royal engineers field company ww2

The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army during World War II, and was also called the Army Air Forces or the Air Corps. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. They trained at the Royal Engineers Depot in Chatham or the RE Mounted Depot at Aldershot WW2, RE's as they did in WW1, maintained the railways, roads, water supply, bridges and transport etc'. 251 Field Company . The company was commanded by a Captain who along with two subalterns, Lieutenants or Second Lieutenants served with the headquarters. At this time the Company built a three-room house complete with a staircase, toilet and lighting and gave demonstrations on the techniques of booby traps and explosives. 5th Field Company Royal Engineers. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. This was being used by the Germans for the production of deuterium oxide, better known as ‘heavy water’; this could be used in the manufacture of a new type of bomb, the Atomic Bomb. positions across from the Hartenstein Hotel and were told to dig in and wait for orders. The exception was for the trade of Pioneer as there were thirty-seven of these tradesmen. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. The Field Company of the Royal Engineers provided technical skill and know-how in support … A reception party of local resistance members would mark out the landing zones with flares and a homing device to guide in the gliders. The airborne sabotage troops were put to battle and wiped out to the last man’. command of 27 Engineer Brigade RE. It covers various RE operations leading up to Dunkirk and also Operations from Normandy to Germany including bridging the Rhine. You’ll receive a photocopy and most will be between eight and sixteen pages in length. They remained at Chatham for a number of years mainly employed in fortification work. This was later to be known as No 1 Parachute Training School. Each infantry division contained three field companies, with each company often working closely with one of the three infantry brigades in a division. The following war establishment was published in March 1938 and remained in use for the early part of the war. As winter approached, the company moved to Wiveliscombe, with rumours circulating that the Company was to become part of a new force. Corporal H. Pink was assigned to head the column led by B Company, 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment, commanded by Major R.H. Cain along the Utrechseweg to the bridge. The fighting in Oosterbeek was equally ferocious, with the enemy attacking the Sonnenberg house many times, but all attacks were repulsed. The task of the Division was to oversee the surrender of over 400,000 German troops still present in Norway. The men walked the two kilometres to Driel where a cup of tea and rum was given to each man by men of the 43 Division. The 9th (Airborne) Field Company was now commanded by Major J. Winchester, a tough and experienced officer. All day the defenders were subjected to continual mortar and shellfire, plus determined and frequent counterattacks. The company contained a workshop section which included lighting for the division’s headquarters, a bridging section which held bridging equipment and a field stores section which contained reserve stores and tools, and anti-tank mines. The enemy was beaten back and withdrew to the far side of the river. They also began honing their infantry skills with exercises on the firing range, unarmed combat training, small box girder bridge building and tactical lectures. The 1st Airlanding Brigade’s headquarters and other units were scattered around the area of Mascara on the plains north of the Atlas Mountains. 138 field companies . After a short period of reorganisation they were once more on the move, this time to Chipping Sudbury, just north of Bristol. As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. They are held at the National Archives and I’ve written a detailed guide on how to find them. 13th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery Commander Royal Engineers, 2nd Division. Having had no news from the bridge, Major Winchester ordered No.3 Platoon to proceed to the main road bridge and remove any explosive charges. Browning. As a last duty the 2nd Field Park Company marked the haven with a tall wooden cross, on which was superimposed a crusader’s sword (Kerry and McDill, v. II, p. 178). 286 Field Park Company, Royal Engineers was assigned to form part of the 6th Airborne Division from 7 June 1943. The Company was pinned down until about midnight when there was a lull in the firing and No. A field park company was a unit of the Royal Engineers which served in an infantry division during the Second World War. The Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive collection covers the history of the Corps, from its origins to the present day, and is available for researchers to view by appointment. A Cottle, Joseph H. Close, William J. R. Rogers, Ronald V. Russel, Robert G. Trouse and Bernard E. Turton. Lance Corporal Stanley Hey and two other Sappers managed to bring in seven Para’s who had landed near the village of Driel across to the north bank. 135 th Field Regiment. They then became part of ‘B’ echelon of the ‘Lawson Force’, which was one of a number of ad hoc battle groups set up to impede the advance of the enemy by whatever means were available. The men of the renamed 9th Airborne Squadron, Royal Engineers commandeered German trucks and drove to the Norwegian capital where they set up their command headquarters at Smestad near Oslo. Training courses at the Royal Engineers training Battalions and depots were thus reduced to twelve weeks. A radio message was received in Scotland just before midnight requesting directions to return to Skitten, but nothing after this was received. World War 2 (WW2 WWII) veteran, casualty, and military unit records search by WW2 Researcher Bill Beigel. The stores which a company carried were 435 axes, pick and 860 shovels. (An illustrated History of the 9th (Airborne) Field Company Royal Engineers 1939-1945.) Memories of a Sapper, Royal Engineers Part Three — From Bone, Algeria as reinforcement for the 56th Black Cat, London Division at Cassino, Italy — 9th September 1943. The most important document to research a field park company is its war diary. For transport, a field park company had a bicycle, eight motorcycles, a four-seater car for the commanding officer and forty-two lorries and trucks. Royal Engineers. Steel went forward on his motorcycle. This war diary will contain information on all Royal Engineers units within that division and you’ll often find appendices which are missing from a field park company’s war diary. The War Office of forming this new force gave Major J.F. 5th Field Company (2nd Division) 7th Field Company (50th Northumbrian Division) 9th Field Company (4th Division) 11th Field Company (33rd Division) 12th Field Company (6th Division) 15th Field Company (8th Division) 3 names . The gliders of the Company landed on Renkum Heath Landing Zone ‘Z’ between Wolfheze and Heelsum about eight kilometres west of Arnhem at about 1340hrs. Throughout September 1940, the Company spent much of their time laying minefields along the Cornish coast, from Bude to Barnstable. By late afternoon there were only fifteen men unwounded and by 1700 hrs on 10 July the bridge was back in the hands of the enemy, but this was short lived. Around 1930 hrs Lance Sergeant Lake and twenty Sappers from 1st Parachute Squadron commanded by Captain Brown succeeded in ferrying some Poles and much needed ammunition to the north bank in reconnaissance boats. Their task was to hold the bridge until the main invasion force relieved them. 2 Platoon who gave their lives at the bridge. In preparation for this operation the company left for Tunisia, some with the transport and some by glider, a journey that most of the men would like to forget as the roads and the weather were atrocious. After the tragic  Operation freashman, the Company sailed to North Africa to prepare for the airborne assault on Sicily (9th July 1943). Just before dark, a detachment of twelve men from the 1st Parachute Squadron commanded by Captain S. George and a detachment of sixty men from the 4th Parachute Squadron commanded by Major A.J.M. Royal Army Service Corps. 233th Field Park Squadron, RE. Lance-Serjeant was an appointment and the men’s rank was Corporal, Four Corporals with one in each part of the company, Two Transport Corporals, with one holding the appointment of Lance-Serjeants, with one serving with the bridging section and one with the field stores section, Sixty Sappers with fourteen serving with the headquarters, twenty-nine in the workshop section, nine with the bridging section and eight in the field stores section. The page first explains what a field park company was, before looking at how it was structured and the types of soldiers who served with them. With roots going back to 1787, the Company became "Airborne" in May 1942. The shelling was taking its toll of the company and the casualties were mounting, also most of the units transport was put out of action by mortar fire. With roots going back to 1787, the Company became "Airborne" in May 1942. There aren’t a lot of digitized resources to search for Second World War soldiers but two of the most important are the War Office casualty lists and a collection of documents relating to prisoners of war on Findmypast. But in true Royal Engineer tradition, he got on with his job and ‘The Central Landing School’ was formed at Ringway Airport. The 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers (The Shiny 9th), were gliderborne troops who saw action throughout World War II. Here they received their new transport and an influx of newly conscripted replacements to bring the Company up to strength. A fierce firefight took place and the bridge was secured. It was unveiled on the 50th Commemoration by Sapper Tom Carpenter and Sapper Frank Paine and dedicated to their friends who did not return. On the 28 September the company embarked from Southampton on the troopship Royal Sovereign and sailed for France as part of the BEF. The equivalent in an armoured division was a field park squadron. 149th FIELD AMBULANCE. As the airborne troops were withdrawing, they met up with the Royal Scots Fusiliers; this was the spearhead of the main invasion force. 47th FIELD DRESSING STATION. Corporal Pink was wounded in the face and he and the rest of the survivors made their way back to the Oosterbeek church and joined ‘Lonsdale Force.’. Each infantry division had three Royal Engineers field companies on its establishment. By nightfall, Syracuse had fallen and with the arrival of the British 30 and 13 corps the operation was concluded for the Airlanding Brigade and on 14 July the Company returned to North Africa in an Infantry Landing craft. Towards the end of October three Officers and thirty-six Other Ranks were sent from the Company to work with the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion in the Foggia area. This meant that they had passed a trade test in a particular skill. This job was given to No. For a short time the ferrying went well until the Germans started to mortar and shell the site sinking many of the craft and wounding many men waiting on the riverbank. It served with the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuation, and later with 21st Army Group during the campaign in North West Europe 1944–45 from D Day until the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath. We are looking for volunteers to help with researching the activities of units of the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Territorial Force, Regular Army, Pals Battalions, Kitchener's New Armies, Voluntary Organisations and the Ships of the Royal Navy. It can be difficult to find out which division a field park company served with as the orders of battle are kept at the National Archives. The British element consisted of the 1st Airborne Division, less 1st Parachute Brigade, but with the Special Air Service Brigade under command. 288 Field Company. Operation Husky was planned as a joint operation between the American 7th Army under General Patton and General Montgomery’s 8th Army. Again, these figures should be seen as guidelines. Citations for honours and awards can be found on the National Archives’ website as part of the WO 373 series. The Field Company was the standard unit of the Royal Engineers within any infantry division during the Second World War, with its equivalent in an armoured division being an field squadron. VIII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers was a battalion-sized unit of Royal Engineers attached to the British Army's VIII Corps Headquarters in World War II. Oberst (Col) Erwin Probst was charged with the Shooting of Airborne personnel at Slettebo Camp on 20th November 1942. 85 th Anti-Tank Regiment. 1943 . 2 Platoon commanded by Captain Eric O’Callaghan had landed complete and was ordered to proceed to the railway bridge. holding the appointment of Lance-Corporal, with one serving in the headquarters, one with the workshop section, three with the bridging section and two with the field stores section. This was the first time that the members of the Company were referred to as Sappers instead of Privates. Apart from their port tasks the Company were also engaged in the daily ‘pack train’ from Taranto to the forward railhead positions of the Division. There were also two Drivers I.C. At approximately 1500 hrs Captain Eric O’Callaghan took Sections 6, 7 and 8 and went to capture the railway bridge. Also Sergeant J. Paffett and Sapper G. Robertson suffered ankle injuries in the same crash. Royal Artillery 81st Field Regiment, RA 83rd Field Regiment, RA 133rd Field Regiment, RA AT Regiment 116th LAA Regiment Royal Engineers 244th Field Company 282nd Field Company 555th Field Company Field Park Coy 53rd Reconnaissance Regiment RAC 1st Bn, The Manchester Regiment MG Bn Division HQ RCS 53rd Division Signals RAOC REME RAMC RASC The company contained a workshop section which included lighting for the division’s headquarters, a bridging section which held bridging equipment and a field stores section which contained reserve stores and tools, and anti-tank mines. There were sixteen types of tradesmen in the company, though most only had one or two soldiers in that specific trade. No. They took part in several exercises and then in April 1945 the Division prepared to move to Norway. The British element consisted of the 1. The remnants of No.2 Platoon along with their wounded took up positions in the grounds of the 2nd Battalion Headquarters building on the Eusebius Plein. This included the destruction of bridges, barges and roads. Also serving with an infantry division were three field companies. This was met with withering fire from the now well dug in defenders and the attack was repulsed with heavy casualties for the Germans. Full-service research & records analysis. Royal Engineers. No. The following year, the Master General, Lord Mulgrave, decided that Chatham would be the location for a new training and instructional establishment for military engineering work. The latter would mostly have been Lewis guns at the start of the war which were gradually replaced by the Bren gun. A. Lancaster and some Sappers who were fit enough to move were ordered to attempt a break-out from their positions, but they were met by overwhelming forces. On 16 March 1944, HM King George VI inspected the Company just before their move to Hurn in Hampshire to prepare the airfield for Operation Overlord. Thirdly, Major Winchester had to provide a force to seize and hold the railway bridge over the River Rhine. Mines were hastily laid across the forest track that halted the self-propelled gun and Sergeant Nobby Gee and the crew of his 17 Pdr Anti-tank gun put the flame-throwing tank out of action. They were now at almost full strength with ten Officers and 235 Other Ranks. I use Orders of Battle Second World War 1939-1945 by Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. Joslen as a handy reference. In this last action of No. Known as ‘Sappers’, Royal Engineers have served in all of the Army’s campaigns. Available from Naval & Military Press. They also took a more active part in the second Battle of Ypres in 1917 and the Battle of Arras in April 1917. This was later found riddled with bullets. 295th Field Company, RE. The two Drivers from the Royal Army Service Corps each had a 12-cwt van. Royal Artillery. The Company’s operational transport consisted of vehicles that could be loaded into the Horsa. ROYAL ENGINEERS. I’ve also written a wide variety of other guides to help you research soldiers: I also offer a Second World War Soldier Research Service. They handed over their camp to the 3rd Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and then embarked at Gourock on 16 April on the Batavia Line ship Boissevain. They joined together in an immediate counterattack and in less than ninety minutes had retaken the bridge. Announcements. Enemy mortar fire and heavy infantry attacks were now developing to retake positions. About 0100 hrs on Thursday September 1944, Captain O’Callaghan with Sergeant E. W. Gibbons, Corporal A. 3 Platoon. No 1 platoon commanded by Captain Roger B. Binyon had lost one complete glider, chalk number 389 which had crashed and exploded, killing all on board. This was written by an officer of a unit and recorded its location and activities. McDill’s The History of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, vol. The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 21 years. The War Office casualty lists record soldiers who were killed, died while in service, went missing, were taken prisoner or wounded. Towards evening of 20 September, the company Headquarters was attacked by infantry supported by a flame-throwing tank and a self-propelled gun. When this job was completed the company moved to a small wood for the night. 3 Platoon commanded by Captain Maurice Heggie, also had a glider fail to arrive, which was to help the Reconnaissance Corp, so another detachment (Section 12) was hastily organised and sent in its place. The Company was introduced to their first gliders in early 1942. On 30 August plans for airborne operations began in earnest to support the armies in France. If the group were challenged then the enemy would be despatched without hesitation and any form of communication in the area would immediately be put out of action. They made a crouched run together and succeeded in making it across without casualties. Four operations were planned and in turn cancelled, mainly because the advancing troops in France overrun the objectives before the airborne troops had loaded their gliders. Henry Raymond Engleback 238th Field Company Royal Engineers (d.10th May 1943) Formed in 1716, this corps helps keep the British Army in the field by providing engineering and technical support. On the 21 November the German radio reported that ‘ on the night of 19 to 20 November, two British bombers, each towing a glider were forced down. Its strength was amply illustrated in subsequent days of fighting as we were never forced to give a yard of ground”. On reaching the objective sub-sections would attack the powerhouse and electrolysis plant, destroying vital machinery and putting the production of the ‘heavy water’ out of business. Royal Engineers . 3 Platoon were to rendezvous at the crossroads of Schelmseweg and Amsterdameweg. During the morning of the 19th, Major Winchester, Captain Maurice Heggie and a party of six Other Ranks visited Heveadorp ferry and the jetty on the north bank of the Rhine. 125 th Anti-Tank Regiment . As they reached their second objective, the site of the old pontoon bridge and harbour, it was found that the centre section had been removed and only the landing stage was in position. Royal Engineers from 294th Field Company, 49th Division, constructing a Bailey bridge over the Antwerpen-Turnhout Canal, 9 october 1944. Gardner and Sergeant R.A. Fraser suddenly became unstable and seconds later broke in two. Ammunition was now becoming scarce and food and water nonexistent, but No. Spr. 2 Platoon took their chance and dashed across the Eusebiusplein at the double, drawing fire as they crossed. I also offer a copying service for these documents. Meanwhile No. The Company were instrumental in solving the unloading problems, by wrapping detonating cord around the fuselage and blowing the tail clean off. The Special Force or 3rd Indian Division as it was known consisted of the following units, which were split into Columns. At about 1430 hrs 18 September, the second lift began to arrive on Landing Zone X. Twenty –two men of the 261st Field Park Company landed with their glider and the small Clark Air CA1 Bulldozer and made their way to the 9th Company R.E. The company was gathered together and moved to Monmouth. They found the ferry site useful and thought that they could have ferried a Battalion over the Rhine on the first day. Later on in the day armoured cars of XXX Corp were reported to be at the south of the river and the RE Adjutant, Captain M.D. They reached Knuisdoorn at night and some of the sappers were sent to help the 92nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, providing cover and protection and in some cases actually firing the guns. After a short leave in England the Company was sent to India as part of the Far East Advance Party in preparation for operations in Malaya, but on 6 August 1945 the worlds first atomic device bombed Hiroshima. Most of the Company were given leave for Christmas and on their return were involved in training exercises at both Divisional and Brigade level in their preparations for the liberation of Western Europe. As they flew over the village of Farrington Gurney, the Horsa glider RJ 113, chalk number 389 piloted by Staff Sergeant L.J. . Shortly after this the 1st Airborne Division was disbanded and the Squadron was transferred to the 6th Airborne Division and on 16 September the squadron left for Palestine. 2 platoon. Just north of the St Elisabeth’s Hospital they came under murderous machine gun fire and heavy casualties ensued. Known as ‘Sappers’, Royal Engineers have served in all of the Army’s campaigns. 186th FIELD AMBULANCE. Captain O’Callaghan was ordered to search the bridge for any further charges, which he did under very accurate enemy fire from the two houses on the far bank. 18 ( 1 st London) GHQ Troops Engineers. 54th Field Company, Royal Engineers Feb 1944 In early February 1944 preparations began for the 2nd Chindit Expedition. Kerry and W.A. The Company was stationed at Bulford where they received the newly issued ‘Red Berets’. All the gliders landed safely except chalk number 386, the undercarriage of this glider came through the floor on landing and seriously wounded Sapper Raymond Holdstock. The next day after heavy shelling and mortaring the unit’s house was attacked by self-propelled guns and infantry and it was no longer possible to defend the position. He was rushed to the Dressing Station but was found to be dead on arrival. On 2nd April 1943, HM King George VI once again inspected the company before their move overseas. 22nd FIELD HYGIENE SECTION While here they carried on with their weapon training, bridging techniques and mine detection. A field park company was a unit of the Royal Engineers which served in an infantry division during the Second World War. The Company were off the Algerian coast on 22nd April docking at Mers-el-Kabir at 2000 hrs, then travelled by road and rail to Perregaux. 3 Platoon would form part of the ten gliders of the coup de main group that would attack and secure the Ponte Grande Bridge near Syracuse. Establishment reduced to a squadron HQ … The Company were loaded into two identical gliders and flew out from Royal Air Force Skitten at the northeastern tip of Scotland, leaving at fifteen-minute intervals. The Company were now in and around ‘De Sonnenberg’, a large house located on the Sonnenberglaan in the small village of Oosterbeek. The Company was moved around the country on various tasks, including the building of pillboxes, anti-tank obstacles and the laying of road metals. While they attacked along the railway embankment a Platoon from C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion put in an attack along the riverbank. There are:434 items tagged 238th Field Company, Royal Engineers available in our Library These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. Many of the Company were encouraged to take the Parachute course and many did; this gave the Company a fair proportion of qualified parachutists in their ranks. The service records are held by the Ministry of Defence and I’ve written a detailed guide on how to order one. The Company had been selected to become the first Field Company in the new Airborne Force and would work closely with the newly formed 1st Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers. The light aid-detachment had a motorcycle, a two-seater car and two 3-ton lorries, one for stores and one for breakdowns. especially when a company was taking part in a campaign. The WO 361 series which records enquiries regarding soldiers who went missing can be very useful, as they often contain eyewitness statements which can add more detail to a war diary. Timmins made a flanking attack with No 5 Section and men from No 1 Platoon. There were also several exercises to prepare the Company for the invasion of Sicily. The cards have only been catalogued up to the surname Lusted. The early part of 1941 saw the Company carpenters, bricklayers and electricians in great demand to repair bomb-damaged houses in and around Plymouth; they were also involved in rescue work helping the local authorities in the shattered cities. Date: September 1939 – June 1940; Reference: WO 167/903; Notes: 7th Field Company Royal Engineers The allies settled on a Glider attack and two fifteen man teams were finally selected with the Company supplying two thirds of the force and the rest being from the 261st field Company. The remainder of the year was taken up with training exercises in and around the Salisbury Plain area. Lance Sergeant Lake once again remained and prepared to destroy the ferry when the enemy came to close. In the Great War (1914-18) the Company was part of the BEF and spent their entire war on the Western Front, taking part in numerous engineering tasks. Every year in September there is a small service of commemoration at a place called Double Hills at the memorial erected on the spot where all twenty-three men died. After the war Major Winchester found out that he had been wounded and taken prisoner during that action and later taken to Oflag VIIB. The 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers (The Shiny 9th), were gliderborne troops who saw action throughout World War II. No. After a detailed investigation by Major Frank Rawlings of 19 Civil Affairs unit, it was discovered that all the members of the mission that survived the landing were executed by firing squad. Any trade tests a soldier passed will also be recorded in the file giving you a greater insight into their role within a unit. On the morning of the 20th,the CRE, Lieutenant-Colonel Myers ordered Captain Heggie and his men to make every effort to hold the ferry and they returned to join Lance Sergeant Lake who had stayed at the ferry all through the night. There were also five trailers. This was the training glider the Hotspur. However, only a fraction of the archive has been digitized. 148 th Field Regiment. King George VI inspected the Company in May 1942, which at this time was re-designated 9th (Airborne) Field Company, Royal Engineers. Unlike most corps and regiments, in which the upper age limit was 25, men could enlist in the Royal Engineers up to 30 years of age. For bridging equipment, the company had 64 nine men assault boats, 32 two man reconnaissance boats, five folding boat equipment boat units and two trestle units, as well as two sets of small box girder equipment. After checking most of his men onto the boats, Major Winchester, thoroughly exhausted and his job as beach master completed boarded one of the last boats to leave for the far bank of the river. They were also involved in railway repairs and the construction of defence positions around the docks perimeter. Field Companies . On January 25 1941 the company travelled in convoy at night to Wallingford to build a model of the objective for the Operation Biting, the now famous Bruneval Raid, capturing German radar equipment. Later on in the day Captain Wetherill, Major Winchester’s second in command and Captain Heggie were both wounded by mortar fire and evacuated to the nearest dressing station, where they were both taken prisoner. The enemy response was to shell and mortar the Airborne positions and succeeded in killing Sapper Robert Trouse and seriously wounding Lance Corporal Coward and Sapper Thompson, who were later both taken prisoner and transported to Fallingbostel, Stalag XIB and Stalag XIIA. Altogether the 1st Airlanding Brigade lost more than fifty gliders and nearly 400 men perished. There is a plaque in a little room in the Eusebius church to the memory of those men of No. although he was given no detailed plan or policy. It built the first British bridges across the Rhine and the Elbe after the assault crossings in March and April 1945 and continued in British Army of the Rhine after the end of …

Lorex 4k 8mp Camera, Short Haired Great Pyrenees Mix, Dunn Lumber Delivery, Junipero Serra School Reviews, Monoprice Voxel Octoprint, No Makeup Look For Medium Skin,