The East Lancashire Royal Engineers was a Volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Engineers raised in Manchester in 1901. It became the engineer component of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division of the Territorial Force, seeing service in Egypt, at Gallipoli and (together with a duplicate unit) on the Western Front during the First World War. In the Second World War, it took part in the Dunkirk evacuation with 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, and then converted to the armoured assault engineer role in 79th Armoured Division in North West Europe. Its duplicate unit served in Tunisia and Italy. The unit continues today as part of 75 Engineer Regiment in the Army Reserve.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–168. One such unit was the 3rd Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVC), formed at Manchester in July 1862 and attached to the 19th Lancashire Artillery Volunteers. However, no officers were gazetted to the new unit, which disappeared by October the same year.Westlake, pp. 10–11. Another 3rd Lancashire EVC was formed at St Helens on 13 February 1864, but by April the same year it was renumbered 2nd, taking the place of a small unit that had been absorbed by the 1st Lancashire EVC.Beckett, Appendix IX.
As part of the expansion of the Volunteers during the Second Boer War, a new unit with the same number was formed in Manchester as the 3rd Lancashire Royal Engineers (Volunteers). This unit was raised by a committee comprising the leading engineers and engineering employers of the area, including the municipal engineering departments of Manchester and Salford. They had more than 900 applications to join by May 1900, but it was not until November that the War Office sanctioned a unit of eight companies, which received royal approval on 15 February 1901. Major H.T. Crook from the 1st Lancashire RE (V) was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and assumed command of the new unit on 28 February. Enrolment of volunteers did not start until 29 April, and many of the original volunteers had by now joined other units. However, over 400 did enlist by the end of 1901. At first there was no drill hall, and drills were conducted at Albert Street Police Yard; later the unit took over and extended a house at 73 Seymour Grove, Old Trafford. It practised bridgebuilding on the River Irwell in Peel Park, Salford, and carried out its annual training at Whitsun at Ilkley or on the Isle of ManAnon, History, pp. xi–xvi.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–253.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 3rd Lancashire Engineers became the East Lancashire Divisional Engineers forming part of the TF's East Lancashire Division with the following organisation:Anon, History, pp. xvii–xxv.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 10–11.Monthly Army List, various dates.Lord & Watson, pp. 150–151.Nalder, p. 596. 1st East Lancashire Field Company (from A, B and C Companies) 2nd East Lancashire Field Company (from D, E and F Companies) East Lancashire Divisional Telegraph Company (from G Company) No 1 (Cable) Section at Seymour Grove No 2 (Lancashire Fusiliers) Section No 3 (East Lancashire) Section No 4 (Manchester) Section
Nos 2–4 Sections of the Telegraph Company (termed a Signal Company from 1911) were attached to and largely manned by the three infantry brigades of the division. The Signal Company did not train with the rest of the division in 1912, having been specially selected to take part in that year's Autumn Manoeuvres of the Regular Army.
First World War Mobilisation On Sunday 1 August 1914, 2nd E Lancs Field Company had left by train for annual training at Caernarfon and 1st Field Company was entrained and about to depart when orders came cancelling the camp because of the deteriorating international situation. The companies returned to Seymour Grove, where mobilisation orders arrived at 18.00 on 4 August. The men were billeted in the schools next door to the drill hall and horses and carts were requisitioned according to standing instructions. On 10 August units of the Territorial Force were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, which was greeted with acclamation at Seymour Grove; virtually the whole of the East Lancashire Division volunteered. On 18 August the HQ and field companies left Old Trafford for a training camp at Doffcocker, near Bolton, while the signal company went to Bury and its sections camped with their brigades.Anon, History, pp. 23–24, 49, 93, 199.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 33, 65.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 35–41.42 Division at Long, Long Trail.
On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later 3rd Line units were formed to supply drafts to the 1st and 2nd Lines.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6. The divisional Commanding Royal Engineer (CRE) since 12 March 1913 had been Colonel Charles Edward Newton of Timperley Park, a civil engineer,Save Newton Park website. but he was replaced on 31 August 1914 by Lt-Col S.L.Gibbon, p. 118. promoted from command of 1st E Lancs Fd Co. Newton continued as CRE of the 2nd Line.London Gazette, 7 October 1914.
42nd (East Lancashire) Divisional Engineers
The East Lancashire Division was selected as the first complete TF division to go overseas, to relieve Regular troops from garrison duties in Egypt. The divisional engineers entrained at Bolton on 9 September and the following day embarked at Southampton with a strength of 19 officers and 568 other ranks (ORs). 1/1st Field Company embarked on the Neuralia and Deseado. the 1/2nd on Aragon, the Signal Company on the Saturnia, and the horses aboard the Messaba.Gibbon, pp. 3–6.
Egypt The convoy of troopships arrived at Alexandria on 25 September, and from mid-October the divisional engineers were working on the Suez Canal defences. 1/1st Fd Co built a floating bridge across the canal using Red Sea fishing boats, the Signal Co set up communications for the Cairo defences and trained infantry signallers. Early in 1915 the signal establishment was increased to provide a section for the divisional artillery HQ. The companies were withdrawn for training after Christmas, but returned to the canal defences when the Turkish Army carried out a Raid on the Suez Canal. Nos 1 and 2 Sections of 1/1st Fd Co and signal detachments were engaged in the fighting at Tussum on 3–4 February 1915, the Sappers holding the west bank of the canal and suffering their first casualties.Anon, History, pp. 24–25, 49–51, 94–100, 200.Gibbon, pp. 7, 13–14.
Gallipoli On 1 May the division began embarking at Alexandria to join the Gallipoli Campaign: the CRE and 1/2nd Fd Co on the Toronto, 1/1st Fd Co on the Nessian, and the Signal Co with Divisional HQ aboard the Crispin. 2nd Signal Section landed with the Lancashire Fusilier Brigade at Cape Helles on 5–6 May and went straight into action at the Second Battle of Krithia; the rest of the engineers landed between 9 and 12 May. The division was designated 42nd (East Lancashire) Division from 26 May.Anon, History, pp. 25–26, 52, 100–101, 201.Gibbon, pp. 17–23, 29, 33.
Over the following weeks the sappers carried out a great deal of digging as the campaign degenerated into Trench warfare. They also dug wells, made roads, ran signal cables and manufactured improvised Jam tin grenades. 1/1st Field Co was near Morto Bay, 1/2nd near Pink Farm; each field company established two sections up with the infantry battalions in the front line. On 4 June the sappers of both companies attacked with the infantry at the Third Battle of Krithia. Each company had a half-battalion of the 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers attached as a working party, 1/1st Fd Co following the first wave of the attack and 1/2nd Fd Co the second wave, in order to consolidate the ground captured. Four lines of Turkish trenches were taken, the sappers cleared Land mines, reversed captured trenches, and dug new ones. But the division's neighbours on the right failed in their attack, and the division had to give up much of the ground that it had won. A new position had to be dug to protect the flank. On the night of 6–7 June a party from 1/2nd Fd Co volunteered to cross to the isolated 'Old Turkish Redoubt' and help 8th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers to strengthen it; at dawn they acted as infantry to help hold the position against counter-attacks, and suffered heavy casualties. Both field companies were again heavily engaged at the Battle of Krithia Vineyard (8 August), with 1/1st consolidating the vineyard and 1/2nd working in Krithia Nullah. 42nd (EL) Division then took over a wider section of the front, with 1/1st moving to Fusilier Bluff and 1/2nd taking over Gully Ravine. These trenches were in bad condition, and the RE had all their men in the line to improve them. At Gully Ravine much damage was done by Turkish mines. In spite of some reinforcements, neither company could raise more than 30 fit men because of casualties and sickness.Anon, History, pp. 26–27, 53–59, 102–109, 201–204.Gibbon, pp. 29, 32, 35–39, 46–47.
When the engineer establishment was increased to three field companies per division, the 42nd was joined by the 1/2nd West Lancashire Field Company (sent from 55th (West Lancashire) Division, which was still in the UK). This company landed at Alexandria on 10 July and reached the division at Helles on 28 August to provide much-needed assistance. The CRE ordered the fresh company to take over all the work in the front and support lines, and withdrew the East Lancs companies to the reserve line.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 133–139.Anon, History, pp. 27, 59, 109.
By December the decision had been made to wind up the campaign. To cover the evacuation of Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove two mines were fired by 42nd (EL) Division on 19 December. The West Lancashire Fd Co attempted to seize the new crater at Fusilier Bluff, but just failed. 42nd (EL) Division was relieved by 13th (Western) Division and withdrawn from Helles to Mudros on 29 December, the exhausted East Lancs field companies among the first to go. The fresher West Lancs Fd Co, with some East Lancs officers, stayed on with 13th Division until the final evacuation from Helles on 9 January 1916, when they provided rearguards and blocked the route behind them.Anon, History, pp. 28, 60, 111–113, 205.Gibbon, pp. 56–62.
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