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The Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers can be traced back to the Norman Conquest and gained a Royal Warrant in 1787 The range of tasks udner taken by the Enginners during the Great War was vast, including: railway contruction and operation, bridge building, barrack building, trench maintenance and repair, searchlight operation, balloon flying, mining, and deploying gas.
Companies during the Great War.
This is list is under contruction
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Dec 2011 Please note we currently have a large backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.
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Those known to have served with The Royal Engineers during the Great War.
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please get in touch.
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741 Pte. Herbert Messenger West Yorkshire Regiment Herbert served with the West Yorkshire Regiment, The Royal Engineers, The Labour Corps and the Scottish Rifles. |
804 Sapper Enoch Moxon 182nd tunnelling Company Royal Engineers (d.20th April 1916) A member of my family from this company was killed in action. He was
Spr. Enoch Moxon, 182nd Tunnelling Company, died 20/04/1916. |
826 Joshua Margerison Signals Royal Engineers 
This is the story was told me by my father pictured above, I have used poetic licence in telling it, but it truly happened.
Boots, Boots, Boots.
Bloody boots! Thought John as he stamped his feet. They were hurting him badly where the leather had rubbed the skin from his heels. He'd tried every trick in the book to make the leather softer, including peeing in them and leaving them to soak all night, but they still hurt.
He wriggled his toes and stamped his feet again. He ought not to grumble. His platoon had drawn a week behind the lines and all he had to do was make sure the colonel's horse was groomed and ready for its owner. But even on a cushy job like this his feet gave him gyp. Like a lot of the lads he was convinced that the only cure for his foot problems was to find himself a pair of decent boots, and by decent boots he meant a pair of German officer's knee boots. Some of his mates had managed to get hold of a pair and to hear them talk you would almost believe that such footwear was created by God's Holy Angels.
He heard the colonel approaching so he put down his currycomb, straightened up, and saluted. The Officer smiled at him as he took the horse's reins.
"You've done a good job there, Private, but it's time you were off to breakfast. I won't be needing you for the rest of the day."
John put away the curry brush and walked quickly across to the barn, which served as mess for his platoon. He pushed open the door and was greeted by a loud shout of laughter which came from his mates who were sitting round inside. Quickly he held out his mess tin to Cookie, who slapped in a dollop of porridge and two thick slices of bread, which looked stale as usual. He longed to be home enjoying an oven bottom cake straight from his mother's oven. Army bread was always stale. He made his way to the table he raising an inquiring eyebrow to ask what the laughter was about. His expression was enough to set the men off spluttering again.
It turned out that they were laughing at Alf, the platoon scrounger, who'd been to the nearby farm to try to beg, borrow or steal a fresh egg from the French widow woman. As he'd gone through the gate he'd noticed two of her cows were loose. Slapping the nearest one on the rump he'd attempted to drive them back into the yard, all the while yelling at the top of his voice, "Madam, la leche promenade, la leche promenade." Despite his muddled French Madam knew exactly what he meant. She'd gathered her long skirt up at the waist and yelling French swear words at the top of her voice joined in the chase. Once the cows were behind the rail the widow had shown her gratitude with a fine reward.
"She gave him that egg there," shouted Taffy pointing to Alf's mess tin, which was smeared with the remains of an egg yolk. "Lucky bastard."
John finished his porridge and reached for the tin of Tickler's raspberry and apple jam; a jam that owed its existence more to turnip fields than the raspberry canes. Some of the lads reckoned the pips were made from bits of wood. He chewed with a gusto, it softened the stale bread and filled the emptiness in his stomach.
His best mate, Bert, was nattering about some German boots he'd spied as he was coming away from the trenches that morning. Bert, the company dispatch rider, had owned a market stall in civvy life, and he still kept his eyes skinned for a bargain. It was amazing what he 'found' on his errands. He spent most his time with his head down looking for something to half inch. It was a wonder he didn't crash his bike. Though to be honest you couldn't really blame him, there's nothing more enticing to a sniper than a head in the sights of his gun.
Bert described how gob struck he'd been when a fine pair of German boots lying side by side in a rut at the edge of the track. He reckoned he'd get at least five bob for them from one of the lads. He'd balanced the bike and rushed across to grab them.
At this point Bert's story came to a sudden halt. He reached for his mug and took a great gulp of tea.
"Get on, with the story, lad," begged Taffy. Like all the rest he was determined that one day, he too, would own such a pair. John was busy working out whether he'd enough money to make a bid. Pay day was tomorrow, surely Bert would wait till then, after all they'd been best mates long before they left Blighty. He just hoped they'd fit him.
Slowly Bert lowered his mug and gazed one by one at the men sitting at the table. "Don't get too excited like," he announced, " I ain't got no boots."
A groan went up from the group.
" But, you said you found some this morning. Where are they? Why haven't you got them? Oh, don't tell me you've sold them already?" shouted John in disgust. "Some pal you've turned out to be, you could have given me first chance at them. I thought we was mates."
"Now hold on a minute lad," replied Bert. "I haven't finished yet. I haven't sold nothing, them boots are still where I saw them. If you're that damned keen to have them go and fetch them yourself."
The men at the table fell silent at this remark; it wasn't like Bert to get shirty, he was usually the most placid of men. It took the Duty Sergeant's cry of, "Any complaints?" to rouse them, and for once there were no smart Alec replies.
"Well if you've nothing to complain about you'd better get the hell out of here. You're like a lot of Chelsea Pensioners sitting around enjoying retirement. Get a shufti on or I'll arrange for some pack drill keep you busy."
As they piled out of the barn John caught up with Bert.
"If they didn't fit you, you could have brought them back for me. You know I've always wanted a pair."
"Brought them back for you," echoed Bert as he kicked the dust up under his feet and looked anywhere except at his mate. "If you want the damn things lad, you can fetch them for yourself. I don't mind saying that you're welcome to them! They'll still be there, if you want them, about half a mile back down the track. I don't think they'll have walked away on their own."
"Thanks for nothing." shouted John looking back over his shoulder. "Don't count on me for any favours in future."
Bert's choked reply brought him to a sudden halt. "Ah, John, believe me, I'm still your mate lad, but for Christ's sake watch out. Treat them with respect. You see the poor bugger's feet and legs are still inside them!"
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827 Sydney Smith Royal Engineers 
Sidney Smith, serving the The Royal Engineers, he was from South Hackney, London, photographed on 21st March 1917.
A group of Royal Engineers 7th June 1916.
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103279 Driver Maurice Greaves 1st West Riding Field Company Royal Engineers (d.9th Dec 1915) Maurice Greaves enlisted in Sheffield in the 1st West Riding Div. Field Company of the Royal Engineers. Although he enlisted as a driver, he was involved fully in active service in the first major assault of the Gallipoli campaign, and he is buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. His name is on the roll of honour of Cammell Laird and Co of Sheffield, where he had been employed. In early 1915, his company of the Ist West Riding Div. Field Company Royal Engineers became one of the units in the newly constituted 29th British Army Division. As usual for a “Division”, this consisted of units of all ground forces: infantry, artillery, engineers, transport, signals, medical, training units, etc. The 29th Division included troops from Ireland, Scotland and the north and south of England. Maurice Greaves’s West Riding company of Royal Engineers was the only company of engineers in the overall force of the Division, which contained about 17,000 men. The Division was initially earmarked for the Western Front, but was then selected for the campaign in the Dardanelles which included the Gallipoli campaign. In due course, eleven British and Commonwealth Divisions were involved in that campaign over eight months, but this Division was the only one assigned for the initial major assault. Training and mobilisation took place in the Midlands (in the area Warwick-Leamington-Nuneaton-Rugby) between January and March 1915.
A History of the Gallipoli Campaign says: “The 29th Division was probably the best British division that served at Gallipoli, and one of the best of any nation in the campaign. Although brand new as a division it had the advantage of containing a large number of professional soldiers who had not yet been worn out on the battlefields of the Western Front. The 29th can thus be considered as a crack division of well-disciplined and well-trained men. The Division’s historical performance in the campaign also bears witness to the division’s resilience, as the 29th was to attack again and again on the Helles Front, losing heavily in the process, but nevertheless always seemed to be able to spearhead one more push. When the 29th Division first set out for Gallipoli they were 17,000 strong. Over the next 9 months they suffered 34,000 casualties. So in other words they were effectively wiped out twice in nine months. The casualties of this one British Division were more than the total casualties of the whole Australian and New Zealand forces.” The Gallipoli campaign eventually involved a total of 468,000 British, Commonwealth troops and French troops, and there were a further three Australian/New Zealand (ANZAC) divisions. The British and Commonwealth casualties (dead, missing and wounded) totalled 119,400. The ANZAC casualties were 26,000. The Campaign The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by British, Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Dardanelles were a fifty-mile long strait separating the Aegean Sea from the Sea of Marmara and on to the Black Sea. Turkey controlled both sides of the Dardanelles at that time. Gallipoli was the name of a Turkish town (Gelibolu) near to where the main attack took place, and its name became later adopted by the British and their allies for the whole campaign. The intention was that a series of major naval attacks on the fortifications in the Dardanelles from 19 February onwards would soften up the defences and make it relatively easy to invade with land forces. However, this was abandoned as the major strategy in late March after some ships were lost to mines. The commanders shifted the emphasis of the operations from a mostly naval to a military orientation. The naval attacks had forewarned the Turks who were able to fortify and strengthen their defences for two months before the assault by military forces. Of the British troops, only one army division – the 29th Division – was available for a difficult and dangerous assault on well-defended terrain, together with a naval division, a French division and the ANZAC contribution. The original intention had been that this relatively small force (with other allied troops) would be sufficient to attack and hold an area already defeated by naval battering. This proved to be significantly over-optimistic. The 29th Division and its part at Gallipoli Setting off on their journey from Britain, on 16 March 1915, the 29th Division sailed from the port of Avonmouth, landing in Alexandria in Egypt two weeks later. On the medal card of Maurice Greaves (obtained from the National Archives), the date of his entry into “theatre of war (3)” is given as 30 March 1915. The “theatre of war (3)” was Egypt, a British protectorate which was the base for all British military operations in the Near East and Middle East at that time. A contemporary account from a soldier stated: “We arrived in Alexandria and boarded trains bound for Abbassia Barracks just outside of Cairo. These barracks were nothing more than four walls with a roof. Here we stayed for 4 days. Next, we were on to Polygon Camp. This camp consisted of tents that the Regiment set up themselves. The tents were designed for the desert heat, having a double roof that provided some insulation from the scorching sun. But nothing could relieve us from the flies that came by the thousands and tormented the men constantly during the day. The men switched from their "heavy" uniforms to the "desert" shorts and sun helmets. We trained daily and paraded often.” Early in April, the 29th Division set off on their route towards the place of battle, starting with a train journey to the port of Alexandria. The troops then embarked onto ships, and headed for the main transit base of Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos. The sea trip took nearly four days. Here they waited for the invasion force to be assembled, and did more training, including training in disembarking from ships for military assault on land. The force now gathered was called the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It consisted of 77,000 Allied troops. They were, principally, the British 29th Division, the 1st Royal Naval Division, the Indian Division, the 1st French Division and ANZAC troops. On 23 April at 5 pm, the transport ship Caledonia left Lemnos with the troops, and on 24 April had reached the Greek island of Tenedos where the troops transferred to the assault ships. The 29th Division had been allocated five main assault beaches on the peninsula: Beaches S, V, W, X and Y. These were all around Cape Helles. Two other assault beaches were allocated to the ANZAC troops and one to the French. The 1st West Riding Company (Royal Engineers) were among the 2,000 troops allocated to “V” Beach which proved to be one of the most difficult beaches for assault. (The area was named Sedd-el-Bahr by the Turks) The ship which carried most of the troops for “V” Beach was the SS River Clyde, an old 4,000 ton converted coal freighter. The troops were mainly carried in the coal holds, and some openings had been cut in the upper hull to allow the men to embark via gangways. SS River Clyde The troops on board SS River Clyde for the invasion were recorded as: No. 1 Hold (upper deck). 'X', 'Y' and 'Z' companies, Royal Munster Fusiliers. No. 1 Hold (lower deck). 'W' company, Royal Munster Fusiliers. One company Royal Dublin Fusiliers No. 2 Hold. 1st West Riding Company Field Engineers. Two companies Hampshire Regiment. Nos. 3 and 4 Holds. Two sub-divisions Field Ambulance. One platoon 'Anson' Battalion Royal Naval Division. One signal section The assault took place on the morning of Sunday 25 April. (A soldier on board reported that they had been provided with iron rations to cover three days - biscuits, canned bully beef and half a pint of water per day - and that all men had been issued with cocoa the previous evening.) V Beach was about 300m (330yds) long at the base of a steep incline. The beach had been sealed off at both ends by fortifications and cliffs. The beach was combed with trenches and barbed wire entanglements and strongly defended. As the first wave of troops made their way to the beach, for a considerable distance the bottom had been strewn with barbed wire and as the soldiers leapt into the water they found themselves entangled in the wire and were shot down where they stood. Turkish fire ravaged their numbers and caused severe casualties. Six Victoria Crosses were awarded on the first morning. Those troops reaching the shore alive took shelter beneath the sandhill at the water's edge and could not move. Turkish fire prevented any movement inland as well as any attempt to reinforce the survivors on the beach. The British forces held until nightfall when firing died down and the rest of the troops on board (including the West Riding Company in this second wave) could make it ashore. Fighting resumed the next day again with severe casualties, but 29th Division troops were able to seize their first-day objectives and establish a continuous line between the separate landing beaches. A further three Victoria Crosses were earned. V Beach was handed over to the French eventually, in whose hands it remained for the remainder of the campaign. One of the French troops who joined the assault left this account: “On April 28th, 1915, we landed on Gallipoli. We were the first French troops to do so. We went ashore on V beach just beside the River Clyde, the ship from which the British had landed a few days before. The sea was full of dead bodies. The English had cleared the way and our landing was without incident, That day we started marching and in the afternoon (the 29th) the real fighting began. We were holding the right of the line farthest from the sea with the British on our left. It was chiefly hand-to-hand bayonet fighting and we were up against what seemed to be an inexhaustible force of Turks. It was terrible to see the way our men were slaughtered. We lost about half the battalion and three-quarters of our officers were killed.” The battles throughout the peninsula dragged on for eight months with much loss of life. Essentially, the two sides - Allied and Turkish - were left in a state of deadlock. It was reported that they faced each other, sometimes only metres apart, in a state of increasing discomfort. Searing heat and the swarming flies (made worse by unburied corpses in no man's land) tormented the men. The conditions were exacerbated by water shortages. In October and December 1915, winter storms caused much damage and human hardship. Disease flourished in the insanitary conditions. Of the British casualties on Gallipoli in the trench warfare conditions, over half were due to diseases. Chief causes were dysentery, diarrhoea, and enteric fever. Total Allied withdrawal of its troops and abandonment of the entire campaign – after so many deaths and casualties - took place by January 1916. Maurice Greaves did not survive the war; he died of dysentery. He was not buried in the military cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula itself, which suggests that he was transported by ship in his illness to hospital and died there. The bodies of those who died on the hospital ships on the way to Egypt were consigned overboard for reasons of health for the remaining patients. The Cairo War Memorial Cemetery was the main cemetery used for those who died in the military hospital in Cairo. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission record is: Name: GREAVES Initials: M Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Driver Regiment: Royal Engineers Unit Text: 1st West Riding Div. Field Coy. Date of Death: 09/12/1915 Service No: 936 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: D. 212. Cemetery: CAIRO WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY There is another source of information about the service record of Maurice Greaves. The National Archives hold the First World War Campaign Medal Cards of many service men and women. Following the First World War, campaign medals were awarded to those who had served in the War. Maurice Greaves was awarded posthumously the Victory Medal, the British War Medal and the 1914/15 Star. 1914/15 Star Authorised in 1918, the 1914/15 Star was awarded to those individuals who saw service in France and Flanders from 23 November 1914 to 31 December 1915, and to those individuals who saw service in any other operational theatre from 5 August 1914 to 31 December 1915. British War Medal The British War Medal 1914-1920, authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service personnel and civilians alike. Qualification for the award varied slightly according to service. The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians was that they either entered a theatre of war, or rendered approved service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in 1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award. Victory Medal The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was also authorised in 1919 and was awarded to all eligible personnel who served on the establishment of a unit in an operational theatre. Medal Card of Maurice Greaves, obtained from the National Archives. |
142962 Acting Corporal Jeremiah Francis Aherne Royal Engineers Jeremiah Aherne was attested as a sapper on 3 January 1910 in the trade of carpenter in the Royal Engineers. He served at home from 1910 to 1914, then in Bermuda from January to October 1914 and finally in France in 17 Field Company and then the 32nd Railway Operating Company from 20 November 1914 until July 1918 when he returned home as he had applied and been recommended for a commission. By the end of the War he was an acting Corporal.
Having started his Officer training he was told that commissions were being suspended because the War was over. All cadets were offered the choice of returning to their units or continuing training, but they would be discharged immediately on commissioning and would not receive any uniform allowance or pay as an Officer. Jeremiah chose the latter option and was appointed to a temporary commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Munster Fusiliers on 5 March 1919 and immediately discharged to the Reserve.
At the outbreak of WWII he returned to military service. In 1943 he was listed on the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in the Auxiliary Pioneer Corps as a Class II 2nd Lieutenant 18 January 1940 (War Substantive Captain 22 July 1941). He subsequently attained the rank of Major. His family believes that he oversaw the construction and development of coastal defences during WWII and that he was based in Aberdeen, Scotland.
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139579 William "Sailor" Hayes Royal Engineers To be honest, all four of my grandparents have proved challenging as far as family research is concerned but, from the days when a polite letter and an SAE to The ministry of Defence prompted a personally typed reply, at least I have a chronological account of the military service of my maternal grandfather, 17123 Driver William Hayes - Royal Engineers.
In essence it is probably no more or less remarkable than many such records. He enlisted in Poole 20.1.1908, was transferred to Reserve 20.1.1910 and was mobilised 7.8.1914, serving until 22.12.15 in the Expeditionary Force France.From 23.12.1915 to 7.8.1919 he was a member of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, during which time, in 1916, he joined No 2 Train Transport Company. Along with many others, he was awarded the 1914 Star, the British war Medal and the Victory medal.
But, was he really serving with the 3rd Dorsetshire Regiment Militia upon attestation? ... the record contains no details of this previous service.
Where did he buy the beautiful postcard he sent to my mother during the war?
What exactly did he do in No 2 Train Transport Company?
Where and when was he buried alive? .... members of which other regiment dug him out? Perhaps a Scottish one judging by the photo! Incidentally, his pay was stopped when he went missing and, although reinstated upon his reappearance, not made up! My grandmother, with five small children to care for, was not impressed!
Did he at some point really serve with the Gurkhas? Certainly my mother and my Aunt could remember a friend called Gopal Singh visiting the house .... and what about 'The Turban Photo'?
Oh .. and the nickname 'Sailor'. Well, it seems that his early life was rather fraught, culminating in a bit of a set-to with his stepfather after which my grandfather ran away to sea, later jumping ship and changing his name.
To me, of course, he was just my grandfather. Someone who took me to the pictures, bought me a snow shaker and trusted me to play with the beautifully carved wooden figures in the cabinet.
I wish I had asked my grandfather the kind of questions the anwers to which would have solved the mysteries, but I was a child so I didn't. And would he have told me? He didn't even talk about it to my Nan and my Mum. Like so many other 'unremarkable men' he just got on with it.
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864 Lieutenant Corporal Samuel Riley Military Medal 18th Division 80th Field Company Royal Engineers My father, Samuel Riley was awarded his M. M. at Thiepval on the 26th of September 1916 for "Gallant conduct and devotion to duty in the field" by Major General F. J. Maxse, Commanding Officer 18th Division at the battle of Thiepval. My Father was a L/Cpl. in the 80th Field Company Royal Engineers. He died some years ago and I have his medals. Like most of his colleagues he would not talk about his experiences. I would very much like to find out the reason for the award of his medal. Can anyone help?.
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858 Spr. Ball Royal Engineers This is a extract from an Autograph Book which at a guess belonged to a nurse who treated wounded soldiers in various hospitals in the UK between 1913 and 1917. My Mother rescued the book which was about to be thrown away with the rubbish in 1968.
Sapper Ball served with the Royal Engineers, unfortunately we don't know who "Darky" is. |
204835 Pte. George Foster 19th Battalion. D Company (d.22nd Aug 1917) George Foster enlisted at Cocken Hall, 14.06.1915. He was killed in action on the Western Front, 22.08.1917 at 13.10 local time. He served with the D.L.I and 173 Company (Tunnellers) Royal Engineers.
He was the brother of Matthew Foster, (Enlisted D.L.I, 30.09.1914) and Joseph Henry Foster (Enlisted -1914- Northumberland Fusiliers + 172 Company (Tunnellers), Royal Engineers. KIA Western Front, 18.04.1915. |
204802 Lt. Walter Alan Leckie 90th Field Coy. (d.21st Feb 1916) Are there any hospital records about my great uncle, Walter Leckie? He was wounded at Armentieres, his brother (my grandfather) went to a London hospital to see him before he died.
Update: Red Cross records are currently being digitised and will be available in the not too distant future/ |
142824 L/Cpl. John William " " Paddock MM & Bar. 173rd Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers John Paddock was my Granddad, he survived the war but was discharged because of his wounds, he was blinded in one eye. He was decorated but would never say why. He always maintained that his medals really belonged to the lads that never came home. He was a bit of a lad and was relieved of his stripe on a couple of occasions, or so I am led to believe. I would appreciate any light anyone could throw on his military escapades I do not expect there is much you could tell me but we live in hope. My granddad died many years ago I loved him dearly but was in awe of him he told me many stories sadly the passing of the years as dimmed my memory of these.However I do remember him rolling up at our house at the time of the Suez crisis. He was in full battle dress and had his old army rucksack on his shoulder. He was slightly the worse for drink but had called in to say bye bye as he had to get to Egypt to save the Suez as he put it. He was deadly serious and rather annoyed that although in his seventies the army considered him to old to join in the current fighting.
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146547 Quarter Master Sjt. Jack James Foley Royal Engineers Jack Foley enlisted at Suffolk St, Birmingham Recruitment Office in 1916 aged 17. He was discharged 23rd Oct 1919. |
1205457 Spr. Peter Ellery 128th Field Company Royal Engineers (d.17 May 1917) My Great, Great Uncle went to war with his brother Reginald. I know he served with 128th Field Coy RE at the time of his death which I believe places him in Flanders immediately before the Battle of Messines. I would like to find out how he died and where, although looking again at the date it was before the battle. I believe he was wounded four days before he died and was evacuated to the military field hospital near to the present day Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery where he is buried. |
1205561 Spr. John Alexander Booker 233rd Field Company Royal Engineers Served with the company, was shot in the thigh and wounded. German red cross picked him up and he was then a POW at Crossen an Der Oder POW camp until end of the war.No dates available as yet |
207049 Spr. Herbert Potter 208th Field Coy. Royal Engineers My Great Grandfather was Herbert Potter, Sapper 84711, 208th Field Company, 34th Division the Royal Engineers. on 10 August 1916 he was wounded (shell shock) near Pozieres / Bazentin-le-Petit, Somme, France. He was under the care of 104th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps until 17 August 1916 when he rejoined his unit.
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207119 2nd Lt. George Alfred Peacock att Royal Air Force. Northumberland Fusiliers My father George Peacock served in the First World War and was promoted from the ranks of the Royal Engineers in France to 2nd Lt in the Northumbrian Fusilliers. While serving with the Fusiliers he was attached to the RAF as flying Officer and sent to a School of Aeronautics where he flew a Bi Plane over Salisbury Plain. Probably an RE8/9 target spotting or towing. He was latter promoted a Lt. The family used to have a picture of him standing next to the plane together with a roll of Gun Camera film, so we know it is fact.
I am desperately trying to find out more about the SofA and the RAF connection and have obtained his Officer Service Records from the national archives.
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206765 2nd Lt. William James Moffatt On 31st July 1916, The Irish Times carried the following report on page 6:
Second Lieutenant W.J. Moffatt, Royal Engineers, only son of Mr and Mrs William Moffatt, Drumgoff, Stillorgan Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, is reportedly wounded. He was educated at Avoca School, Blackrock, afterwards entering Trinity College, Dublin, where he took his BA and BAI (Hon). He got his commission in September last, and has been at the front since December of last year. He was wounded on the 12th July, and is now in hospital in Lincoln. He is in the twenty second year of his age. His captain wrote regretting he had been knocked out, and saying he had done most excellent work at the front.
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206728 Pte. Harold West Furniss 6th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment Harold Furniss enlisted 7/9/14 at Northampton, and joined 6th Northamptonshire Regiment as a private, he trained on Salisbury Plain to May 1915. He landed in France 26/07/15, and was posted near Le Cateau. Harold was wounded in the field on 4/07/16, and sent back to England on 17/07/16, where he was admitted to the Lord Derby War Hospital until 22/07/16 for a neck injury. He was posted to France 28/09/16 and rejoined his Battalion 10/10/16. He transferred on 1/03/17 to the Royal Engineers as a Pioneer (Roads and Quarries). Harold survived the war and returned home via Purfleet on 28/01/19, and transferred to army reserve on demobilization on 25/02/19. |
206224 Pte. Charles Felix Shaw Royal Engineers My grandfather Charles Felix Shaw enlisted on 3 May 1915 at Victoria Park Square, Bethnal Green and was given an immediate medical. His war record file at Kew shows he was aged 37 and was enlisted in the Royal Engineers. His trade at that time was a "pianoforte finisher". He was sent to France in Feb 1916 and received gunshot wounds on 1 July 1916. He was operated on in France and sent back to England on 18th July 1916. He seemed to be transfered between hospitals in Ipswich, Seaford and Thetford. Whilst in the latter hospital he was diagnosed as having a heart condition and was eventially dischanged as permanently unfit for active service on 7 Nov 1917. He was granted a weekly pension of £1 7s 6d. He brought up 3 children including my father Leonard. He died in London in 1947 of pulmonary tuberculosis |
206221 Private Luke Potts 174 Tunn. Coy. RE Royal Engineers (d.31st Jul 1916) I am afraid that I do not know anything about Luke Potts. He was my father's older half brother. I would love to know more about him. Our family do not seem to have any photographs of him either and we would love to have one. In the family altogether there was 17 children as gran and grandpa had both been married before then when they married and they had a family together.
He must have been highly regarded by he fellow friends in the village as they presented him with a bible inscribed:-
'Presented to Sapper Luke Potts 174 Coy. Royal Engineers
by the workmen and inhabitants of Kibblesworth as a mark of appreciation
of his self sacrificing duties to his country cause. 30th December 1915.'
I have this bible and treasure it very much.
He is burried at Auchonvillers Military Cemetary, France and my cousin has visited his grave on many occasions and finds it very moving every time he goes. |
206086 L/Cpl. Henry Ashton Cheshire Regiment My father Henry Ashton, served with the Cheshire Regiment, Transports
then transferred to the Royal Engineers and then back to the Cheshire Regiment.
If anyone has any information about his service, I would love to hear from you. |
205870 Pte. John Duffy att. 258 Tunnelling Company RE. Royal Scots Fusiliers (d.31st Jul 1917) I am trying to trace details of my grandfather's service in the First World War prior to him being killed in action 31-7-1917. I have only recently found paper work that indicates he was attached to the 258th Tunnelling Company.
I am now researching 258 Tunnelling Company and found this web page. I would be grateful if you could give me any information on the 258th Tunnelling company
regards
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205795 George R. Percy 255th Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers I have found a charming little album with WW1 drawings and poems and writings, trying to trace one of the inserts, this is what it says...... Here's wishing you all that you wish, Good luck to all at No 4! (from one of the West Riding boys) signed Geo. R. Percy 255th Coy R.E 21st June 1916. I would love any info on anything to do with this. Many thanks.
Editors Note:
This type of album was often kept by nurses, the sketches and poems being from the patients in their ward, often as a parting message. There were several hospitals with No.4 in the name, including the 4th Northern General Hospital at Lincoln.
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205678 Sjt. Harry Pemberton 23rd Field Company Royal Engineers He was my Grandfather and was a regular who sailed to France on 23rd August 1914 and served there for the duration of the war. He was wounded in the arm and evacuated to England but later returned to his unit. In WWII he served as an instructor in the Scots Guards. I served in 1985 - 1991 and 2001 - 2003 in the same unit in the Royal Engineers - 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron and went to war with them to Iraq when I was serving as their Quartermaster in 2003. |
205676 Harold Geoffrey Dane The Hampshire Yeomanry (Carabiniers)  My father Harold (born Jan 16 1884)was an apprentice joiner in the shipyards, with John I Thornycroft. He enlisted Aug 4 1914, seeking adventure, and served initially in the Cavalry, seeing action in France. Group C, Southampton was disbanded and the members placed in the infantry. However, dad had proved himself valuable with his carpentry skills and was given additional training (in 1916?) and assigned to Number 6 Observation Group, Field Survey Company, Royal Engineers, British Expeditionary Force, France (sapper #521715). He spent the remainder of the war at the front, including 18 months at Paschendale. His lucky number was 2: he was promoted from the ranks twice, and demoted twice; he was mentioned in dispatches twice, and he was a witness at two court-martials, and the accused were declared innocent in both cases (amazingly, the witnesses saw nothing). Dad credited his survival to his Captain, an "upper-class" man who stood up for his men, persuading his superiors that they were too valuable to risk on full offensives, although they did do duty as scouts.
I have in my possession a map of the Front, Belgium and Part of France, dated September 29, 1918 (Sheet 28 SW) complete with mud and dad's reference marks and notations.
Following the war, armed with glowing references from his Captain, dad rejoined Thornycroft and completed his training, becoming a Master Joiner. However he had, in today's jargon, post-traumatic stress, and was unable to hold a job although he had many opportunities including a stint building airplanes. Shortly after the war he attended the Carabinier's reunion, and concluded that he was the only survivor of Group C. Dad emigrated to Canada in 1920, joined his brother on his homestead on remote northern Vancouver Island, and after a year of isolation "was cured". |
205485 Spr. James Diamond 179th Company (Tunnel) Royal Engineers My Great Grandfather who was a coal miner in Rutherglen, Glasgow, Scotland who had 6 children and 3 later dying along with his wife of TB. He joined in 1915 to the Tunneling Company as they needed trained men for this task. He was born 1865 in Glasgow. |
1499 L/Cpl. Henry William "Bob" Jeater MM. 518th Field Company Royal Engineers Henry William Jeater was my maternal Grandfather, he was reported killed in action on 21st or 22nd March 1918 but was in fact wounded and captured and survived the War. |
1548 Cpl. Fred Kerry MID. 105th Field Company Royal Engineers Fred Kerry was the son of a well established Nottingham family who joined in late 1914 and went to France in 1914 with 105th Field Coy RE 25th Div. He was a driver but as he also was a trained butcher (his father own a farm and bred poultry & horses) so must have been a useful chap to have around. He was gassed three times and had scars on his legs where the gas had crept through his puttees, lucky he was on horseback not in the trench at the time. He was wounded twice and got married in Jan 1917 on a Christmas leave. He remained in service with 105th Field Coy until 1919.
A photo of him in uniform on his wedding day.
A copy of his MID which he was awarded in the Kings birthday honours list 1919, this was signed by Winston Churchill.
Two very small photos of him with his troop.
He rarely spoke about the war as he lost many of his friends. If anyone has any information of 105th Field Coy to share I would be really interested. |
1545 Spr. Joseph Dunmill 94th Field Company Royal Engineers (d.20th Sep 1917) Joseph Dunmill was my grandfather Jesse's brother. Jesse was also a member of the Engineers, was gassed but survived the war. Joseph was the son of William John Dunmill & Elizabeth Dunmill nee Moston, born 15th September 1884, Lewisham Street, Westminster, Middlesex. He married Miriam Louis Pawsey (Winnie) on the 25th of December 1903 and had 4 children, William, Beatrice, Joseph & Rosetta. |
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