Royal Engineer Signallers

[rgalley]

I am trying to find out more about the relationship between Territorial Force Royal Engineer Signals and Infantry units at the beginning of the war. Would RE signallers be allocated to infantry battalions? I have a friend whose grandfather was believed to have been in the Gordon Highlanders when the Highland Division was stationed in Bedford and who married a local girl. However, the medal index card shows him to be a Territorial RE signaller.

I'm not too sure about the relationship between RE signals and other units, particularly as I understand that infantrymen were also trained as signallers.

If anyone can offer some clarity on this, I'd be most grateful.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Piper

Signallers with infantry battalions were members of the battalion, not RE personnel, although the latter often assisted in training the infantry signallers.

Each infantry division had a Signal Company of the RE, consisting of four sections, one dealing with communication between each brigade HQ and the div HQ, and the fourth to keep contact between div HQ and the non-infantry units.

The most likely explanation was that your man was in the RE section, within the Highland Div Sig Co, which handled communications with the Gordon Infantry Brigade, one of its constituent brigades consisting of the four TF battalions of the Gordon Highlanders. In that way he would not actually have served in the Gordons himself, but would have been in regular contact with them.

Another possibility is that he started as a battalion signaller with the Gordons and later transferred into the RE Signal Section. If this happened before he went to France, his earlier service would not show up on his medal index card.

Ron

[Terry_Reeves]

The last of Ron's possibilities is, I think, the correct one. I have a group of medals to a man who was a regimental signaller with the Cameron Highlanders at Bedford and whilst there transferred to the RE Signal Service. In the course of that research, I found other signallers from the Highland Division also transferring to the Signal Service , and some to Highland Division Signal Company.

TR

[rgalley]

The last of Ron's possibilities is, I think, the correct one. I have a group of medals to a man who was a regimental signaller with the Cameron Highlanders at Bedford and whilst there transferred to the RE Signal Service. In the course of that research, I found other signallers from the Highland Division also transferring to the Signal Service , and some to Highland Division Signal Company.

TR

Terry and Ron,

Thanks very much for your prompt replies. It all makes sense now! I attach a further nugget re: the man I'm trying to find out more about ...