1st Somersetshire Engineers
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The 1st Somersetshire Engineers was a volunteer unit of Britain's
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) whose history dated back to 1868. As the engineer component of the
43rd (Wessex) Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formatio ...
, the unit served in both World Wars, distinguishing itself at the assault crossing of the
River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...
at Vernon in August 1944 and in the doomed attempt to relieve the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. A detachment also served as airborne engineers in
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and at Arnhem. Their successors served on in the Territorial Army until 1967.


Origins

The enthusiasm for the
Volunteer movement The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...
following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular
British Army The British Army is the principal 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 ...
in time of need. One such unit was the 1st Somersetshire Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVC) formed at
Nailsea Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England, southwest of Bristol, and northeast of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the opposite side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea had a populatio ...
on 5 September 1868. The unit soon had two companies at Nailsea and one at Weston-super-Mare, where the headquarters was moved in 1873.Westlake, p. 13. From the beginning, the 1st Somerset EVC was attached to the 1st Administrative Battalion, Gloucestershire Engineer Volunteers. With the reorganisation of the
Volunteer Force 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 ...
in 1880, the Gloucestershire Admin Bn was consolidated as the
1st Gloucestershire (The Western Counties) Engineer Volunteers, Royal Engineers First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, with the 1st Somerset providing G and H Companies at Nailsea and I Company at Weston-super-Mare. The EVC titles were abandoned in 1888, when the units became 'Engineer Volunteers, Royal Engineers', proclaiming their affiliation to the Regular RE, and then simply 'Royal Engineers (Volunteers)' in 1896. In August 1889 the Devon and Somerset companies were removed from the 1st Gloucestershire and constituted as a separate 1st Devonshire and Somersetshire RE (V), with its HQ at
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
.''Monthly Army List''. The unit sent a detachment of one officer and 25 other ranks to assist the regular REs during 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 ...
in 1900, and a second section the following year.


Territorial Force

When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new
Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...
(TF) in 1908, the Devon and Somerset Engineers were split to form the Devonshire Fortress Royal Engineers at
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
and the Somerset-based divisional engineers for the
Wessex Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formati ...
.Lord & Watson, pp. 151–2. The latter unit was organised as follows: Wessex Divisional Engineers * HQ and 1st Wessex Field Company at the Victoria Drill Hall, Upper Bristol Road,
Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...
* 2nd Wessex Field Company at Churchill Road, Weston-super-Mare * Wessex Divisional Telegraph (later Signal) Company ** HQ and No 1 Section at The Priory, Colleton Crescent, Exeter ** No 2 (Devon and Cornwall) Section attached to the Devon and Cornwall Brigade ** No 3 (South Western) Section attached to the South Western Brigade ** No 4 (Hampshire) Section attached to the
Hampshire Brigade The Hampshire Brigade, previously the Portsmouth Brigade and later 128th (Hampshire) Brigade, was an infantry formation of the British Army of the Volunteer Force, Territorial Force (TF) and Territorial Army (TA) in existence from 1889 until afte ...
The divisional Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) was Lt-Col Sidney Keen, TD.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 43–8.


World War I


Mobilisation

At the end of July 1914 the Wessex Division was at its annual training camp 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 ...
when warning orders were received on 29 July and by the time war was declared on 4 August the division was already at its war stations, defending the ports of southern England. Full mobilisation followed, and by 10 August the division was back on Salisbury Plain undergoing war training.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 34. On 31 August 1914, the formation of 2nd Line units for each existing TF unit was authorised. Initially these were formed from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, together with the recruits who were flooding in. The titles of these units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. An additional 1/3rd (Wessex) Field Company and its 2nd Line had also been formed before the end of September. Later, the 2nd Line were sent overseas and replaced by 3rd Line or Reserve units. At least one such unit, later designated 508th (Wessex) Reserve Field Company, was formed in January 1917 but was probably absorbed into the central training organisation after August.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 61. On 24 September 1914, at the special request of Lord Kitchener, the Wessex Division (later numbered
43rd (Wessex) Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formatio ...
) volunteered to serve in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in order to relieve Regular Army units for service 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 ...
. The infantry and artillery embarked on 9 October, but the divisional engineers, signallers and other support services were left in the UK.


27th Divisional Engineers

During the winter of 1914–15, three new Regular Army Divisions were formed in England from the units returned from India. The Wessex Divisional Engineers were assigned to the first of these, 27th Division:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 65.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 31.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 97–103. 27th Divisional Engineers * 1/1st Wessex Field Company * 1/2nd Wessex Field Company * 1/1st South Midland Field Company – ''joined from the
South Midland Division The 48th (South Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army. Part of the Territorial Force (TF) and raised in 1908, the division was originally called the South Midland Division, and was redesignated as the 48th (South Midlan ...
, TF, on 4 December 1914; left 17 March 1915'' * 17th Field Company – ''Regular unit transferred from
5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) *5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Moto ...
on 24 March 1915'' * 1st Wessex Divisional Signal Company Lieutenant-Colonel Keen assumed the role of CRE of 27th Division on 23 November 1914 and the engineers joined the division at Magdalen Hill Camp,
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, on the 27th. The division embarked from
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 ...
on 19–21 December, concentrating near Arques in France by 25 December.


Western Front

27th Division 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 ...
for almost a year, taking part in the Action at St Eloi (14–15 March) and the Second Battle of Ypres (22 April–25 May). On 17 November the division embarked from
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
for the
Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
.


Salonika

27th Division completed its disembarkation at
Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
on 17 February 1916. In August the forward Allied troops were thrown into disarray by a Bulgarian attack, and the British took up positions along the River Struma. 27th Division was then ordered to destroy two railway bridges across its tributary, the River Angista, to delay the Bulgarian advance towards the Struma. A mixed party of six officers and 77 other ranks, drawn from 17th Field Company, RE, the divisional mounted squadron (
Surrey Yeomanry The Surrey Yeomanry was a unit of the British Army first formed as volunteer cavalry in 1794. It was reformed in 1901 and saw varied srvice in World War I. Postwar it was converted to artillery and during World War II one of its regiments disting ...
) and the cyclist company, went out from the Struma bridgehead at Neohori, and blew up the first bridge early in the morning of 20 August. The second bridge was damaged enough to stop trains crossing. The party withdrew with only one officer and one man wounded. A second, larger raid, was then mounted, by a detachment of 17th Fd Co, Yeomanry, mounted infantry and cyclists, covered by 3rd Bn
King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...
and two guns of 99th Battery
Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
. The party moved out from Neohori bridge before dawn on 23 August and burned two out of three target bridges over the Angista before being attacked. A planned movement to bridges further away was abandoned, but one party of sappers and mounted infantry slipped upstream unseen and destroyed the third Angista bridge. 27th Division's first offensive action was on 30 September 1916 when it made a dawn attack across the River Struma to capture the villages of Karajakoi Bala and Karajakoi Zir. 1/1st Wessex Fd Co then erected
Wire entanglement In the military science of fortification, wire obstacles are defensive obstacles made from barbed wire, barbed tape or concertina wire. They are designed to disrupt, delay and generally slow down an attacking enemy. During the time that the at ...
s around the captured villages before Bulgarian counter-attacks came in after dark. The attack was then continued to extend the position to include the village of
Yenikoi Provatas (Greek: Προβατάς) is a larger village in Kapetan Mitrousi, Serres regional unit, northern Greece. It has 1,099 inhabitants (2011 census). Until 1923, the village was called ''Yenikoi'' or ''Yeniköy'' and inhabited mostly by Turk ...
, by 4 October. The next attack was across the Virhanli Stream against Tumbitza Farm on the night of 16/17 November. 10th Battalion Cameron Highlanders was ordered to attack across a pontoon bridge laid by No 4 Section of 1/2nd Wessex Fd Co, but in the dark they found the stream was too wide. The infantry were already exhausted from carrying the pontoons, which had to be left hidden when the force withdrew. A second attempt was made in thick fog on the morning of 6 December by 2nd Bn
Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...
. No 4 Section erected the bridge in 10 minutes, but the attackers were beaten back. A renewed attack at dawn on 7 December also failed, the bridge being destroyed by Bulgarian shellfire, even though the Wessex sappers discovered that the stream was only waist-deep and could be forded. The TF field companies were numbered on 1 February 1917, the two in 27th Division becoming 500th (1st Wessex) and 501st (2nd Wessex) respectively. 27th Division was not involved in the Second Battle of Doiran, and little else happened on the British part of the Macedonian Front in 1917. 27th Division spent almost two years in the
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
l Struma Valley, the only significant action occurring when the division took part in the capture of Homondos on 14 October. The front became active again in September 1918 when the Allies began the final offensive and 27th Division was engaged in the capture of the Roche Noire Salient, followed by the passage of the Vardar and pursuit to the Strumica Valley.


Black Sea

The Armistice of Salonica was signed by Bulgaria on 29 September 1918, ending hostilities on the Macedonian Front. 27th Division withdrew back down the Struma, but in December it embarked for the Black Sea, the first brigade accompanied by 17th Fd Co reaching Batum on 22 December. The rest of the division arrived by the end of January. The force was part of the British intervention in the complex situation of independent regimes that had emerged in the Caucasus region following the collapse of the Russian and
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
empires. Detachments of the division were scattered across the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Democratic Republic of Georgia and
First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
. British troops began to withdraw in August 1919 and 27th Division was disbanded between 7 and 24 September after handing over to an Inter-Allied force at Batum.


45th (2nd Wessex) Divisional Engineers

::''See main article 58th Divisional RE'' The divisional engineers for the 2nd Wessex Division duplicated those of the 1st:Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 55–60. * 2/1st Wessex Field Company * 2/2nd Wessex Field Company * 2/1st Wessex Divisional Signal Company The division was rapidly recruited, and it followed the 1st Line division to India in December 1914 (where it was later renumbered
45th (2nd Wessex) Division The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the 43rd (Wessex) Division and was originally formed as the 2nd Wessex Division in 191 ...
). Once again, the engineers and other support troops were left behind, and on 23 February 1916, 45th Divisional RE joined
58th (2/1st London) Division The 58th (2/1st London) Division was an infantry division created in 1915 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It was a 2nd Line Territorial Force formation raised as a duplicate of the 56th (1/1st Lo ...
, becoming part of 58th Divisional RE for the rest of the war. The field companies later received the numbers 503 and 504, and the signal company became the 58th. They served with the division on the Western Front from February 1917 until the end of the war.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.


57th (2nd West Lancashire) Divisional Engineers

::''See main article
57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division The 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division was an infantry formation of the Territorial Force created in 1914 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It served on the Western Front during 1917 and 1918. The ...
'' A new 1/3rd Wessex Field Company was raised in September 1914 and the 2/3rd by the end of the year. They were eventually assigned to the
57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division The 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division was an infantry formation of the Territorial Force created in 1914 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It served on the Western Front during 1917 and 1918. The ...
, 1/3rd joining from Christchurch, Hampshire on 9 December 1915, and 2/3rd from
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
in Somerset on 26 February 1916. In February 1917 they were numbered 502nd and 505th respectively. They served with the division on the Western Front from February 1917 until the end of the war.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 1–7.


Interwar

43rd (Wessex) Division was reconstituted in the renamed Territorial Army (TA) in 1920. The divisional engineers were organised as follows: * HQ at Upper Bristol Road, Bath * 204th (Wessex) Field Company at Bath * 205th (Wessex) Field Company at Weston-super-Mare * 206th (Hampshire) Field Company at Portsmouth * 207th (Wessex) Field Park Company at Bath – ''absorbed into divisional RE HQ 1924; reformed 1939'' The signal company was transferred to 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 ...
formed in 1920 as 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Signals. In 1938, 206th (Hampshire) Field Company left to join
Hampshire Fortress Royal Engineers Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire is ...
where it became No 2 (206th) (Electric Light and Works) Company.


World War II


Mobilisation

Immediately after the outbreak of war, a new 45th Infantry Division was formed (7 September 1939), once again as a 2nd Line duplicate of 43rd Division. The 1st and 2nd Line Field Companies were mixed across the two divisions.


43rd (Wessex) Divisional Engineers

The divisional engineers were organised as follows:Joslen, p. 69. * 204th (Wessex) Field Company at Bath * 260th (Wessex) Field Company 2nd Line unit at
Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...
* 553th Field Company – ''joined 13 January 1940''Watson & Rinaldi, p. 170. * 207th (Wessex) Field Park Company at Bath * 13th Bridging Platoon – ''joined 1 October 1943'' 260th Fd Co usually operated with 129 Brigade, 553 Fd Co with 130 Bde and 204 Fd Co with 214 Bde. For almost five years, the division remained in the UK on Home Defence and training, mainly at Stone Street near
Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...
in Kent. During that time, the three field companies 'bridged and re-bridged almost every river in Kent', and developed techniques for mine clearance.


Normandy

43rd (Wessex) Division finally embarked for
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
on 17 June 1944. It completed landing on 24 June and immediately went into the Battle of the Odon ( Operation Epsom). 260th Fd Co constructed a rough crossing of logs and stones over the
River Odon The Odon () is a river in the Calvados department, in Normandy, northwestern France. It is 47 km long and is a left tributary of the Orne. The river passes through Jurques, Aunay-sur-Odon, Baron-sur-Odon, Bretteville-sur-Odon, Épinay-sur-O ...
under heavy fire and suffered severe casualties, but the success could not be exploited. As the division established itself along the valley of the Odon the engineers built tank bridges to avoid bottlenecks over the few available stone bridges. After weeks of bitter fighting around Hill 112 ( Operation Jupiter) and Mont Pinçon (
Operation Bluecoat Operation Bluecoat was a British offensive in the Battle of Normandy, from 30 July until 7 August 1944, during the Second World War. The geographical objectives of the attack, undertaken by VIII Corps and XXX Corps of the British Second Army (L ...
), 43rd Division finally captured the latter on 7 August and prepared to bear down on the northern rim of the Falaise Pocket. 204th Fd Co discovered how strong the opposition would be when No 1 Platoon found itself under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks while clearing the route to Le Plessis Grimault at the foot of Mont Pinçon. They deployed to attack but found their firepower inadequate and the company commander withdrew the platoon by sections to the vehicles, aboard which they then shot their way through, followed by 207th Field Park Company's
armoured bulldozer The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bu ...
. By 14 August the division had pushed to the north bank of the River Noireau, where the crossings had been measured by the RE Reconnaissance Party. During the night of 15/16 August the infantry waded across and established a bridgehead, while 204 Fd Co advanced with a waterproofed bulldozer, three tipper lorries of flexboards, four landing stage units and two boat units, and No 1 Platoon got to work on clearing mines, building a tank ford and a trestle bridge. Downstream the river split into two streams, but No 2 Platoon erected two Class 9 trestle bridges. Meanwhile, 553 Fd Co began work on the division's first
Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British for military use during the Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and American military engineering units. A ...
Forty, p. 285. across the demolished road bridge. They found that the bridge abutments were too small to take the baseplates, which had to be set back, meaning that a 120-foot (37 m) span rather than 80 foot (25 m) was required. Work could not be started until daylight and it took two days to clear all the booby-trapped mines, 204 Fd Co losing a complete section of men. Lieutenant Martin and Sapper Murphy discovered that the mines had a new tamper-proof TMIZ 43 igniter, which led to a new recovery drill throughout the army, probably saving hundreds of lives.


Vernon Bridge

43rd Division was now given the opportunity to spearhead XXX Corps' advance to the
Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...
('Operation Loopy'). Bridging the river would be a major operation, and the force was split into three large convoys of divisional troops, engineers and bridging equipment. 43rd Divisional Engineers were in the first, the Assault Group, which set off early on 24 August. En route, the bridges over the Eure at Pacy had been destroyed, but this had been planned for, and extra Bailey equipment had been taken. While 260th Fd Co dealt with the craters and boobytrapped roadblocks, 11th Fd Co from XXX Corps spent the night assembling the Bailey bridge. At first light the convoy drove on to the Seine at full speed.Buckley, pp. 185–8. The assault was ordered for 19.00 on 25 August, with a reinforced brigade crossing on a two-battalion front, one either side of the destroyed road bridge. While
15th (Kent) GHQ Troops Royal Engineers 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...
ferried the assault troops across, and other RE units prepared to build a heavy Bailey bridge, 43rd Divisional Engineers had the task of constructing a Class 9 Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge on rafts. It emerged that
DUKW The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Step ...
amphibious vehicles could not enter the river, so the assault had to be carried out with powered
storm boat An assault boat is a boat used for landing in combat, meant for inland waters. Assault boats are light enough to be carried by multiple men and paddled, or fitted with an outboard motor for high-speed operation, manually portable or not. Some as ...
s, until 260 Fd Co had bulldozed ramps in the river bank. 553rd and 204th Fd Companies began work on the bridge after an approach had been bulldozed under intense machine gun and mortar fire. Close support rafts built by 553rd Fd Co were taken over next morning by 15th (Kent) GHQT RE to continue the ferrying operation and support the hard-pressed assault troops on the far side.Ellis, ''Normandy'', p. 466 During the morning of 26 August, 553rd and 204th Fd Companies completed the rear trestle and approach to the bridge, but when attempts were made to bring in the rafts to form the first bridge, they were raked by fire in mid-stream and about two-thirds of the crews became casualties. By mid-day half the rafts were in position, but casualties were so heavy that the CRE of 43rd Division, Lt-Col Tom Evill, temporarily withdrew his men. In the afternoon the enemy fire slackened, and the Class 9 bridge (named 'David') was complete by 17.20. Light traffic began to flow, but with little hope of the Bailey bridge ('Goliath') being ready quickly, the Corps Chief Engineer, Brig B.C. Davey, ordered a Bailey pontoon raft to be built as a ferry. With all of the available bridging engineers fully employed, Davey set 207th Fd Park Co to start unloading equipment and reconnoitring approaches while specialist sappers were called up from the rear. The first vehicle rafted across was an RE bulldozer to prepare a ramp; however, it became bogged down and a new ramp had to be built. By 06.00 on 27 August the first tanks were being ferried across to drive off German counter-attacks. German shellfire continued, with 'David' receiving a direct hit that sank two boats and caused a traffic delay of one and three-quarter hours, and another shell causing 20 casualties among sappers working on 'Goliath'. The latter was open to traffic by 19.30 and a second Class 40 Bailey bridge by noon on 29 August.
11th Armoured Division The 11th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army which was created in March 1941 during the Second World War. The division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of the German panzer divisions. The 11th Armou ...
crossed over and passed through 43rd Division to continue the pursuit across Northern France into Belgium.


Arnhem

43rd Division had a crucial role in the plan for
Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
, which aimed to seize a 60-mile road corridor to the
Lower Rhine The Lower Rhine (german: Niederrhein; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the river Rhine) flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hook of Holland, Netherlands (including the Nederrijn or "Nether Rhine" within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta); al ...
at Arnhem using bridges captured by airborne forces. Anticipating that many of the bridges would be destroyed and would hold up the advance of
Guards Armoured Division The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier G ...
in the lead, 43rd Division following up was responsible for assault crossings and bridging where necessary. A huge number of sappers were assembled, with 2277 vehicles to carry the necessary equipment. The operation began on 17 September and 43rd Division passed through Guards Armoured after Nijmegen and fought their way across the low-lying country known as 'The Island', leading elements reaching the banks of the Lower Rhine late on 23 September. By now the 1st Airborne Division was in a desperate plight, hemmed into a small pocket on the other side of the river, with no bridges. Only 16 unpowered assault boats were available, but that night 204th Fd Co and the 5th Bn
Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 19 ...
used these to ferry men of the
1st Polish Parachute Brigade The 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the Polish Armed Forces in the West under the command of Major General Stanisław Sosabowski, created in September 1941 during the Second World War and based in S ...
across to reinforce 1st Airborne.Horrocks, pp. 228–30. It was now recognised that the Airborne position across the river was untenable, and that assault bridging was unfeasible under direct enemy observation, so the decision was made to evacuate what remained of 1st Airborne. The plan was for 43rd Division to take a firmer grip on the opposite bank during the night of 24/25 September, with 204 Fd Co ferrying across more of the Polish paratroopers and 4th Bn Dorsets using the remaining stormboats together with 20 more assault bats due to arrive from the rear. However, in the darkness two of the lorries bringing the boats took a wrong turning and were captured by the enemy, two more slipped off the muddy road, and only one arrived safely, bringing boats but no paddles. The crossing of the Poles was therefore cancelled and all the boats concentrated for 4th Dorset. Under heavy fire only a few of the boats made it, and only a handful of the infantry reached the Airborne perimeter. Although 204 Fd Co got about 2 tons of stores across, all the available DUKWs were bogged.Pakenham-Walsh, pp. 409–10. The evacuation proceeded the following night under the control of 43rd Division's CRE, Lt-Col W.C.A. Henniker. He had 260 Fd Co and 23rd Canadian Fd Co operating a boat ferry to the Airborne perimeter, and another manned by 553 Fd Co and 20 Canadian Fd Co at the site of 4th Dorsets' crossing. At each site there were 16 assault boats manned by 43rd Divisional Engineers and 21 motorised stormboats provided by the Canadians. Throughout the night, partly shielded by darkness and rain but under heavy mortar fire, the sappers crossed and recrossed the river bringing back a steady stream of wounded or exhausted men. Over 2000 men of 1st Airborne were evacuated, but few of the 4th Dorsets could be found. After the battle ended, Lt-Col Henniker and his divisional sappers were given the role of protecting the vital bridges at Nijmegen that were XXX Corps' lifeline. Reinforced with two batteries from 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment and B Company 8th Bn Middlesex Regiment (the divisional machine-gun battalion), they constituted the 'close bridge garrison', with little between themselves and active German forces a short distance upstream. German Frogmen succeeded in attaching explosive charges to the bridges under cover of darkness, which caused damage that the sappers had to repair.


Geilenkirchen

In November, XXX Corps attacked south-eastwards out of The Island towards
Geilenkirchen Geilenkirchen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Heerlen and 20 k ...
(
Operation Clipper During the Second World War, Operation Clipper was an Allied offensive by the British XXX Corps (which included the American 84th Infantry Division) to reduce the Geilenkirchen salient in mid-November 1944. ''Clipper'' was the preliminary to ...
), using 43rd Division and the US 84th Division.Ellis, ''Defeat of Germany'', p. 161.Horrocks, pp. 233–6. In preparation for the attack, 43rd Divisional Engineers had to lift a defensive
minefield A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
previously laid by 84th Division. 'By the morning of 14 November, 204 Fd Co had picked up a considerable number of these American mines and loaded them on lorries. Major Evill, the Company Commander, decided to dump them near the Custom House on the German border, where 129 Brigade Headquarters was established'. During the afternoon some 700 of these mines exploded simultaneously, killing 14 sappers of No 1 Platoon, wounding six others and fatally injuring the brigade commander, Brig G.H.L. Mole. Preparations for the attack continued with the sappers constructing tracks across the muddy country, which were named 'Savile Row', 'Bond Street' (after famous London streets) and 'Wyvern Road' (from the divisional badge). After six days of heavy fighting (18–23 November), including driving off counter-attacks by
Panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, ...
troops, the objectives were taken. The divisional engineers struggled to get roads open through the mud and destroyed villages, and the weather brought the end of the operation.


Rhineland

43rd Division took part in operation Operation Blackcock in January 1945 to clear the Roer Triangle, and thanks to the weight of artillery and armoured support it took its objectives with little opposition. A large crater on the main road revealed in aerial photographs caused concern, and the sappers had constructed a large Bailey bridge ('Sydney') on sledges to push into position. Only then did they discover that the 'crater' was a dust spot on a photograph and did not exist. On 16 February 1945, as part of Operation Veritable, 43rd Division 'carried out a brilliant 8000 yards advance which brought them to the
escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...
overlooking the fortified town of
Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog, Dutch: Gogh) is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated close to the border with the Siebengewald in Netherlands, approx. south of Kleve, and southeast of Nijmegen. His ...
', regarded as the turning-point of the operation. At the foot of the escarpment lay an anti-tank ditch that had to be crossed before an attack could be launched on Goch. 204 Field Co and two platoons of 260 Fd Co were ordered to prepare six crossings during the night of 17/18 February. Five were completed by dawn but the sixth, at a road crossing, took longer, and lorries delivering material after daybreak came under fire before it was completed for
15th (Scottish) Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served in the First World War. The 15th (Scottish) Division was formed from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, and served from 1915 to 1918 on the West ...
to pass through for the assault. 43rd Division was next tasked with capturing
Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wor ...
. Again, the town was protected by an anti-tank ditch. Lieutenant-Colonel Henniker had 553 Fd Co build a 70-foot (20 m) Bailey on skids improvised by 207 Fd Pk Co. This was towed down the road by two
AVRE Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers during ...
s of 81st Assault Squadron, RE, from
79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy Hob ...
, accompanied by an AVRE with a 'Jumbo' scissors bridge, two more AVREs with fascines, two armoured bulldozers and 20 three-ton lorries loaded with rubble. The intention was to launch the Bailey bridge over the gap where the road crossed the ditch, while the AVREs and a platoon of 260th Fd Co would make a second crossing. If the Bailey was unsuccessful the bulldozers would fill the crater with rubble. Half an hour before first light on 8 March, the engineer column advanced up the road behind the barrage with the assaulting infantry, supported by Churchill Crocodiles. It emerged that the gap in the road was in fact two craters, too long for the Bailey on skids, and the fascines failed to provide a passable crossing for tracked vehicles, despite the efforts of 260th Fd Co. However, the AVRE bridgelayer was successful in bridging the ditch some 50 yards (45 m) from the crater, and the Crocodiles, tanks and infantry passed over. The redundant Bailey section on the road was pulled back with difficulty before 260 Fd Co's lorries could begin delivering rubble. Under heavy fire they constructed a crossing for wheeled vehicles by midday on 9 March. Xanten fell by the end of the day and by 10.40 on 11 March, no Germans remained west of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
and they blew their last bridges over the river.


Germany

Preparations for the Rhine crossing ( Operation Plunder) involved 'probably the largest accumulation of engineer equipment ever assembled in the history of the Army'. The assault on XXX Corps' front was to be carried out by
51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...
, after which 43rd Wessex was to pass through and continue the advance. However, 43rd Divisional Engineers was allotted to assist 51st (Highland) in the crossing on 25 March, before rejoining its division when it concentrated on the far side on 27 March. For the pursuit, 43rd Division was organised in five groups led by the Armoured Thrust Group, accompanied by 260th Fd Co. This force had to fight through tenacious rearguards from the German 6th Parachute Division, but reached the Twente Canal by 1 April. Rather than force this major obstacle, 43rd Division made a flank march to the end of the canal at
Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. Popu ...
, where 204 Fd Co was to construct a bridge if necessary, though the town fell quickly. On 14 April the division crossed the River Lethe at Cloppenburg, where 204th Fd Co incurred severe casualties bridging the river under shellfire. The following day the division decisively crushed the last organised counter-attack against its troops. For the rest of the month 43rd Division protected the left flank of XXX Corps' drive towards
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
. On 30 April the 43rd Division closed up to the small River Wörpe at Grasburg, which the leading infantry crossed while 204th Fd Co repaired the road bridge. The next day the advance was held up by numerous large craters in the causeway carrying the road, each of which had to be bridged under fire from
Self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
s, which was not complete until 3 May. On 4 May the division's infantry crossed the Oste-Hamme Canal by a footbridge, while 553 Fd Co built a Class 40 Bailey Bridge before the end of the day. The division's further advance to capture Bremerhaven the next day was forestalled by the
German surrender at Lüneburg Heath On 4 May 1945, at 18:30 British Double Summer Time, at Lüneburg Heath, south of Hamburg, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany including all i ...
.


45th Divisional Engineers

The new 45th Infantry Division was formed on 7 September 1939 as a 2nd Line duplicate of 43rd Division. It was placed on a lower establishment in December 1941, and disbanded in August 1944. Its engineers were organised as follows:Joslen, p. 73.Joslen, p. 90. * 205th (Wessex) Field Company, 1st Line unit at Weston-super-Mare – ''joined
55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...
1 August 1944''Watson & Rinaldi, p. 161. * 259th (Wessex) Field Company, 2nd Line unit at Uffculme – ''joined 55th (West Lancashire) Division 1 August 1944''Watson & Rinaldi, p. 165. * 562nd Field Company (joined 1 January 1940 – ''left 8 December 1941'' * 261st (Wessex) Field Park Company 2nd Line unit at Uffculme – ''joined 1st Airborne Division on 15 December 1941, replaced in 45th by a field stores section'' 55th Division had been a home defence and training formation on a low establishment for most of the war. Although it was raised to a higher establishment in 1944 when the two Wessex RE companies joined, it never went overseas, and served in Home Forces until the end of the war.


1st Airborne Divisional Engineers

This division was organised in November 1941 and 261st Field Park Company was one of the first units to join. It trained in the UK until April 1943 when it sailed to North Africa to prepare for Operation Husky (the Allied invasion of Sicily).Watson & Rinaldi, p. 144.Joslen, pp. 104–5. For this assault, 261st Fd Park Co made special equipment, including dummy parachutists. The night before the landings, part of the company flew with the RAF scattering these dummies over various parts of the island. 1st Airborne Division made an unopposed landing at Taranto on 7 September 1943, quickly securing the 'heel' of Italy. Sections of the railway were still working, and 'an enterprising patrol, travelling in a train driven by a sapper of 261st Field Park Company, raided deeply into enemy territory and released 300 prisoners of war'. Three small detachments from 261 (Airborne) Field Park Company went to Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, attached to the field company with each of the division's three brigades. They were flown into the Landing Zone by glider from RAF Tarrant Rushton on 18 September (the second day of the operation). Detachment 2 was unable to join 1st Parachute Squadron RE, which was cut off at Arnhem bridge, but the other two made contact successfully.HQ RE War Diary at Pegasus Archive.
/ref> During the final stages of the defence of the Arnhem bridgehead, the sappers held the western side under Brigadier Pip Hicks, along with members of the
Glider Pilot Regiment The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War, which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European theatre in support of Allied airborne operations. Establish ...
, remnants of 1st Bn Border Regiment and a few Polish paratroopers. Of the detachment from 261 Co, two died, 12 were evacuated, and six remained missing at the end of the operation. In March 1945 the company was redesignated an Airborne Park Squadron and it accompanied the division to Norway at the end of the war (
Operation Doomsday In Operation Doomsday, the British 1st Airborne Division acted as a police and military force during the Allied occupation of Norway in May 1945, immediately after the victory in Europe during the Second World War. The division maintained law a ...
). It was disbanded in November 1945.


Postwar

In 1946, 43rd Divisional Engineers was combined with
VIII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers VIII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers (VIII CTRE) was a Battalion, battalion-sized unit of Royal Engineers (RE) attached to the British Army's VIII Corps (United Kingdom), VIII Corps Headquarters in World War II. It served with 21st Army Group during ...
to form 29th Army Troops RE, including 204 and 207 Companies, before they were demobilised. When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, 43rd Divisional Engineers were reformed at Bath as 110 Engineer Regiment, with the following organisation:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 292.80–117 Rgts RE at British Army 1945 on.
* 204 Field Squadron
/ref> * 226 Field Squadron at
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
* 260 Field Squadron, disbanded 1956 * 207 Field Park Squadron The regiment was reorganised as 43rd (Wessex) Division/District RE in 1961, with 226 Sqn becoming an independent unit and 207 Sqn disbanded. The unit and its remaining squadron were disbanded when the TA was reduced into 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. Some of the personnel formed 3 Troop in 100 Fd Sqn (Militia) and to the Somerset Yeomanry and Light Infantry in TAVR.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 289.


Honorary Colonels

The following officers served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: * Field Marshal Sir Lintorn Simmons, RE, appointed to 1st Devonshire and Somersetshire EVC 14 July 1888 * Capt. H. B. O. Saville, CB, VD appointed to Wessex Divisional Engineers * Col. Robert Brindley Pitt,
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, MC, TD, AMInstCE, AMIMechE, appointed to 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Engineers 26 June 1937.


Notes


References

* William Edward David Allen & Paul Muratoff, ''Caucasian Battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828–1921'', Cambridge: University Press, 1953/2010 reprint, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * John Buckley, ''Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe'', London: Yale University Press, 2013, . * Major L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol I: ''The Battle of Normandy'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Major L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Maj-Gen H. Essame, ''The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944–45'', London: William Clowes, 1952. * Captain Cyril Falls, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Macedonia'', Vol I, ''From the Spring of 1917 to the End of the War'', London: Macmillan, 1933/London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press. * Captain Cyril Falls, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Macedonia'', Vol II, ''From the Outbreak of War until the Spring of 1917'', London: Macmillan, 1935/London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press. * Ken Ford, ''Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944'', 2nd Edn, Bradford: Pen & Sword, 2011, * George Forty, ''British Army Handbook 1939–1945'', Stroud: Sutton, 1998, . * Lt-Gen Sir Brian Horrocks, ''A Full Life'', London: Collins, 1960. * * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * David Martin, ''Londoners on the Western Front: The 58th (2/1st London) Division in the Great War'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2014, . * Maj-Gen R. P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Royal Engineers'', Vol IX, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * Cornelius Ryan, ''A Bridge Too Far'', London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974/Coronet 1975, . * ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927. * Alan Wakefield and Simon Moody, ''Under the Devil's Eye: Britain's Forgotten Army at Salonika 1915–1918'', Stroud: Sutton, 2004, . * Col Sir Charles M. Watson, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol III, Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, reprint 1954. * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . * R.A. Westlake, ''Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908'', Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983, .


External sources


The Drill Hall Project.

Great War Forum
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Military units and formations in Somerset