Royal Engineers - Order of Battle

[michaeldr]

I'm transcribing the OoB for the Royal Engineers

and am worried about the accuracy of the original text, as I've already spotted something amiss

Can anyone confirm that the following were at Suvla

1^st Fortress Company

136^th (Monmouth) Army Troops Company

1/3^rd (Lancs) Workshop Company

126^th Army Troops Company

13^th Base Park Company

or have some Helles, or even an islands, unit(s) crept in by mistake?

Thanks in advance for any help here

Michael

[Terry_Reeves]

Michael

I have have been compiling the RE OOB for some time now. If it is the free download from TNA you are using, then there are a considerable number of errors.

1 Fortress Coy was stationed in Gibraltar and sent home in 1915 for conversion to an a Advanced Park Coy. It was subsequently sent to France where it stayed for the rest of the war.

13th Base Park was formed from 13th Survey Company RE and sent to Egypt.

126 AT Coy was actually a Field Company raised for the 21st Division and served in France.

I'll see if I can sort out 1/3 Lancs Workshop Coy for you later.

TR

[michaeldr]

Terry,

I'm very grateful for your comments and for any help which you can give me.

I am looking at The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol. VI

but have already noticed that in their OoB they refer to:

the RND by their mid-1916 WF name (63^rd Div) - incidentally, also shown under Suvla, not Helles

for the VIII Corps Mining Company they use only the December 1915 RE title, they have the CO's surname slightly wrong & are a month early regarding its founding

So I'm wondering what else may not be right – you suggest there could be plenty

Thanks again for the assistance

Michael

[michaeldr]

I was slowly getting to grips with this, but something more urgent has cropped up and I may have to leave off for a while. If I may Terry, then I will ask you to cast an eagle eye over it once I'm through

In the meantime.......

1 Fortress Coy was stationed in Gibraltar and sent home in 1915 for conversion to an a Advanced Park Coy. It was subsequently sent to France where it stayed for the rest of the war.

This one is a puzzle as they appear everywhere in the OoB - under VIII & under IX Corps, at ANZAC & at Mudros. BUT, I cannot find them at Gallipoli in the text

13th Base Park was formed from 13th Survey Company RE and sent to Egypt.

It would not be unusual for a Gallipoli bound unit to land at Egypt first, and I find that 13^th Base Park

arrived Gallipoli 15^th May 1915, served first Helles, then Imbros, then Mudros, with small detachment remaining at Helles

126 AT Coy was actually a Field Company raised for the 21st Division and served in France.

I have, so far, not been able to find this unit in the text.

I'll see if I can sort out 1/3 Lancs Workshop Coy for you later.

The only ref I can find so far in the text for this unit says that they 'followed' (presumably = arrived after) the 13^th Base Park Co.

I'll drop you a line later if I may

regards

Michael

[Terry_Reeves]

Michael

Please do.

TR

[michaeldr]

Terry,

Many thanks for your message re the 1/3^rd (Lancs) Workshop Company.

The penny has finally dropped as to who 136^th (Monmouth) Army Troops Company were;

they're better known (to me anyway) as the No. 5 Siege Company Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers.

See also Brian Jarvis' article 'The Monmouth Sappers' in The Gallipiolian No. 130, Winter 2012, pages 17-22.

These are the chaps who built the two water reservoirs above W Beach – per the Engineers' history

“each to hold three day's supply, and a Worthington pump was installed at the pier for filling them with water brought by sea.”

regards

Michael

[b3rn]

I've come across 'R. Monmouth Fortress Company R.E.' in 8 Corps routine orders, Cape Helles, December 1915.

 

Would this be No. 5 Siege Company Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers?

 

Thank you.

[michaeldr]

As you will see from earlier posts, there are a number of variations in the name used

but I think that it is safe to say that it is the same Company. 

[b3rn]

Thank you. I've misplaced my CD copy of the RE history. Can you tell me to which division and brigade they belonged?

[michaeldr]

As you will no doubt have gathered from previous posts here

the OoB in the RE History is not to be relied upon too greatly.

I believe however that they were Corps Troops with VIII Corps at Helles

[michaeldr]

On 24/08/2013 at 07:26, michaeldr said:

The penny has finally dropped as to who 136^th (Monmouth) Army Troops Company were; they're better known (to me anyway) as the No. 5 Siege Company Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers.

On 19/05/2017 at 08:28, michaeldr said:

As you will see from earlier posts, there are a number of variations in the name used but I think that it is safe to say that it is the same Company.

CORRECTION/CAUTION: recent research has indicated that these statements are incorrect and should not be relied upon -

see https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/308707-135th-coy-royal-engineers/?do=findComment&comment=3266313, also see the CWGC records which show their Gallipoli fallen as belonging to two distinct units

 

 

Edited 19 January by michaeldr