RND RME at Ancre

[MikeHiggins]

My great uncle was killed on the first day of the battle of the Ancre on Nov 13, 1916. He was a Royal Marine Engineer. From what I can make out four other men and an officer from the unit died on the day. I think my great uncle died just before the first attack. I’d be interested to know what the RME tasks would have been at the time of the attack. Someone once suggested they were digging saps prior to attack so that the infantry could go in a straight line rather than launch from zig zag trenches and run the risk of bumping into each other. He was Robert Carmichael (Deal 5215 (S)), was from Byker and worked at Swan Hunter.

Interestingly another great Uncle, Walter Muir, is on the SH war memorial but at that time the two families weren’t joined...that happened when my grandparents...got together.

[horatio2]

40 minutes ago, MikeHiggins said:

From what I can make out four other men and an officer from the unit died on the day.

Four sappers of 2nd Field Coy RNDE were killed in action on 13 November. On 14 November an officer of the coy died of wounds and a sergeant was killed in action.. On 17 November another sapper died (in 8th GH Rouen) of wounds received on 13th

 

40 minutes ago, MikeHiggins said:

He was a Royal Marine Engineer

Not quite. The Royal Marine Engineers were a seperate formation  and nothing to do with the RND. To be accurate, he was a sapper in the Royal Naval Division Engineers (RNDE).

 

The 2 Coy war diary states "13 Nov - Day of Advance. Company engaged on constructing advanced Strong Points and Communication Ttrenches.". Similar employment on the following day.

Edited 26 November , 2020 by horatio2

[MikeHiggins]

Hi hiratio2.  Yes. That figures. Uncle Bobby was in that company.  I think one of the others was from the West Country.  How can I find out about the others and were they all casualties of the same incident?  I’d like to write the story and the less fiction the better.
many idea how I could find out more?

[MikeHiggins]

Hi horatio2. Thanks very much for this.  I’ll dig out his records.  So what would their task have been. For some reason I think he died 15 minutes before the attack...but maybe that’s just a family tale.

[horatio2]

The casualties are listed on CWGC: Sappers William PEGDEN, Deal/1093(S);Ernest PICKFORD, 5157(S); Amos WHITEHEAD, 5443(S); Charles HJ CASTLE, 870(S) dow; Sgt Edwin G THOMPSON, 530(S); Lt John J EATON-SHORE dow. None of the, "West Country".

Records do not give any details of the circumstances and timing of deaths so the origin of "15 minutes before the attack" is not known. On a battlefield swept for many hours by shell. mortar and machine gun fire, death was all around them and there is nothing to suggest they were all together and fell in a single incident.

 

43 minutes ago, MikeHiggins said:

So what would their task have been.

Variations on a theme of digging is my best guess.

 

[sapperwho]

Hi Mike 

My Grandfather Joe Metcalfe who I never met was also in the second field company of the RNDE . His number was Deal 5121 (S) .He was also from Byker and a miner. He served in Gallipoli then he was sent to France and was wounded on the 18th of June while working with the 47 Div Engineers unit . Their numbers are relatively close and both being "Geordies" I feel sure they must have known one another.