History[edit]

Corps of Royal Engineers Cypher

Royal Engineers recruitment poster

The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England
by William the Conqueror, specifically Bishop Gundulf of Rochester Cathedral, and claim
over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown. Engineers have always served in the
armies of the Crown; however, the origins of the modern corps, along with those of
the Royal Artillery, lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century.[2]
In Woolwich in 1716, the Board formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery and established
a Corps of Engineers, consisting entirely of commissioned officers. The manual work was
done by the Artificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers.
In 1772, a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in Gibraltar, the first
instance of non-commissioned military engineers. In 1787, the Corps of Engineers was
granted the Royal prefix, and adopted its current name; in the same year, a Corps of
Royal Military Artificers was formed, consisting of non-commissioned officers
and privates, to be led by the Royal Engineers. Ten years later, the Gibraltar company
(which had remained separate) was absorbed, and in 1812 the unit's name was changed
to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.[2]
The Corps has no battle honours. In 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique & Quo Fas Et
Gloria Ducunt ("Everywhere" & "Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latin fas implies
"sacred duty") was granted.[1] The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all the
major conflicts of the British Army and almost all of the minor ones as well. [3][4]
In 1855, the Board of Ordnance was abolished, and authority over the Royal Engineers,
Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to the Commander-in-
Chief of the Forces, thus uniting them with the rest of the Army. The following year, the
Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as the Corps of
Royal Engineers, and their headquarters were moved from the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich,
to Chatham, Kent.[2]
The re-organisation of the British military that began in the mid-Nineteenth Century and
stretched over several decades included the reconstitution of the Militia, the raising of
the Volunteer Force, and the ever-closer organisation of the part-time forces with the
regular army.[5] The old Militia had been an infantry force, other than the occasional
employment of Militiamen to man artillery defences and other roles on an emergency
basis. This changed in 1861, with the conversion of some units to artillery roles. Militia
and Volunteer Engineering companies were also created, beginning with the conversion
of the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire to engineers in 1877. The Militia and
Volunteer Force engineers supported the regular Royal Engineers in a variety of roles,
including operating the boats required to tend the submarine mine defences that
protected harbours in Britain and its empire. These included a submarine mining militia
company that was authorised for Bermuda in 1892, but never raised, and the Bermuda
Volunteer Engineers that wore Royal Engineers uniforms and replaced the regular Royal
Engineers companies withdrawn from the Bermuda Garrison in 1928.[6][7] The various part-
time reserve forces were amalgamated into the Territorial Force in 1908,[8] which was
retitled the Territorial Army after the First World War, and the Army Reserve in 2014.[9]
Units from the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery were in Australia, even after
Federation.[10]
In 1911 the Corps formed its Air Battalion, the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces.
The Air Battalion was the forerunner of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.[11]
The First World War saw a rapid transformation of the Royal Engineers as new
technologies became ever more important in the conduct of warfare and engineers
undertook an increasing range of roles. In the front line they designed and built
fortifications, operated poison gas equipment, repaired guns and heavy equipment, and
conducted underground warfare beneath enemy trenches. Support roles included the
construction, maintenance and operation of railways, bridges, water supply and inland
waterways, as well as telephone, wireless and other communications. [12] As demands on
the Corps increased, its manpower was expanded from a total (including reserves) of
about 25,000 in August 1914, to 315,000 in 1918. [13]
In 1915, in response to German mining of British trenches under the then static siege
conditions of the First World War, the corps formed its own tunnelling companies.
Manned by experienced coal miners from across the country, they operated with great
success until 1917, when after the fixed positions broke, they built deep dugouts such as
the Vampire dugout to protect troops from heavy shelling. [14]
Before the Second World War, Royal Engineers recruits were required to be at least 5
feet 4 inches tall (5 feet 2 inches for the Mounted Branch). They initially enlisted for six
years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve or four years and eight
years. Unlike most corps and regiments, in which the upper age limit was 25, men could
enlist in the Royal Engineers up to 35 years of age. They trained at the Royal Engineers
Depot in Chatham or the Royal Engineer Mounted Depot at Aldershot.[15]
During the 1980s, the Royal Engineers formed the vital component of at least three
Engineer Brigades: 12 Engineer Brigade (Airfield Damage Repair);[16] 29th Engineer
Brigade; and 30th Engineer Brigade.[17] After the Falklands War, 37 (FI) Engineer
Regiment was active from August 1982 until 14 March 1985. [18]

Regimental museum[edit]
The Royal Engineers Museum is in Gillingham in Kent.[19]

Significant constructions[edit]
The Royal Engineers conducted some of the most significant civil engineering projects
around the world, including those that are described in A. J. Smithers's book Honourable
Conquests.[20]

British Columbia[edit]
Main article: Richard Clement Moody

The Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, which was commanded by Colonel Richard

Clement Moody, was responsible for the foundation and settlement of British
Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia.[21][22]

Royal Albert Hall[edit]

The Royal Albert Hall, designed by Captain Francis Fowke RE

The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings,
recognisable the world over. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's
leading artists from every kind of performance genre have appeared on its stage. Each
year it hosts more than 350 performances including classical concerts, rock and pop,
ballet and opera, tennis, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity
performances and lavish banquets. The Hall was designed by Captain Francis
Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas
Brothers.[23] The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had
also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the Victoria
and Albert Museum.[24]

Indian infrastructure[edit]
Much of the British colonial era infrastructure of India, of which elements survive today,
was created by engineers of the three presidencies' armies and the Royal Engineers.
Lieutenant (later General Sir) Arthur Thomas Cotton (1803–99), Madras Engineers, was
responsible for the design and construction of the great irrigation works on the river
Cauvery, which watered the rice crops of Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts in the late
1820s. In 1838 he designed and built sea defences for Vizagapatam. He masterminded
the Godavery Delta project where 720,000 acres (2,900 km2) of land were irrigated and
500 miles (800 km) of land to the port of Cocanada was made navigable in the 1840s.
Such regard for his lasting legacy was shown when in 1983, the Indian Government
erected a statue in his memory at Dowleswaram.[25]
Other irrigation and canal projects included the Ganges Canal, where Colonel Sir Colin
Scott-Moncrieff (1836–1916) acted as the Chief Engineer and made modifications to the
original work. Among other engineers trained in India, Scott-Moncrieff went on to become
Under Secretary of State Public Works, Egypt where he restored the Nile barrage and
irrigation works of Lower Egypt.[26]
Rideau Canal[edit]
The construction of the Rideau Canal was proposed shortly after the War of 1812, when
there remained a persistent threat of attack by the United States on the British colony
of Upper Canada. The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended
to provide a secure supply and communications route between Montreal and the British
naval base in Kingston, Ontario. Westward from Montreal, travel would proceed along
the Ottawa River to Bytown (now Ottawa), then southwest via the canal to Kingston and
out into Lake Ontario. The objective was to bypass the stretch of the St. Lawrence
River bordering New York State, a route which would have left British supply ships
vulnerable to attack or a blockade of the St. Lawrence. Construction of the canal was
supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers. Directed by him,
Lieutenant William Denison, determined the strength for construction purposes of old
growth timber in the vicinity of Bytown, findings commended by the Institution of Civil
Engineers in England.[27]

Dover's Western Heights[edit]

Drop Redoubt.

The Western Heights of Dover are one of the most impressive fortifications in Britain.

They comprise a series of forts, strong points and ditches, designed to protect the United
Kingdom from invasion. They were created to augment the existing defences and protect
the key port of Dover from both seaward and landward attack. First given earthworks in
1779 against the planned invasion that year, the high ground west of Dover, England,
now called Dover Western Heights, was properly fortified in 1804 when Lieutenant-
Colonel William Twiss was instructed to modernise the existing defences. This was part
of a huge programme of fortification in response to Napoleon's planned invasion of the
United Kingdom. To assist with the movement of troops between Dover Castle and the
town defences Twiss made his case for building the Grand Shaft in the cliff:
"... the new barracks. ... are little more than 300 yards horizontally from the beach. ... and
about 180 feet (55 m) above high-water mark, but in order to communicate with them
from the centre of town, on horseback the distance is nearly a mile and a half and to walk
it about three-quarters of a mile, and all the roads unavoidably pass over ground more
than 100 feet (30 m) above the barracks, besides the footpaths are so steep and chalky
that a number of accidents will unavoidably happen during the wet weather and more
especially after floods. I am therefore induced to recommend the construction of a shaft,
with a triple staircase ... the chief objective of which is the convenience and safety of
troops ... and may eventually be useful in sending reinforcements to troops or in affording
them a secure retreat."[28]
Twiss's plan was approved and building went ahead. The shaft was to be 26 feet (7.9 m)
in diameter, 140 feet (43 m) deep with a 180 feet (55 m) gallery connecting the bottom of
the shaft to Snargate Street, and all for under an estimated £4000. The plan entailed
building two brick-lined shafts, one inside the other. In the outer would be built a triple
staircase, the inner acting as a light well with "windows" cut in its outer wall to illuminate
the staircases. Apparently, by March 1805 only 40 feet (12 m) of the connecting gallery
was left to dig and it is probable that the project was completed by 1807. [28]

Pentonville Prison[edit]

Pentonville Prison designed by Capt Joshua Jebb RE

Two Acts of Parliament allowed for the building of Pentonville Prison for the detention of
convicts sentenced to imprisonment or awaiting transportation. Construction started on
10 April 1840 and was completed in 1842. The cost was £84,186 12s 2d. Captain (later
Major General Sir) Joshua Jebb designed Pentonville Prison, introducing new concepts
such as single cells with good heating, ventilation and sanitation. [29]

Boundary Commissions[edit]
Although mapping by what became the Ordnance Survey was born out of military
necessity it was soon realised that accurate maps could be also used for civil purposes.
The lessons learnt from this first boundary commission were put to good use around the
world where members of the Corps have determined boundaries on behalf of the British
as well as foreign governments; some notable boundary commissions include: [30]

 1839 – Canada-United States

 1858 – Canada-United States (Captain (later General Sir) John Hawkins RE)
 1856 and 1857 – Russo-Turkish (Lieutenant Colonel (later Sir) Edward Stanton RE)
 1857 – Russo-Turkish (Colonel (later Field Marshal Sir) Lintorn Simmons RE)
 1878 – Bulgarian
 1880 – Græco-Turkish (Major (later Major General Sir) John Ardagh RE)
 1884 – Russo-Afghan (Captain (later Colonel Sir) Thomas Holdich RE)
 1894 – India-Afghanistan (Captain (later Colonel Sir) Thomas Holdich RE)
 1902 – Chile-Argentine (Colonel Sir Delme Radcliffe RE)
 1911 – Peru-Bolivia (Major A. J. Woodroffe RE)
Much of this work continues to this day. The reform of the voting franchise brought about
by the Reform Act (1832), demanded that boundary commissions were set up.
Lieutenants Dawson and Thomas Drummond (1797–1839), Royal Engineers, were
employed to gather the statistical information upon which the Bill was founded, as well as
determining the boundaries and districts of boroughs. It was said that the fate of
numerous boroughs fell victim to the heliostat and the Drummond light, the instrument
that Drummond invented whilst surveying in Ireland. [31]

Abney Level[edit]
An Abney level is an instrument used in surveying which consists of a fixed sighting tube,
a movable spirit level that is connected to a pointing arm, and a protractor scale. The
Abney level is an easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and when used correctly an
accurate surveying tool. The Abney level was invented by Sir William de Wiveleslie
Abney (1843–1920) who was a Royal Engineer, an English astronomer and chemist best
known for his pioneering of colour photography and colour vision. Abney invented this
instrument under the employment of the Royal School of Military Engineering in
Chatham, England, in the 1870s.[32]

H.M. Dockyards[edit]
In 1873, Captain Henry Brandreth RE was appointed Director of the Department of
Architecture and Civil Engineering, later the Admiralty Works Department. Following this
appointment many Royal Engineer officers superintended engineering works at Royal
Navy Dockyards in various parts of the world, including the Royal Naval Dockyard,
Bermuda, home base for vessels of the North America and West Indies Station.[33]

1848 Woodcut of HMD Bermuda, Ireland Island, Bermuda.

Chatham Dockyard[edit]

Slip 7 at Chatham Dockyard, designed by Col. G. Greene RE

Slip 3 at Chatham Dockyard, designed and built by the Corps

Chatham, being the home of the Corps, meant that the Royal Engineers and
the Dockyard had a close relationship since Captain Brandreth's appointment. At the
Chatham Dockyard, Captain Thomas Mould RE designed the iron roof trusses for
the covered slips, 4, 5 and 6. Slip 7 was designed by Colonel Godfrey Greene RE on his
move to the Corps from the Bengal Sappers & Miners. In 1886 Major Henry Pilkington
RE was appointed Superintendent of Engineering at the Dockyard, moving on to Director
of Engineering at the Admiralty in 1890 and Engineer-in-Chief of Naval Loan Works,
where he was responsible for the extension of all major Dockyards at home and abroad.
[34]

Trades[edit]

ME – Fabricator in Iraq

ME – Armoured operating an AVRE in Canada

All members of the Royal Engineers are trained combat engineers and

all sappers (privates) and non-commissioned officers also have another trade. These
trades include: air conditioning fitter, electrician, general fitter, plant operator mechanic,
plumber, bricklayer, plasterer / painter, carpenter & joiner, fabricator, building materials
technician, design draughtsman, electrical & mechanical draughtsman, geographic
support technician, survey engineer, armoured engineer, driver, engineer IT, engineer
logistics specialist, amphibious engineer, bomb disposal specialist, diver or search
specialist.[35] They may also undertake the specialist selection and training to qualify
as Commandos or Military Parachutists. Women are eligible for all Royal Engineer
specialities.[36]

Units[edit]
Further information: Units of the Royal Engineers

The Royal School of Military Engineering[edit]

HQ Royal School of Military Engineering.

The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) is the British Army's Centre of

Excellence for Military Engineering, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and counter
terrorist search training. Located on several sites in Chatham, Kent, Camberley in Surrey
and Bicester in Oxfordshire the Royal School of Military Engineering offers training
facilities for the full range of Royal Engineer skills. The RSME was founded by Major
(later General Sir) Charles Pasley, as the Royal Engineer Establishment in 1812.[37] It
was renamed the School of Military Engineering in 1868 and granted the "Royal" prefix
in 1962.[38]

 Royal School of Military Engineering[39]

o Combat Engineer School
 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, in Minley:[40]
 55 Training Squadron
 57 Training Squadron
 63 Headquarters and Training Support Squadron
 Communication Information Systems Wing
o Construction Engineer School
 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, in Chatham: [40]
 24 Training Squadron
 36 Training Squadron
 Boat Operations
 Hackett Troop (Plant)
 Civil Engineering Wing
 Electrical and Mechanical Wing
o Royal Engineers Warfare Wing (Founded in 2011 and split between Brompton
Barracks, Chatham and Gibraltar Barracks at Minley in Hampshire, this is the
product of the amalgamation between Command Wing, where Command and
Tactics were taught and Battlefield Engineering Wing, where combat engineering
training was facilitated.)
 United Kingdom Mine Information and Training Centre
o Defence Explosive Munitions and Search School (formally Defence EOD School
and the National Search Centre)
 28 Training Squadron, Army Training Regiment[41]
 Diving Training Unit (Army), (DTU(A))[42]
 Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers (The band are part of the Royal Corps of Army
Music)[43]

Corps' Ensign[edit]
Camp Gate Flag of the Royal Engineers

Royal Engineers' Ensign

The Royal Engineers, Ports Section, operated harbours and ports for the army and used
mainly specialised vessels such as tugs and dredgers. During the Second World War the
Royal Engineers' Blue Ensign was flown from the Mulberry harbours.[44]

Bishop Gundulf, Rochester and King's Engineers[edit]

Rochester Castle from across the Medway. Engraving from image by G.F. Sargent c1836.

Rochester Cathedral from the West

Bishop Gundulf, a monk from the Abbey of Bec in Normandy came to England in 1070
as Archbishop Lanfranc's assistant at Canterbury. His talent for architecture had been
spotted by King William I and was put to good use in Rochester, where he was sent as
bishop in 1077. Almost immediately the King appointed him to supervise the construction
of the White Tower, now part of the Tower of London in 1078. Under William Rufus he
also undertook building work on Rochester Castle. Having served three kings of England
and earning "the favour of them all", Gundulf is accepted as the first "King's Engineer". [45]

Corps Band[edit]

Musicians from the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers during a Medals Parade for 32 Engineer
Regiment.

The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers is the official military band of the RE. The
RE Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1880. It was recognised by Queen
Victoria seven years later, with her command that they perform at Buckingham Palace for
a banquet on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. In 1916–1917, the band
toured France and Belgium, giving over one hundred and fifty concerts in a journey of
1800 miles. The band continued its tour of Europe following the cessation of hostilities. In
1936, the band performed at the funeral of George V and played the following year for
the Coronation of George VI in 1937. The band appeared at the Coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II in 1953, and has since been called on to play at state occasions, military
tattoos and military parades. It has notably performed during the opening ceremonies of
the Channel Tunnel and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.[46]

The Institution of Royal Engineers[edit]

The Ravelin Building at the Royal School of Military Engineering, Chatham, is now home to the
Institution and the Corps Museum.

The Institution of Royal Engineers, the professional institution of the Corps of Royal

Engineers, was established in 1875 and in 1923 it was granted its Royal Charter by King
George V. The Institution is collocated with the Royal Engineers Museum, within the
grounds of the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton in Chatham, Kent.[47]
Royal Engineers Journal - published tri-annually and contains articles with a military
engineering connection. The first Journal was published in August 1870. The idea for the
publication was proposed at the Corps Meeting of May 1870 by Major R Harrison and
seconded By Captain R Home, who became its first editor (The Journal eventually
superseded the Professional Papers, which were started by Lieutenant WT Denison in
1837 and continued to be published until 1918). [48]
The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers is currently in its 12th volume. The first two
volumes were written by Major General Whitworth Porter and published in 1889.[49]
The Sapper is published by the Royal Engineers Central Charitable Trust and is a bi-
monthly magazine for all ranks.[50]

The Royal Engineers' Association[edit]

The present Royal Engineers Association promotes and supports the Corps among
members of the Association in the following ways: [51][48]

 By fostering esprit de corps and a spirit of comradeship and service.

 By maintaining an awareness of Corps traditions.
 By acting as a link between serving and retired members of the Corps.
 To provide financial and other assistance to serving and former members of the
Corps, their wives, widows and dependants who are in need through poverty.
 To make grants, within Association guidelines, to the Army Benevolent Fund and to
other charities which further the objectives of the Association.

Sport[edit]
Royal Engineers' Yacht Club[edit]

Un-defaced Blue Ensign flown by members of the REYC.

REYC Burgee.

The Royal Engineers' Yacht Club, which dates back to 1812, promotes the skill of
watermanship in the Royal Engineers.[52]
They have entered every Fastnet Race since the second in 1926, which they won
sailing IIlex.[53]

Royal Engineers Amateur Football Club[edit]

Main article: Royal Engineers A.F.C.

The club was founded in 1863, under the leadership of Major Francis Marindin.
Sir Frederick Wall, who was the secretary of The Football Association 1895–1934, stated
in his memoirs that the "combination game" was first used by the Royal Engineers A.F.C.
in the early 1870s.[54][55][56] Wall states that the "Sappers moved in unison" and showed the
"advantages of combination over the old style of individualism".
FA Cup[edit]
The Royal Engineers pictured in 1872. Back: Merriman, Ord, Marindin, Addison, Mitchell; Front:
Hoskyns, Renny-Tailyour, Creswell, Goodwyn, Barker, Rich.

The Engineers played in the first-ever FA Cup Final in 1872, losing 1–0 at Kennington
Oval on 16 March 1872, to regular rivals Wanderers.[57] They also lost the 1874 FA Cup
Final, to Oxford University A.F.C.
Their greatest triumph was the 1874–75 FA Cup.[57] In the final against Old Etonians, they
drew 1–1 with a goal from Renny-Tailyour and went on to win the replay 2–0 with two
further goals from Renny-Tailyour. [58][59] Their last FA Cup Final appearance came in 1878,
again losing to the Wanderers.[57] They last participated in 1882–83 FA Cup, losing 6–2 in
the fourth round to Old Carthusians F.C.[57]
The Engineers' Depot Battalion won the FA Amateur Cup in 1908.[60]
On 7 November 2012, the Royal Engineers played against the Wanderers in a remake of
the 1872 FA Cup Final at The Oval. Unlike the actual final, the Engineers won, and by a
large margin, 7–1 being the final score.[61]

Rugby[edit]
The Army were represented in the very first international by two members of the Royal
Engineers, both playing for England, Lieutenant Charles Arthur Crompton RE and
Lieutenant Charles Sherrard RE.[62]

Related units[edit]
Several Corps have been formed from the Royal Engineers.

 Royal Flying Corps (RFC) 1912 - Air Battalion Royal Engineers (formed 1911) was
the precursor of the Royal Flying Corps which evolved into the Royal Air Force in
1918.[11]
 Royal Corps of Signals (R Sigs) 1920 -The Telegraph Troop, founded in 1870, [63]: 
121 
 became the Telegraph Battalion Royal Engineers who then became the Royal
Engineers Signals Service, which in turn became the independent Royal Corps of
Signals in 1920.[64]
 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers  (REME) 1942 - When REME
was created in 1942, it was formed from personnel previously in the Royal Army
Ordnance Corps, the Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Signals and Royal
Engineers.[65] After the war, the responsibilities of REME were increased in stages so
that, by 1968, it had taken over responsibility for the maintenance of all Royal
Engineers equipment, except construction equipment. [66]
 Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) 1965 - The Royal Engineers were responsible for
railway and inland waterway transport, port operations and movement control until
1965, when these functions were transferred to the new Royal Corps of Transport.
(See also Railway Operating Division.)[67] The Royal Corps of Transport merged into
the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993.[68]
 Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) 1993 - In 1913, the Army Post Office Corps (formed in
1882) and the Royal Engineers Telegraph Reserve (formed in 1884) amalgamated to
form the Royal Engineers (Postal Section) Special Reserve. In 1959 it was restyled
Royal Engineers (Postal and Courier Communications) and added to the regular
cadre of the British Army, it was renamed Royal Engineers (Postal and Courier
Services) in 1979. The RE (PCS) became a Defence Agency known as the Defence
Postal and Courier Service in 1992 and in the same year Postal & Courier trained
operators of the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) were re-cap badged as Royal
Engineers. The Service was transferred to the Royal Logistic Corps on its formation
in 1993. – see (British Forces Post Office).[69]

Notable personnel[edit]
 Category:Royal Engineers soldiers
 Category:Royal Engineers officers

Engineering equipment[edit]
Main articles: Royal Engineers bridging and trackway equipment and Modern equipment
of the British Army

Order of precedence