment reformed in 1950 at Harewood Barracks at Herford in West Germany to support the newly-formed 1st (British) Corps in British Army of the Rhine. Its initial organisation was HQ Squadron, with A. B. C1, C2, D1, D2, O1, O2, O3, P, Z1 and Z2 Troops. It moved to Maresfiedl Barracks in 1952. In 1956 the regiment (temporarily titled 2nd Corps Signal Rgt) provided a detachment for the

Suez operation The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 ...

in 1956. The familiar name came in 1959 as the regiment adopted the title 7th (Corps) Signal Regiment By now was organised into seven squadrons, comprising over 1000 personnel, providing facilities for 1 (BR) Corps' Main HQ and 'Step Up' (intermediate) HQ. The corps had three divisional HQs and eight brigade HQs under its command, and also had to liaise with adjacent Dutch, Belgian, and West German Corps. The burden was such that in 1962

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

was re-roled from air support to handle communications for 1 (BR) Corps' Rear HQ, the two regiments working together as the Communications Support Group. Plans to involve a third Signals regiment to provide a full regiment for each of Forward, Step-up and Rear HQs was abandoned in 1967; instead, both regiments were re-organised on a three-squadron basis. 7 Signal Rgt's 6 Sqn left in 1978 to become Bravo Troop in 1st Armoured Division HQ and Signal Regiment. After the end of the

1st British Corps was converted into a new multi-national

(ARRC). As a result 7 Signals Rgt joined the new 1st Signal Brigade and became the main signals regiment for the ARRC. In September 1991 its 1 Squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia to reinforce 1st Armoured Division HQ and Signal Rgt in the

1st Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. In 2002 the regiment moved to Elmpt and officially joined the Multi-National Division Headquarters in Germany. Eventually, in 2012 as a result of the

Future Army Structure (Next Steps) Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. Army 2020 Refine The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced that the structure of the Reac ...

the regiment was disbanded. The following was the structure of the regiment from 1993 until disbandment: * 229 ( Berlin) Signal Squadron * 230 (

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

) Signal Squadron – moved to

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

1994 * 231 Signal Squadron * 232 Signal Squadron

Commanding officers

Former commanding officers (COs) of the unit include the following: Assistant-Director of Signals, I Corps * Maj M.G.E. Bowman-Manifold, 5 August 1914Nalder, Appendix 3, p. 579. * Maj D.C. Jones, 20 March 1915 * Maj W.L DeM. Carey, 6 February 1916 (promoted to lt-col 20 November 1916) * Lt-Col E.F.W. Barker, 26 November 1916 * Lt-Col M.T. Porter, 30 December 1917 * Lt-Col H.G. Gilchrist, 12 December 1918 CO, 'A' Corps Signals * Maj H.A.B. Salmond, 1923 * Lt-Col R.M. Powell, DSO, 1924 * Lt-Col J.P.G. Worlledge,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, 1928 * Maj M.V.G. Fuge, MBE, 1929 * Lt-Col A.E. Meredith, MC, 1930 * Lt-Col R. Elsdale, OBE, MC, 1934 * Lt-Col M.V. Smelt, 1938 CO, 1st Corps Signals * Lt-Col M.V. Smelt, 1939 * Lt-Col R.H. Hooper, MBE, 1940 * Lt-Col F.S. Whiteway-Wilkinson, 1941 * Lt-Col R. Baron, OBE, TD, 1942 * Lt-Col R.W. Morgan, 1942 * Lt-Col A.F. Freeman, MC, 1944 CO, 1st Corps District Signal Regiment * Lt-Col D.N. Deakin, 1945 * Lt-Col A.S. Milner, OBE, 1946–47 CO 1st Corps Signal Regiment * Lt-Col G.D.B. MacKean, 1950 * Lt-Col P.E.M. Bradley, DSO, MBE, 1952 * Lt-Col F.P. Johnson, OBE, 1953

Insignia

In 1995 7 Signal Rgt adopted a regimental shoulder flash consisting of a white spear on a red diamond (the old I Corps formation sign) superimposed on a square of ARRC's colours of light blue, dark blue and green.

Alliances

In September 1972 the regiment was awarded the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Herford and in 1997 of Krefeld, strengthening its ties with the western German areas. The unit had the following alliances: * -1st Divisional Signal Regiment, Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals * - 4th Troupes de Transmissions Battalion, Belgian Signal Battalion * - 51^e Régiment de Transmissions, French Army * - 310 Fernmeldebataillon,

* -

17th Signal Battalion 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

, United States Army

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, .
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Brig-Gen Sir

James E. Edmonds Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier-General Sir James Edward Edmonds (25 December 1861 – 2 August 1956) was an commissioned officer, officer of the Royal Engineers in the late-Victorian era British Army who worked in the Intelligence Corps ...

, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1914'', Vol I, 3rd Edn, London: Macmillan,1933/Woking: Shearer, 1986, .
Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004.
* 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. * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, {{ISBN, 978-171790180-4.

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on
Regiments of the Royal Corps of Signals Military units and formations established in 1959 Military units and formations disestablished in 2012