II Corps Troops, Royal Engineers (II CTRE) was a battalion-sized unit of

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) attached to the British II Corps Headquarters in

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

. It served with the British Expeditionary Force in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, and later in Home Defence until disbandment in 1943.

Precursor units

Following the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the ''Army List'' from December 1875. This assigned all Regular Army and

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

units serving in the UK to a theoretical order of battle of eight army corps. II Army Corps based at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

was to have the following units of the

(RE) assigned as Corps Engineers:''Army List'', various dates.Spiers, pp. 59–60, Appendix 3. * A pontoon troop * Half a telegraph troop * A field company and field park The 1875 plan was over-ambitious: there were not enough engineers for eight corps and no staff; although there was a post for a Colonel Commanding Royal Engineers with II Corps, the position remained vacant. The only RE unit actually assigned to II Corps was half of C (Telegraph) Troop at Aldershot. The

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

of 1881 only provided for an overseas expeditionary force of one complete army corps, but the revised mobilisation plan of 1886 (codified in the subsequent

Stanhope Memorandum The Stanhope Memorandum was a document written by Edward Stanhope, the Secretary of State for War of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on 8 December 1888. It set out the overall strategic aims of the British Empire, and the way the Br ...

of 1891) allowed for an expeditionary force of two army corps, each with a 'field battalion' of RE sappers. In 1887 2nd Field Battalion supporting II Corps comprised 12th, 26th, 37th and 38th Field Companies. The field battalions were shortlived: by 1898 the RE component of each corps was supposed to comprise a pontoon troop, a telegraph division, a balloon section, a field company, a field park and a railway company. The corps remained paper arrangements only, without assigned staff, and when the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

broke out in 1899 the formations and units assigned to the army corps proceeded overseas separately, and never concentrated in South Africa. After the Boer War the

Haldane Reforms 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 ...

of 1908 established an expeditionary force of six divisions with a detailed mobilisation scheme, so that every unit had a defined position in the order of battle and mobilisation was regularly practised. The divisions became permanent formations, but II Corps HQ had to be improvised from the staffs of Eastern Command and Southern Command for the

Army Manoeuvres of 1912 The Army Manoeuvres of 1912 was the last military exercise of its kind conducted by the British Army before the outbreak of the First World War. (The Army Manoeuvres of 1913 were on a much smaller scale.) In the manoeuvres, Sir James Grierson decis ...

, and again when the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was mobilised on the outbreak of

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

World War I

When mobilisation began on 5 August 1914, the Chief Engineer (CE) of Irish Command, Temporary

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

A.E. Sandbach Major-General Arthur Edmund Sandbach (30 July 1859 – 25 June 1928) was a British Army general officer who served in the Royal Engineers and on the General Staff, eventually rising to command the 68th (2nd Welsh) and 59th (2nd North Midland ...

, was immediately appointed CE of II Corps and went with it to France. At this date the RE was responsible for the Army's Signal Service, and

Major 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 ...

A.B.R. Hildebrand also went as Assistant-Director of Signals for II Corps.Becke, pp. 137–41. As the BEF assembled in France, the following RE troops were assigned to II Corps: * 2nd Corps Signal Company ** E, M, O and P Sections * No 2 Bridging Train II Corps served on the

Western Front 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 ...

throughout the war. RE units were assigned to the corps as required for operations, but by 1916 each corps had two 'army troops' companies, one tunnelling company and one special works company. In September 1918 CE II Corps had the following units under command:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 22. * 20th Army Troops Company * 138th Army Troops Company * 289th Army Troops Company * 556th (Glamorgan) Army Troops Company *

255th Tunnelling Company The 255th Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers created by the British Army during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of ...

At the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

on 11 November 1918 II Corps Signals were organised as follows: * 'B' Corps Signal Company ** No 33 (Motor) Airline Section ** No 83 (Motor) Airline Section ** AP Cable Section ** J Cable Section II Corps formed part of the British Army of the Rhine after the Armistice. Its HQ and CE staff were disbanded about November 1919.

World War II

Mobilisation

II Corps was mobilised again when a new British Expeditionary Force was sent to France at the beginning of

. II Corps was assigned a mixed group of RE companies as II Corps Troops, RE (II CTRE) under the command of Lt-Col P.F. Foley:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 130. * 14 Corps Field Survey Company – mobilised at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

from the Survey Battalion, RE, ( Regular Army)Watson & Rinaldi, p. 152. * 222 (2nd London) Army Field Company – at Chelsea from London Division ( Territorial Army (TA))Watson & Rinaldi, p. 162. * 234 (Northumbrian) Army Field Company – at

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

from GHQ Troops (TA)Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 163–4. * 240 (Lowland) Army Field Company – at Coatbridge from

52nd (Lowland) Infantry 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 (Lowland ...

(TA) * 108 (Essex) Corps Field Park Company – at

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, from GHQ Troops ( Supplementary Reserve)Watson & Rinaldi, p. 157. In mid-September the companies assembled at Savannah Barracks,

Bordon Camp Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps are British Army training camps close to the A3 and A325 roads in and around the settlements of Bordon, Longmoor, Liss and Liphook in Hampshire, England. The main street of the Longmoor part of the camp is buil ...

, and collected motor transport (MT), both from Chilwell ordnance depot and requisitioned civilian vehicles from

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. The transport then moved to

to embark for France, 222 Fd Co aboard the troopship ''Manxman'' bound for

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

.Edwards, pp. 157–61.

Battle of France

Once concentrated, II Corps moved on 12 October up to the French frontier, where the sappers spent the Phoney War period on defence works to extend the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

. II CTRE assigned 222 Field Co to assist 3rd Division at

Bouvines Bouvines (; nl, Bovingen) is a commune and village in the Nord department in northern France. It is on the French-Belgian border between Lille and Tournai. History On 27 July 1214, the Battle of Bouvines was fought here between the forces of F ...

. When the German offensive in the west opened on 10 May 1940. the BEF advanced into Belgium in accordance with 'Plan D'. 222nd Field Co immediately went forward to blow the Dyle bridges round

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) 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 historic c ...

. 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 Escaut and then went back to the so-called 'Canal Line'. The engineers carried out as many bridge demolitions as possible to delay the German advance. By 26 May the BEF was cut off and the decision was made to evacuate it through

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.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. The last of the BEF who could enter the Dunkirk bridgehead had done so by 29 May and the evacuation progressed:

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

went first, followed by II Corps after handing over responsibility for the eastern flank to the rearguards of

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

. 222 Field Co reached

Bray-Dunes Bray-Dunes (; vls, Bray-Duunn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated on the Belgian border, with Adinkerke being the closest Belgian town. It is the northernmost commune and the northernmost point in all of Fran ...

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

Sheerness Sheerness () is a 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 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

next day, others party aboard HMS ''Halcyon'', which landed them at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East 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 south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. Various detached demolition parties came back later. Most of II Corps including the rest of II CTRE was evacuated on the night of 31 May/1 June.

Home Defence

After the evacuation, the companies of II CTRE reassembled at

Blandford Camp Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and it ...

, then II Corps concentrated in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

under Eastern Command and concentrated on building defence works – described by

General Ironside Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal William Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, (6 May 1880 – 22 September 1959) was a senior officer of the British Army who served as Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Impe ...

( Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces) as 'minor

s along the coast' – in which task the RE was assisted by large numbers of civilian contractors. 14 Field Survey Company left, and on 16 July 222 Fd Co returned to 2nd London Division, but in September II CTRE was reinforced by the arrival of 173 Railway Tunnelling Company. II Corps continued in Eastern England during 1941–43, preparing for an invasion that never came. 173 Tunnelling Company left II CTRE during 1941 (it later served in the Siege of Malta). By the middle of 1943 most of the fighting units in Britain had been sent to overseas theatres or were assigned to

21st Army Group 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 ...

for the planned 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 ...

). II Corps had no role in these plans and in July 1943 II Corps HQ was disbanded (it retained a notional existence as a deception formation in Operation Fortitude North) and its units dispersed. II Corps Troops RE merged with I CTRE, with 234 and 240 Fd Cos joining the latter and later taking part in Overlord. Brigadier P.F. Foley, who had commanded II CTRE during the Battle of France, went on to be Chief Engineer (CE) of 'Fortbase', the administrative echelon of

15th Army Group The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of t ...

in the Allied invasion of Sicily, and CE Works during the Italian Campaign.Pakenham-Walsh, Vol IX, pp. 35–7, 82.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Sir Arthur Bryant, ''The Turn of the Tide, 1939–1943'', London: Collins, 1957.
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Brig-Gen Sir

James E. Edmonds 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 D.K. Edwards, ''A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967'', London, 1967.
Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004.
* Halik Kochanski, ''Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian Hero'', London: Hambledon, 1999, . * Joshua Levine, ''Operation Fortitude: The Greatest Hoax of the Second World War'', London: Collins, 2011, . * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * D.S. Macdiarmid, ''The Life of Lieut. General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson'', London: Constable. 1923.
D.J. Newbold, ''British planning and preparations to resist invasion on land, September 1939 - September 1940'' Thesis, King's College, University of London.
* Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol VIII, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol IX, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, . * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . {{refend 2 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943