Can anyone explain this regiment detail

[Guest Messenger Marshall]

My great Uncle, John Turner Marshall was a sapper inthe Corps of Royal Engineers - I have also additional information which states: (2/2nd Durham Field Coy. R.E.).

Can anyone explain what this all means? Particularly the latter

Many thanks

Helen

[Malcolm]

See the home site.

http://www.1914-1918.net/re.htm

527th Field Co RE in 5th Division.

Aye

Malcolm

[Hoplophile]

At the start of the war, the Royal Engineers consisted of a large number of companies of various types, with each company being an organisation of some 200 men (this varied considerably) under the command of a captain or a major.

Each company had two basic characteristics. One related to the type of work it did. The other related to the way its men were recruited, that is, whether they were full-time soldiers (of the Regular Army) or part-time soldiers (of the Territorial Force or Special Reserve).

A "field company" was a company that did the type of engineer work associated with an infantry division - building small bridges, improvising ferries, building field fortifications and the like.

The 2nd Durham Field Company was a field company that belonged to the Territorial Force, an organisation of part-time soldiers who trained on Saturday evenings and during annual training periods of two weeks or so.

At the start of the war, the Territorial Force was mobilised. That is to say, the part-time soldiers became full-time soldiers. Soon thereafter, most units of the Territorial Force were split in the manner of an amoeba, with each unit becoming two units of the same type. (Today, we might call this "cloning".)

Each of the new units took the name of the original unit, adding the number "1/" or "2/" in front of it.

Later in the war, as the army as a whole became more "homogenised", the unique designations of Territorial Force units were replaced by simple numbers.

[Guest Messenger Marshall]

At the start of the war, the Royal Engineers consisted of a large number of companies of various types, with each company being an organisation of some 200 men (this varied considerably) under the command of a captain or a major.

Each company had two basic characteristics. One related to the type of work it did. The other related to the way its men were recruited, that is, whether they were full-time soldiers (of the Regular Army) or part-time soldiers (of the Territorial Force or Special Reserve).

A "field company" was a company that did the type of engineer work associated with an infantry division - building small bridges, improvising ferries, building field fortifications and the like.

The 2nd Durham Field Company was a field company that belonged to the Territorial Force, an organisation of part-time soldiers who trained on Saturday evenings and during annual training periods of two weeks or so.

At the start of the war, the Territorial Force was mobilised. That is to say, the part-time soldiers became full-time soldiers. Soon thereafter, most units of the Territorial Force were split in the manner of an amoeba, with each unit becoming two units of the same type. (Today, we might call this "cloning".)

Each of the new units took the name of the original unit, adding the number "1/" or "2/" in front of it.

Just to say a big thank you for explaining that to me - its been a great help

Many thanks again

Helen

Later in the war, as the army as a whole became more "homogenised", the unique designations of Territorial Force units were replaced by simple numbers.