Why no Derbyshire or Notts Territorial units of the Royal Engineers?

[Chris_Baker]

I find it curious that there were no Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire based Royal Engineers units of the Territorial Force. With much mining, quarrying and light industries in the counties there could have been no shortage of suitable men. Is there any documented reason why this was so?

[Terry_Reeves]

Why would there be any need for  TF tunnelling companies? There was no need for tunnelling companies pre-war in the regular army, indeed it was not a trade in the RE.  The nearest you will find them is in the Royal Sappers and Miners in the Napoleonic Wars.

It was only in WW1 that tunnelling resurrected as a trade with  miners specifically recruited because of the conditions prevailing on the Western Front. 

TR

 

 

[Chris_Baker]

I didn't mention tunnelling. My question was about any TF RE.

[Terry_Reeves]

13 hours ago, Chris_Baker said:

I didn't mention tunnelling. My question was about any TF RE.

Why did you mention miners and conditions prevailing on the Western Front then?

[AOK4]

32 minutes ago, Terry_Reeves said:

Why did you mention miners and conditions prevailing on the Western Front then?

He didn't. Please read the post.

[AndrewThornton]

The Divisional Engineers for the North Midland Division were provided by Staffordshire CTFA in 1908. Unless there was a specific requirement for Army Troops, Derbyshire CTFA would not have been called upon to raise Territorial Force units for the Royal Engineers. The County Territorial Force Association for Derbyshire probably had their hands full trying to keep the units under their jurisdiction up to establishment.

Edited 7 March by AndrewThornton

[Chris_Baker]

Seems to have been vaguely considered at one point. This is from "The Derbyshire Times" of Saturday, 28 December 1907 (British Newspaper Archive).

 

[AndrewThornton]

Yes, it was considered early on, but Staffordshire had capacity within its Volunteer Force units to form the required two Field Companies and Signal Company when the Territorial Force came into being. However, 2nd North Midland Field Company was formed pretty much from scratch as unlike 1st North Midland Field Company, which evolved from the Smethwick-based elements of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment (disbanded on 31 March 1908), it did not have a cadre to form around but was composed primarily of colliery employees who had the necessary skills to pass the relevant trade tests.

[Chris_Baker]

Thanks, Andrew.