Royal Engineers Special Brigade

[Terry_Reeves]

Grandrew2

Many thanks indeed. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

TR

[dink999]

Hi Terry,

I found the attached sheet on Find My Past a while ago, not sure if you have see it but would be interested to know the circumstances re the injuries. 

140849 Pte. Wallum, ASC died 8 May 1916 and is buried in Calais Southern Cemetery.

Dave

 

[Terry_Reeves]

4 hours ago, dink999 said:

Hi Terry,

I found the attached sheet on Find My Past a while ago, not sure if you have see it but would be interested to know the circumstances re the injuries. 

140849 Pte. Wallum, ASC died 8 May 1916 and is buried in Calais Southern Cemetery.

Dave

 

Dink

Many thanks . Infantry battalions were often tasked to carry in gas cylinders and other items in preparations for major gas attacks, although I have no knowledge how the burns were caused. Erysipelas is a quite nasty skin infection which be caused by a number of things, including poorly dressed wounds apparently. Perhaps the burns were the cause.

TR

[Gina]

Hello Terry, I am a little confused as to what my 2 x Great Grand Uncle did during WW1 and wondered if you could help me. Pioneer 224953 Arthur William Todner signed up at Elswick, Newcastle on 11/12/1915, Royal Engineers. He was a machinist when he signed but the docs found on FMP & Ancestry state he was a chemist. He came home from the war but died in 1937. I will attach the docs I have found and hope that is acceptable and look forward to any help you can give me.

Regards Gina.

[Terry_Reeves]

Gina

Yes, it can be confusing . The annotation refers to the fact that men serving with the Special Brigade received a higher rate of pay. The word “ chemist” was used to indicate he was a Special Brigade man receiving this higher rate of pay for serving with a chemical warfare unit. Although there were men who volunteered or were conscripted who were chemists or had some sort of other scientific experience, the majority did not. You can find written on the attestation papers of  some SB men “Chemical Corps” or similar. 

He served with “N” Special Company of 3rd Battalion of  the Brigade. He would have been involved in releasing  gas from cylinders and also in using the Livens Projector which was a type of mortar that principally fired gas bombs and also oil bombs designed as an incendiary device. You can down load the unit war diary from here, free if you have not done so already. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=N+special+company+AND+WO+95&_sd=&_ed=&_hb=

If you have any more questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Hope this helps

TR

Edited 6 February , 2022 by Terry_Reeves

[Ivor Anderson]

WW1 Military medal correctly named to 71005.SJT.J.DONALDSON.'P'SPEC.COY.R.E. James Donaldson from Monifieth with p special chemical company Royal Engineers and was awarded a military medal for carrying to safety a wounded officer and later returned for several other wounded:

Edited 15 February , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Terry_Reeves]

Thanks Ivor. Can you say where he was from please, the newspaper clipping has been cut off.

TR

[Ivor Anderson]

Hi Terry,

Sold recently on a well known online auction as seen.

Ivor

[Terry_Reeves]

49 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said:

Hi Terry,

Sold recently on a well known online auction as seen.

Ivor

Thanks.

TR

 

[Stevend]

He came from Monifieth 

And died in Dundee General hospital 

[ilkley remembers]

'N' Special Company man from Ilkley

http://ilkleyremembers.blogspot.com/2019/02/corporal-120586-eric-wilkinson-knowles.html

 

Also on Bradford Grammar Role of Honour

 

https://www.bradfordgrammar.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1917-July-14-Knowles-EW-122.pdf

[Terry_Reeves]

9 hours ago, ilkley remembers said:

'N' Special Company man from Ilkley

http://ilkleyremembers.blogspot.com/2019/02/corporal-120586-eric-wilkinson-knowles.html

 

Also on Bradford Grammar Role of Honour

 

https://www.bradfordgrammar.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1917-July-14-Knowles-EW-122.pdf

Thanks for that. Another gap filled.

10 hours ago, Stevend said:

He came from Monifieth 

And died in Dundee General hospital 

Thanks Steve, I should have put my specs on 😄

[brianmorris547]

Terry

I may have mentioned this some years ago.

In the Service Record of 113478 Ernest Walter King there is a report of an injury to him in a football match between 2 Bn SB and 3 Bn SB in Arpil 1916. It names a few SB men who gave evidence. He is not on the Ancestry index, no surprise there, but his record starts on Ancestry Filmstrip WO 363 Kin 63335.

Brian.

[dink999]

2 hours ago, brianmorris547 said:

In the Service Record of 113478 Ernest Walter King there is a report of an injury to him in a football match between 2 Bn SB and 3 Bn SB in Arpil 1916. It names a few SB men who gave evidence. He is not on the Ancestry index, no surprise there, but his record starts on Ancestry Filmstrip WO 363 Kin 63335.

He is is on one of those infuriating partial casualty lists with a few other special brigade men. A least I now know the date of the list so can start to work out the likely range of the HA number that is missing.

Image courtesy of FMP

Dave

[brianmorris547]

Dave

That's where I got it from. Pnrs Sears and Newick also appear on a partial RE list that I posted on p 23 of the main thread, the first two RE names on it are O'Riordan T and Hopkins J. Most of the men shown are RE Special Brigade. I am going through all of my partial lists again to date them. Both that one and the one you have just posted are April 1916.

Brian

[Terry_Reeves]

Thanks to Brian and Dave. Sgt  Ernest Walter King was originally enlisted into 16 th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers.  He was commissioned into the Indian Army Reserve of Officers on 20.12.17 and was attached to 129 Duke of Connaught  Baluchis. 130217 Edwin S Sears appears in MH 106/ 440 which Brian sent me last year.  I will check out the rest.

TR
 

 

Edited 18 February , 2022 by Terry_Reeves

[Stevend]

'P'  SPEC Coy Royal Engineers 

Can I ask  was this company responsible for release of the poison gas towards the German lines?  

[Terry_Reeves]

13 hours ago, Stevend said:

'P'  SPEC Coy Royal Engineers 

Can I ask  was this company responsible for release of the poison gas towards the German lines?  

Steve, yes it was. A unit of 4th Battalion.

TR

[Lee636]

Hi all,

I'm trying to gain further information relating to - 106132 Cpl. James Blair Mcilroy (Mc Ilroy on his Vic medal). On his FWR details it mentions that his secondary unit within the Royal Engineers was Special Brigade Depot ( he was a Chemist after the war). He was wounded and out on a SWB 390409.

Does anyone have any information or could point me in a direction to narrow down some research on him in regards to what this secondary unit was?

Thanks in advance,

Lee

[dink999]

Terry,

I found this single page of a Court of Enquiry whilst searching for casualty lists on FMP in WO 364 under I P Morris

Dave

[Terry_Reeves]

1 hour ago, dink999 said:

Terry,

I found this single page of a Court of Enquiry whilst searching for casualty lists on FMP in WO 364 under I P Morris

Dave

Dink, thanks very much, an interesting find indeed.

TR

[williywonker]

Can anyone please enlighten me as to what an SK shell was when fired from a Stokes Mortar. Was it a gas or smoke bomb and what was its purpose?

If it misfired could it cause injury to the gunner?

Mal

Edited 3 March , 2022 by williywonker

[Terry_Reeves]

29 minutes ago, williywonker said:

Can anyone please enlighten me as to what an SK shell was when fired from a Stokes Mortar. Was it a gas or smoke bomb and what was its purpose?

If it misfired could it cause injury to the gunner?

Mal

It was  

It was a tear gas - ethyl iodoacetate.  SK = South Kensington where the laboratories of London University were located and where its utility as a lachrymator was discovered. 

Misfires were quite common, normally caused by defective primary cartridges.

Post operation reports for the units of 5th Special Mortar Battalion, in particular Nos  1 to 4 Companies war diaries which have annexes which note such events.The war diaries are available on-line free from The National Archives. 

TR

 

 

Edited 3 March , 2022 by Terry_Reeves

[williywonker]

Many thanks, Terry.

I have been researching the military career of Ronald Bruce Purves, who served with No 188 Special Company and 5th Battalion Special Brigade.

The Unit War Diary entry for the 28th October 1916 records ‘Operations carried out by No 2 Special Company RE (see attached Appendix ‘M’). Casualties; 2/Lieutenant R B Purves RE wounded; 1 other rank died of wounds; six other ranks wounded’. Reference to Appendix ‘M’ confirms that on this day, the purpose of the operations was to; ‘Render enemy positions from Y Ravine to Beaumont Hamel untenable with S. K. bombs’. The report also stated there was a total of eighty-nine misfires, all but one of which were recapped and fired, the one remaining misfire had resulted in several casualties, including Purves; his pensionable disabilities were afterwards described as ‘Gunshot wound (shell fragment) abdomen with subsequent adhesions Gas Poisoning’. ’

Mal

Edited 3 March , 2022 by williywonker

[Neil Pettigrew]

Hello All,

I am researching my relative Kathleen Pettigrew, born 1898. A record in the National Archives at Kew tells me that a K. Pettigrew (it may or may not be her) received a military medal in 1916. It is for "Women's Services, Distinguished Conduct Medals." This woman was a corporal in the 4th Battalion of the Special Brigade of the Royal Engineers.  Regiment number: 106427.

“Awarded: the Military Medal”. The document has been stamped “FRANCE”.

“Rank: Cpl.”

“Corps.: 4^th Bn. Spec. Bde. R. E.”    

“Date of Gazette: 23.8.16”

“Date of Army Order: 1.9.16. 0137/2791.”

Hand-written over this last line is: “Awarded bar to medal. Gazette 21.10.16”

Can anyone advise how I find out who this K. Pettigrew was? If it was my Kathleen Pettigrew, then what other records of her military service might exist?

Many thanks,

Neil Pettigrew