RE units in Mesopotamia?

[Sybil]

Having had zero replies (!) to this post on "Units and Formations" I am repeating it here hoping someone can help us.

Does anyone know which Kitchener units of the REs trained at Brompton Barracks, Chatham in 1915 and then were sent to join up with Indian Army troops in Mesopotamia?

Nancy 2Ms

[Neil Clark]

I wish I could help you more but I think your question is a very hard one to answer...

The information you seek is probably available in the Brompton Barracks Library at Gillingham. You can go there personally and search the records providing you write and make an appointment. I have done it a few times and have always found the staff there very helpful. Alternatively you might be able to get a member of staff to search through the books and phone you back with the answer.

It would help if you could do a bit more background research and find out a bit more about the Indian Army / British Army divisions where these R.E units were attached.

You should read this book which will help you -

BATTLES ON THE TIGRIS

By Ron Wilcox

Published 2006 Pen & Sword Books

ISBN: 1-84415-430-0

£19

I have a copy myself but it would take all week to search it for what you want. It does list unit Order of Battle in Mespot including Indian Army units.

[Jim_Grundy]

Nancy 2Ms

I have the four volume set of the official history of the Mespotamian campaign. What that highlights is that British officers and other ranks served with units of the Indian Army equivalent of the Royal Engineers, the Sappers & Miners.

There is a problem, therefore, in being able to narrow down a search. We can identify some R.E. units that took part in the campaign but that doesn't mean that your man served with them - and there is no way to make the link to where an individual trained back in the U.K. Access to service papers could change that, of course.

Good luck.

Jim

[mikemeso]

Nancy,

Don't know if they were Chatham trained but the following RE units served in Mesopotamia:

71st & 72nd Field Companies arrived in Mes end Feb 1916 as part of 13th (British) Division.

88th Field Company arrived at Basra 6th March 1916.

3 Territorial Field Companies arrived mid Oct 1916 - 1/3rd, 2/2nd and 3/1st Northumbrians - later renumbered 448th, 450th and 451st respectively. These were attached to 15th Division.

Source: The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol VII - Mesopotamia & East Africa

Hope this helps.

Mike

[Sybil]

To Neil,Jim and Mike

Thank you very much for your replies. We shall follow up these leads.

I have the CDRom of the History of the Royal Engineers and have read Vol VII. There is a load of info there but it's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack! I think 71st and 72nd are probably favourites since we know our man was at Brompton around Oct. 1915 - the date for landing in Basra would be about right after training. Needless to say his records are "burnt" but we do have medal cards and medal roll entries. I think Brompton is the key and we hope to visit in early March where we have permission to "trawl" their shelves. Incidentally the library there went through a very sticky patch - very short staffed - but now they are trying very hard to help. The Indian connection was suggested by some photographs we have.

We have ordered "Battles on the Tigris"

(To put the record straight - I did get some replies on "Units and Formations" ! Apologies !

Nancy 2Ms

[Michael Johnson]

Are there any family connections to India? A Sapper with some Hindi or even Indian experience might well have been posted to an Indian Sappers and Miners unit.

[Sybil]

No Michael - no Indian connections - but it appears from what I have read that RE units were sent to Mespot from India and joined there by units from the UK.

Thanks for your interest.

Nancy 2Ms