Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers

The Durham Fortress Engineers were a Territorial unit of the Royal Engineers, they had their HQ at Western Road, Jarrow. Nos. 1 and 2 Companies were based at the Drill Hall, Western Rd, Jarrow, with No.3 Coy based at the Drill Hall, Elm Grove, Alexandra Rd, Gateshead.

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There are:8722 items tagged Royal Engineers available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served with
Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Ambler George. Spr. (d.7th Sep 1916)
Campbell Hugh. Spr. (d.24th Jul 1916)
Geary James. Spr. (d.16th Nov 1918)
Little Samuel. Spr. (d.17th Dec 1914)
Melvin Thomas. Spr. (d.4th Nov 1918)
Rymell Stanley. Spr. (d.21st Feb 1917)

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Records of Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers from other sources.

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216425

Spr. Thomas Melvin Durham Fortress Company Royal Engineers (d.4th Nov 1918)

Thomas Melvin served in Durham Fortress Company, Royal Engineers and died on the 4th November 1918. He is remembered at St. Paul's Church and is buried in Jarrow Cemetery. His medal card records the award of the War and Victory Medals. It also records that he retired from the Territorial Force under Kings Regulations 1923 ref 8426/Adjutant. So he may have retired on medical grounds and died at home.
Thomas was born in Jarrow 1895, son of Robert and Annie Melville nee Dunleavy of 11 Dunn Street, Jarrow. In the 1911 census the family is living at that address with Robert(63) a dock labourer - shipbuilding and his wife of 23 years Annie(43). They had 10 children, 9 survived and all are single and living at home. James(22)a fruit merchants clerk, Robert(18) ships painter and Thomas(16) a rivetter heater. The remaining children are at or below school age, Mary Ann(11), Annie(8), Catherine(5), Julia(3) and Marie is 10 months old. His older brother Robert was also one of the fallen.
Vin Mullen

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216368

Spr. Samuel Little 1st/2nd Durham Fortress Company Royal Engineers (d.17th Dec 1914)

Samuel Little died at Hartlepool aged 20, he was born in Jarrow in 1894, son of Walter and Susan Little (nee McDonald) of 8 Clyde Street Jarrow. In the 1911 Census he is listed as Samuel Little, age 16, an Apprentice House Plumber, living with his parents Walter & Susan Little & siblings at 8, Clyde Street, Jarrow-on-Tyne. He lived and enlisted in Jarrow
Samuel is buried in Jarrow Cemetery and is commemorated on the Triptych in St. Paul's Church Jarrow.
Vin Mullen

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215637

Spr. Stanley Rymell Royal Engineers (d.21st Feb 1917)

Stanley Rymell, Sapper 205328, served in the Royal Engineers and died age 21 in a Military Hospital on the 21st February 1917. He is remembered at St. Paul's Church, Jarrow Library and in Jarrow Cemetery. T.205. His medal card shows the award of the 1915 Star, War and Victory Medal.
He was born in Jarrow 1895, son of Joseph Rymell of 65 Catherine Street, Jarrow and the late Alice Rymell nee Miller. In the 1911 census the family is living at that address with Joseph Rymell(49) widower, a steel worker and 6 sons. There is also a house keeper Margaret Chorley(36) widow. Three of the sons are working, Joseph(20), Frank(17) both Enginemen at the Steelworks and Stanley(15) an apprentice fitter at the shipyard. The three younger sons, Oswald(12), Lawrence(10) and Vincent (9) are all students.
Royal Engineers - It is difficult to establish where he served and what injury or illness led to his death in a military hospital without knowledge of the Company in which he served.
Update: From Stanley's Service Record on Ancestry we can see that he was an apprentice boilermaker aged 18 years and 5 months when he enlisted into the Durham Fortress Royal Engineers from 17/4/1913. He was 5 feet 3 inches in height and had good health and physique. He was in France19/9/1915-28/9/1915. He was admitted to a Field Ambulance with scabies on 25/9/1915.
By December 1916 he had transferred too IWTRE Corps (Inland Waterways & Docks). He was admitted to Hill House Military hospital in Kent with appendicitis on 21/12/1916 having been unwell for 3 months. Just prior to that his records state that on 10th December he would be "kept under close arrest whilst under hospital investigation as he broke out of isolation camp in barracks whilst suffering from infectious disease". On 18/2/1917 he was transferred to Military Hospital, Shorncliffe with increasing peritonitis symptoms and on 21st he sank rapidly and died at 10 pm.
Vin Mullen

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214892

Spr. Hugh Campbell 1st/2nd Durham Fortress Coy. Royal Engineers (d.24th Jul 1916)

Hugh Campbell was aged 31 when he died on 24th July 1916 whilst serving with the 1st/2nd Durham Fortress Coy. Royal Engineers. He was born, lived and enlisted Jarrow, the son of William and Elizabeth Campbell of Jarrow. Hugh Campbell age 25 Steel Works Furnaceman is recorded as living with with his widowed mother Elizabeth Campbell and family at 87 Buddle Street, Jarrow on the 1911 census.
Hugh is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial and is commemorated on the Palmer Cenotaph (west face) Jarrow.
Vin Mullen

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214312

Spr. George Ambler 1st/3rd (Durham) Field Coy. Royal Engineers (d.7th Sep 1916)

George Ambler served with the 1st/3rd (Durham) Field Coy. Royal Engineers. He was aged 28 when he died on 7th September 1916. He had enlisted in Jarrow. George is buried in Delville Wood Cemetery. Longueval and is commemorated on the Palmer Cenotaph (west face) Jarrow.
Vin Mullen

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214040

Spr. James Geary Durham Fortress Company Royal Engineers (d.16th Nov 1918)

James Geary was the son of Patrick and Ellen Geary(nee Finnigan)of 245 High Street, Jarrow. From the 1911 England and Wales census, James was aged 15 and working as a shipyard heater. His father was aged 42 and a shipyard plate riveter, born in Jarrow. His mother was aged 36 and also born in Jarrow.
James died aged 25 on 16 November 1918 and is buried in Jarrow Cemetery.
Vin Mullen

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- Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers during the Great War -

Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers

Want to know more about the Royal Engineers?

Those known to have served with
Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project - Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers during the Great War -

Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers

Want to know more about the Royal Engineers?

Those known to have served withDurham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers during the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
Durham Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers
during the Great War 1914-1918.