DESTINATION MALAYA
2 TROOP HISTORY 1963-1965
The Authors Snow Wilson and David Wicks
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LINK BELOW
LINK BELOW
Tuesday
Wednesday
Acknowledgment's
Acknowledgment's
The squadron would like to thank everyone that helped in the making of this publication.
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THE SAPPER
SAPPERS
Royal Engineers
When the waters were dried an' the Earth did appear,
("it's all one", says the Sapper),the Lord He created the Engineer,
Her Majesty's Royal Engineer,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
When the flood came along for an extra monsoon,
Twas Noah constructed the first pontoon
To the plans of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
But after fatigue in the wet an' the sun,
Old Noah got drunk, which he wouldn't ha' done
If he'd trained with Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
When the Tower o' Babel had mixed up mens' bat',
Some clever civilian was managing that,
An' none of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
When the Jews had a fight at the foot of a hill,
Young Joshua ordered the sun to stand still,
For he was a Captain of Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
When the children of Israel makes bricks without straw,
They were learnin' the regular work of our Corps,
The work of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
For ever since then, if a war they would wage,
Behold us a-shinin' on histor's page-
First page for Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
We lay down their sidings on' help "em entrain,
An' we sweep up their mess through the bloomin' campaign
In the style of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
They send us in front with a fuse an' a mine
To blow up the gates that are rushed by the line,
But bent by Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
They send us behind with a pick an' a spade.
to dig for the guns of a bullock-brigade
Which has asked for Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
We work under escort in the trousers and shirt,
An' the heathen they plug us tail-up in the dirt,
Annoying Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
We blast out the rock an' we shovel the mud,
We make 'em good roads on' - they roll down the khud,
Reporting Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
We make 'em their bridges, their wells, an' their huts,
An' the telegraph wire the enemy cuts,
An' it's blamed on Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
An' when we return, an' from war we would cease,
They grudge us adornin' the billets of peace,
Which are kept for Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
We build 'em nice barracks - they swear they are bad,
That our Colonels are Methodist, married ar mad,
Insulting' Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
They haven't no manners nor gratitude too,
For the more that we help 'em, the less will they do,
But mock at Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
Now the Line's but a man with a gun in is hand,
An' Cavalry's only what horses can stand,
When helped by Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
Artillery moves by the leave o' the ground,
But we are the men that do something all round,
For we are Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
I have stated it plain, an' my argument's thus
("it's all one" says the Sapper)
There's only one Corps which is perfect - that's us;
An' they call us Her Majesty's Engineers,
Her Majest's ROYAL ENGINEERS,
With the rank and the pay of a Sapper!
Tuesday
11 Fd Sqn 1983-Present
11 Fd Sqn
1983-2006
The post-Falklands period was rather quiet for 11 Sqn, especially when compared to the rather frenetic pace of life of the 1970s. With the exception of the following highlights, the Sqn spent the majority of their time in Barracks in Ripon.In Jan 1983 11 Sqn deployed on Exercise LARCHPOLE, a four month construction exercise in Kenya. Larchpole 83 consisted of the first phase construction of a new Kenyan Army School of Infantry, including a 20 man accommodation block a 400m eight lane Hythe pattern range 3.7kms of high voltage overhead line, and a septic tank
Three years later, 11 Sqn returned to Kenya to improve the facilities at the School of Infantry, on Ex LARCHPOLE 86. This time, an 18 man accommodation block was built; a classroom; a nine room Privates accommodation block, and an 800m stretch of road.
1988 saw the Sqn spend 12 weeks preparing three sites for the British Army Equipment Exhibition in Aldershot. Towards the end of the year, the Sqn completed a tour of the Falkland Islands, where its main role was Damage Repair at Mount Pleasant Airfield. For fighter operations this involved the filling and levelling of bomb craters and then covering them with an aluminium mat. At the same time, repair teams worked around the airfield putting right bomb damage to essential services such as power, fuel and water supplies.
In 1989, a detachment from 11 Sqn spent two weeks on an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Engineers. The majority experienced a week of jungle training, while 1 Tp were to act as enemy on a mechanized exercise with an Australian armoured brigade. The trip was rounded off in style with five days
R&R on the Gold Coast.
In 1993,11 Sqn re-rolled to Armoured Mechanised.
Oct 1993 to Mar 1994 saw 11 Sqn deploy to Bosnia on Op GRAPPLE 3. Operating out of the very remote Redoubt Camp, the Sappers were part of the British military contribution to the UNHCR effort to bring relief to the starving refugees of the three-sided conflict; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs.
Despite pressure to withdraw from the region, British forces played a vital role in bringing aid to the refugees displaced by three years of fighting. 11 Sqn's part in this was to provide the resident infantry battalion in Vitez (the Coldstream Guards at the time) with accommodation, power, water, and ablutions.
The tour was an eventful one, with Spr Hutchinson lucky to survive an accident in which his Iveco medium dump truck slid off a road, coming to a standstill 30m down a steep slope. Unfortunately for Spr Hutchinson, the first people on the scene were members of HVO, the heavily armed local militia, who promptly stole his rifle. This was thankfully recovered, albeit three weeks later, when the eagle-eyed Cpl King spotted the weapon on the dashboard of an HVO vehicle, and arranged for the vehicle's detention so that the weapon could be reclaimed.
The first two months of 1995 saw 11 Sqn in sunnier climes, on Ex PINESTICK, a construction tour in Cyprus. Then, in preparation for its deployment to Bosnia, the last phase of 11 Sqn's training was to replace the old Bailey bridge at Charlie Crossing on Salisbury Plain Training Area.
From Oct-Dec 1995, the Sqn returned to Bosnia on Op GRAPPLE 7. This time, the Sqn were based in Vitez, in a Close Support role. Support Troop was kept extremely busy rebuilding a section of the Vitez - Sipovo road, known as the Komar Bypass, which had been washed away in heavy rains.
When the name of the Operation changed to RESOLUTE at the end of Dec 1995, 11 Sqn remained in situ but changed to a General Support role, which they maintained until Apr 1996.
From Aug to Sep 1996, the Sqn exercised in BATUS, Canada, on MEDICINE MAN 5, playing enemy to the 1 KORBR Battle Group. On their return from adventure training at Trails End Camp in the Rocky Mountains, 1 Tp was tasked to construct a bridge for HM The Queen on the Balmoral Estate. An MLC 30 structure was required to replace the original timber-beamed bridge, so that fire engines and heavy logging vehicles would have full access to the Estate.
The following September, 38 Engr Regt left 51 Fd Sqn manning the fort in Ripon while deployed to Bosnia on Op LODESTAR for a six month tour. One of 11 Sqn's major tasks was to strip out the Bailey bridge next to the new Gordon HGB in Donji Vakuf.
The Sqn was based at the Gornji Vakuf Precision Factory, from which they completed a multitude of varied tasks: 1 Tp built a rebro site at the top of a mountain; 3 Tp conducted an instructional build of a Mabey johnson bridge for the benefit of the Romanian and Hungarian engineer contingents, and Sp Tp constructed a new helipad alongside the comms site at Velika Gomila, to name but a few.
OP TELIC 2. After the war-fighting phase, known as Op TELIC the main business of normalisation within Iraq began. 11 Sqn played a pivotal role firstly providing force protection of the troops that would be stationed in Iraq to aid its recovery and secondly for the re-instatement and improvements of essential services. Force Protection tasks ranged from the emplacement of HescoBastion as well as improvements to the living standards of the resident troops within theatre. The major effort was with the work on the civilian infrastructure most notably with the water supply and sewage systems. This dealt with both drinking water and "grey" water that has been used for domestic purposes. The majority of the work was not done to repair damage that had been incurred on Op TELIC, but in repairing the years of neglect by Saddam Hussein's Baath party regime. Crucial recces were carried out for future tasks that were carried out on subsequent operations in particular for the reverse-osmosis water purification plants. The Squadron performed incredibly well in the desert heat and the hostile post-conflict environment. A real sense of achievement was gained by all those who were involved as the locals were able to see and feel the differences to their standard of living.
Ex OAKAPPLE 04 Kenya. Shortly after the return from Iraq Ex OAKAPPLE, an exercise in support of the British Army Training Unit (Kenya) was undertaken between 23 Feb - 7 Apr 04. The exercise was based around a Sqn(-) deployment, and broke down into the following discreet engineer tasks:
• The construction of an accommodation block for health care workers, to include the construction of a water tower to supply piped water to the new building.
• The construction of two bridges, one for pedestrians and one for vehicles.
• The construction of a bush airstrip to serve the health care centre.
Ex KINGFISHER GLEN 05. This was a large Sqn(-) deployment to BaUater in Scotland working on the Queen's Balmoral estate. The tasks revolved around the construction of three separate bridges in and around the Balmoral estate. Each task site was run and managed by a Troop Commander, with a Staff Sergeant in charge of the build. Support Troop carried out a separate set of plant tasks for the Gruniard Estate which had lent 20000 acres of its private land for dismounted infantry and Special Forces training. In return for this loan the MACC task was generated to upgrade a series of tracks to allow future access to the river for anglers, increasing the potential for revenue generation in the future. The topography and geography of the area yielded significant problems, especially with the harsh weather conditions. Both tasks were very challenging, at all levels, but incredibly rewarding for both the local community as well as the
Military Construction Force that built them.
Ex LOYAL LEDGER 06. This was the largest peace-time deployment of troops on the UK mainland for a long time based between a former Naval ammunition compound in Caerwent, Stanford Training Area in Norfolk and Salisbury Plain. The Squadron in a more General Support role, rather than its traditional Close Support role was tasked with force protection and infrastructure support tasks. At Caerwent, as on Op TELIC 2 HESCO-BASTION loomed large on the horizon, literally as what is thought to be the UK's largest HESCO construction was built by the Squadron as part of the force protection measure. The Squadron's plant operators stepped up to the mark as the public order and riot scenarios ramped up towards a crescendo, which was quickly diffused by an aggressive strike into the rioters' barriers by the Combat Engineer Tractors of the Squadron. On STANTA 2Tp was in Sp of the Queen's Royal Lancers Battle
group and undertook close and general support roles, using search and combat engineering. A difficult communications link was made between the two dispersed areas allowing the Squadron to be skilfully controlled by Captain Mike McCarthy, squadron second-in-command, for this incredible deployment.
When the exercise moved to Salisbury Plain the Squadron seamlessly re-rolled into its more close support role, poised to do any tasked that were required. The main role was for the movement of the General Support Bridge to cross the River Berril.
In 2005, 11 Sqn deployed in support of its affiliated Battle Groups, 1 Devon and Dorset's and 1 King's, on Exercise WESSEX WARRIOR/DRUID'S DANCE on Salisbury Plain Training Area.
ll Field Squadron Royal Engineers
11 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers provides Engineer Support to 19 Light Brigade. Recently changing from an Mechanized Brigade the squadron has found it's self facing many changes,The squadron's current home is in Ripon, North Yorkshire. Recent operations include Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq. As well as a number of
exercises including Cyprus, Kenya and of late members of the squadron deployed to Belize.
11 Fd Sqn 1980-1982
11 Fd Sqn
1980-1982
1980 was a very busy year for 11 Sqn, with exercises in Cyprus, Germany and Norway, and a continuing commitment to operations in Northern Ireland. In September, the Sqn took the place of 59 Indep Cdo Sqn on Ex TEAMWORK, designed to practice the reinforcement of NATO's Northern Flank. 59 Sqn were required to stay on in Northern Ireland, so it was with some apprehension that 11 Sqn set sail for Norway onboard, amongst other ships, HMS INTREPID and HMS BULWARK. A great time was had by all, and a few days of adventure training were even squeezed in at the end.
1981 saw the Sqn on a six month tour of Belize, providing security as well as the more usual tasks of constructing roads and improvised bridges. The Sqn was also heavily involved in helping to make a success of the celebrations surrounding Independence Day on 21 Sep 1981 (What's Going On, Feb 1982).
When the Falkland Islands conflict began in Apr 1982,11 Sqn were required to provide support to the RAF Harriers on Operation CORPORATE. The Sqn Main Body of 147 flew from Brize Norton to Ascension Island on 9 May 1982, to board the Landing Ship Logistic (LSL) SIR BEDIVERE (137 men), and NORLAND (10 men, who later transferred onto SIR LANCELOT). The Sqn's plant, vehicles, and G1098 store were loaded onto the merchant vessel, ATLANTIC CONVEYOR, and accompanied by two members of the Sqn, set sail from Devonport for the Falkland Islands on 25 Apr.
The journey was due to take two weeks and, once under sail, the workshop constructed twin gun mounts for the Sqn LMGs and the men practiced anti-aircraft drills and carried out ship's routine. On entering San Carlos Water, the SIR BEDIVERE was attacked by Argentinian aircraft, including Mirage fighter bombers. The Sqn gunners opened fire, and claimed one Mirage shot down which was later confirmed by HMS FEARLESS. SIR BEDIVERE with 11 Sqn onboard finally landed safely at San Carlos on 23 May.
11 Sqn was the third RE unit ashore, after 59 Indep Cdo Sqn and 2 Tp of 9 Para Sqn. 11 Sqn landed a few days later for the particular task of supporting the Harrier force.
On 25 May, Argentina's National Day, the ATLANTIC CONVEYOR was sailing with HMS AMBUSCADE and RFA SIR TRISTRAM when it was spotted by the pilots of two Super Etendards, armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles. The planes dropped to sea level and raced towards the small convoy, and at 30 miles out and 200 yards apart, both pilots released their missiles. The escort ships released chaff to confuse the missiles' guidance system, which successfully steered the missiles away from them. Unfortunately, this left the unprotected ATLANTIC CONVEYOR the only remaining target. One missile missed, but at 1538 HRS, the other penetrated the ship's hull but miraculously failed to explode. Despite the best efforts of the Ship's Company, the ship had to be abandoned for fear of fire reaching 75 tons of cluster bombs in a hold. The intensity of the fire left the ship gutted, and her cargo destroyed beyond hope of salvage. Twelve of the Ship's Company were killed, including the Captain, the last to leave the ship, and in the following two days while she was being towed inland, the ATLANTIC CONVEYOR sank
11 Sqn lost all of their equipment, personal kit and stores when the ATLANTIC CONVEYOR was lost and quickly dug themselves in alongside the grass airstrip. They spent three weeks in slit trenches at Port San Carlos, acting as infantry and building and re-building the Harrier forward operating bases. The Sqn was given tools by 59 Sqn and constructed a fuel installation for Chinook, Wessex, and Sea King helicopters. 2 Tp kid a 260m Harrier strip, with forward operating pad and taxiway. This task was completed in 3 days and for the next two weeks they maintained it, carrying out major repairs within hours when Chinooks lifted the taxiway on three occasions and also after a Harrier crash. 3 Tp spent ten days at Goose Green clearing napalm, booby traps and mines, after the Argentine surrender at Darwin. In addition to these tasks, OPs and patrols were mounted by the Sqn as part of the defence of Port San Carlos.
On 23 Jun, 11 Sqn moved to Port Stanley, rather sorry to leave their now more habitable trenches at Port San Carlos. On arrival at Port Stanley, they laid a Harrier strip alongside the airfield and reinstalled the fuel installation for the Harriers that they had earlier stripped out. 3 Tp assisted with crater repairs to the runway, ready for the first C130 Hercules aircraft which arrived on 24 Jun.
On 25 Jun, the three troops were accommodated on the ATLANTIC CAUSEWAY, with the remainder in houses in the town
They commented that the weather was better than expected and rather like a November in Ripon! In mid August, the Sqn flew home to Lyneham by Hercules, with in-flight refuelling and a stop at Ascension Island. One observer commented, "25 hours in a Hercules is purgatory, but it's great to be home."
Since the landings at San Carlos, Sappers had a leading part in every stage of the fighting and were involved in the dangerous tasks of EOD and mine clearance.
Nine members of the Corps were killed in action and twenty four wounded some seriously. 11 Sqn sustained four casualties in the conflict:
Spr D A Cumberland - Wounded on 13 Jun 1982
Spr P A Rolling - Wounded on 14 Jun 1982
Cpl G A Notman - Wounded on 24 Jun 1982
Spr N W V Burke - Wounded on 14 Jul 1982
11 Fd Sqn 1970-1980
11 Fd Sqn
1970-1980
In 1971 38 Engr Regt in Ripon was made responsible for providing Harrier support to the RAF, both for the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (AMF) and RAF Germany. 11 Sqn was placed in support of 1 Squadron RAF based at Wittering with an operational role in support of the AMF in Norway.
Harrier Support, however, was not the only activity of 11 Sqn, which took its fair share of deployments to Belize, Oman, and Northern Ireland, together with engineer exercises in Kenya, Canada and elsewhere. The Sqn could also expect at least one month on Harrier support in BAOR of which about two weeks co- incided with an RAF exercise. The first ten days of such exercises usually involved the Sappers in hectic site preparation of pads and strips and the construction of hides and fuel bunds, with at least one alternative set of sites for each Harrier Squadron. One the RAF had finished there was much clearance, lifting of pads and strips and making good to be done.
It was quite an education for Sappers to live and work with the RAF in the field and each learnt much from the other as mutual trust built up. In particular, the RAF NBC drills were particularly thorough and the RAF Regiment showed themselves to be a most effective security force as well as providing healthy rivalry in local bars before and after exercises. Comfort levels in the deployment areas with good tentage and centralized messing were relished by soldiers used to the more Spartan army conditions normally encountered.
Prior to 1969 Northern Ireland affairs played little part in the activities of the Corps, and it was Jun 1970 before the first troop from 11 Field Squadron deployed to the Province. There they assisted with the construction of watchtowers and road blocks. Between Oct 1971 and Feb of the following year, first a
troop and then the whole of 11 Sqn was employed on Operation ASHBURTON. This involved the closure of the numerous unapproved border crossing points, using cratering, and the erection of barriers. Such was the tempo of the work that 75 roads were kept closed despite the attempts of the local population to reopen them.
It had long been apparent that one field squadron was inadequate to provide even the minimum level of engineer support required in the Province, and in turn 11 Sqn was deployed on a four month roulement tour to Long Kesh, an internment camp which later became known as Her Majesty's Prison Maze.
11 Sqn were also kept busy closer to home, forming the Guard of Honour on HM The Queen Mother's visit to Ripon Cathedral on 18 Jul 1972, the building's 1,300th anniversary.
Late 1972 saw 11 Sqn take a brief respite from the violence of Northern Ireland, with one troop on a roulement tour in Belize and one in Gibraltar on the Europa Road Project, both for six month tours. The Sqn was to return to the Province from Jun-Oct 1973, when the OC, Maj R Jarman, was tragically killed in action.
In May 1974 11 Sqn was called upon to assist with the havoc created by the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. In protest against the Sunningdale Agreement and the power sharing executive, the strike badly affected the output of the power stations in the Province, on which the population depended. Protestant
paramilitaries forced thousands of people not to go into work, and very soon not only was electricity in short supply but food, milk, oil and petrol. On 28 May the Executive resigned, the Northern Ireland Assembly was prorogued and direct rule from Westminster reimposed.
Units in Northern Ireland needed to continue with close quarter battle training, preferably without having to return to the mainland, and in 1976 a plan was drawn up to build a range at Ballykinler. The main construction work on the range was undertaken by 11 Sqn, who completed the task a month ahead of
schedule despite great difficulties in obtaining supplies of materials. Once completed, it was a much valued and well used training area, reflecting the urban environment found in the Province.
Upon their return to the UK in 1976, 11 Sqn undertook a MACC Task, Exercise HIGHLAND LEAP, to repair bridges in Callander and Arrochar in Scotland. An article submitted to Sapper magazine after the event recalled that "the appreciation of the local inhabitants was shown in liquid form, and the (Sqn was quite sad to leave)".
A detachment from 11 Field Squadron carried out a tour in Mar 1977, clearing tracks of mines, forward helipads laid during operations, and assistance given with defensive positions. Two major tasks were the construction of the Mudhai to Manston road and the construction of wire and obstacles on the Hornbeam line. This was the largest operational obstacle built by the Corps since Korea and stretched inland for 30 miles over rugged country from Mugshayl on the coast to the edge of the desert.
In Oct 1977,11 Sqn took part in the NE District March and Shoot competition, Exercise STAINTON CHASE II. The teams consisted of mainly Gunners and Infantry, and 11 Sqn's team did extremely well to achieve second place in spite of only a minimal amount of training time available.
11 Fd Sqn conducted two more tours of Northern Ireland, from Mar-Nov 1978 and from
Oct 1979 - Feb 1980.
In the Feb 79 The Sqn went to Monterey, California. One our return we were seconded be ambulance drivers during another strike which almost caused me to miss my own wedding! One of our drivers had to drive a kid with a broken neck between hospitals in an army ambulance because the strikers would not allow us to use a real one.
11 Field Coy 1958-1970
11 Field Coy
1958-1970
11 Independent Field Squadron moved to Butterworth, Malaya, in Aug 1956/57? . 1959 saw 11 Sqn rotating through 6 month construction tours of the Kota Belud Training Area in the uplands of North Borneo.
Update to above. from Sqn member serving at this time.(The Sqn did not go to Kota Belude in 1959 as it was still working on the Kedah road at Sik and still had to build Fort Tapong in 1960 they did not move out to Kota Belude till May/June 1960.)
The aim of the project was to provide the Commonwealth armed forces in the Far East with a more suitable training area than could be provided by the densely forested terrain of the Malay Peninsula. Owing to the inaccessibility of the area, all plant and heavy stores had to be brought in by raft up 8 miles of the River Abai. The principal tasks were the improvement to Class 20 standard of 23 miles of hill-section road and the construction of crossings of the Rivers Tempasuk and Gunding. Other work included the construction of an airstrip to accept Beverley transport aircraft, waterworks, camp structures, and the necessary roads and bridges to facilitate deployment of troops within the training area.
Update to above. from Sqn member serving at this time.(The Sqn did not go to Kota Belude in 1959 as it was still working on the Kedah road at Sik and still had to build Fort Tapong in 1960 they did not move out to Kota Belude till May/June 1960.)
The aim of the project was to provide the Commonwealth armed forces in the Far East with a more suitable training area than could be provided by the densely forested terrain of the Malay Peninsula. Owing to the inaccessibility of the area, all plant and heavy stores had to be brought in by raft up 8 miles of the River Abai. The principal tasks were the improvement to Class 20 standard of 23 miles of hill-section road and the construction of crossings of the Rivers Tempasuk and Gunding. Other work included the construction of an airstrip to accept Beverley transport aircraft, waterworks, camp structures, and the necessary roads and bridges to facilitate deployment of troops within the training area.
The training area was in use by Jan 1960, however the causeway built to bridge the Tempasuk River was only a temporary measure and soon required upgrading. This task fell to 11 Sqn, who launched four 130 foot double-double Bailey spans over three high level piers to form a Class 40 bridge, 524 feet in length between concrete abutments, served by extensive ramped approach roads. Whilst not technically problematic, the operation was made interesting due to a strict time limit and hazardous because of the liability of the river to sudden and unpredictable spate (The Royal Engineers Journal, Book 10, Ch 4, pl49).
Following a 6 month tour of Borneo in May 1960, 11 Sqn returned to Butterworth, and continued to support operations against the communist terrorists. It then moved to Borneo, in support of the training element being formed at Jesselton. From 1961- 8, 11 Sqn was part of the (17) Divisional Engineers in Malaya District, supporting 28 Commonwealth Brigade in the North. Apr 1962 saw the Sqn move to Malacca, Malaya.
In late 1962, the British Government, keen to offer a token of Allied solidarity, proposed that British forces conduct a MACC task in Thailand, and planning got underway for Operation CROWN, the construction of an entirely new airfield at Loeng Nok Tha, near Mukdahan.
Once obstacles had been overcome such as administrative problems and the onset of the rainy season, 11 Sqn played a pivotal role in building roads, a helipad, and a hutted camp for the airfield construction workforce. Construction of the camp took place between Jan and Apr 1964, in shade temperatures often in
excess of 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Following increasing Indonesian aggression in 1963, the single brigade group stationed in the region came to be regarded as insufficient to deal with the hostile situation and massive reinforcement became necessary. Half of 11 Sqn completed a 6 month rotation during the Borneo campaign, latterly with a troop in support of 99 Gurkha Infantry Brigade in West Sarawak Meanwhile, the other half was deployed to Singapore and Kluang, Malaya until May 1964.
The Sqn returned to Op CROWN in Nov 1965 for a 6 month tour, continuing construction of the airfield. By the time Op CROWN was complete, in Jan 1967. a detachment from 11 Sqn was engaged in flood relief operations in Vientiane, Laos.
Work on another MACC task in Thailand started that same month, this time a road construction project, and 11 Sqn rotated through Op POST CROWN from Aug 1967. The Sqn bore the brunt of the monsoon season, and continued work on the road when no other unit was available to take over in the rotation
sequence, before returning to Malacca. The 40 kilometre long road was formally declared open on 18 Apr 1968.
In Malacca, 11 Sqn was based in Terendak Camp, and constructed a steel footbridge to join together the two sites of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in the city. The Convent straddled a narrow and very busy road, crossed several times a day by the 1,700 children who attended the convent school. Spr Gilp, who had responsibility for constructing the two main girders of the bridge, was immortalised when the bridge was named after him upon its completion in 1968.
Between Jan and Dec 1969, the Sqn played a large part in the Bukit Mendi Project, a MACC task on a grand scale in Malaya. In total, four miles of road, two pre-stressed reinforced concrete bridges, 46 timber houses and a community centre were constructed at the site near Triang in Pahang. The Project was
remarkable because of its size.
Another extensive project, that of the Luk Keng Road, started in Feb 1969 and was to continue for three years. The project was part of a bigger plan to improve relations with the more remote communities in the New Territories, and was to give access to Starling Inlet in the extreme north-east of the area. The
section to be built by the Army branched off from the existing East Coast route at Tai Met Tuk and penetrated four miles of rugged terrain, a tortuous alignment demanding heavy cut and fill and the construction of a number of massive culverts; beyond Wu Kau Tang considerable rock blasting was necessary.
In 1969,11 Independent Field Squadron was reduced to a Cadre before, after 15 years' service in the Far East, it reverted to the Home Establishment 11 Field Squadron was formed at Ripon in 38 Engineer Regiment in Feb 1970 by re-titling 73 Field Squadron.
11 Field Coy 1946-1957
11 FIELD Coy
1946-1957
In the summer of 1946, llth Fd Coy was part of RE 5th Division when the Chief Engineer BAOR gave orders that as far as possible every formation of Royal Engineers should build a timber pile or heavy trestle bridge. The largest of these was at Artlenburg which, upon its completion on 16 Sep, was 1,530ft long with thirty spans.
Another major task was the clearance of the River Weser where it ran through the Ruhr between Wesel and Detteln. On this stretch, the wreckage of about 130 bridges blocked the River, and these had to be cut away above and below the surface of the water using demolitions, a hazardous operation due to the Ruhr area being highly populated and industrial. The AVREs of llth Fd Coy were used to great effect in dragging ashore large chunks of dismantled bridge that had been cut away by the divers of 55th and 276th Fd Coy.
In jul 1947, 11A Fd Coy was disbanded. On 1st Jan 1950, 11 Field Squadron was formed in 24 Field Engineer Regiment in Hong Kong, part of 40 Division, by re-titling 50 Field Squadron.
The Sqn's first major task under its new nomenclature was to assist with the thickening of the wire fence separating the New Territories from communist China. Minefields were laid out, and emergency gun emplacements and command posts were prepared. The construction of a dam at Tai Lam was set in hand, and the laying of twelve miles of pipeline begun, to reduce the Army's dependency on the limited civilian water supply system. The first phase of camp construction was nearing completion when, at the end of August, a typhoon struck the colony, doing considerable damage and setting all work back many weeks.
It gradually came to be appreciated that an invasion of Hong Kong was unlikely and one more the garrison was reduced. The first engineer unit to leave was 11 Fd Sqn which, reorganized as Independent, left for Austria in Mar 1951. There had been repeated appeals for a Sapper field unit to recce and prepare a proper
demolition plan in the face of the worsening international situation. The Sqn was located at Zeitweg and at once got down to operational planning. In 1952, the Sqn built the Radkersberg International Bridge, connecting Austria with Yugoslavia over the River Mur.
The bridge was formally opened by the Austrian Federal Chancellor on 6 Sep with a guard of honour provided by the Sqn.
In November, 11 Indep Fd Sqn took part in Allied manoeuvres with the French and United States forces in the Salzburg area. In miserable weather, the Sqn acquitted itself admirably and learnt many useful lessons. On return to Zeltweg the Sqn had hardly time to turn round before finding itself involved in the BTA winter manoeuvres, whereupon it drew rare praise from the GOC at the final conference.
In Jul 1953, 11 Sqn went to bridging camp at Betfor near Trieste on the River Timavo, which came as a welcome break from the administrative duties of the last year, having been the only combat unit in Zeltweg. On return in Sep, it was told it would leave for the UK in Dec. The Sqn travelled by a special MED-LOC train, arriving at Brompton Barracks, Chatham on 16 Dec.
Only a year after arriving back in the UK, in Dec 1954, the Sqn was moved to Sungei Besi, Malaya, and from Feb to Aug 1955 was part of 50 Field Engineer Regiment, where they established a reputation with the RAF for being insatiable beer drinkers. Major tasks undertaken in 1956 included completion of an airstrip programme at Fort Chabai, relieving 410 Plant Troop to enable them to move up and support the Gurkha squadrons.
Following Independence in 1957, the status and organization of the British and Commonwealth forces in Malaya changed. 11 Indep Fd Sqn originally made up one third of the divisional engineers for 17 Gurkha Division but was latterly, with 410 Plant Troop, assigned to 28 Commonwealth Brigade. The Sqn was involved in a long-running mine clearance task; specifically, the disposal of a Japanese bomb and mine storage dump in Penang. Two men of 11 Indep Fd Sqn were killed on this task in 1957 and it was not until a specialist BD team was sent out from the UK in 1967 that the job was completed.
The first ten miles of the Kedah Roads Project was begun by 11 Indep Fd Sqn and 410 Plant Troop in Jul 1957. The Project was carried out under Emergency conditions in Malayan jungles, and involved the upgrade to Class 24 of more than fifty miles of road. The whole network was not completed until Sep 1959,
when the roads were ceremonially opened by the Sultan of Kedah.
Monday
11 Field Coy 1939-1945
11 Field Coy
1939-1945
11 Fd Coy was part of 2 Div from Sep 1939 - May 1940, and deployed to France in 5 Bde in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in Sep 1939 In Apr 1940, Coy was relieved by 208 Fd Coy and retrained for action in the Middle East.
In 1941-42, the Coy took part in the Western Desert Campaign. On the night of 23-24 Oct 1942, during, the Battle ofAlamein, a Section of 11 Fd Coy was acting as the flank protective force on the right flank of 44th Reconnaissance Regiment, the advanced guard for 7* Armoured Division. The Section encountered
some scattered mines, which were dealt with by the "snail" lorries of 211th Field Park Company, as they advanced towards a major minefield known as 'January' Sappers using only their eyes to pick out mines, preceded the convoy of Lorries, and upon reaching January the main belt was lifted without the use of de-tectors This was a method 11 Fd Coy had practised very carefully as a result of some disappointments in the use of detectors in a previous minor operation. The RE Journal states that breaching was completed some hours before 7th Armoured Division had completed their task.
The Carrier Platoon of 1/7th Queens was lead through the gap in January by the Engineer Section, under Lt Hoskyn, who told the PI Comd "It's all right now YOU can go through". The Carrier Platoon Commander later said, "To tell you the truth there was so much mortaring and other stuff flying about that I didn't think it was on to take the carriers through - but after that I had to!". The Sapper subaltern, who was wounded later that night, was awarded the Military
Having served in North Africa in 1943, 11 Fd Coy joined 30 Corps Troops in NW Europe m 1944. Following their success on the Normandy beaches, the next thought on the minds of the Allied engineeis was crossing the River Seine At least on the front allotted to the British Annies, every bridge had been demolished. Speed in getting across the River was of the utmost importance before the enemy could recover his poise, thus the responsibility resting on the engineers was great.
The task had been long foreseen and prepared for, and as early as 16th August 1944 stores and equipment were being brought forward to temporary dumps.
Two bridging columns had been formed, each with enough rafting and bridging equipment for an assault crossing by one corps on a divisional front. When the leading brigade group set off on the 90 mile march to the River, an RE recce party soon discovered that the bridge over the River Eure, over which the column was to pass, had been destroyed. It was agreed that 11th Fd Coy should build a Bailey bridge over the river, which they duly did.
The advance of 30 Corps continued, with 11th Fd Coy attached to the Guards Armoured Division who were leading. D Day for Operation MARKET GARDEN was fixed for 17th Sep. The plan was to seize crossings over the major waterways of the Maas, Mass-Waal Canal, Waal, and the Neder Rjin, by the
use of airborne troops, and then to push through armoured columns, backed up by infantry formations to consolidate the corridor, to join hands with the airborne troops. The Operation was not completely successful, but the stakes were high and a gamble had to be taken.
The failure to capture the bridge at Amhem was due to the presence in the area of unexpectedly strong forces, and unfavourable weather conditions which prevented the rapid reinforcement of the airborne troops and their supply by air. But the capture intact of the bridges at Nijmegen was a success of the first importance.
11th Field Company 1919-1938
11th Field Company
1919-1938
To 1939-1945
There are no records of 11 Fd Coy since its return to the UK after the Great War, until June 1921 when archives state that the Coy was disbanded. In April 1922 the 11th Field Company was represented by a Cadre consisting of one NCO and two Sappers. It was decided to reform the Coy as part of 2 Division, and the first draft of two Lance Sergeants, three Corporals and fifteen Sappers arrived in May. 11 Field Company was reformed at Gibraltar Barracks, Aldershot, on May 5th 1922.
In the second half of 1923 the peace and war establishments of an Fd Coy RE were changed. The most important of these alterations were the omission of all bridging equipment (to be held by the Field Park Company) and the omission of four section Lewis guns.
From 1922 onwards, 11 Coy spent most of its time engaged in musketry, Field Works (bridging, roads, demolitions, etc.), individual training, trade training, pontoon bridging, Works Services, Manoeuvre Camp construction and manoeuvres.
The Coy was very proficient at sport and, at the conclusion of the Annual Musketry Course in 1923, was the best shooting Unit in the 2nd Division. They were runners up in the Aldershot Command Inter-Company Association Football Competition, also in 1923, for which they were awarded a shield. The Coy was represented in mounted and dismounted athletics, shooting, cricket, tug-of-war, tent-pegging, cross-country running, football, hockey, billiards, boxing and mounted events. 11 Coy won the inter-unit challenge shield for the best all round unit at sport and games for the year 1926-7, and attended the RE Sports Competition most years.
During April and May 1925 the Coy undertook the construction of the whole of the scenery for the Aldershot Searchlight Tattoo. The new pontoon equipment was used for the first time in a bridging camp at Cosham in June. Brigade and Divisional training took place at Basingstoke from Jul-Sep, followed by Army
Manoeuvres, and the Coy returned to Aldershot on Oct 1st.
In 1928 the Coy was reduced to four officers and 128 men, organized in two half-companies, each commanded by a Lieutenant...As well as the OC, 2ic, CSM, CQMS and Mounted Sergeant, the Coy had MT, consisting of a motorbike and horse-drawn wagons.
In 1929 the motor boat was allotted to 11 Coy for trial whilst on their annual bridging camp. Experiments were later carried out with the new Folding Boat Equipment and included testing a worn out boat against machine gun fire. Records state that it was easily sunk
In June 1932 the Coy marched to Wyke Regis for the bridging camp. The march took eight days. The Mounted Section ceased to exist in August 1932 when all horses, with the exception of the Officers' Chargers, were returned to the Remount Depot. The first motor vehicles arrived in the same period, with
complete motorization of the Coy being achieved in February 1933.
In 1935, an Iraqi Army Major was attached to the Coy for two months, and in 1937 a Lieutenant of the Chinese National Army attended the Coy bridging camp. The Coy was deployed to Norfolk in April 1937 to "save" the Fenlands, for which they were gratefully thanked by the River Great Ouse Catchments
Board.
In March 1939 the Coy carried out trials for the RE Board to determine the limiting gradient for ramps on and off military bridges.
To 1939-1945
11 Field Coy 1914-1918
11 Field Coy
1914-1918
In 1914, 11 Fd Coy was on the establishment of 2nd Division and was based at Shincliffe. The Division mobilised at Aldershot and crossed to France as BEF in August 1914, concentrating around Wassigny and Etreux.
In the advance through Belgium, 11 Fd Coy built pontoon and trestle bridges over the River Marne. The Coys first contact with the enemy was on 22 August, on the advance from Marne. 11 Fd Coy was advancing with the Guards and assisted in the capture of a machinegun company, complete with limbers and horses. Upon arrival at the Aisne, pontoon, trestle, and barge bridges were built, with the Coy experiencing its first severe casualties.On 26 October 1914, a Section of 11 Fd Coy assisted a Company of the 1st King's in assaulting houses in Hooge Chateau supposed to contain German machine guns. At 0520hrs, this Section succeeded in taking four houses on the Passchendale-Bercelaere road. These were loopholed and held by the Section.
At 0900hrs another section advanced to support the first, and the two then held the houses all day, during which they suffered nine casualties. At dusk, they were relieved by infantry.
The rest of the company worked until 0500hrs the next morning improving the trenches held by the King's Regiment. The OC, Maj de Vitre, was wounded, and was succeeded by Capt J.W. Skipwith, who was himself wounded two days later, and was succeeded temporarily by Capt AJ. Darlington, the Adjutant.
The latter returned to the Division to act as C.R.E on 1st November, and the command of the 11th Company passed successively to Lt K.J. Martin, Lt AT.Shakespear, and Maj C.H. Foulkes on 10th November. So heavy were the casualties in the 5th Company on 11th Nov that Lt Shakespear was transferred to take temporary command on 12th Nov, but the 11th Coy itself suffered two more casualties among its officers that day, Lt A Tyier being killed, and Lt Bourdillon wounded.
All field companies, which had formed parts of the advanced guards during the approach marches, now assisted the infantry brigades to entrench and to consolidate the long front. Billeted close behind the support lines, the companies spent their days in collecting materials and their nights in carrying them forward
and putting up wire entanglements.
Many footbridges were required over the numerous wet ditches; these had to be portable for handiness and of simple pattern for lack of materials.
As the line closed on the sea, the fierce struggle for Ypres began. The Germans flung themselves against our lines in a desperate attempt to break through to the Channel ports. The fighting from 19th Oct - 22nd Nov, known as the First Battle of Ypres, was as critical as any in the war. It was fought with the heaviest odds against the small British force and against a line which in some places was held even by cooks and batmen. The field companies bore their share in this famous defence; among them the 5th and 11th Field Companies specially distinguished themselves.
On the night of 24-25 Nov, Lt E.L. Morris, with 15 men of the RE and Royal Welch Fusiliers, successfully mined and blew up a group of farms immediately in front of the German trenches on the Touquet-Bridoux Road which had been used by German snipers.
In December 1914, the Coy moved to Cuinchy and took part in the capture of the 'brick stacks' by the 4th Infantry Brigade, thus being complimented by the GOC. The OC, Maj C.H. Foulkes, was awarded the DSO for his action at this time. His citation reads: "for conspicuous gallantry in assisting to rescue a wounded man under heavy fire and for valuable service rendered at Cuinchy in placing in a state of defence the position which was captured from the enemy on February 6th, 1915".
The Coy operated in support of 4th Bde at Neuve Chapelle, and 2nd Division in their attack on 9th May and the Battle of Festubert.
The Battle of Festubert lasted officially from 16-27 May 1915 and was a continuation of the effort to assist the French attack on Vimy Ridge. Early on in the Battle, 2 Div had to cross a considerable ditch, 12ft wide with 4ft of water and running parallel with the line of breastworks. Footbridges had been prepared by the Sappers and these were successfully laid by the 5th and 11th Fd Coys. For the attack soon to come, 11 Coy were supporting 6th Brigade, with 2 sections accompanying each of the assaulting battalions.
The 6th Brigade's assault was successful, and two lines of German trenches were taken almost at once...
Two sections of 11 Coy did good work in the captured trenches, converting the parados, repairing breaches and making machine-gun emplacements. The Sapper sections went over with the third wave of the assault. A the distance to be covered was nearly 400yds, all four waves of the attack were in the open before the leading wave had reached the German trench; the casualties were consequently heavy. 11 Coy lost one officer killed (Lt A Trewby), one wounded, four other ranks killed, twenty-one wounded and two missing. Lt Bourdillon was shot through the shoulders but continued on duty for more than twenty four hours. The following night, 11 Coy wired in the whole of the 6th Brigade's new front and its exposed right flank
The Germans had discharged their first poison gas cloud against French-African troops in the Ypres salient in Apr 1915, followed in the next few weeks by several others against British and Canadians. The Allies were keen to retaliate in kind as well as to protect themselves with the use of respirators and, as soon as
the Cabinet permitted the action of reprisals, 11 Co/s OC, Maj CH Foulkes, was tasked to organize and train the gas troops who eventually became the Special Brigade, RE. Thus, he left 11 Coy on 26 May 1915.
A long period of trench warfare followed, during which 11 Coy was between Loos and Richebourg. The Coy transferred to 33rd Division in Dec 1915. In July 1916 it moved to the Somme and took part in the second phase of the infamous Battle, starting 14th July. Between 6th and 21st July, some 4 officers were
wounded, and 75 ORs killed, wounded, or missing.
On the night of 19/20 July, the Coy supported the 20th Royal Fusiliers (of 19th Infantry Brigade, 33rd Division) in an attack on High Wood. 11 Fd Coy advanced with the infantry, reaching the assembly trenches a few hundred yards off the wood by 0200hrs. It became apparent that no engineer works were possible, and shortly before 0400hrs the Coy picked up arms and fought as infantry. 11 Coy took its share of the frghting and lost all its officers, being brought out of the action by a Corporal. By 21st Jul, 11 Coy was 'in bivouac' having suffered heavy casualties and lost all its officers but one. The Division was relieved on the night 21-22 Jul.
The next engagement 11 Fd Coy were involved in was the Battle of Arras, which started on 9 Apr 1917. 11 Coy remained in 33 Div, who were the reserve for 7 Corps. 33 Div then relieved 32 Div on the coast at Ostend in Aug of that year.
The next step was the battle of Polygon Wood, which lasted from 26 Sep - 3 Oct 1917. 11 Coy was still part of 33 Div, who made up half of the Corps on the main attack
The 33rd Division was in the Passchendaele sector at the beginning of April 1918. After several moves, it was day put into the line in front of Meteren on 12 Apr. On the 16th, 11 Fd Coy distinguished itself in action which is thus recorded in the Official History:
"About 4.30pm, two sections of the 11th Field Company RE, in support of the left of the 4th King's, made a counter-attack on a farm half a mile west of Meteren, bayoneting thirty Germans and capturing eighteen with three machine guns. This brilliant little episode stabilized a situation which was becoming dangerous."
Lt S. Feary, the officer in command, was wounded; he was subsequently awarded the DSO. On the 19th, 33 Div was relieved by the 1st Australian Division, and for the remainder of the month was employed in digging rear lines.
On October 1918 the OC, Maj C.P.L. Balcombe, was wounded by a shell and later died of his injuries.
"What is a Sapper? This versatile genius
condensing the whole system of
military engineering and all that is
useful and practical under one red
jacket. He is a man of all work of the
Army and the public - astronomer,
geologist, surveyor, draughtsman, artist,
architect, traveller, explorer, antiquary,
mechanic, driver, soldier and sailor,
ready to do anything or go anywhere; in
short he is a SAPPER"
Sunday
The Beginning 1806-1914
The Beginning
1806-1914
11 Field Company, Corps of Royal Military Artificers (RMA), was formed in 1793 for active service in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a detachment was also sent to the West Indies. It was based in Halifax, whose coat of arms features the Golden Crested Kingfisher that has lately been adopted as the Squadron emblem.
In 1811, records show that the Coy was raised at Portsmouth as 3rd Company of 3rd Battalion. In 1813, the RMA was renamed the Royal Sappers and Miners, and m April that year the Coy was disbanded. A new Company was formed at Woolwich as the 3rd Company of 3rd Battalion and in June moved to Canada.
In January 1820 the unit was re-titled 11 Company. It moved to Woolwich in
Aug 1823 and to Chatham in Nov 1826.
November 1829 saw the Coy move to Portsmouth, and the following April to Gibraltar. In Nov 1833 11 Coy was absorbed into 8 Coy and disbanded, only to be formed as a Service Company at Woolwich in
Jun 1841.
The Coy moved to Gibraltar in Jun 1842, and returned to Woolwich in Nov 1848. Between then and Apr 1852 the Coy was in Chatham for a period, but again returned to Woolwich. August 1852 saw the Coy in Aldemey, then back in Woolwich the following year, before taking part in operations in Turkey and
the Crimean campaign from 1854-6.
In the Crimea, 11 Coy were employed in constructing piers for the landing of stores, and in preparing the most suitable buildings to be used as hospitals. Additionally, they were engaged in throwing up that portion of the lines which was apportioned for construction to the British, the remainder being carried out by
the French.
During the Crimean War, 11 Coy adopted a small dog, which was found on the dead body of his master, a Russian officer, after the battle of Alma in 1854. 'Snob', who earned his name from his preference for the Officers' Mess, was brought back to England complete with campaign medal, and lived out his days
in Chatham. His stuffed skin is on display in the RE Museum.
Having returned to Chatham in 1856,11 Coy embarked to India in Oct 1857 via Southampton, Malta, and Alexandria, and were involved in suppressing the Indian Mutiny. In Alexandria, the men were dressed in civilian clothes, and travelled as ordinary passengers to Cairo, and thence in vans across the desert to
Suez, where vessels were ready to take them down the Red Sea. 11 Coy, under Capt C.E Cumberland, landed at Bombay.
Records show that in 1858 11 Coy became a Fortress Company, but details are sketchy for the next thirty or so years. It is apparent that 11 Coy was in Mauritius in Sep 1860, the Cape of Good Hope in Aug 1863, Chatham in May 1866, and Dover in July.
May 1869 saw 11 Coy in Aldershot, Gibraltar the following April, Bermuda in
Jan 1875, Malta in Jan 1878, and Chatham in Jan 1881. In 1884 the Coy was redesigned as a Field Company.
In Sep 1884 the Coy moved to Egypt where they were kept extremely busy. The 4th Section of the Coy repaired whalers used by the brigade to travel the rapid waters of the Nile, from Owli Island to Birti. Repair work by the Section was continuous, and records show that the brigade did not suffer an hour's delay owing to the damage done to the boats.
Changes continued to be made to the structure of the Corps, and in 1885 11 Coy was redesigned as a Fortress Company. Two years later they reverted to being a Field Company.
From May-Jul 1885, a Section of the Coy was despatched to Sudan as part of the force sent to relieve General Gordon, besieged by Mahdist Dervishes in Khartoum.
The successful employment of Field Companies to date had led to the suggestion that a mounted detachment of the RE should be organized to accompany Cavalry, and, in the Sudan campaign, a detachment of 11 Fd Coy, consisting of Lt Sandbach and 27 men, was formed for service with mounted Infantry outside Suakin.
This proved successful, and a unit was formed later called a Field Troop; this was organized Jike a Field Company but with a lighter equipment. The first of these units served in the South African War under the command of Capt A.G.Hunter-Weston, and was so successful that three more troops were formed dur-
ing the campaign. For the next three years.
Oct 1893 saw the Coy in Curragh, and in Chatham in Oct 1896. The Coy moved back to Aldershot in Aug 1898, and to Tidworth injun 1899.
11 Coy returned to South Africa from 1899-1901 during the War, with the First Infantry Division in the siege of Kimberley. Here, they repaired railways damaged by the Boers before they retreated, assisted in bringing naval guns into action at Graspan, and took an active part in the fighting at Rosmead Bridge before building a temporary bridge to replace the one destroyed by the Boers. Elements of the Coy were involved in the siege of Mafeking, before the unit returned to its base in Shincliffe.
The majority of 1902-14 was spent in Aldershot with 2 Division, except for a period as a Fortress Company in Egypt in 1912. Time was spent bridging and doing Field Works at the Curragh Camp, including building tension bridges, made of rope.
Deployment
Deployments
1806 Nova Scotia
1830 Gibraltar
1852 Alderney
1854 Crimea / Turkey
1857 Indian Mutiny
1860 Mauritius
1863 Cape of Good Hope
1875 Bermuda
1878 Malta
1884 Egypt
1899 South Africa
1943 North Africa
1954-70 Malaya, Borneo, Singapore, Thailand.
1972 Honduras
1977 Oman
1977 Belize
1982 Falklands
1993 Bosnia
1995 Bosnia
2003 Iraq
2004 Kenya
Introduction
Introduction
11 Field Company RE was formed in 1806 and served in the Crimea as part of 1 Division from 1854-6. The Company was active during the latter half and after the Indian Mutiny in 1857-8, after which it became a Fortress Company until 1887.
11 Field Coy served as part of the force under General Sir Garnet Wolseley that was sent up the River Nile to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum in 1885.
During the Boer War in 1900 it again served with 1 Division.
The Coy was in France throughout the whole of the 1914-18 War, serving with 2 Division with BEF France.
In the Second World War the company saw service again in France, then in the Western Desert, Sicily and NW Europe, this time with 2 Division, 44 Division and 30 Corps Troops.
11 Field Squadron served in Hong Kong from 1949-51, Austria from 1951-3, and from 1954-1969 in Malaya, engaged in engineer tasks in support of Emergency operations. After the Emergency, the Squadron served in Borneo and Thailand, with Troop detachments in Laos and Hong Kong.
In February 1970,11 Independent Field Squadron, which had been run down to cadre strength, returned to UK and amalgamated with 73 Field Squadron whic had recently returned from the Persian Gulf, as part of 38 Engineer Regiment in Ripon.
Since then the new 11 Field Squadron has carried out exercises in support of RAF Harrier Squadrons in BAOR and in Cyprus. In 1971 the Squadron completed a three month tour in Hong Kong, and in October was sent on a four month tour in Northern Ireland, providing engineer support to an infantry brigade. In 1972 the Squadron split into three parts with troops going out to perform engineer tasks in Germany, Gibraltar and British Honduras.
During the Falklands campaign, 11 Field Squadron constructed two Harrier Forward Operating Bases and bulk fuel systems under the most difficult conditions, despite losing all their equipment when the Atlantic Conveyor was sunk
They also suffered the worst of the air attacks in San Carlos Water.
"The Sappers really need no tribute from me; their reward lies in the glory of their achievement. The more science intervenes in warfare, the more will be the need for engineers in the field armies; in the late war there were never enough Sappers at any time.
Their special tasks involved the up keep and repair of communications; road, bridges, railways, canals, mine
sweeping. The Sappers rose to great heights in World War II and their contribution to victory were beyond all calculations."
Field Marshal Lord Montgomery
To Deployments
11 Field Company RE was formed in 1806 and served in the Crimea as part of 1 Division from 1854-6. The Company was active during the latter half and after the Indian Mutiny in 1857-8, after which it became a Fortress Company until 1887.
11 Field Coy served as part of the force under General Sir Garnet Wolseley that was sent up the River Nile to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum in 1885.
During the Boer War in 1900 it again served with 1 Division.
The Coy was in France throughout the whole of the 1914-18 War, serving with 2 Division with BEF France.
In the Second World War the company saw service again in France, then in the Western Desert, Sicily and NW Europe, this time with 2 Division, 44 Division and 30 Corps Troops.
11 Field Squadron served in Hong Kong from 1949-51, Austria from 1951-3, and from 1954-1969 in Malaya, engaged in engineer tasks in support of Emergency operations. After the Emergency, the Squadron served in Borneo and Thailand, with Troop detachments in Laos and Hong Kong.
In February 1970,11 Independent Field Squadron, which had been run down to cadre strength, returned to UK and amalgamated with 73 Field Squadron whic had recently returned from the Persian Gulf, as part of 38 Engineer Regiment in Ripon.
Since then the new 11 Field Squadron has carried out exercises in support of RAF Harrier Squadrons in BAOR and in Cyprus. In 1971 the Squadron completed a three month tour in Hong Kong, and in October was sent on a four month tour in Northern Ireland, providing engineer support to an infantry brigade. In 1972 the Squadron split into three parts with troops going out to perform engineer tasks in Germany, Gibraltar and British Honduras.
During the Falklands campaign, 11 Field Squadron constructed two Harrier Forward Operating Bases and bulk fuel systems under the most difficult conditions, despite losing all their equipment when the Atlantic Conveyor was sunk
They also suffered the worst of the air attacks in San Carlos Water.
"The Sappers really need no tribute from me; their reward lies in the glory of their achievement. The more science intervenes in warfare, the more will be the need for engineers in the field armies; in the late war there were never enough Sappers at any time.
Their special tasks involved the up keep and repair of communications; road, bridges, railways, canals, mine
sweeping. The Sappers rose to great heights in World War II and their contribution to victory were beyond all calculations."
Field Marshal Lord Montgomery
To Deployments
Foreword
Foreword
200 Years of 11 Field Squadron's history could not pass unmarked
and so I was keen from the outset, where other commitment allowed, to ensure that we celebrated this significant milestone. Whilst researching some of the squadron's previous exploits, it quickly became apparent that huge swathes of our past were either missing or were difficult to trace from numerous source documents in the Corps Library. We decided that it would be a fitting tribute to 200 years of history to consolidate all that we could find on 11 Squadron into a single publication and that our JNCOs should take the bulk of responsibility for the considerable research required and that a range of others would assist in its production. What you find, therefore, is a booklet which has been pulled together by all ranks serving in the Squadron in 2006. Whilst we appreciate that it barely scratches the surface of our long and varied history, and that there is still a long way to go before it is complete, it is a start of a process to which we hope you will be able to contribute with your own stories of our past Enjoy!
Maj A B Veitch
Officer Commanding
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