The Tyne Electrical Engineers (TEE) is a Volunteer unit of 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 ...

that has existed under various titles since 1860. It has been the parent unit for a large number of units fulfilling specialist coastal and air defence roles in 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) and

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA), many seeing service during both World Wars. TEE companies currently form part of the RE and of the

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 the

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

Early history

The 1st Newcastle Engineer Volunteers (EV) was raised at company strength in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

during the first 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 integrated ...

engendered by the invasion scare of 1859; its officers' commissions were dated 1 September 1860.Beckett, Appendix IX.''Official Army List'' December 1868. The first volunteers came from Armstrong's engineering works at Elswick. The company was attached for administrative purposes to the 1st Newcastle upon Tyne Rifle Volunteer Corps.Westlake, p. 13. Charles Mark Palmer, Vanity Fair, 1884-10-18

Charles Mark Palmer, Vanity Fair, 1884-10-18

Eight years later another unit was formed at

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

on the opposite (

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

) bank of the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

. The 1st Durham EV was raised and commanded by

Charles Palmer Charles Palmer may refer to: * Charles Palmer (1777–1851), Member of Parliament for Bath * Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet (1822–1907), English shipbuilder, businessman and Liberal Member of Parliament, 1874–1907 * Sir Charles Palmer, 2nd Ba ...

(1822–1907), founder of

Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as "Palmers", was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British shipbuilder, shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, County Durham, in north-eastern ...

and later the first mayor and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Jarrow. The 1st Durham initially comprised six companies and Palmer was commissioned as

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 colonel. ...

Commandant. By 1874 the Newcastle (1 Company) and Durham (8 Companies) units were united into the 1st Durham Administrative Battalion EV, consolidated in 1880 as the 1st Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham EV, with Palmer as commanding officer and an establishment of 1300 men.Short ''et al.'', p. 2.

Submarine miners

Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–6, did not have enough Regular

(RE) to man the fixed minefields being installed to defend British ports. He decided to utilise the Volunteer Engineers for this task, and the first experiments were carried out in February 1884 on the Tyne with Palmer's 1st Newcastle & Durham EV. By 1886 one of the companies was designated as submarine miners. The system was successfully rolled out to defend other ports around the country.Beckett, pp. 184–5. Later units of Submarine Miners were drawn from the Regulars, the

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 ...

and the Volunteers. In 1885 Clarke also sent Volunteers to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

port of

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, 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 b ...

to assist the Regular REs in railway construction in support of the British force engaged there. The detachment of 40 men was drawn from the 1st Newcastle & Durham EV and the 1st Lancashire EV. Palmer, by now created Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet of Grinkle Park, retired from the unit in 1888 with the rank of Colonel. The same year, the 1st Newcastle & Durham was split into three separate units: the 1st Newcastle RE (Volunteers), the 1st Durham RE (V),Durham Fortress Engineers at Regiments.org
/ref> and the Tyne Division RE (V), Submarine Miners, with Palmer as Honorary Commandant of both the latter units. The Tyne Submarine Miners consisted of three companies and a number of working boats, and was based at

Clifford's Fort Clifford's Fort was a defensive gun battery established near the mouth of the River Tyne, Tyne during the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century. It subsequently served as a Submarine Mine, submarine mining depot and survives today as a Scheduled An ...

, North Shields.Tyne Electrical Engineers at Regiments.org
/ref> Both the 1st Newcastle RE and the Tyne Submarine Miners derived their seniority from the original 1st Newcastle EV established in 1860.
/ref> The full dress uniform of the Tyne Submarine Miners consisted of the usual Volunteer RE pattern scarlet tunic with blue facings, white cords and shoulder cords, with the addition of the letters S.M. and the word "TYNE" on the shoulder straps, and a silver grenade badge worn on the right arm by NCOs and trained sappers. The working dress comprised a blue reefer jacket, blue woolen Guernsey sweater, Navy pattern trousers and leather knee-boots, and a Navy pattern cap with a ribbon bearing the words 'Submarine Miners'. Some fishermen recruited at

Cullercoats Cullercoats is a coastal settlement in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Historically in Northumberland, it has now been absorbed into the wider Tyneside conurbation, sitting between Tynemouth to the ...

for their skills as boatmen only wore the latter uniform.

Electrical Engineers

In 1895 a searchlight was installed at Clifford's Fort to illuminate the fixed minefield. At first the light was manned by Regulars of the Coast Battalion, RE, but by 1897 these duties were taken on by the Submarine Miners. In 1902 the number of searchlights on the Tyne was increased to four, to cooperate with coast artillery as well as to light the minefield. Meanwhile, a specialist volunteer unit (the

London Electrical Engineers The London Electrical Engineers was a Volunteer unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers founded in 1897. It pioneered the use of searchlights (S/Ls) for port defence before World War I and for anti-aircraft (AA) defence during the war. In the ...

(LEE)) had been formed to develop searchlight defences, and when the submarine mine defences were scrapped in 1907 the Tyne Submarine Miners were redesignated Tyne Electrical Engineers (TEE), one of six new Volunteer RE divisions of that specialism converted from submarine miners. In 1906 the unit developed a mobile searchlight and generator mounted on a petrol lorry chassis. This equipment was tested for coast defence operations at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, and in conjunction with an RE balloon section on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central 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 wi ...

. Mobile searchlights became standard equipment the following year. When the

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 i ...

(TF) was established in 1908, the Electrical Engineers were to have been redesignated Fortress Engineers, but this was rescinded in the case of London and the Tyne, and the LEE and TEE remained in the order of battle, though the TEE transferred one Electric Light Company to the Durham Fortress Engineers. By January 1914 the TEE had four companies based at

North Shields North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...

. The unit was known locally as 'The Electricals' or 'The Tynes'.

World War I

In the period of tension in late July 1914 before 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 ...

, two 'special service detachments' of the TEE were mobilised, one taking its place in the Tyne Garrison, the other travelling to man defence lights at Portsmouth. When war was formally declared on 4 August, the remainder of the unit mobilised, No 1 Company in the Tyne defences, Nos 2–4 at Portsmouth, based at

Haslar Haslar is on the south coast of England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from the Old English , meaning " hazel-landing place". It may have been named after a bank of hazel strewn on ma ...

Barracks on the

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

side of the harbour.

Tynemouth

Clifford's Fort remained the TEE's depot, from where the flood of volunteers were sent to Haslar for advanced training. No 1 Company also carried out a range of duties in the Tyne Garrison, such as installing electric generators for the hutted camps, signal stations and hospitals springing up in NE England. When the Hospital Ship ''

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Ro ...

'' ran aground of Whitby in October 1914, the TEE set up a searchlight on the clifftop to help rescue operations, while Captain H.E. Burton of the TEE took the Tynemouth Lifeboat ''Henry Vernon'' in to help take off survivors. Apart from many awards made to those directly concerned in the "Rohilla" disaster, Major Burton received the Gold Medal of the R.N.L.I., the thanks of the Lords of the Admiralty and his services entered in the records by order of the Army Council, Gold Medal of the Borough of Tynemouth and clasp to Gold Medal of the Tynemouth Trust and silver tea and coffee service by public subscriptions. Later, he was awarded the American Gold Cross of Honour, given once in two years by the United States to a foreign national. This was only the second occasion for such an award. His task completed, he resigned from active life-boat service, knowing that the local men, led by Coxswain Smith, shared his faith in the powered boat. The second world war brought new responsibilities ; the Tyne defence and the work in Training Schools. Here, his specialised knowledge of engineering, signalling, telephony, bombing and anti-gas instruction made heavy demands on him. As Commandant, with six instructors, the strength went up to well over a thousand. The measure of his work may be judged by the fact that 10,000 officers and 18,000 n.c.o.s passed through the schools. Apart from other awards, for these services he received the O.B.E., the Coronation Medal as a personal gift from the King and the E.G.M. for gallantry, later exchanged by the King for the George Cross. Burton was awarded the

Empire Gallantry Medal The Medal of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, known as the Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM), was a British medal awarded for acts of gallantry. Unlike the then existing Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM) (1854), the Albert Medal ...

in 1924, which was converted into the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

in 1940. He was also awarded the Tynemouth Medal Trusts Gold medal and bar. Here is an extract from the TMT files. "Captain HERBERT EDGAR BURTON, Royal Engineers (Tyne Submarine Miners) - For gallant service in the Tynemouth Lifeboat “Henry Vernon” on the occasion of the wreck of the steamship “Dunelm” at Blyth on 11 January 1913. The steamship ran ashore in a severe storm on the Sow and Pig Rocks outside of the North Pier at Blyth. Rescue from the shore was proving very difficult and several men were injured in the attempts. Later one rescuer died, so a message was sent to Tynemouth to ask for the motor lifeboat to come and try a rescue in seas where the local pulling lifeboats could not live. The lifeboat set out from the Tyne in atrocious weather under the command of Robert “Scraper” Smith, with Captain Burton on board as mechanical superintendent to tend the engine. By the time they reached Blyth, however, the crew had been rescued. The next morning the lifeboat returned to the Tyne through still mountainous seas and Coxswain Smith was badly injured by a sea which came on board. For their efforts, the following awards were made by the Tynemouth Medal Trust : To Captain Burton, the second Gold Medal ; to Coxswain Smith, Frederick Luter of the crew of the “Dunelm” and Coastguard William Marsden of Blyth Coastguard, Silver Medals ; to J.G. Smith, Thomas Cummings, J.R. Grant, J.R. Brownlee, and J.S. Brownlee, all of the crew of the Tynemouth lifeboat, Anthony Nixon, Robert Lisle Dawson, Ralph Macarthy, George Renner Armstrong, Adam Robertson and Emanuel Morgan Kelsey, Parchment Certificates. Captain Burton had previously been awarded the Tynemouth Medal Trust's silver medal in August 1904. In 1914, he was also awarded a bar, the only bar awarded to date (1998) to his gold medal for the rescue of part of the crew of the hospital ship “Rohilla” at Whitby." Early in the war a new minefield was laid in the mouth of the Tyne by the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

and the TEE. Former submarine miners of the TEE were transferred or recalled, and provided many instructors for the new Royal Marine Submarine Miners, who laid and maintained minefields at anchorages all down the east and Channel coasts of the UK during World War I. Also spun out of the TEE was the Northern Command School of Bombing, Signalling and Telephony, and Field Engineering, commanded by Major Burton (''see above'') until the end of the war. The first German night air raids on the UK occurred on 19/20 January 1915. The first Anti-Aircraft (AA) searchlight in the Tyne Garrison was set up the following month by the RE on the roof of the CWS Flour Mills at Dunston, and later handed over to the TEE. This was an oxy-acetylene light. The first

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

air raid on Tyneside, by '' Kapitanleutnant'' Mathy in L9, was on 14 April, and casualties were few. Afterwards an electric searchlight was set up at Carville power station,

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...

, to work with a 3-inch AA gun operated by 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) ...

. This installation had just been completed when the second air raid on Tyneside took place on 15/16 June. Warning and blackout arrangements were inadequate, and L10 under ''Kapitanleutnant'' Hirsch caused considerable damage and casualties to industrial sites, including Palmer's.Morris. The TEE at Clifford's Fort continued to be responsible for coast defence and AA searchlights and for telephones in the Tyne Garrison throughout the war, comprising No 1 (Depot), No 3 (Electric Light) and No 4 (AA) Companies, the latter later being split into Nos 34 and 35 (Tyne) AA Companies. The coastal defences were progressively increased, especially at

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

and Blyth.

Haslar

One of the first duties of the TEE on arrival at Portsmouth was to set up telephone links. During the war the TEE telephone section based at

Milldam Barracks Milldam Barracks is a former a military installation at Portsmouth, Hampshire. The complex includes two Grade II listed buildings. History Milldam here refers to a mill pond which used to extend across a large area, 'many acres in extent', betwe ...

, Portsmouth, became responsible for the entire military telephone system for the Southern Coast Defences, including Portsmouth,

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 ...

and the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. The skills of the former submarine miners were employed when a cable linking the sea forts had to be repaired. The remainder of the TEE sent to Portsmouth on the outbreak of war supplemented the Hampshire (Fortress) Engineers (TF), manning a number of coastal light stations on both shores of the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...

and the three sea forts of Spitbank Fort,

No Man's Land Fort No Man's Land Fort, also referred to as No Man's Fort, is a sea fort in the Solent, near Portsmouth, England. It is one of the Palmerston Forts built between 1867 and 1880 after the recommendations of the 1859 Royal Commission. It is 200 f ...

and Horse Sand Fort. In November 1915 the TEE formed an additional company (No 5) from Haslar to supplement the Scottish coast defences of the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

and to set up coast and AA searchlights to defend the explosives works at Ardeer. These were handed over to local forces by June 1916 As the war progressed, the London Electrical Engineers (LEE) and Tyne Electrical Engineers (TEE) gradually took full responsibility for the RE's searchlight operations. By December 1915 the LEE set up and ran an experimental establishment, while the TEE took over the RE School of Electric Lighting at

Stokes Bay Stokes Bay ( grid ref.:)) (50.782982, -1.163868) is an area of the Solent that lies just south of Gosport, between Portsmouth and Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire. There is a shingle beach with views of Ryde and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight to the ...

, Gosport. As AA defence became more important, the school's name was changed to AA Searchlight and Sound Locator School, based at

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the Isle of Wight.Brigstock.

Western Front

In August 1915, a detachment of volunteers from the TEE (72 men) and LEE (39 men) proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. They were formed into 13 small detachments, each assigned to a Field Company of the RE to operate small oxy-acetylene searchlights to detect enemy raiding parties in No-Man's Land. Although these were used with some success for a few months, exposing a light drew heavy fire from the enemy, and the dangerous work earned the detachments the nickname of 'the suicide brigade'. In November 1915 a joint LEE/TEE company was formed for service in France, designated No 1 (London and Tyne) Electrical & Mechanical Company, RE. It assembled at the LEE's HQ in London, and landed at

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

on 15 December, where it was attached to General Headquarters (GHQ) of the BEF. It carried out a variety of duties, ranging from installing electric lighting for hospitals, water pumps and laundry equipment, to erecting a printing works and building a trench locomotive. After the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

it was decided to form an E & M Company for each of the Armies of the BEF and the London & Tyne Company was split to form 351 Company ( Second Army) and 354 Company ( Fifth Army). 354 Company was later responsible for the development of air-lift and belt water pumps to supply drinking water. During the German spring offensive of 1918, 351 and 354 E &M Companies were entrusted with destroying electrical installations and water supplies ahead of the advancing enemy. These then had to be replaced during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

advance.

Home AA Defence

Prior to the outbreak of war, searchlights were still being used in the coastal defence role, and had yet to be seen as an AA asset, but as early as August 1914 the TEE set up the first AA searchlight in the Portsmouth defences, at Lumps Fort. In the early part of 1915 the TEE was involved in pioneering AA defences in NE England (''see above'') In December 1915, the War Office urgently required AA searchlight units to defend London and other vital points. Immediately, the LEE provided No 1 Company and the TEE formed No 2 (Tyne) Company, which took over responsibility for NW London in May 1916. Further companies were despatched at intervals to London, Hull and other districts subject to Zeppelin raids. Early in 1916, mobile AA brigades began to be formed, with batteries of 13-pounder guns, supported by a searchlight company. No 9 (Tyne) Mobile SL Company was one of the first formed at Haslar, proceeding to London to complete mobilisation on 11 March. In the early stages, the coordination of AA guns and searchlights was poor, but improvements were made, a barrage of lights was established down the East Coast, and searchlight units soon became adept at picking up Zeppelins. A detachment of No 9 Mobile Company was in action at

Darenth Darenth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles south east of Dartford and 4.6 miles north east of Swanley. History The parish was part of Axstane Hundred and later Dartford Rural Dis ...

when the first Zeppelin destroyed over England ( L15, ''Kapitanleutnant'' Breithaupt) was shot down into the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

by AA guns on 31 March, and members of the detachment were awarded gold medals by the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. In April the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

began to form home defence squadrons, and each had a searchlight section attached. The 'aeroplane lights' were trained to work in close cooperation with the aircraft and were distinct from the 'gun lights'. The TEE formed No 33 (Tyne) AA Company to cooperate with home defence aircraft in Northern England, including No 36 Squadron RFC at

Cramlington Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 6 miles (9 kilometres) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of its city centre. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons. T ...

near Newcastle, while No 22 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Searchlight Section from Haslar operated at Sutton's Farm in Essex with No 39 Squadron RFC and at

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

in East Yorkshire with No 52 Squadron RFC. On 2 September the Germans attempted a mass Zeppelin attack on London, but only two airships reached the capital and one of these,

SL 11 SL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * SL (rapper), a rapper from London * ''Second Life'', a multi-user 3D virtual world * Sensei's Library, an Internet site dedicated to the game of Go * Subdominant leittonwechselklänge * Leica SL, a mirror ...

, was held in the searchlight beams of 22 (Tyne) Company while it was shot down by Lt W.

Leefe Robinson William Leefe Robinson VC (14 July 1895 – 31 December 1918) was the first British pilot to shoot down a German airship over Britain during the First World War. For this, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallan ...

of 39 Squadron. On 23 September another mass raid bombed Nottingham, but L32, endeavouring to avoid the London defences, was shot down by 2/Lt F. Sowrey of 39 Squadron cooperating with lights from Nos 9 and 22 Companies. On 25 September 1916 the only air attack on Portsmouth during World War I occurred when ''Kapitänleutnant'' Mathy, this time commanding L31, hovered over the harbour in the searchlight beams, without actually dropping any bombs.''Dockyard at War'' at Historic Dockyard
/ref> By October 1916, the Zeppelin threat had all but ended and the Germans attentions turned to use of bomber aircraft. Late in 1916 the AA defences of Britain were expanded to include the industrial towns of the North and Midlands. No 2 (Tyne) Company was moved from London to the Midlands and renumbered 42, and a series of new gun light companies were formed, No 4 AA Company TEE being split into Nos 34 and 35 (Tyne) AA Companies, and Nos 37 (Tyne) at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, 38 (Tyne) at Hull and 40 (Tyne) at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

being formed by drafts from Haslar. The mobile companies (including the aeroplane units) were mobilised at the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

HQ at

Queen Alexandra Military Hospital The Queen Alexandra Military Hospital (QAMH) opened in July 1905. It was constructed immediately to the north of the Tate Britain (across a side-street) adjacent to the River Thames on the borders of the neighbourhoods of Millbank and Pimlico, W ...

at Millbank in London before being despatched around the country. By July 1917, when German raids by fixed wing aircraft became common, there were 42 AA Companies of the RE located around the country. These included the following TEE units, manning some 300 lights: * No 9 (Tyne) Mobile Searchlight Company – ''attached to No 3 Mobile AA Brigade, RGA'' * No 10 (Tyne) Mobile Searchlight Company,

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

* No 33 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Searchlight Company, Cramlington * Nos 34–35 (Tyne) AA Companies, Newcastle * No 37 (Tyne) AA Company, Leeds * No 38 (Tyne) AA Company, Hull * No 40 AA Company, Sheffield * No 41 AA Company,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

* No 42 (Tyne) AA Company,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

– ''formerly No 2 Company TEE'' * No 50 AA Company, Gretna * No 56 AA Company,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

– ''formerly No 29 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Company'' * No 57 AA Company,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

– ''formerly No 25 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Company'' * No 58 AA Company,

Cranwell Cranwell is a village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is situated approximately north-west from Sleaford and south-east from the city and county town o ...

– ''formerly No 22 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Company'' * No 60 AA Company,

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...

– ''formerly No 27 (Tyne) Aeroplane Squadron Company'' * No 63 AA Company,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

In November 1917 the air defences of Great Britain were reorganised: the number of AA searchlight companies was considerably reduced, instead RE sections were attached to the AA gun batteries, while 12 new AA companies of the RE were formed. The TEE units in the new organisation were as follows: London Air Defence Area * No 1 Mobile Brigade, HQ at

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

, with Nos 8, 9 & 10 Batteries * No 2 Mobile Brigade, HQ at

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...

, with Nos 7, 11 & 12 Batteries * Portsmouth AA defences Northern Air Defences * Tyne AA Defence Command ** No 1 AA Company, RE, HQ at Newcastle, covering

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

, cooperating with 36 Sqn RFC – ''formed from Nos 34 and 35 AA Company'' ** No 19 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 34 AA Company'' ** No 20 AA Company, RGA ** No 21 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 50 AA Company'' *Leeds AA Defence Command ** No 2 AA Company, RE, HQ at

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

– ''formed from No 37 AA Company'' ** No 3 AA Company, RE, HQ at York – ''formed from Nos 56 and 60 AA Companies'' ** No 24 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 37 AA Company'' ** No 25 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 37 AA Company'' ** No 28 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 60 AA Company'' * Humber AA Defence Command ** No 4 Company, RE, HQ at

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

, cooperating with 33 Sqn RFC – ''formed from Nos 38 and 57 AA Companies'' ** No 27 AA Company RGA – ''formed from No 38 AA Company'' * Nottingham AA Defence Command ** No 5 AA Company, RE, HQ at

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, cooperating with 38 Sqn RFC – ''formed from No 58 AA Company'' ** No 29 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 40 AA Company'' ** No 30 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 57 AA Company'' ** No 33 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 63 AA Company'' * Birmingham AA Defence Command ** No 12 AA Company, RGA – ''formed from No 41 AA Company'' During 1918 enemy air raids were concentrated on London and Norfolk, and the Northern Air Defences were hardly involved. On 19 May, No 9 Mobile Battery, operating under the Dover AADC, was engaged when 40

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

and

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

bombers made the biggest raid of the war; the battery illuminated 24 of these raiders during the night, when eight were shot down. 2nd Lieutenant Metcalf of the TEE, commanding this battery, developed a new system of height determination, which was adopted throughout the AA defences.

Western Front AA defence

Between 1915 and 1918, the RE formed 76 AA Searchlight Sections for overseas service. The TEE is known to have found 21 of these: Nos 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 26–8, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46, together with No 22, which was formed in France from Nos 1–8 AAS sections. Others were formed by the Regular RE (No 1) and by the LEE. The parent units of a further 29 AAS sections are not known, but the cadres were probably mixed TEE and LEE personnel. Most of the early AAS sections were posted to guard targets such as railway yards, ammunition dumps and lines of communications that were the target of night bomber attacks. When No 19 Section arrived in France in March 1917 it was stationed at a large ammunition dump at Zeneghem, but was given the additional task of setting up a dummy target. This consisted of rows of electric lights on poles laid out to resemble the real dump; when bombers approached these lights were the last to be blacked out, in imitation of the dump receiving the alarm late. Dummy rail tracks were laid and the decoy target was protected by 12 AA guns; on one occasion paraffin fires were lit to resemble a successful raid on the 'dump'. The area around

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

and

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.3rd Battle of Ypres some of the searchlights were established close to the front, to illuminate bombers as they crossed the lines. These light sections regularly became bombing targets themselves. During the winter of 1917–18 some sections were moved south from the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War. Ypres district Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...

to the Somme area around

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a farmi ...

and Péronne, though enemy night activity in this sector was low. One morning a German aircraft bombed horse lines near to No 17 (Tyne) AASS, and was shot down by Sapper G. Bage using a Lewis gun. Sapper Bage was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

. When the German spring offensive opened on 21 March 1918, Nos 8, 10 and 15 (Tyne) AASS were with Third Army around Bapaume, and No 17 with Fifth Army at Péronne. These sections had to be withdrawn hastily ahead of the advancing Germans. No 10 AASS retired to

Méaulte Méaulte () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D329 road, some northeast of Amiens. Population Personalities * Henry Potez (1891–1981), aeroplane maker, w ...

, where Third Army HQ was subject to continuous night bombing and the lights themselves were bombed and machine-gunned. On 25 March, in the face of German advances and the absence of transport, No 10 AASS had to disable its equipment and withdraw. The second phase of the German offensive (the Battle of the Lys) hit First Army and Second Army, and here Nos 11 and 44 (Tyne) AASS and No 14 (London) AASS were forced to retreat under enemy artillery fire. After the German advance was halted, the AA defences were re-established, with a belt of searchlights now cooperating with AA guns and with

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

night-fighter aircraft (forming the 'Camel Line'). Each searchlight team was also equipped with a Lewis gun for AA defence. The number of enemy night bombers brought down began to rise. The Allied advances of the

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 ...

meant that to maintain an unbroken AA barrage along the whole front the searchlight sections were frequently shifted forwards through traffic-clogged roads, across damaged bridges, often under shell-fire. After 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 ...

, the lights were found useful for illuminating round-the-clock work by sappers to repair bridges and railways. Several sections moved into Germany with the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

, and some were used in policing river traffic on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. Demobilisation began early in 1919 and the last AAS sections were demobilised at Haslar in March 1920.

Italy

In January 1918 No 34 AASS was transferred from France to join the British forces on the Italian Front. The men were split up to train Italian searchlight teams, but this was not a success. At the end of March, three sets of highly mobile Italian equipment were purchased, and the section operated these for the rest of the war. German night bombers were withdrawn from the Italian Front in April 1918, but No 34 AASS acted as directors for Allied night insertion operations by air, and in front-line illumination for heavy artillery.

Independent Air Force

During May 1918 the RAF's

Independent Air Force The Independent Air Force (IAF), also known as the Independent Force or the Independent Bombing Force and later known as the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force, was a First World War strategic bombing force which was part of Britain's Royal Air ...

was established at airfields in

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

for strategic bombing of Germany. The airfields in turn were frequently bombed, and AA guns and AAS sections, including No 27 (Tyne), were sent to help defend them, joined in August by No 10 (Tyne) AASS.

Manpower

When GHQ in France requested an increase in AA searchlight provision in August 1917, the shortage of manpower meant that the new sections consisted of approximately 30 per cent TEE and LEE personnel and 60 per cent Medical Category B personnel transferred from the infantry and trained in the existing sections. Canadian and US sappers were also attached to the sections for training during 1918. As the war progressed, most of the 'A1' category men in home forces were withdrawn for overseas duty, and the AA defences were manned by personnel of lower medical category. A large contingent of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps took over administrative duties at the Haslar depot and the AA establishments, while the Women's League provided motor transport drivers. Late in 1918, a large draft of men was dispatched to France from Haslar, intended to reinforce infantry units, but they were appropriated by the Inspector of Searchlights on arrival and sent to searchlight sections. At the time of the Armistice, the TEE comprised 143 officers and approximately 5000 other ranks, of whom 50 officers and 700 other ranks were serving overseas. During the war the TEE established a war savings scheme, which became one of the largest in the army. Two military aircraft were named after the TEE in recognition of these deposits.

Interwar

The Territorial Force was re-established and renamed the Territorial Army after the war. Recruitment to the postwar TEE commenced on 16 February 1920, but it was not until November that year that the title and establishment of the revived unit was fixed as:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 105.
Tyne Electrical (Fortress) Royal Engineers * No 1 Works Company * No 2 Electric Light Company Responsibility for fortress telephones came under the new

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 ...

. The former Durham Fortress Engineers at Jarrow was not reformed at this time and was subsumed into the TEE until 1947. In the coal strike of April 1921 a Defence Force was raised from the Territorials, with personnel from the TEE forming an HQ and two Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) Companies, whose role would have been to run electricity generation and water supply plant if required. Apart from erecting some barbed-wire defences, the companies were never actually employed, and were demobilised after three months. Postwar, a TA air defence organisation had been established in the London area, with the LEE forming 26 and 27 AA Battalions, RE (301–306 AA Searchlight Companies). Further independent AASL companies were then organised in other parts of the UK. In September 1924, the TEE's No 1 Works Company was more than doubled in size and converted back into a searchlight unit, designated 307th (Tyne) AASL Company, RE (Tyne Electrical Engineers). (The other independent companies were numbered 309–18: the number 308 was kept vacant in case of expansion of the TEE). No 307 AASL Company and No 2 (later No 1) Electric Light Company remained part of the TEE as a single corps, but each was responsible to a different command structure. Because of the inconvenient location of Clifford's Fort, the unit also used a small drill hall at Rockcliffe Avenue,

Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around eas ...

, formerly the HQ of G Company of the disbanded

Northern Cyclist Battalion The Northern Cyclist Battalion was a bicycle infantry battalion of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. Formed in 1908, it served in the United Kingdom throughout the First World War and in 1920 it was converted as part of the Royal ...

, which the TEE shared with a squadron of the

Northumberland Hussars The Northumberland Hussars was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, transferred to the Royal Artillery for the duration of the Second World War. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of t ...

. In 1927 the TEE exchanged Clifford's Fort for a new site adjoining Tynemouth station, where it built a new HQ. On 10 December 1936, as part of the expansion of AA defences in the TA, 307 AA Company was expanded into a full battalion, 37th (Tyne) AA Bn (Tyne Electrical Engineers), RE (TA), with HQ, 307 and 308 Companies at Station Rd, Tynemouth, and 348 and 349 Companies at

Heaton, Newcastle Heaton is a district and suburb in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, east of the city centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Walkergate to the east, Jesmond to the north west, Byker to the south, and Sandyford to the west. ...

. The battalion formed part of 30th (Northumbrian) AA Group (later Brigade) based at Sunderland, in 2 AA Division.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 109.37 S/L Rgt at Regiments.org
/ref> At about the same time (certainly by 1941) No 1 Electric Light and Works Company was redesignated 128 Electrical and Mechanical Company, RE (Tyne Electrical Engineers) and became an independent unit.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 158. When the TA doubled in size following the

Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

, the TEE formed a duplicate unit as a Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiment of the

(RA). This was designated 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) LAA Regiment, RA (TA).Litchfield, pp. 193–4.

World War II

37 Searchlight Regiment

In common with other AA units of the RE, 37th AA Battalion was transferred to the Royal Artillery early in 1940, becoming 37th (TEE) Searchlight Regiment, RA.37 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45
Litchfield, p. 196. 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 ...

had already begun when 37 S/L Regiment embarked for France. Part of the regiment landed at Dunkirk on 16 May 1940, but because of the rapid advance of the Germans, they were withdrawn to take up positions protecting

while the main BEF was being evacuated from Dunkirk. Other parts of the regiment subsequently landed at Cherbourg and were deployed in Normandy. By now Le Havre was under continuous bombing attacks, and detachments of 37 S/L Regiment were deployed to reinforce the ground defences. On 9–10 June the regiment was withdrawn to

St Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

, the detachments north of the River Seine destroying their equipment and escaping by sea to Cherbourg. On 17 June the regiment destroyed its remaining equipment and was evacuated to Southampton, one of the last British units to leave France. Some of the regiment's personnel were aboard the ''

Lancastria RMS ''Lancastria'' was a British ocean liner requisitioned by the UK Government during the Second World War. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Aerial. Having received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops f ...

'' when she was sunk off

St Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

, but all except two were rescued. 37th S/L Regiment was re-equipped and deployed to defend South Wales and the Severn Valley, where it remained until early 1944. In May 1944 the regiment transferred to

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, where from June it was in action against 'Divers', the codename for

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

s. In the winter of 1944–45 the regiment was deployed to establish a searchlight line along the Essex and Suffolk coast to support the AA guns engaging the V-1s. 'Diver' alerts continued until the end of March 1945. After

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, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

the regiment moved to

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...

, except one battery conducting

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 ...

trials. 37 Searchlight Regiment was placed in suspended animation in 1947.

37 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

37 LAA Regiment was still in course of formation at Tynemouth when

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 ...

broke out in September 1939. During the winter of 1939–40 detachments of the regiment were deployed to RAF stations and other vital points in North East England, which they defended during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

and

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

.37 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45
37 LAA Rgt War Diary, September 1939–July 1941, TNA file WO 166/2709. In May 1941 the regiment handed over its VPs and began training for mobile warfare. At the end of August it embarked for Iraq, landing at

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

and moving up to

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

for further training. Early in 1942 it moved to Lebanon under Ninth Army, and then to Egypt, where its batteries were dispersed defending VPs around the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...

and

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

zones.37 LAA Rgt War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 169/4887. After 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 ...

, 37 LAA Regiment concentrated its batteries and followed the subsequent advance of Eighth Army, defending the ports of

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

and

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, and then airfields in Tunisia used by the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Joslen, p. 485–7. 37 LAA Regiment returned to training in

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 Mediter ...

and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

after the

Tunisian Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

. After the cancellation of operations in the

Dodecanese The Dodecanese (, ; el, Δωδεκάνησα, ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Turkey's Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. ...

for which it was earmarked, the regiment was disbanded and placed in suspended animation in September 1944.

128 E&M Company

This company formed part of the War Office reserve until January 1942. No other details of its service are known. In 1942 stationed in Middle East Force

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, no less than seven units were reformed in the Tyne Electrical Engineers' lineage, in three different corps of the British Army: * 537 Searchlight Regiment (Tyne Electrical Engineers) RA * 104 (Tyne) Army Engineer Regiment, REWatson & Rinaldi, p. 291. * 105 (Northumberland) Construction Regiment, RE * 132 Field Engineer Regiment, RE – ''from Durham Fortress Engineers''Watson & Rinaldi, p. 297. * 128 Electrical & Mechanical Squadron, REWatson & Rinaldi, p. 300. * 322 Electrical & Mechanical Squadron, REWatson & Rinaldi, p. 304. * 86 (Field) Army Group Royal Artillery Workshop (TEE),

(REME)

Royal Artillery

537 Searchlight Regiment reformed at Tynemouth as part of 83 AA Brigade (the old 57 LAA Bde at Newcastle). Two years later it was redesignated as a (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment (the 'mixed' referring to the fact 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 cha ...

were integrated into the regiment).520–563 Regiments at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> When AA Command was disbanded in 1955, the regiment was amalgamated with 669 (Durham) LAA/SL Regiment at

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

and 670 ( Tyneside Scottish, Black Watch) LAA Regiment at Newcastle into 439 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA): * HQ Battery – from 537 LAA/SL Regiment * P (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Battery * Q (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Battery * R (South Shields) Battery * T (Tyneside Scottish) Battery In 1956 the regiment absorbed 404 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment, which formed P (Tynemouth) Battery, while Q Battery retained the Tyne Electrical Engineers title. At the same time, the whole regiment adopted the subtitle '(Tyne)'. In 1964 it was redesignated 439 (Tyne) Light Air Defence Regiment, but in 1967 it was amalgamated with several others into 101st (Northumbrian) Medium Regiment and only the Tyneside Scottish lineage was continued.

Royal Engineers

Two of the RE units reformed in the TA (104 and 105 Regts) were considered descendants of the TEE and took their Army precedence from the 1st Newcastle EV of 1860, while a third (132) was considered to be the successor of the 1st Durham EV. The three units together comprised 22 Engineer Group in Northern Command, based 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 ...

:118–432 RE Rgts at British Army 1945 on.
/ref>
104 (Tyne) Army Engineer Regiment, RE * HQ Gateshead * 303 Field Squadron * 304 Field Squadron * 307 Field Squadron – ''transferred to 118 Construction Regiment 1950'' * 317 Field Park Squadron 105 (Northumberland) Construction Regiment, RE * HQ Newcastle * 233 Construction Squadron * 234 Construction Squadron * 507 Construction Squadron * 508 Plant Park Squadron 132 Field Engineer Regiment, RE * HQ Sunderland * 333 Field Squadron – ''became 608 Field Sqn 1953'' * 334 Field Squadron * 335 Field Squadron – ''transferred to 118 Construction Regiment 1950'' * 336 Field Park Squadron – ''became 336 Crane Operating Sqn 1956'' In 1950, 104 and 105 Regiments were amalgamated as 105 Construction Regiment, which in 1955 was redesignated 105 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Engineer Regiment, RE. The independent 128 Squadron RE based on Tyneside was attached to the regiment as a field squadron from 1955 to 1961. The other independent squadron at Newcastle, 322 Sqn, was probably disbanded before 1961. In 1957, 132 Field Engineer Regiment was redesignated a Corps Engineer Regiment, but in 1961 it was disbanded and the remnants absorbed into 233 Squadron of 105 (TEE) Regiment. In the reduction of the TA and formation of 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. The Army Reserve was known as the Ter ...

(TAVR) in 1967, 105 Regiment and 128 Squadron together were reduced to create 105 (Durham) Plant Squadron RE, based at Gateshead and forming part of 72 Engineer Regiment, RE.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 314. (The regimental HQ and 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron came from the former 50th (Northumbrian) Divisional Engineers, descended from the Newcastle RE (V) of 1888, thus uniting the lineages of all the Newcastle and Durham Engineer Volunteers of 1860 and 1874). In 1999, the whole of 72 Engineer Regiment was reduced to 72 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Air Support Field Squadron, Royal Engineers in 71 Engineer Regiment, RE. However, 72 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Engineer Regiment (V) reformed in 2006 as a Close Support RE regiment, with the following organisation: * 103 Field Squadron at Newcastle and Sunderland * 106 Field Squadron at Sheffield and Bradford * 299 Parachute Squadron at Wakefield and Hull Under the

Future of the British Army (Army 2020) 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 ...

plans, 72 Engineer Regiment was disbanded in 2014, and its squadrons assigned to regular RE regiments: 103 Sqn to 21 Engineer Rgt, 106 Sqn to 32 Engineer Rgt, and 299 Sqn to 23 Parachute Engineer Rgt.Army Reserve changes and future basing

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

86 (Field) AGRA Workshop (TEE), REME, was formed in Newcastle in 1947 to support the RA units of 86 (Field) Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA), a Nottingham-based successor of the wartime 6 AGRA. However, the REME workshop continued an independent existence (as 186 Vehicle Workshop (TEE)) after the disbandment of 86 AGRA in 1956. In 1967, 186 Vehicle Workshop (TEE) merged with 124 Corps Recovery Company at Gateshead, 149 (Sunderland) Infantry Workshop, 151 Infantry Workshop at

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

(all of the REME) and 51 Company (Motor Ambulance),

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 dom ...

, at Newton Aycliffe. From this merger were formed:102 Bn REME at Regiments.org
/ref> * 124 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Recovery Company at

Newton Aycliffe Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act 1946, New Towns Act of 1946, the town sits about five miles to the north of Darlington and ten miles to the south of Durham, E ...

* 186 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Workshop Company at Walker, Newcastle186 (TEE) Field Company at British Army Website
/ref> Both companies formed part of 102 Battalion REME and continue to do so. There are no plans to change this arrangement under the Army 2020 proposals. However, under the

Army 2020 Refine 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 ...

(announced in 2015/16), 186 Coy was reduced to 186 (B) (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Detached Platoon in Newcastle under 124 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Theatre Support Company in Newton Aycliffe.

Insignia

In December 1911, War Office authority was obtained for officers of the Tyne Electrical Engineers to have the word 'TYNE' embroidered on the scroll beneath the RE grenade badge in place of the honour 'UBIQUE' worn by the Regular RE. The word 'TYNE' was also added beneath the 'T/RE' of the shoulder titles of all ranks. On 31 October 1922 the crest of the Tyne Electrical Engineers was registered at the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

: 'issuant out of a

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later th ...

or, a

dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

cubit arm grasping a winged arrow inflamed

proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...

'. In the old crest carved above the gateway to Clifford's Tower the arm had been grasping a thunderbolt: this was the form used by the Submarine Mining Service and was derived from the crest of the

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

used on the

Blue Ensign The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or Defacement (flag), defaced with a Heraldic badge, ...

flown by RE vessels. During World War II, 37 S/L Regiment wore a regimental arm flash of a stylised lighthouse with one beam pointing upwards, embroidered in yellow with a black edging. On formation in 1947, 537 LAA/SL Regiment wore an additional arm title bearing the word 'TYNE' embroidered in red on navy blue beneath the normal RA shoulder title. In 1953 this was replaced by the TEE winged arrow crest embroidered in yellow on navy blue, and the unit probably also wore the RA grenade badge with 'Tyne' in place of 'UBIQUE'. 186 Workshop Company still uses the TEE winged arrow crest.

Traditions

The TEE formed a pipe band in 1902, but it was not successful. However, the unit retained two pipers (playing

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

rather than

Northumbrian pipes The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from North East England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of Nor ...

), who wore

Clan Fergusson Clan Fergusson is a Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 136 - ...

tartan (two of the unit's officers at the time were Fergussons). In 1932, two pipers were again added to the establishment of No 1 Electric Light Company, once more wearing Fergusson tartan with the permission of the Clan chief. The pipe band was transferred from 72 Engineer Regt to 102 Bn REME in 1999 and is active today.

Honorary Colonels

The following have served as Honorary Commandant or Colonel of TEE units: *

Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Mark Palmer, 1st Baronet (3 November 1822 – 4 June 1907) was an English shipbuilder born in South Shields, County Durham, England. He was also a Liberal Party politician and Member of Parliament. His father, originally the captain ...

(25 February1888–died 4 June 1907)''Burke''. *

Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, (17 April 1880 – 23 August 1930) was a British peer, army officer, and newspaper proprietor. Military career Percy was a second lieutenant of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion the Queen's (Royal West S ...

(20 March 1912–died 23 August 1930) * Col. Ernest Robinson, CBE, TD (25 October 1930 – 1935) (''see below'') *

Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Viscount Ridley Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Viscount Ridley (16 December 1902 – 25 February 1964) was a British peer, landowner, public servant and race car driver. He was also the third Baron Wensleydale and seventh Baronet Ridley. Biography Early life and ...

(18 December 1935 – 1940) 124 Company (TEE), REME: * Major David Francis Howard, appointed 1 April 1987. 102 Battalion, REME: * Col T.G.E. Gillanders, appointed 1 August 2000.

Commanding officers

The following served as Commanding Officer of TEE units: * Lieutenant-Colonel W. Johnson (3 March 1888 – 31 October 1911) * Lieutenant-Colonel F.C. Scott (1 November 1911 – 4 February 1915, transferred to Royal Marine Submarine Miners) * Lieutenant-Colonel C.R. Toomer (5 February 1915 – 30 August 1918) * Brevet-Colonel E. Robinson (31 August 1918 – 31 October 1925) * Lieutenant-Colonel N.H. Firmin (1 November 1925 – 31 October 1929) * Lieutenant-Colonel E.H.E. Woodward (1 November 1929– ) * Lieutenant-Colonel B.H. Leeson (5 November 1938– )

Prominent members

* Lieutenant Sir Ulick Temple Blake, 16th Baronet of Menlough – ''37 LAA Regt'' * Lieutenant-Colonel Hon J.R.H.T Cumming-Bruce, younger son of 6th Baron Thurlow – ''37 LAA Regt'' * Major H.E. Burton, GC (''see above'') * Captain Viscount Castlereagh (later 8th Marquess of Londonderry) – ''37 LAA Regt'' * Major I.F. Fairbairn-Crawford, general manager of

Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, or Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, was a British aircraft manufacturer. History Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was established as the Aerial Department of the Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth & Company e ...

Short ''et al.'', pp. 66 & 254. * Bombardier George Newby, GM – ''37 LAA Regt''

Notes

References

* Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * Keith Brigstock ''Royal Artillery Searchlights'', presentation to Royal Artillery Historical Society at Larkhill, 17 January 2007 (cached on Google). * ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'', 68th Edn, 1906. * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Capt Joseph Morris, ''The German Air Raids on Great Britain 1914–1918'', first published 1925; Stroud: Nonsuch, 2007, . * 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, . * 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, {{ISBN, 0-9508530-0-3.

External sources

British Military History

* ttp://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html The Royal Artillery 1939–45
102 Bn REME at British Army WebsiteArmy Reserve changes and future basing

British Army units from 1945 on

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

Engineer Volunteer Corps of the British Army Electrical engineering units of the Royal Engineers Coast defence units and formations of the British Army Air defence units of the Royal Engineers Military units and formations established in 1860 Military units and formations in Northumberland Military units and formations in County Durham Military units and formations in Newcastle upon Tyne Military history of Tynemouth