205-897: The Corps of Royal Engineers , usually called the Royal Engineers ( RE ), and commonly known as the Sappers , is the engineering arm of the British Army . It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by the Chief Royal Engineer . The Corps Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent, England. The corps
410-628: 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,
615-836: A 'Sapper' as any "member of a British or Empire military engineer corps, whatever their rank, speciality or national allegiance", and is thus not confined to Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers have a traditional rivalry with the Royal Artillery (the Gunners). Sapper A sapper , also called a combat engineer , is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications , demolitions , bridge -building, laying or clearing minefields , preparing field defenses, and road and airfield construction and repair. Sappers are also trained and equipped to serve secondarily as provisional infantry. Sappers facilitate and support
820-421: 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
1025-562: A brigade of the West Riding Division , for example, was deployed to watch the east coast while the rest of the division guarded railways and munitions factories inland, and the brigades of the East Anglian Division were widely scattered about East Anglia . On 13 August 1914, Kitchener signalled a willingness to deploy overseas those territorial units in which 80 per cent of the men (reduced to 60 per cent at
1230-465: A challenge. The war also exposed the difficulty in relying on auxiliary forces which were not liable for service overseas as a source of reinforcements for the regular army in times of crisis. In 1903, the Director of General Mobilisation and Military Intelligence reported an excess of home defence forces which could not be relied upon to expand the army in foreign campaigns. The utility of such forces
1435-886: A degree of efficiency and attached to regular brigades. There was little logic in the choice of units deployed. Some that had been positively assessed remained at home while less well prepared units were deployed, often without enough equipment and only after being hastily brought up to strength. The first territorial unit to arrive was the 1/14th Battalion ( London Scottish ), London Regiment , in September 1914. By December, twenty-two infantry battalions, seven yeomanry regiments, and one medical and three engineer units had been sent. Territorial battalions were initially allocated to line-of-communication duties for up to three weeks before being assigned to regular army brigades. From February 1915, with 48 infantry battalions in-country, they were sent directly to their host divisions. On arrival at
1640-454: A fine. Recruits were required to attend a minimum of 40 drill periods in their first year and 20 per year thereafter. All members were required to attend between eight and fifteen days of annual camp. The force was liable to serve anywhere in the UK. Members were not required to serve overseas but could volunteer to do so. Haldane, who still regarded the force's primary function to be the expansion of
1845-652: A less formal system of self-discipline than the rigid, hierarchical discipline of the regular army, feeding a professional prejudice against the amateur auxiliary. The regular army had no more faith in the territorials' abilities than it had in those of the force's predecessors. Territorial standards of training and musketry were suspect, and the reputation of the territorial artillery was so poor that there were calls for it to be disbanded. Regular officers, fearing for their career prospects, often resisted postings as territorial adjutants . The Army Council predicted that, even after six months of intensive training on mobilisation,
2050-405: A local territorial identity in their efforts to recruit new members, and used imagery of local scenes under attack to encourage enlistment. In general, the force attracted recruits from the working class, though they were mainly artisans rather than the unskilled labourers who filled the ranks of the regular army. In some units, middle and working classes served together. Units which recruited from
2255-550: A month before it arrived in France, largely by the attachment of a brigade from the 55th (West Lancashire) Division . It was the first experience in assault for the two battalions that spearheaded the division's attack. They succeeded in reaching the German second line of defences, but when the regular forces on their right did not the territorials were forced to retire with heavy losses. A professionally planned and executed assault by
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#17327721902922460-516: A naval defence against invasion as complacent and a strong home army as essential. A bill sponsored by the NSL in 1909 proposed using the Territorial Force as the framework for a conscripted home army. When that failed, the league became increasingly antagonistic towards the auxiliary. The force was denigrated for its excessive youth, inefficiency and consistently low numbers, and ridiculed in
2665-434: A peak of 268,000 men in 1909 when invasion scares prompted a surge in recruitment, but by 1913 numbers had declined to less than 246,000, and the officer corps was nearly 20 per cent under-subscribed. In 1910, a third of the force had not completed the minimum level of musketry training. Only 155,000 territorials completed the full 15-day annual camp in 1912, and around 6,000 did not attend at all. In 1909, some 37 per cent of
2870-560: A pioneer unit, mainly for representation duty. The current pioneer unit of the Legion reintroduced the symbols of the Napoleonic pioneers: the beard, the axe, the leather apron, the crossed-axes insignia, and the leather gloves. If the parades of the Legion are opened by this unit, it is to commemorate the traditional role of the pioneers "opening the way" for the troops. The pioneer unit is made up for parades of selected men taken in both
3075-617: A proposed new drill hall because the War Office took so long to approve plans, and Essex had to wait five years before it received approval for the construction of new rifle ranges . Good facilities were regarded by the associations as important for efficiency, unit esprit de corps and recruitment, and the authorities' parsimony and apparent obstruction were seen as undermining these. The force failed to retain large numbers of men after their initial enlistment expired, and it consistently fell short of its established strength. It reached
3280-730: A rank lower than their regular counterparts. Although the Territorial Force provided many officers for the regular army, very few were appointed to higher commands, despite pre-war promises by Haldane that they would be. In 1918, government efforts to defend the military record on senior territorial promotions failed to acknowledge that most were temporary and in home units. Ian Macpherson , Under-Secretary of State for War, conceded that just ten territorial officers commanded brigades and only three had been promoted to highest grade of General Staff Officer. The territorials received scant recognition for their early enthusiasm. The Army Council refused to grant any special decorations for those who had accepted
3485-554: 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. As demands on
3690-402: A recognisable entity distinct from the regular and New Army forces. It suffered some 84,000 casualties during the offensive, and the indiscriminate replacement of these with recruits who had been conscripted into the army rather than volunteering specifically for the Territorial Force marked the beginning of the end for the territorial identity. Fourteen second-line divisions were formed during
3895-544: A reinforcement for the Expeditionary Force. Because the military authorities regarded the Territorial Force as weak and saw no value in an auxiliary that was not liable for foreign service, they prioritised expenditure on the regular army, leaving the force armed with obsolete weapons. On the outbreak of the First World War , Lord Kitchener by-passed the Territorial Force and, with the approval of
4100-466: A sense of family or club. A similar sentiment was exploited in raising the New Army pals battalions , but in the Territorial Force this was reinforced by a pedigree that New Army units did not possess; most territorial units could trace a lineage back to the early or mid 19th century through units of yeomanry or volunteers which had for generations been a part of local communities and social life. In
4305-508: 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
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#17327721902924510-506: A superior US force. The battle was described as a "rampage of VC who threw satchels at the command bunker, knifed Americans in their sleep and destroyed all communications equipment. The Ottoman Empire had an infantry corp named Lağımcılar Ocağı (literally: Sapper Corps ). These infantries were used in most of the Empire's sieges, demolishing enemy fortifications and defences. Sapper Island, St. Joseph Channel, Algoma District, Ontario
4715-488: A tunnel from the forward-most sap up to and under the fort wall, then place a charge of gunpowder and ignite it, causing an explosion that would destroy the wall and permit attacking infantry to close with the enemy. This was dangerous work, often lethal to the sappers, and was fiercely resisted by the besieged enemy. Since the two tasks went hand in hand and were done by the same troops, native Indian engineer corps came to be called "sappers and miners". Sapper (abbreviated Spr)
4920-685: 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. The various part-time reserve forces were amalgamated into
5125-470: A yeomanry mounted division, deployed without its horses as infantry, had reinforced British Empire forces engaged in the Gallipoli Campaign . Their landings were chaotic; the 125th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade , for example, landed nearly a week before the other two brigades of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. The infantry were rushed into battle without any opportunity to acclimatise, and
5330-543: Is an engineer branch soldier specialized in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare . The bombeiros-sapadores ("sapper-firefighters") are the civil municipal professional firefighters that exist in the main cities of the country. The largest unit of this type is the Regimento de Bombeiros Sapadores ("sapper-firefighters regiment") maintained by the Lisbon municipal council. The sapadores florestais (forest sappers) are
5535-581: Is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and around the world. 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,
5740-598: Is known as the "father of Japanese Kōhei " ("日本工兵の父"). Engineer Branch officers were considered technology specialists along with Artillery Branch (砲兵科) officers in IJA, except Technical Branch (技術科) officers who have an academic degree in science or engineering and developed military technology. Selected Engineer and Artillery officers were educated at the Army Artillery and Engineering School ( 陸軍砲工学校 ). Artillery and Engineering School's Kōtō-ka (高等科, "Higher Course")
5945-558: Is published by the Royal Engineers Central Charitable Trust and is a bi-monthly magazine for all ranks. The present Royal Engineers Association promotes and supports the Corps among members of the Association in the following ways: The Royal Engineers' Yacht Club, which dates back to 1812, promotes the skill of watermanship in the Royal Engineers. They have entered every Fastnet Race since
6150-527: Is shown in the diagram. The raiding force was usually grouped into assault teams, each broken down into several 3–5-man assault cells. Overall, there were generally four operational echelons . An instance of a successful sapper attack conducted by the Viet Cong was the during the Battle of Fire Base Mary Ann . A small number of sappers, through surprise and deft coordination, conducted a successful attack on
6355-483: Is the Royal Engineers ' equivalent of private . This is also the case within the Indian Army Corps of Engineers , Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers , Royal Canadian Engineers , Royal Australian Engineers , South African Army Engineer Formation , Jamaica Defence Force Engineer Regiment, and Royal New Zealand Engineers . The term "sapper" was introduced in 1856, when the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners
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6560-512: Is under the defenders' musket or artillery fire. It comes from the French word sapeur , itself being derived from the verb saper (to undermine, to dig under a wall or building to cause its collapse). This digging was referred to as sapping the enemy fortifications. Saps were excavated by brigades of trained sappers or instructed troops. When an army was defending a fortress with cannons, they had an obvious height and therefore range advantage over
6765-607: The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was one of the few successes in the Battle of Loos on 25 September, but the 46th (North Midland) Division suffered 3,643 casualties in a failed assault against the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13 October. To Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig , commander of the First Army , the 46th Division's failure demonstrated that "some territorial units still need training and discipline". By
6970-586: The 48th (South Midland) and the 49th (West Riding), were among the initial 25 divisions of the Fourth Army , which bore the brunt of the fighting during the four and a half months of the Somme offensive. The 49th Division was committed piecemeal on the first day to the fighting around the Schwaben Redoubt , and two battalions of the 48th Division were attached to the 4th Division and participated in
7175-655: The 58th (2/1st London) and 62nd (2nd West Riding) Divisions were well regarded by the war's end. The 51st (Highland) Division, whose men labelled themselves as "duds" after a slow start, and the two London first-line divisions were among the best in the BEF by 1918. A reputation for dependability resulted in the 48th (South Midland) Division being transferred to Italy to relieve the regular 7th Infantry Division in March 1918. Several territorial divisions overcame poor initial impressions to become effective, dependable formations by
7380-478: The Battle of Doiran in Salonika , played a key role in the capture of Jerusalem on 9 December. The yeomanry provided 18 dismounted regiments which fought as infantry and, in 1917, were formed into the 74th (Yeomanry) Division . This division was transferred to France in 1918 along with the 52nd (Lowland) Division. Five brigades of yeomanry fought in the mounted role, and in 1917 three of them were formed into
7585-638: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF). As the territorials completed their training and the threat of invasion receded, complete divisions were deployed to combat theatres. The first to depart was the 46th (North Midland) Division , which arrived on the Western Front in March 1915. By July, all 14 first-line divisions had been deployed overseas. The Northumberland Brigade of the Northumbrian Division became
7790-803: The British Indian Army of the British Raj . In the Israel Defense Forces a sapper (in Hebrew : פלס, palas ) is the military profession of a combat soldier who went through basic combat engineering training. Most of the sappers are soldiers of the Combat Engineering Corps , but there are also infantry sappers, who are part of the infantry brigades and are organized in engineering companies called פלחה"ן ( palchan ). These companies are integral part of
7995-748: The Corps of Royal Engineers , and their headquarters were moved from the Royal Arsenal , Woolwich, to Chatham, Kent . 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. The old Militia had been an infantry force, other than
8200-610: The Engineer Corps as a whole and also forms part of the informal names of the three combat engineer groups, viz. Madras Sappers , Bengal Sappers and the Bombay Sappers . Each of these groups consist of about twenty battalion-sized engineer regiments and additional company-sized minor engineer units. The three sapper groups are descended from the sapper and miner groups of the East India Company and later
8405-707: The Falklands War , 37 (FI) Engineer Regiment was active from August 1982 until 14 March 1985. The Royal Engineers Museum is in Gillingham in Kent. 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 . The Royal Albert Hall was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of
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8610-556: The Foreign Legion . The French Corps of Engineers was created under the command of Marshal Vauban during the late 17th century. Its members were called sappers if their function was to destroy enemy fortifications by using trenches or sape and miners if they engaged in tunnel warfare or mine . The Corps of the Engineers was suppressed during two short periods (1720-1729 and 1769-1793) and sappers and miners were part of
8815-754: The French Imperial Guard , created in 1810. This company was tasked with the protection of the Imperial palaces after the tragic fire of the Austrian embassy in Paris on 1 July 1810. The Paris Fire Service ( gardes-pompes ), a civilian institution, was re-organized as a military unit in September 1811, becoming the Paris Sappers-Firefighters Battalion. Other cities kept or created civilian firefighters services but used
9020-467: The IDF Puma combat engineering vehicle . Combat engineering commanders are qualified as "sapper 08" while combat engineering officers are qualified as "sapper 11". Both go through additional advance training to gain the skills needed for high level sapper profession. The Israel Police also maintains a bomb disposal specialist unit. All police sappers must graduate from a 10-month training program at
9225-644: The Jordan River at Jisr Benat Yakub (also known as Jacob's Ford ). Here the retreating Ottoman and German rearguard had blown up the bridge's central arch, which was repaired in five hours by sappers attached to the Australian Mounted Division . While the light horse brigades forded the river, continuing the Desert Mounted Corps ' advance to Damascus , the sappers worked through the night of 27/28 September 1918, to repair
9430-695: The Korean War , and the War in Afghanistan . The roles of a sapper entail: Bridging with the ACROW or Medium Girder Bridge as well as non-standard bridge construction; obstacle and defensive construction; enemy obstacle reduction and clearance, mine warfare; explosive ordnance disposal; water supply using the reverse-osmosis water purification unit; building and maintaining roadways and airfields; combat diving; tactical breaching; and camp construction. Ultimately,
9635-636: The Nile barrage and irrigation works of Lower Egypt. 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
9840-661: The Northumbrian Division took up positions in the east coast defences, and the following day elements of the Welsh Division were gathered in the area of Pembroke Dock . Some formations assembled close to their bases before moving on to their war stations; the Highland Division , for example, gathered at various locations north of Edinburgh before proceeding to Bedford , north of London. Defence duties resulted in some divisions being dispersed;
10045-503: 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: Much of this work continues to this day. The reform of
10250-551: The Sapper Leader Course , which is operated by the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri . The Sapper Leader Course is a demanding 28-day leadership development course for combat engineers that reinforces critical skills and teaches advanced techniques needed across the army. It is also designed to build esprit de corps by training soldiers in troop-leading procedures, demolitions (conventional and expedient), and mountaineering operations. The course culminates in an intense field-training exercise that reinforces
10455-433: The Second World War the Royal Engineers' Blue Ensign was flown from the Mulberry harbours . 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
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#173277219029210660-446: The Sinai and Palestine Campaign . The EEF comprised forces from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and India, and the British contribution was predominantly territorial. Most of the infantry was provided by the four territorial divisions that had fought at Gallipoli. When the 42nd Division was transferred to France in March 1917, it was replaced in July by the second-line 60th (2/2nd London) Division . The latter, having already fought during
10865-409: The Survey of Pakistan is part of the corps. Initially part of the Indian Corps of Engineers , it dates back to 1780 but came to its modern form in 1947 following the Independence of Pakistan . Since then it has taken part in all wars including 1965 War , 1971 War and Kargil War . It has completed the Pakistan portion of Karakoram Highway . The corps is taking part in Operation Zarb-e-Azb In
11070-443: The Territorial Force in 1908, which was retitled the Territorial Army after the First World War, and the Army Reserve in 2014. Units from the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery were in Australia, even after Federation. 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 . The First World War saw
11275-474: The United States Army , sappers are combat engineers who support the front-line infantry , and they have fought in every war in U.S. history. For example, after the Battle of Yorktown , General Washington cited Louis Lebègue Duportail , the chief of engineers, for conduct that afforded "brilliant proofs of his military genius." Designation as a "sapper" is also earned as an additional proficiency. The U.S. Army authorizes four skill tabs for permanent wear above
11480-439: The Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. In 1998, HMSO published an account of the 55 British and Commonwealth 'Sappers' who have been awarded the Victoria Cross . The book was written by Colonel GWA Napier, former Royal Engineers officer and a former director of the Royal Engineers Museum . The book defines
11685-502: The Volunteer Force and the yeomanry . Battalions of the militia and Volunteer Force had been linked with regular army regiments since 1872, and the militia was often used as a source of recruitment into the regular army. The terms of service for all three auxiliaries made service overseas voluntary. The Second Boer War exposed weaknesses in the ability of the regular army to counter guerrilla warfare which required additional manpower to overcome. The only reinforcements available were
11890-402: The Western Front during the initial German offensive of 1914 , and the force filled the gap between the near destruction of the regular army that year and the arrival of the New Army in 1915. Territorial units were deployed to Gallipoli in 1915 and, following the failure of that campaign, provided the bulk of the British contribution to allied forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign . By
12095-409: The Yeomanry Mounted Division . The yeomanry mounted some of the last cavalry charges ever made by British forces; the Charge at Huj on 8 November 1917 by the 1/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry and 1/1st Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars , followed five days later with a charge by the 1/1st Royal Bucks Hussars in the Battle of Mughar Ridge . By the end of a campaign in which the EEF had advanced across
12300-450: 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. Royal Engineers Journal - published tri-annually and contains articles with a military engineering connection. The first Journal
12505-574: The sappe by firing down its length. As they pressed forward, a position was prepared from which a cannon could suppress the defenders on the fort's bastions. The sappers would then change the course of their trench, zig-zagging toward the fortress wall. Each leg brought the attacker's artillery closer until the besieged cannon would be sufficiently suppressed for the attackers to breach the walls. Broadly speaking, sappers were originally experts at demolishing or otherwise overcoming or bypassing fortification systems. An additional term applied to sappers of
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#173277219029212710-446: 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. 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. Several Corps have been formed from the Royal Engineers. The following Royal Engineers have been awarded
12915-425: The 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. Second-line units immediately assumed that the third line would take over their home-based duties, in the belief that second-line divisions would be deployed overseas. Many second-line battalions refused to take recruits who had not accepted the Imperial Service Obligation, a practice that was not officially sanctioned until March 1915 when the option to enlist only for home service
13120-495: The 53rd (Welsh) Division and the 60th (2/2nd London) Division in Palestine were transferred to France and replaced with Indian battalions in 1916. The 75th Division was formed in Egypt in March 1917 with territorial units transferred from India, though it too was subsequently 'indianised'. Several territorial battalions from the 42nd (East Lancashire), 46th (North Midland) and 59th (2nd North Midland) Divisions were reduced to training cadres, demobilised or disbanded shortly before
13325-406: The 54th (East Anglian) Division did not receive any formal instruction about the nature of the campaign for the first four weeks of its participation in it. Some battalions of the 53rd (Welsh) Division were second-line units and had still been supplying replacement drafts to first-line units, and the division was given only two weeks notice that it was to go to Gallipoli. The 42nd Division impressed
13530-456: The Artillery regiments. In 1793, the Corps was reorganized into companies of miners and battalions of sappers, each assigned to a particular division. Eventually, as the missions of the Corps grew more diversified, additional titles were used by combat engineers, such as Conductor ( sapeur-conducteur ) in 1810, entrusted with the logistics of the Corps, Firefighter ( sapeur-pompier ) in 1810 or telegraph sapper ( sapeur-télégraphiste ). In 1814,
13735-411: The BEF before the New Army was ready forced Kitchener to deploy territorial units overseas, compromising the force's ability to defend the homeland. To replace foreign-service units, the Territorial Force was doubled in size by creating a second line which mirrored the organisation of the original, first-line units. Second-line units assumed responsibility for home defence and provided replacement drafts to
13940-426: The British Indian Army was "miner." The native engineer corps were called "sappers and miners," for example, the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners . The term arose from a task done by sappers to further the battle after saps were dug. The saps permitted cannons to be brought into firing range of the besieged fort and its cannons, but often the cannons themselves were unable to breach the fort walls. The engineers would dig
14145-399: 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
14350-427: The Corps increased, its manpower was expanded from a total (including reserves) of about 25,000 in August 1914, to 315,000 in 1918. 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
14555-460: The Drummond light, the instrument that Drummond invented whilst surveying in Ireland. 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
14760-602: The Engineers, thus creating the title sapeurs-pontonniers . In 1909, the Engineering Arm of the Army Staff was entrusted the burgeoning Air Service ( Aérostation militaire ), its personal was titled sapper-airman ( sapeur-aérostier ). The titled was disused in 1914 when the Air Service took its independence from the Engineering Arm. The first fire company created by Napoléon I was a military sapper company of
14965-457: The Expeditionary Force, hoped that up to a quarter of all territorials would volunteer on mobilisation . The Imperial Service Obligation was introduced in 1910 to allow territorials to volunteer in advance. It was illegal to amalgamate or disband territorial units or transfer members between them. The reforms were not received well by the auxiliaries. The exclusion of the militia rendered Haldane's target of just over 314,000 officers and men for
15170-529: 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 . 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. The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all
15375-863: The Imperial Service Obligation before the war. The Territorial War Medal , awarded to those who had volunteered for service overseas in the first months of the war, was denied to volunteers who had been held back even though they rendered invaluable service training the rest of the army. Those who served in India received no campaign medal. The three territorial divisions sent to India in 1914 felt penalised by their early readiness. The men were placed on lower, peacetime rates of pay; gunners had to purchase equipment that should have been issued; officers attending courses were not fully reimbursed for their hotel expenses; and non-commissioned officers promoted after arrival had to protest before they received
15580-522: The Infantry and the Engineers regiments of the Legion. In the Hellenic Army , there is the "mechanic" or "Corps of Engineers" (μηχανικό; michaniko ). The Italian Army uses the term "Guastatori" for its combat engineers, "Pionieri" for its construction engineers, "Pontieri" for its bridging engineers, and "Ferrovieri" for its railroad engineers. In Portugal, the term "sapper" is used both in
15785-665: The London County Territorial Association, wrote in the National Review that the country would have to choose between an under-strength voluntary auxiliary and compulsory service. In his opinion, the Territorial Force was the last chance for the volunteer tradition, and its failure would pave the way for conscription. Advocacy for compulsory service was led by the National Service League (NSL), which regarded reliance on
15990-556: The London Regiment. Battlefield amalgamations were a military necessity which threatened the legal protections on territorial unit integrity. Although the territorials were proving their worth in defensive operations, the commanders of the regular formations to which they were attached still did not trust their abilities. The regulars regarded the primary function of the territorials to be the release of regular battalions for offensive operations. The territorials were employed in
16195-473: The Military Service Acts of 1916. These permitted the amalgamation and disbandment of units and the transfer of territorials between them, introduced conscription, and required territorials either to accept the Imperial Service Obligation or leave the force and become liable for conscription. The last recruits to voluntarily enlist in a specific unit of the Territorial Force before the choice
16400-601: The PAVN and Viet Cong commando–sapper units which were organized as independent formations. While not always successful due to lack of appropriate personal weapon types for combat and assault like other special forces , they were still capable of inflicting heavy damage with their non-firearms arsenal. During the Vietnam War, they were armed with various types of bombs, mines, explosive charges, grenades and even steel-pellet mines which proved especially devastating. These are still
16605-552: The Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers . 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 . 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,
16810-631: 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. They may also undertake
17015-671: 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. It was renamed the School of Military Engineering in 1868 and granted the "Royal" prefix in 1962. The Royal Engineers, Ports Section, operated harbours and ports for the army and used mainly specialised vessels such as tugs and dredgers. During
17220-804: The Sinai, through Palestine, and into Syria, territorial casualties numbered over 32,000 – 3,000 more than those suffered by British regular, Australian, New Zealand and Indian forces combined. The much maligned 46th (North Midland) Division redeemed itself in 1918 in a hazardous attack during the Battle of St Quentin Canal . The operation was successfully spearheaded by the 137th (Staffordshire) Brigade , which included two battalions that were almost disbanded because of their alleged poor performance at Gommecourt two years earlier. The seven untested second-line divisions saw their first actions in 1917. They generally suffered, undeservedly, from poor reputations, although
17425-597: 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. The Western Heights of Dover are one of the most impressive fortifications in Britain. They comprise
17630-466: The Territorial Force unattainable. The new terms of service imposed an increased commitment on members compared to that demanded by the previous auxiliary institutions. By 1 June 1908, the force had attracted less than 145,000 recruits. Despite considerable efforts to promote the new organisation to the former auxiliary institutions, less than 40 per cent of all existing auxiliaries transferred into it. The county territorial associations emphasised pride in
17835-468: The Territorial Force. After three attempts to persuade them, Haldane abolished the militia and created the Special Reserve . Crucially, Haldane's efforts were based on the premise that home defence rested with the navy and that the imperative for army reform was to provide an expeditionary capability. His reorganisation of the regular army created a six-division Expeditionary Force, and his plan
18040-416: The War Office promise that the second line would no longer be trawled for replacements to be sent to the first line. By this time, second-line battalion establishments had been reduced to 400 men, less than half the number normally serving in an infantry battalion at full strength. It took on average 27 months to prepare a second-line formation for active service, compared to eight months for the first line, and
18245-511: The War Office which, when finally forthcoming, often rejected the associations' plans outright or refused to allocate the full financing requested. In 1909, the Gloucestershire association complained that "most of our association are businessmen and are unable to understand why it takes ten weeks and upwards to reply" after waiting for a response to its proposed purchase of a site for a field ambulance unit. Somerset lost three sites for
18450-452: The Western Front, individual battalions were attached to regular army formations and sent into action, and the territorials were credited with playing a key role in stopping the German offensive. The first complete territorial division to be deployed to a combat zone arrived in France in March 1915. Territorial divisions began participating in offensive operations on the Western Front from June 1915 and at Gallipoli later that year. Because of
18655-561: The amalgamation of 44 territorial battalions and the disbandment of a further 21. In July, the 50th (Northumbrian) Division was left with a single territorial battalion when it was reorganised following heavy losses during the Spring Offensive. Its other territorial battalions, having fought in most battles since the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, were reduced to a cadre or disbanded. All but one battalion in each brigade of
18860-484: The army allowed them certain privileges such as the authorization to wear beards . In addition to their beards and axes, they traditionally wear leather aprons and gloves. The pioneers units disappeared during the mid-20th c. century, their last appearance being the short-lived Pioneers Regiments of 1939–1944, a military public works service using the older draftees in the army. Only the Foreign Legion kept using
19065-460: The associations assisted in recruiting the New Army alongside their own work raising and equipping territorial units. The Cambridgeshire , Denbighshire and East Riding associations, for example, together raised 11 New Army units in December 1914. The associations performed remarkably well in equipping their units, despite the fact that the War Office prioritised New Army units and, in the case of
19270-425: The attacker's guns. The attacking army's artillery had to be brought forward, under fire, so as to facilitate effective counter-battery fire . This was achieved by digging what the French termed a sappe (derived from the archaic French word for spade or entrenching tool ). Using techniques developed and perfected by Vauban , the sappers began the trench at such an angle so as to avoid enemy fire enfilading
19475-554: The auxiliaries – nearly 46,000 militiamen served in South Africa and another 74,000 were enlisted into the regular army; some 20,000 men of the Volunteer Force volunteered for active service in South Africa; and the yeomanry provided the nucleus of the separate Imperial Yeomanry for which over 34,000 volunteered. The war placed a significant strain on the regular forces. Against a background of invasion scares in
19680-502: The auxiliary forces and transform the yeomanry from cavalry to mounted infantry . Brodrick's efforts were met with opposition from auxiliary interests in the government, and the yeomanry in particular proved resistant to change. A royal commission on auxiliary forces concluded in 1904 that the volunteer organisations were not fit to defend the country unaided and that the only effective solution would be to introduce conscription . This option, regarded as political suicide by all parties,
19885-578: 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 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 . The Institution of Royal Engineers,
20090-439: 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
20295-498: The beginning of the war, had been its unique possession". For the 1/6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment , losses during the Battle of the Somme had damaged its "territorial influence". Criticisms of the drafting system were voiced in the House of Commons , and territorial representatives expressed concern that the force's unique character was being lost. Military authorities stated their desire to replenish units with replacements from
20500-679: The bomb disposal training center in Beit Shemesh , which includes operational exercises, theoretical studies, and fieldwork. In Japan, Kōhei-ka ( 工兵科 , 工 means "engineer" and 兵 means "soldiers"), or Engineer Branch in English, was a branch (兵科) of the Imperial Japanese Army . General Yūsaku Uehara , who introduced the French sapeur or ingénieur system to IJA and authored the Kōhei Sōten (工兵操典, "Engineers' Manual"),
20705-473: The bridge to enable the division's wheeled vehicles and guns to follow on 28 September. In the Canadian Forces, sappers exist both in the regular force and reserve force. The rank of sapper is used instead of private trained to signify completion of the basic Engineer training course. Canadian sappers have been deployed in many major conflicts in recent history including World War I, World War II,
20910-540: The companies of miners were integrated into the sapper battalions, themselves organized in Engineers Regiments ( régiments du génie ). In 1875, the distinction between miners and sappers was abolished and all members of the Corps of Engineers were titled sappers-miners, though only sapper was used in common usage. In 1894, the pontonniers or bridgemakers were transferred from the Artillery Corps to
21115-492: The construction and maintenance of trenches, and generally performed only supporting actions in the attacks at Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge in early 1915. An exception was the 1/13th Battalion ( Kensington ), London Regiment. During the Battle of Aubers Ridge, the Kensingtons became the first territorial battalion to be deployed in the first wave of a major assault, and was the only battalion to achieve its objective on
21320-559: 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". The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers is the official military band of the RE. The RE Symphony Orchestra
21525-427: The county territorial associations and the War Office was often acrimonious. The associations frequently complained about excessive bureaucracy and inadequate finance. The military authorities begrudged the money that could have been spent on the regular army being wasted on what they perceived as an inefficient, amateur auxiliary. Efforts to provide adequate facilities, for example, were undermined by slow responses from
21730-411: The county territorial associations was significantly reduced in the face of opposition to civilian encroachment in military affairs. Instead, the associations were chaired by Lord Lieutenants and run by traditional county military elites. Militia representatives refused to accept Haldane's plans to allocate a proportion of the militia as a reserve for the regular army and incorporate the remainder into
21935-413: The county territorial associations would be unable to cope with the task of recruiting and training large numbers. He also believed that because so few territorials had thus far volunteered for foreign service, the Territorial Force was better suited for home defence than as a means of expanding the army overseas. At the end of July, territorial Special Service Sections began patrolling the east coast. On
22140-441: The courage of the territorials, he criticised the performance of the 53rd and 54th Divisions. His comments failed to recognise the difficulties the two divisions had faced with the loss of many of their trained men transferred to other units before their arrival at Gallipoli. Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Da Costa, GSO1 of the 54th Division, refuted accusations by Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stopford , commander of IX Corps , that
22345-483: The day before the declaration of war, the 1st London Brigade was dispersed by platoons to protect the rail network between London and Southampton. The remainder of the Territorial Force was mobilised on the evening of 4 August 1914, and war stations were quickly occupied by those units with bases located nearby. By 6 August, for example, units of the Wessex Division were concentrated at Plymouth while those of
22550-602: The day. But the Territorial Force had filled the gaps created in the regular army by the German offensive of 1914, and French wrote that it would have been impossible to halt the German advance without it. The 51st (Highland) Division participated in an attack on 15 June 1915 in the Second Action of Givenchy, part of the Second Battle of Artois . The division had lost several of its original battalions to piecemeal deployment and had been brought up to strength only
22755-706: The defensive battles of the initial German offensive during the Race to the Sea . Among the first to see action was the London Scottish, which suffered 640 casualties on 31 October 1914 during the Battle of Messines . It was in action again during the First Battle of Ypres in November, and was praised as a "glorious lead and example" to the rest of the Territorial Force by Field Marshal Sir John French , commander of
22960-473: The desperate fighting, earning further praise from French for their tenacity and determination. Several other territorial battalions attached to regular army formations fought with distinction in the defence of Ypres, at the cost of heavy casualties. The three battalions of the Monmouthshire Regiment were temporarily amalgamated into a single composite battalion, as were three battalions of
23165-555: The division lacked attacking spirit and was badly led. Da Costa claimed that its poor performance was entirely due to the way it had been "chucked ashore" and thrown into a poorly-coordinated and ill-defined attack. Following a successful British defence of the Suez Canal , the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was formed in March 1916 and went over to the offensive against German and Ottoman forces in
23370-502: The duties referenced. Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army , created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription . The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry into a unified auxiliary, commanded by the War Office and administered by local county territorial associations . The Territorial Force
23575-630: The end of May. Battalion strengths fluctuated throughout training as men were drafted to first-line units. The division was still only at two-thirds strength when it attacked at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 alongside the Australian 5th Division . The heavy casualties suffered by the Australians were blamed on the failure of the territorials' assaulting battalions to take a key position. By August 1915, four territorial infantry divisions and
23780-586: The end of the month) had accepted the Imperial Service Obligation. Despite the low uptake before the war, 72 per cent of the rank and file volunteered for foreign service by the end of September. The first full territorial divisions to be deployed overseas were used to free up imperial garrisons. The East Lancashire Division was sent to Egypt in September, and three territorial divisions had been deployed to India by January 1915. Territorial battalions released regular troops stationed at Aden, Cyprus , Gibraltar and Malta . Five regular army divisions were created from
23985-539: The end of the war. The 61st (2nd South Midland) Division, for example, blamed for the failure at Fromelles, was commended by Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough , commander of the Fifth Army , as the best performing of his 11 front-line divisions in the initial onslaught of the German spring offensive in March 1918. As the war progressed, Britain began to struggle with manpower shortages, prompting changes which affected
24190-400: The first day's fighting. The 48th Division itself went into action on 16 July, and by the end of September the remaining four territorial divisions – the 47th (1/2nd London), 50th (Northumbrian), 51st (Highland) and 55th (West Lancashire) – had relieved battle-weary units and gone into action. Although the 46th Division's poor performance at Gommecourt cemented a perception that it
24395-451: The first half of the war, territorial casualties were generally replaced with drafts from a battalion's own reserve. Although there were some cases of replacements being sourced from different regions or non-territorial units, in mid-1916 the ranks of the territorial units were still largely populated by men who had volunteered specifically for service as a territorial in their local regiment. The legal protections for this were stripped away by
24600-551: The first line. The second line competed with the New Army for limited resources and was poorly equipped and armed. The provision of replacements to the first line compromised the second line's home defence capabilities until a third line was raised to take over responsibility for territorial recruitment and training. The second line's duties were further complicated by the expectation, later confirmed, that it too would be deployed overseas. Territorial units were initially deployed overseas to free up regular units from non-combat duties. On
24805-415: The first territorial formation larger than a battalion to fight under its own command when it participated in an abortive counter-attack on 26 April 1915 during the Second Battle of Ypres . It suffered 1,954 casualties and earned a personal congratulation from French. The division had deployed only three days earlier; the rest of its units were attached piecemeal to other formations and immediately thrown into
25010-510: The first- and second-line units, but when unable to do so, replacements were sent from the Training Reserve. The system was organised by region, so even if a battalion did not receive replacements from its own regiment they were generally sourced from an appropriate locality, but it did not guarantee unit integrity. After the heavy losses sustained during the Somme offensive, dilution of the territorial identity accelerated because of
25215-631: The fixed positions broke, they built deep dugouts such as the Vampire dugout to protect troops from heavy shelling. 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
25420-428: The force in preference to the new or regular armies. They had elected to join local regiments and been imbued with an esprit de corps during their training in those regiments' own second and later third lines. The strong sense of locality was reinforced by a shared civilian background – it was not uncommon for territorials to be employed in the same office, mill or factory – and many territorial memoirs betray
25625-412: The force throughout its existence. The Territorial Force was established on 1 April 1908 by the amalgamation of the Volunteer Force and the yeomanry. The Volunteer Force battalions became the infantry component of the Territorial Force and were more closely integrated into regular army regimental establishments they had previously been linked to; for example, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Battalions of
25830-424: The force would not reach a standard at which two territorial divisions could be considered the equal of one regular division as planned. In 1908 and 1914, it was decided that two of the army's six expeditionary divisions should be retained in the UK for home defence, so ineffective was the Territorial Force perceived to be in the role to which it had been assigned. In 1910, Lord Esher , pro-conscription chairman of
26035-464: The front, the territorials would spend several days in further training behind the lines before undergoing a period of trench acclimatisation. When the battalion was considered proficient, or when the pressure to relieve a regular unit became too severe, the territorials were allocated their own sector of the front. The time between arriving at brigade and taking over the trenches varied from between six days to one month. The territorials were thrown into
26240-431: The infantry brigades. Combat engineering corps sappers are arranged in battalions. Each sapper goes through high level infantry training, which qualifies him as rifleman 06 (רובאי 06). Combat engineering sappers are qualified as "sapper 06" (פלס 06). They are skilled in infantry combat, basic sabotage , landmine planting and demining , use of explosives , breaching and opening routes, trench warfare , and operating
26445-399: The influx of replacements who had no territorial affiliation. Some units still maintained a regional identity; the 56th (1/1st London) Division, for example, retained its essentially London character despite the fact that the four battalions of its 168th Brigade received replacements from at least 26 different regiments during the battle. Others experienced substantial dilution by the end of
26650-467: The main weapons of the đặc công . These elite units served as raiders against American/ ARVN troops, and infiltrated spearheads during the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, where they seized key road and bridge assets, destroyed installations, attacked command and control nodes located deep inside enemy territory, planted explosives on U.S. water craft, and otherwise helped the PAVN's rapid mobile forces advance. A typical PAVN/VC đặc công organization
26855-698: The major conflicts of the British Army and almost all of the minor ones as well. 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
27060-488: The military and in the civilian environment. In the Portuguese Army , a sapador de engenharia (engineering sapper) is a soldier of the engineer branch that has specialized combat engineer training. A sapador de infantaria (infantry sapper) is a soldier of the infantry branch that has a similar training and who usually serves in the combat support sapper platoon of an infantry battalion. A sapador NBQ (NBC sapper)
27265-458: The military authorities, raised instead the New Army of volunteers to expand the regular army. His decision was based not only on professional prejudice – he regarded the territorials as a joke, led by "middle-aged professional men who were allowed to put on uniform and play at soldiers" – but also on an appreciation of the constraints imposed by the force's constitution. He feared that
27470-431: The military authorities. Territorial officers and specialists such as doctors, vets, drivers, cooks and dispatch riders received less pay than their counterparts in New Army and regular units. Officers were considered junior to their regular counterparts of the same rank, leading some to remove the 'T' insignia from their uniforms as a badge of inferiority, and commanders of second-line brigades and third-line battalions were
27675-718: The military ranks and organization of the Paris Battalion. In 1831, National Guard engineers companies became the reserve components of the Fire Services and kept their military organization even after the disappearance of the National Guard in 1852. Sapper-firefighter is the common title of the civilian and Paris firefighters in France, but the other military firefighters units, such as the Marseille Naval Fire Battalion , do not use
27880-467: The military. JGSDF Engineer Branch personnel are educated at JGSDF Engineer School ( 陸上自衛隊施設学校 ). In France, sapper ( sapeur ) is the title of military combat engineers and firefighters , both civil and military, (sapper-fireman or sapeur-pompier ). Military sappers fall under the umbrella of the Engineering Arm or Arme du Génie . A related title is pioneer ( pionnier ), used only in
28085-446: The more affluent urban centres contained a significant proportion of well-educated white-collar workers . Territorial officers were predominantly middle class, meaning that in some units there was little to separate officers from other ranks in terms of social status. Territorial officers were regarded as social inferiors by the regular army's more privileged officer corps. The territorials' relatively narrow social spectrum resulted in
28290-418: The movement, defense, and survival of superordinate and allied forces, and impede those of enemies. The term "sapper" is used in the British Army and Commonwealth nations, the U.S. military, and the militaries of other countries. A sapper, in the sense first used by the French military, was one who dug trenches to allow besieging forces to advance towards the enemy defensive works and forts over ground that
28495-574: The objective of the sappers is to facilitate the living, moving, and to fight for friendly troops on the battlefield and denying the same to enemy forces. The motto of the Canadian Military Engineers is Ubique ( Latin : everywhere ) a motto shared with the Royal Canadian Artillery . The term "sappers", in addition to the connotation of rank of engineer private, is used collectively to informally refer to
28700-423: 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
28905-522: The offensive; the 149th (Northumberland) Brigade, for example, received large numbers of replacements from East Anglia, Northamptonshire , London and the Midlands . By March 1917, a significant proportion of the men in the second-line 61st (2nd South Midland) Division came from outside the South Midlands due to the replacement of losses suffered at the Battle of Fromelles. By the end of the year,
29110-403: The old style of individualism". 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. They also lost the 1874 FA Cup Final , to Oxford University A.F.C. Their greatest triumph was the 1874–75 FA Cup . In the final against Old Etonians , they drew 1–1 with a goal from Renny-Tailyour and went on to win
29315-461: The only sappers or combat engineers present at the historical Battle of Khe Sanh belonged to US, South Vietnamese and (opposing) North Vietnamese units. In the 2008 science-fiction novel The Last Colony , a fictitious "sapper field" technology is used to disrupt enemy weapons operation. Rudyard Kipling's poem "Sappers" (1896) detailed some of the duties of Sappers in the British Army of Victorian times. The notes on this poem further explain
29520-600: The opening battles in France, Kitchener came under pressure to make up the losses. With the New Army not yet ready, he was forced to fall back on the territorials. Despite the preference of General Ian Hamilton , Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces, for the Territorial Force to be deployed to the Western Front in complete brigades and divisions, it was deployed piecemeal. Because of the pressing need for troops, individual battalions were sent as soon as they reached
29725-607: The origins of the modern corps, along with those of the Royal Artillery , lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century. 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,
29930-489: The outbreak of the First World War. It was not considered to be an effective military force by the regular army and was denigrated by the proponents of conscription. Lord Kitchener chose to concentrate the Territorial Force on home defence and raise the New Army to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, a decision which disappointed the territorials. The need to replace heavy losses suffered by
30135-491: The pay increase to which they were entitled. The divisions were still stationed there at the war's end, despite promises made by Kitchener that they would be redeployed to France within a year. Indications that they would be the first to be demobilised proved false when the outbreak of the Third Anglo-Afghan War forced the government to retain some territorial units in India until 1920. The poor treatment of
30340-526: The popular press as the "Territorial Farce". The NSL's president – the former Commander-in-Chief of the Forces , Lord Roberts – enlisted the support of serving officers in a campaign against it, and in 1913 the Army Council declared its support for conscription. Even prominent members of the force itself favoured compulsory service, and by April 1913 ten county territorial associations had expressed support for it. The relationship between
30545-541: The press, George Wyndham , Under-Secretary of State for War , conceded in Parliament in February 1900 that instead of augmenting the regular army's defence of the British coast, the auxiliary forces were the main defence. The questionable performance of the volunteers, caused by poor standards of efficiency and training, led to doubts in both government and the regular army about the auxiliary's ability to meet such
30750-581: The professionals maintained by the government , local authorities and large private forestry companies, who cleans and maintain forests and prevents and fights forest fires . In the Pakistan Army , sapper officers perform combat and normal engineer duties. The Corps is led by the Engineer-in-Chief who is a Lt Gen . The current Engineer-in-Chief is Lt Gen Khalid Asghar. The Frontier Works Organization , Military Engineering Service and
30955-493: The rank and file were under 20 years old; in the opinion of the Inspector-General of the Home Forces , this proportion rendered the force too immature to be effective. In 1913, approximately 40,000 territorials were under 19 years old, the minimum age at which they could volunteer for service overseas. Barely seven per cent of the force had accepted the Imperial Service Obligation, seriously compromising its viability as
31160-598: The regular army's Gloucestershire Regiment became the regiment's 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions (Territorial Force). The infantry was organised into 14 territorial divisions , each of three brigades . The yeomanry regiments became the mounted component of the Territorial Force, organised into 14 mounted brigades. Brigades and divisions were equipped with integral supporting arms along regular army lines, comprising territorial units of artillery (totalling 182 horse and field batteries), engineers and signals, along with supply, medical and veterinary services. Each territorial unit
31365-544: The regular infantry". There were eight first-line territorial divisions on the Western Front at the start of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. Two of them, the 46th (North Midland) Division and the 56th (1/1st London) Division , went into action on the first day in a disastrous attack on the Gommecourt Salient , a diversionary operation conducted by the Third Army . Two more territorial divisions,
31570-470: The regulars with its spirit in the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June. The 155th (South Scottish) Brigade of the 52nd (Lowland) Division assaulted with such determination in July that it overran its objective and came under fire from French allies. The 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade suffered over 50 per cent casualties in the Battle of Gully Ravine on 28 June, and a battalion of the 54th Division
31775-400: The replay 2–0 with two further goals from Renny-Tailyour. Their last FA Cup Final appearance came in 1878 , again losing to the Wanderers. They last participated in 1882–83 FA Cup , losing 6–2 in the fourth round to Old Carthusians F.C. The Engineers' Depot Battalion won the FA Amateur Cup in 1908. On 7 November 2012, the Royal Engineers played against the Wanderers in a remake of
31980-412: The reshuffle indicated that the Territorial Force had exceeded the expectations of the military authorities, and the territorials' time with the regulars generally resulted in a strong camaraderie and mutual respect between the two. French reported in February 1915 the praise of his commanders for their territorials, who were "fast approaching, if they had not already reached, the standards of efficiency of
32185-421: The rest of the British land forces, bore little resemblance beyond a geographic origin to those that had sailed in 1914 and 1915. By 1918, there was little to differentiate between regular, territorial and New Army divisions. Failure to guarantee the integrity of its units was the most contentious of several grievances felt by the territorials against what they perceived as a hostile and patronising attitude from
32390-453: The same regiment or regimental district, but stressed that the Military Service Acts had removed any obligation to do so and that military expediency sometimes necessitated not doing so. As the availability of men of military age dwindled, it became increasingly difficult to source replacements from some sparsely populated regions. The largely rurally recruited 48th (South Midland) and 54th (East Anglian) Divisions became increasingly diluted as
32595-422: The same trend could be seen in the first-line 48th (South Midland) Division. The indiscriminate replacement of casualties prompted rueful comments about the damage being done to the nature of the Territorial Force. The historian C. R. M. F. Cruttwell , serving with the 1/4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment , lamented that, by the end of 1916, the battalion had "lost its exclusive Berkshire character which, at
32800-477: The sapper title, as they had no military engineers lineage. Since the 18th century, every grenadier battalion in the French Army had a small unit of pioneers , sometimes called sappers-pioneers ( sapeurs-pionniers ). They had the mission to advance under enemy fire in order to destroy the obstacles drawn by the enemy and to clear the way for the rest of the infantry . The danger of such missions resulted in pioneers having short life expectancies. Because of this,
33005-429: The second in 1926, which they won sailing IIlex . 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. Wall states that the "Sappers moved in unison" and showed the "advantages of combination over
33210-416: The second line often lacked sufficient weapons and ammunition. The desire among the second-line commanders to maintain a level of training and efficiency in readiness for their own deployment led to friction with their first-line counterparts, who accused the second line of holding back the best men and sending sub-standard replacements to the first line. When the regular army suffered high attrition during
33415-427: The second-line units the responsibility for providing replacement drafts to territorial combat units. Territorial battalions were numbered according to line so that, for example, the three lines of the 6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, became the 1/6th, 2/6th and 3/6th Battalions. In May 1915, territorial divisions were numbered in order of their deployment overseas; the East Lancashire Division, for example, became
33620-441: The specialist selection and training to qualify as Commandos or Military Parachutists . Women are eligible for all Royal Engineer specialities. 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
33825-452: The summer of 1915, six complete territorial divisions had been deployed to France. Many of the 52 territorial units still attached to regular army formations were returned to their own parent commands. This allowed the professionals to remove from their formations an element made awkward by its specific terms of service. The regulars found the territorials to be slow to move and recuperate, and better in static defence than attack. Nevertheless,
34030-409: The territorials in India resulted in low support across south-west England and the home counties , the regions from which the three divisions were recruited, when the Territorial Force was reconstituted after the war. The county territorial associations experienced a steady erosion of responsibilities as the war progressed. Although disappointed by Kitchener's decision to bypass the Territorial Force,
34235-475: The territorials. The 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) and 65th (2nd Lowland) Divisions had already been disbanded in July 1916 and March 1917 respectively. The remaining four home-based divisions lost their territorial affiliation when they were reconstituted as part of the Training Reserve over the winter of 1917/1918. In early 1918, every brigade in the BEF was reduced from four to three battalions. The reductions targeted second-line and New Army units, and resulted in
34440-739: The troops released by the territorials' deployments. The extent to which territorials accepted the obligation varied considerably between battalions; some registered 90 per cent or more acceptance, others less than 50 per cent. The difficulties were not restricted to the rank and file, and many battalions sailed for foreign service with officers who had been newly promoted or recruited to replace those who had chosen to remain at home. The territorials faced difficulties as they trained up to operational standard. Some artillery units did not get an opportunity to practise with live ammunition until January 1915. Rifle practice suffered due to lack of rifles, practice ammunition and ranges on which to use them. Because there
34645-399: The unit patch on the left shoulder (Army Regulation 670-1 Chapter 29–13, Sub-Paragraph f). Along with the Sapper Tab , the Special Forces Tab , Ranger Tab , and President's Hundred Tab identify soldiers who have passed a demanding course of military instruction and have demonstrated their competence in particular specialties and skills. To wear the Sapper Tab, a soldier must graduate from
34850-409: 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 . During the 1980s, the Royal Engineers formed the vital component of at least three Engineer Brigades: 12 Engineer Brigade (Airfield Damage Repair); 29th Engineer Brigade ; and 30th Engineer Brigade . After
35055-697: The use of the battle drills and specialized engineer techniques learned throughout the course. The course is open to enlisted soldiers in the grades of E-4 (P) (Army specialists and corporals on the list for promotion to sergeant) through E-7, cadets, and officers O-3 (Captain) and below. The course is primarily for U.S. Army and USMC combat engineers, but may be attended by all service members with an approved waiver. PAVN (People's Army of Vietnam) and Viet Cong sappers, as they were called by US forces, are better described as commando units. The Vietnamese term đặc công can be literally translated as "special task". Thousands of specially trained elite fighters served in
35260-413: 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
35465-402: The war progressed, while the more urbanised recruitment areas of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division allowed it to remain essentially a Lancashire formation throughout. By the war's end, very few battalions still retained more than a handful of men who had embarked with them at the start of the war. The territorial units that fought in 1917 and 1918, subject to the same system of replacements as
35670-425: The war's end, the Territorial Force had fielded twenty-three infantry divisions and two mounted divisions on foreign soil. It was demobilised after the war and reconstituted in 1921 as the Territorial Army . The force experienced problems throughout its existence. On establishment, fewer than 40 per cent of the men in the previous auxiliary institutions transferred into it, and it was consistently under strength until
35875-411: The war's end, there was little to distinguish between regular, territorial and New Army formations. The British Army of the late 19th century was a small, professional organisation designed to garrison the empire and maintain order at home, with no capacity to provide an expeditionary force in a major war. It was augmented in its home duties by three part-time volunteer institutions, the militia ,
36080-416: The war's end. The apparent cull of territorial units added to the grievances harboured by the Territorial Force about its treatment by the military authorities. Many territorial battalions had strong individual identities based on the geography of their recruitment. The ranks had been filled by men who, at least until direct voluntary recruitment into the Territorial Force ceased in December 1915, had chosen
36285-416: The war, eight of which were deployed overseas. The first to fight in a major battle was the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division . Its constituent units were raised in September and October 1914, and their training was indicative of the difficulties faced by the second line in general. New recruits paraded without uniforms until October and lived at home until the division assembled in January 1915. The infantry
36490-471: The way it was constituted and recruited, the Territorial Force possessed an identity that was distinct from the regular army and the New Army. This became increasingly diluted as heavy casualties were replaced with conscripted recruits following the introduction of compulsory service in early 1916. The Territorial Force was further eroded as a separate institution when county territorial associations were relieved of most of their administrative responsibilities. By
36695-468: 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." 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
36900-409: The world, including the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda , home base for vessels of the North America and West Indies Station . 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
37105-553: 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. 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
37310-407: Was a failed unit and the 49th Division's standing was little better, the territorials generally emerged from the Somme with enhanced reputations. This was echoed by Brigadier-General C. B. Prowse, a brigade commander in the 4th Division, who commented, "I did not before think much of the territorials, but by God they can fight." The Battle of the Somme marked the high point of the Territorial Force as
37515-420: Was abolished. The deployment of second-line units overseas was officially endorsed in mid 1915. Until the third line was ready, the conflicting demands to supply drafts, defend the homeland and prepare for deployment caused problems for the second line. In May 1915, Kitchener informed the War Cabinet that the second line was so denuded of trained men as to render it unreliable for home defence. Only in 1916 could
37720-427: Was also studied by non-artillery and non-engineer officers. Ordinary personnel at Engineer Branch are educated at the Army Engineer School ( 陸軍工兵学校 ) and other schools. JGSDF Shisetsu-ka ( 施設科 , "施設" literally means "facilities"), or Engineer Branch in English, is equivalent to the IJA Kōhei-ka . In accordance with the JSDF's nomenclature, this title was devised to avoid the character for 'soldier', which evokes
37925-424: Was amalgamated with the officer corps of the Royal Engineers to form the Corps of Royal Engineers. During the course of the First World War, some Royal Marines also took the rank of Sapper. This was adopted as tradition in the Royal Marine Divisional Engineers of the Royal Naval Division . During the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I, Australian sappers repaired a bridge at the historic crossing of
38130-547: Was assigned a specific role either in coastal defence, supplementing 81 territorial companies of the Royal Garrison Artillery manning fixed defences, or as part of the mobile Central Force . Training was managed by a permanent staff of regular army personnel attached to territorial units. Recruits to the Territorial Force had to be aged between 17 and 35. They enlisted for a four-year term which could be extended by an obligatory year in times of crisis. Members could terminate their enlistment on three months' notice and payment of
38335-412: Was brought further into question by British military planning; the Royal Navy formed the primary defence against invasion, and studies in 1903 and 1908 concluded that the threat of invasion was negligible, despite popular perceptions to the contrary. The first reform efforts were undertaken in 1901 by William St John Brodrick , Secretary of State for War . They were designed to improve the training of
38540-493: Was complicated for all by the need to reorganise the territorial battalions' outdated eight- company structure to the army's standard four-company battalion. On 15 August, county territorial associations began raising second-line units to replace those scheduled for foreign service. The ranks of the second line were filled by those territorials who could not or did not accept the Imperial Service Obligation. In November, associations started raising third-line units to take over from
38745-407: 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. All members of
38950-444: Was designed to reinforce the regular army in expeditionary operations abroad, but because of political opposition it was assigned to home defence. Members were liable for service anywhere in the UK and could not be compelled to serve overseas. In the first two months of the First World War , territorials volunteered for foreign service in significant numbers, allowing territorial units to be deployed abroad. They saw their first action on
39155-492: Was equipped with old Japanese Arisaka rifles, antique Maxim machine-guns and dummy Lewis guns constructed from wood. The divisional artillery, having initially drilled with cart-mounted logs, was equipped first with obsolete French 90 mm cannons , then with outdated 15-pounder guns and 5-inch howitzers handed down from the first line. The division was not issued with modern weapons until it began intensive training in March 1916, in preparation for its deployment to France at
39360-401: Was equivalent to the Army War College . Some Kōtōka graduates, like Lt. Gen. Takeo Yasuda , continued their studies as Rikugun Ingai Gakusei (陸軍員外学生) at Imperial University of Tokyo's Engineering Faculty and Science Faculty and obtained degrees. Due to the apparent importance of science and technology, Artillery and Engineering School was renamed Army Science School during World War II and
39565-487: Was for the Territorial Force to reinforce it after six months of training following mobilisation. Representatives of the existing auxiliary forces and elements within the Liberal party opposed any foreign service obligation. To ensure their support, Haldane declared the Territorial Force's purpose to be home defence when he introduced his reforms in Parliament, despite having stressed an overseas role eight days previously. The last-minute change caused significant difficulties for
39770-403: 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,
39975-412: Was immediately rejected. Brodrick's successor, H. O. Arnold-Forster , also failed to overcome opposition to his reform efforts. In December 1905, a Liberal government took office, bringing in Richard Haldane as the Secretary of State for War. His vision was for a nation that could be mobilised for war without resorting to conscription – a "real national army, formed by the people". His solution
40180-405: 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
40385-700: Was insufficient transport, a motley collection of carts, private vehicles and lorries were pressed into service. The animals used to pull the non-motorised transport or mount the yeomanry ranged in pedigree from half-blind pit ponies to show horses. The Territorial Force competed with the New Army for recruits, and the War Office prioritised the latter for training and equipment. Many of the regular army staff posted to territorial units were recalled to their parent regiments, and those professionals that still remained were transferred to territorial reserve units in January 1915. Training proved difficult for formations that were widely dispersed as part of their defence duties, and
40590-532: Was left to dig and it is probable that the project was completed by 1807. 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. Although mapping by what became
40795-495: 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 . 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
41000-420: Was named in honour of sappers, especially those who graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada . 46°18′56″N 83°57′29″W / 46.31556°N 83.95806°W / 46.31556; -83.95806 In the 1978 song by Australian rock band Cold Chisel , " Khe Sanh ", the narrator (a fictional Australian army Vietnam War veteran) says "I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh". However,
41205-532: 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). 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. The Sapper
41410-421: Was removed, and who had trained in that unit's third line alongside neighbours and colleagues, had been drafted to their front-line units by May 1916. In September 1916, the regiment-based system for training New Army units was centralised into the Training Reserve. Separately, the 194 territorial third-line units were amalgamated into 87 Reserve Battalions. They retained responsibility for supplying replacements to
41615-418: 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 km) of land were irrigated and 500 miles (800 km) of land to the port of Cocanada
41820-440: Was slaughtered when it advanced too far during an attack on 12 August. The same month, the yeomen of the 2nd Mounted Division suffered 30 per cent casualties during the Battle of Scimitar Hill , and had to be relieved by six dismounted yeomanry brigades which landed in October. The campaign ended in withdrawal in January 1916. Although Hamilton, appointed to command the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in March 1915, praised
42025-405: Was the Territorial Force, financed, trained and commanded centrally by the War Office and raised, supplied and administered by local county territorial associations . Haldane was able to overcome opposition and pass the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 which created the force, though not without compromise. His plan to give civic, business and trade union leaders a major role in running
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