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. 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. The divisional Commanding Royal Engineer (CRE) since 12 March 1913 had been
Colonel Charles Edward Newton of Timperley Park, a civil engineer, but he was replaced on 31 August 1914 by Lt-Col S.L. promoted from command of 1st E Lancs Fd Co. Newton continued as CRE of the 2nd Line.
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.
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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Sinai 42nd (EL) Division was withdrawn from Mudros to Egypt 12–16 January. Lieutenant-Colonel Tennant was replaced as CRE by Lt-Col E.N. Mozley,
DSO, a regular RE officer, and drafts arrived to refill the ranks. 1/2nd West Lancashire Field Company was withdrawn on 28 May 1916 and eventually sent to
Salonika. It was replaced in 42nd (EL) Division by the 1/3rd East Lancashire Field Company, which had been formed on 2 December 1915 at
Southport from the Third Line Depot and arrived at Alexandria from England aboard the
Georgian on 13 June before joining on 27 June. The three companies carried out works at
Suez and El Ferdan, until the Turks began another offensive. The sappers were issued with camel transport and moved up to the railhead at Pelusium, then 1/1st and 1/3rd Fd Cos accompanied two brigades of 42nd (EL) Division in the pursuit to Katia Oasis after the
Battle of Romani (3–5 August). From then until the end of January 1917, 42nd (EL) Division protected the railhead as it slowly advanced across the
Sinai Peninsula to
El Arish, with the sappers sinking wells and developing water supplies ahead of the main body, and erecting telegraph lines. On 28 January 1917, after reaching El Arish, 42nd (EL) Division was ordered to leave Egypt and join the
British Expeditionary Force on the
Western Front. It entrained for
Kantara and then marched to Moascar, where it concentrated, and then moved to Alexandria for embarkation at the end of the month. On 3 February 1917 the three field companies were numbered 427th, 428th and 429th.
Western Front during the German retreat, March 1917. 427th Field Co landed from HM Transport
Manitou at
Marseille on 1 March 1917 and the last of the divisional RE (429th Fd Co aboard the
Menominee) on 12 March; the whole was billeted in the area of
Abbeville by 14 March. 427th Field Co moved up to the line the following day, attached to
1st Division, which was engaged in following the German retreat to the
Hindenburg Line (
Operation Alberich). Much road building, bridging and cable-laying was required in the devastated area around
Brie-sur-Somme and
Péronne. The rest of the divisional RE followed in early April, and by May the whole division took over a section of the new line between
Épehy and
Ronssoy, which had to be dug and
wired and a reserve line prepared. On 17 May the division moved to
Havrincourt Wood, constructing huts and tramways. On 3 June Lt-Col D.S. McInnes,
CMG, DSO, took over as CRE from Lt-Col Mozley. The division then had a period of rest and training, when the REs practised bridging on the
River Ancre. On 20 August the division was sent to the
Ypres Salient, with the RE quartered in
dugouts in the ramparts of
Ypres itself. On 6 September 125th Bde made an attack on the strongpoints of Iberian, Borry and Beck House farms, for which the RE prepared dumps of wiring material to consolidate the captures. However, the attack was a costly failure and the wiring parties were unable to get forward. This was the division's only involvement in the
Third Ypres Offensive, and after only three weeks in the salient it was relieved and sent to the
Nieuport sector. The flooded country round Nieuport meant heavy work for the divisional RE, involving maintenance of floating bridges, dams and telephone lines that were frequently broken by shellfire: 428th and 429th Fd Cos each had more than 30 bridges in their charge. 427th Field Co had the job of managing infantry working parties repairing 'Bath Dam' (Dam 66), which controlled the flow of the
River Yser. The field companies also built concrete machine gun posts and observation posts, and constructed an
Aerial ropeway across the river. On 19 November the division was relieved, and it made a five-day overland march to the
La Bassée sector. The trench lines around
Givenchy had been static since 1915, but during the winter of 1917–1918 there was considerable work for the sappers in repairing and improving the crumbling defence, and in constructing concrete dugouts in the support line (the 'Village Line'). Each infantry brigade had one of the field companies attached to it, together with a company from the divisional
pioneer battalion (1/7th Bn
Northumberland Fusiliers) after that joined in February 1918; 55th (West Lancashire) Division also lent its pioneer battalion (1/4th Bn
South Lancashire Regiment).
179th Tunnelling Company, RE, worked in the division's area on defensive
mining and assisted with dugout construction. On 20 December Lt-Col MacInnes was replaced as CRE by Lt-Col R.E.B. Pratt, DSO. Although the sector was relatively quiet during the winter, the signal office with 125th Bde was wiped out by shelling. There were also occasional
trench raids, the largest of which was on 11 February when sappers from 429th Fd Co accompanied a party of 9th Bn
Manchester Regiment into the enemy front line and destroyed three dugouts with
gun-cotton charges; three of the sappers were awarded the
Military Medal. The division was relieved by 55th (WL) Division on 15 February and went for training at
Hinges and
Busnes, but the sappers were frequently loaned back to 55th (WL) Division and to divisional HQ and the corps artillery for construction tasks. While out of the line there was an outbreak of
Mange, and 428th Fd Co lost most of its transport horses. The division then went into General Headquarters (GHQ) Reserve.
Spring Offensive When the
German spring offensive opened on 21 March, 42nd (EL) Division was in GHQ Reserve, and was ordered forward on the night of 22/23 March. It rushed up without transport and took up positions near
Bapaume the following night. The signal company was unable to function properly without its transport and equipment, and had to rely on its motorcycle
Despatch riders. Much signal cable that was laid was wasted by the frequent movements of HQs, and casualties were heavy among signallers repairing shelled cable. The divisional RE were kept in reserve (428th Fd Co acting as escort for the divisional artillery), but after the initial enemy advance was halted on 26 March (the
Battle of Bapaume), the field companies took turns acting as infantry in the line, patrolling
No man's land and taking prisoners. The division then endured the 'Great Retreat', during which the field companies were continually engaged in digging and wiring successive trench positions. The division was out of the line from 7 to 15 April, and again from 6 May to 7 June, but apart from a four-day rest the sappers were at work on defence lines during this whole time. Once the front had stabilised a complete system of Front, Support ('Red') and Reserve ('Purple') positions was prepared, with a switch line between the Red and Purple systems, connected by buried signal cables. The field companies were instructed in digging deep dugouts by
252nd Tunnelling Company. During May the
307th US Infantry Regiment was attached to 42nd (EL) Division for training, and the Pioneer Section was attached to the Divisional RE. In July Maj J.G. Riddick was promoted from command of 429 Fd Co to take over as CRE from Lt-Col Pratt.
Hundred Days After the victory of the
Battle of Amiens on 8 July – the start of the Allied
Hundred Days Offensive – the Germans in front of 42nd (EL) Division began to withdraw. The division reorganised for open warfare, forming self-contained brigade groups, each with two RE sections attached. On 21 August the division attacked at the
Battle of Albert, capturing and consolidating all its objectives, and on 24 August it captured
Miraumont. The division then continued the pursuit (the
Second Battle of Bapaume) with one RE company (usually 429th Fd Co) on front-line work and restoring water supplies for men and horses, a second on water supply and road work, and the third in reserve working behind the lines. A section of 252nd Tunnelling Co worked with the forward company in clearing dugouts, mines and booby-traps. The signal company established visual, wireless and pigeon signalling until cables could be laid over the captured ground. The division was then relieved on 5 September and the REs were sent for training. During the night of 21/22 September 42nd (EL) Division went back into the line, east of Havrincourt Wood, to prepare for an assault on the Hindenburg Line. The Signal Company put back into use a buried cable it had laid a year earlier. In two continuous days of fighting (the
Battle of the Canal du Nord, 27–28 September) the East Lancashires leap-frogged through five successive objectives, with the sappers clearing the Hindenburg Line dugouts of booby-traps. 42nd (EL) Division went back into the line on 9 October, at
Briastre on the
River Selle, along which the retreating Germans had made a stand. Over following days the Germans made desperate attempts to destroy the bridgeheads taken over and extended by the East Lancashires. On the nights of 17 and 18 October 427th Fd Co erected four footbridges over the river, made from German telegraph poles. Then on 19 October, the night before the attack, they built four more footbridges and two
Pontoon bridges under machine gun fire and
gas shelling, but only suffered six casualties. The pontoon wagons had moved up with muffled wheels to maintain secrecy. The division crossed and then attacked at 02.00 on 20 October (the
Battle of the Selle), securing all its objectives and consolidating against counter-attacks. The sappers then set to work repairing demolished railway bridges. Before the battle and during the subsequent advance, 428th Fd Co concentrated on developing water supplies, 429th Fd Co on road repair, and the Signal Company on laying cable from wagons. The last phase of the offensive saw 42nd (EL) Division advancing through the
Forêt de Mormal, where the roads were bad and had been cratered by the retreating enemy. These were made passable by the sappers and pioneers working day and night. The Signal Company struggled with over 50 per cent casualties from the
Spanish flu outbreak and from combat (at one point No 3 Section were fighting as infantry alongside 126th Bde). The infantry pushed on to capture
Hautmont on 7–8 November and with the help of the inhabitants improvised crossings over the
River Sambre, the pontoon wagons catching up during the morning, By 20.00 on 9 November the sappers had a pontoon bridge and a repaired girder bridge open for traffic. The fighting was ended by the
Armistice with Germany on 11 November. After the Armistice the divisional engineers still had a heavy commitment to bridge repair and constructing winter accommodation for the division in the
Charleroi area until February 1919, but thereafter
demobilisation began in earnest. The last
cadres of the companies returned to the UK at the beginning of April and demobilised at
Oswestry.
66th (2nd East Lancashire) Divisional Engineers When the 42nd (EL) Division left Bolton for Egypt in September 1914 it left behind a number of officers and men who were unfit or were not liable for overseas service. In October they moved to Winstanley Park,
Wigan, and the engineers began to receive the first new recruits from Seymour Road. On 14 November the 2nd Line Divisional RE began to form at Southport as 2/1st, and 2/2nd East Lancashire Field Companies and 2/1st East Lancashire Signal Company. At first Lt-Col Newton acted as CRE of the division, and after he retired in November was replaced by Lt-Col H.A. Fielding. Although the companies were soon up to full strength, there was little equipment to train on, and only a few old
.256-in Japanese Ariska rifles with which to mount guards. However, the second line had the use of the bridging equipment at the Old Trafford depot, and were able to train with it in the Marine Lake at Southport. Training was also interrupted by the need to send reinforcement drafts to the 42nd (EL) Division serving at Gallipoli (one exceptionally large one going to the signal company in March 1915), and it was not until August 1915 that the 2nd East Lancashire Division was concentrated at
Crowborough in
East Sussex, and received its designation as
66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, which was also taken by the signal company. When the divisional RE establishment was increased to three field companies in late 1915 1/3rd and 2/3rd Fd Cos joined 66th Divisional RE at Crowborough from the Third Line Depot by January 1916. (After training, the 1/3rd joined 42nd Division in Egypt in July 1916.) In March 1916 the division moved from the hutted camp at Crowborough to
Colchester Garrison where the RE were accommodated in the Cavalry Barracks. Lieutenant-Colonel Fielding retired with ill-health and was succeeded by Lt-Col
Gordon Guggisberg. It was not until February 1917 that embarkation orders were received. The three field companies received their numbers as (430th, 431st and 432nd) just before they embarked at Southampton for
Le Havre.
Western Front 66th (2nd EL) Division concentrated near
Béthune and took over a sector of old line in considerable disrepair, which the divisional RE began to put into order. On 20 March the division sidestepped to the
Hohenzollern Redoubt sector, where it carried out two trench raids in which RE parties accompanied the infantry to blow in enemy dugouts. At the end of June the division moved to the
Flanders coast where it joined
Fourth Army preparing to advance in support of the expected breakthrough at Ypres. The RE, however, were sent up to carry out works in the Nieuport area. 66th Divisional RE was with
1st Division when it received a sudden heavy attack from the Germans and was driven back behind the Yser. 66th (2nd EL) Division then took over the line and the RE (assisted by the
2nd Australian Tunnelling Company) strengthened the defences outside
Dunkirk. They then prepared pontoon bridges to cross the Yser in the anticipated Ypres offensive, under the direction of Lt-Col Mozley, CRE of 42nd (EL) Division and Lt-Col G.C. Williams, who had taken over as CRE of 66th (2nd EL) Division when Lt-Col Guggisberg was promoted to command an infantry brigade in June. 66th (2nd EL) Division was relieved at Dunkirk by 42nd (EL) Division in September and was sent to the Ypres Salient. The infantry had a bad time in their first major battle at
Poelcappelle on 9 October, but the RE were mostly engaged in roadmaking and making timber platforms to stop heavy artillery sinking into the mud. After the Ypres offensive came to a halt in late 1917, the divisional sappers were put to work building defences from the Menin Road to the Zonnebeke Road and then on the Broodseinde Ridge to hold the captured ground.
Spring Offensive In February 1918, 66th (2nd EL) Division moved from Ypres to the
Villers-Bretonneux sector. The divisional RE and the newly joined pioneer battalion, 1/5th Bn
Border Regiment, were put to work on new defences to meet the expected German Spring Offensive. When the attack came on 21 March the forward sections fought with the outpost line until they were driven back. That night and next day the 430th and 431st Fd Cos wired the 'Green Line' behind the crumbling front, while 432nd Fd Co was employed as infantry. The German attack was renewed on 22 March, at the end of which 66th (2nd EL) division withdrew through the
50th (Northumbrian) Division, which manned the Green Line. The sappers next destroyed all the bridges over the
Somme in their sector and then joined a scratch battalion in the
Actions at the Somme crossings. The line was turned elsewhere, and for the next few days of retreat the sappers took part in a series of stands while destroying camps and dumps before they fell into enemy hands. On 30 March the division reached Hangard Wood, where it was relieved by French troops and went for rest in
Amiens. After their great losses, the infantry units of 66th (2nd EL) Division were reduced to cadres on 9 April and were used to train American troops. The divisional RE, which still had half its manpower, was split up: 430th Fd Co remained with the division while the other two became GHQ troops, directing Chinese and Portuguese labour battalions in constructing new defence lines through the summer months.
Hundred Days 66th Division was reformed on 18 September 1918, mainly with non-Lancashire units including the
South African Brigade, and the divisional RE marched to rejoin it near
Arras. The field companies exchanged some men to train the new pioneer battalion (9th Bn
Gloucestershire Regiment). The sappers preceded the division to the
Épehy area where they were engaged in roadmaking, but the whole division moved into the line on 7 October and the field companies joined their brigade groups. 66th Division attacked before dawn next day (the
Second Battle of Cambrai). It took all its objectives by the end of the day, and continued the attack the next day against light opposition. From 10 to 12 October it pursued the enemy to the River Selle, parties of sappers following closely behind the infantry to consolidate captured positions. 430th Field Co attempted to build a medium bridge over the Selle at Montay, but was driven back by enemy fire. The following night 432nd Fd Co succeeded in getting four light bridges across. There was then a period of reconnaissance and preparation before the Battle of the Selle began on the night of 17/18 October. That night 431st and 432nd Fd Cos and 9th Gloucesters put eight bridges across, consisting of
duckboards resting on petrol-tin rafts. They then cut the enemy wire before the infantry attacked at dawn. Once the South Africans had stormed across, the sappers began clearing roadblocks and erecting trestle bridges in
Le Cateau. The divisional RE remained here even after the infantry had been withdrawn for rest on 20 October. 431st Field Co built a lorry bridge in Le Cateau, while 430th and 432nd followed
18th (Eastern) Division, strengthening the temporary bridges thrown over the River Richemont by that formation's sappers. The division returned to the front and on 9 November part of it joined 'Bethell's Force' under the divisional commander, Maj-Gen Hugh Bethell, to continue the pursuit. This mobile force included all three field companies, the signal company and the 9th Gloucesters, and kept up pressure on the retreating Germans until the Armistice came into force two days later. 66th Divisional RE remained in France rebuilding bridges until demobilisation began in January 1919. This was completed on 13 June.
Third Line Depot By mid-1915 the decision was made not to supply drafts to the 1st Line 42nd (EL) Division from the 2nd Line 66th (EL) Division, but to form 3rd Line training units for the purpose. The 3rd Line Depot, East Lancs RE, was formed at Old Trafford in August 1915. In September it moved to Southport, with three field companies and a signal company (total about 1200 men) under command. This depot then formed the new 1/3rd and 2/3rd Fd Cos and sent them to join the 66th Division at Crowborough by January 1916. (After training, the 1/3rd joined 42nd Division in Egypt in July 1916.) At the beginning of 1916 the depot moved to the
Western Command Reserve Training Centre, RE, at Caernarfon, joining the 3rd Line RE of the 55th (WL) and
53rd (Welsh) Divisions. Later the signal companies were sent to their own training centre. As drafts were sent to the divisions serving overseas the numbers of recruits under training declined and the three field companies were combined into a single 435th (East Lancs) Reserve Field Company. The Territorial RE training centres were closed on 31 December 1917 and training was concentrated in a central training organisation, most of the men from Caernarvon being transferred to 5th Reserve Battalion, RE, at
Christchurch, Dorset.
648th (East Lancashire) Field Company Once the Third Line had been established, the unfit men and those remaining TF men who had only signed up for Home Service were separated to join brigades of coast defence units (termed Provisional units from June 1915).
9th Provisional Brigade was formed in
East Kent from Lancashire units and details from local
Home counties units. By September 1915 it included the
9th Provisional Field Company, RE, and the
9th Provisional Signals Section, RE. After the
Military Service Act 1916 swept away the Home/Foreign service distinction all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. The provisional brigades' role thus expanded to include physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. Late in 1916 the War Office decided to form them into new home service divisions; in November 1916 9th Provisional Bde moved from Margate to
Blackpool in Lancashire to form the basis of the new
73rd Division. The provisional units all received new designations based on their parent units: the field company became
648th (East Lancashire) Field Company in March 1917, while the signal section expanded to form
73rd Divisional Signal Company. After assembling in Lancashire, 73rd Division moved in early January 1917 to join
Southern Army (Home Forces), stationed in
Essex and
Hertfordshire. In December that year the War Office decided to break up the division, and this was carried out on 4 March 1918. The signal company was disbanded, but the field company was reorganised as
648th (Home Counties) Army Troops Company, RE, and went to join the BEF on 23 June. ==Interwar==