| Corps of Royal Engineers | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the Corps of Royal Engineers | |
| Active | 1716–present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Size | 22Regiments |
| Part of | Commander Field Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Chatham,Kent |
| Mottos | Ubique andQuo Fas et Gloria Ducunt ("Everywhere" and "Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latinfas implies "sacred duty")[1] |
| March | Wings (Quick march) |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | King Charles III |
| Chief Royal Engineer | Lieutenant GeneralSir Christopher Tickell |
| Corps Colonel | Colonel Richard Hawkins |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical recognition flash |  |
 |
| Arms of theBritish Army |
|---|
| Combat Arms |
| Combat Support Arms |
| Combat Services |
|
TheCorps of Royal Engineers, usually called theRoyal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as theSappers, is the engineering arm of theBritish Army. It providesmilitary engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by theChief Royal Engineer.
The Corps Headquarters and theRoyal School of Military Engineering are inChatham in Kent, England. The corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at places in theUnited Kingdom and around the world.
The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England byWilliam the Conqueror, specificallyBishop Gundulf ofRochester Cathedral, and claim over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown. Engineers have always served in the armies of the Crown; however, the origins of the modern corps, along with those of theRoyal Artillery, lie in theBoard of Ordnance established in the 15th century.[2]
InWoolwich in 1716, the Board formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery and established aCorps of Engineers, consisting entirely ofcommissioned officers. The manual work was done by theArtificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers. In 1772, aSoldier Artificer Company was established for service inGibraltar, the first instance ofnon-commissioned military engineers.[2]
In 1787, the Corps of Engineers was granted theRoyal prefix, and adopted its current name; in the same year, aCorps of Royal Military Artificers was formed, consisting of non-commissioned officers andprivates, to be led by the Royal Engineers. Ten years later, the Gibraltar company (which had remained separate) was absorbed, and in 1812 the unit's name was changed to theCorps of Royal Sappers and Miners.[2]
The Corps has nobattle honours. In 1832, the regimentalmotto,Ubique &Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt ("Everywhere" & "Where Right And Glory Lead"; in Latinfas implies "sacred duty") was granted.[1] The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all the major conflicts of the British Army and almost all of the minor ones as well.[3][4]
In 1855, the Board of Ordnance was abolished. Authority over the Royal Engineers, Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to theCommander-in-Chief of the Forces, uniting them with the rest of the Army. In 1856, the Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as theCorps of Royal Engineers, and their headquarters were moved from theRoyal Arsenal, Woolwich, toChatham, Kent.[2]
The re-organisation of the British military that began in the mid-Nineteenth Century and stretched over several decades included the reconstitution of theMilitia, the raising of theVolunteer Force, and the ever-closer organisation of the part-time forces with the regular army.[5] The old Militia had been an infantry force, other than the occasional employment of Militiamen to man artillery defences and other roles on an emergency basis. This changed in 1861, with the conversion of some units to artillery roles. Militia and Volunteer Engineering companies were also created, beginning with the conversion of the militia ofAnglesey andMonmouthshire to engineers in 1877.[6][7]
The Militia and Volunteer Force engineers supported the regular Royal Engineers in a variety of roles, including theSubmarine Mining Service 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 theBermuda Volunteer Engineers that wore Royal Engineers uniforms and replaced the regular Royal Engineers companies withdrawn from theBermuda Garrison in 1928.[6][7] The part-time reserve forces were amalgamated into theTerritorial Force in 1908,[8] which was retitled the Territorial Army after the First World War, and theArmy Reserve in 2014.[9]
Units from the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery were in Australia, even after Federation.[10]
In 1911, the Corps formed itsAir Battalion, the first flying unit of theBritish Armed Forces. The Air Battalion was the forerunner of theRoyal Flying Corps andRoyal Air Force.[11]
TheFirst World War saw a rapid transformation of the Royal Engineers as new technologies became ever more important in the conduct of warfare and engineers undertook an increasing range of roles. In the front line they designed and built fortifications, operatedpoison gas equipment, repaired guns and heavy equipment, and conducted underground warfare beneath enemy trenches. Support roles included the construction, maintenance and operation of railways, bridges, water supply and inland waterways, as well as telephone, wireless and other communications.[12] As demands on the Corps increased, its manpower was expanded from a total (including reserves) of about 25,000 in August 1914, to 315,000 in 1918.[13]
In 1915, in response toGermanmining of British trenches under the then static siege conditions of theFirst World War, the corps formed its owntunnelling companies. Manned by experiencedcoal miners from across the country, they operated with great success until 1917, when after the fixed positions broke, they built deep dugouts such as theVampire dugout to protect troops from heavy shelling.[14]
Before theSecond World War, Royal Engineers recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall, 5 feet 2 inches for the Mounted Branch. They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve or four years and eight years. Unlike most corps and regiments, in which the upper age limit was 25, men could enlist in the Royal Engineers up to 35 years of age. They trained at the Royal Engineers Depot inChatham or the Royal Engineer Mounted Depot atAldershot.[15]
In the 1980s, the Royal Engineers formed the vital component of at least three Engineer Brigades:12 Engineer Brigade (Airfield Damage Repair);[16]29th Engineer Brigade; and30th Engineer Brigade.[17] After theFalklands War, 37 (FI) Engineer Regiment was active from August 1982 until 14 March 1985.[18]
TheRoyal Engineers Museum is inGillingham in Kent.[19]
TheRoyal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, which was commanded by ColonelRichard Clement Moody, was responsible for the foundation and settlement ofBritish Columbia as theColony of British Columbia.[20][21]
TheRoyal Albert Hall was designed byCaptain Francis Fowke andMajor-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built byLucas Brothers.[22] The designers were heavily influenced by ancientamphitheatres, but had also been exposed to the ideas ofGottfried Semper while he was working at theVictoria and Albert Museum.[23]
Much of the British colonial era infrastructure of India, of which elements survive today, was created by engineers of the three presidencies' armies and the Royal Engineers. Lieutenant (later General Sir)Arthur Thomas Cotton (1803–99),Madras Engineers, was responsible for the design and construction of the great irrigation works on theriver Cauvery, which watered the rice crops ofTanjore andTrichinopoly districts in the late 1820s.[24]
In 1838, he designed and built sea defences forVizagapatam. He masterminded theGodavery Delta project where 720,000 acres (2,900 km2) of land were irrigated and 500 miles (800 km) of land to the port ofCocanada 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 atDowleswaram.[24]
Other irrigation and canal projects included theGanges Canal, whereColonel 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 theNile barrage and irrigation works of Lower Egypt.[25]
The construction of theRideau Canal was proposed shortly after theWar of 1812, when there remained a persistent threat of attack by the United States on the British colony ofUpper Canada. The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communications route betweenMontreal and the British naval base inKingston, Ontario. Westward from Montreal, travel would proceed along theOttawa River toBytown (nowOttawa), then southwest via the canal to Kingston and out intoLake Ontario. The objective was to bypass the stretch of theSt. Lawrence River borderingNew York State, a route which would have left British supply ships vulnerable to attack or a blockade of the St. Lawrence. Construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant-ColonelJohn By of the Royal Engineers. Directed by him, LieutenantWilliam Denison, determined the strength for construction purposes of old growth timber in the vicinity of Bytown, findings commended by theInstitution of Civil Engineers in England.[26]
TheWestern Heights of Dover are one of the most impressive fortifications in Britain. They comprise a series of forts, strong points and ditches, designed to protect the United Kingdom from invasion. They were created to augment the existing defences and protect the key port of Dover from both seaward and landward attack. First givenearthworks in 1779 against theplanned invasion that year, the high ground west ofDover, England, now called Dover Western Heights, was properly fortified in 1804 when Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Twiss was instructed to modernise the existing defences. This was part of a hugeprogramme of fortification in response toNapoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom. To assist with the movement of troops betweenDover Castle and the town defences Twiss made his case for building the Grand Shaft in the cliff:
"... the new barracks. ... are little more than 300 yards horizontally from the beach. ... and about 180 feet (55 m) above high-water mark, but in order to communicate with them from the centre of town, on horseback the distance is nearly a mile and a half and to walk it about three-quarters of a mile, and all the roads unavoidably pass over ground more than 100 feet (30 m) above the barracks, besides the footpaths are so steep and chalky that a number of accidents will unavoidably happen during the wet weather and more especially after floods. I am therefore induced to recommend the construction of a shaft, with a triple staircase ... the chief objective of which is the convenience and safety of troops ... and may eventually be useful in sending reinforcements to troops or in affording them a secure retreat."[27]
Twiss's plan was approved and building went ahead. The shaft was to be 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter, 140 feet (43 m) deep with a 180 feet (55 m) gallery connecting the bottom of the shaft to Snargate Street, and all for under an estimated £4000. The plan entailed building two brick-lined shafts, one inside the other. In the outer would be built a triple staircase, the inner acting as a light well with "windows" cut in its outer wall to illuminate the staircases. Apparently, by March 1805 only 40 feet (12 m) of the connecting gallery was left to dig and it is probable that the project was completed by 1807.[27]
Two Acts of Parliament allowed for the building ofPentonville 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 designedPentonville Prison, introducing new concepts such as single cells with good heating, ventilation and sanitation.[28]
Although mapping by what became theOrdnance 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:[29]
Much of this work continues to this day. The reform of the voting franchise brought about by theReform Act (1832), demanded that boundary commissions were set up. Lieutenants Dawson andThomas 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 theheliostat and the Drummond light, the instrument that Drummond invented whilst surveying in Ireland.[30]
AnAbney level is an instrument used insurveying 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 SirWilliam de Wiveleslie Abney (1843–1920) who was aRoyal 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 theRoyal School of Military Engineering in Chatham, England, in the 1870s.[31]
The first Royal Engineers officers were posted to Bermuda from 1783, primarily to aid naval hydrographers, notably includingThomas Hurd, with surveys required for the establishment of a base for theNorth America Station (which would absorb theNewfoundland Station in 1825, becoming theNorth America and Newfoundland Station, theJamaica Station in 1830, becoming theNorth America and West Indies Station, and was finally renamed theAmerica and West Indies Station in 1926, having absorbed what had been theSouth East Coast of America Station and thePacific Station) of the Royal Navy at Bermuda and to improve or construct coastal fortifications and other defence works required to secure Bermuda as a naval base. Civilian tradesmen were initially hired to complete works, but units of the Royal Sappers and Miners were subsequently posted to theBermuda Garrison. The Royal Navy operated fromSt. George's Town at the East End of the archipelago from 1794, withAdmiralty House, Bermuda nearby at Rose Hill and then Mount Wyndham, but the Admiralty began purchasing land at the West End in 1795, which would includeIreland Island, for a purpose-built naval yard. Construction of theRoyal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda was underway there by theAmerican War of 1812. Lieutenant-Colonel James Robertson Arnold, Royal Engineers, a son of Brigadier GeneralBenedict Arnold, was posted to Bermuda (which was to be designated as anImperial fortress) in 1816 to oversee the construction works at the dockyard.[32][33]
In 1873, Captain Henry Brandreth RE was appointed Director of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, later theAdmiralty Works Department. Following this appointment many Royal Engineer officers superintended engineering works atRoyal Navy Dockyards in various parts of the world, including the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, home base for vessels of theNorth America and West Indies Station.[34]
Chatham, being the home of the Corps, meant that the Royal Engineers and theDockyard had a close relationship since Captain Brandreth's appointment. At the Chatham Dockyard, CaptainThomas Mould RE designed the iron roof trusses for thecovered slips, 4, 5 and 6. Slip 7 was designed by Colonel Godfrey Greene RE on his move to the Corps from the Bengal Sappers & Miners. In 1886 Major Henry Pilkington RE was appointed Superintendent of Engineering at the Dockyard, moving on to Director of Engineering at the Admiralty in 1890 and Engineer-in-Chief of Naval Loan Works, where he was responsible for the extension of all major Dockyards at home and abroad.[35]
All members of the Royal Engineers are trainedcombat engineers and allsappers (privates) andnon-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.[36] They may also undertake the specialist selection and training to qualify asCommandos orMilitary Parachutists. Women are eligible for all Royal Engineer specialities.[37]
TheRoyal School of Military Engineering (RSME) is the British Army's Centre of Excellence forMilitary Engineering,Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and counter terrorist search training. The school is located on several sites in Chatham, Kent,Camberley in Surrey, andBicester in Oxfordshire. The Royal School of Military Engineering offers training facilities for the full range of Royal Engineer skills. The RSME was founded by Major (later General Sir)Charles Pasley, as theRoyal Engineer Establishment in 1812.[38] It was renamed theSchool of Military Engineering in 1868 and granted the "Royal" prefix in 1962.[39]
The Royal Engineers, Ports Section, operated harbours and ports for the army and used mainly specialised vessels such as tugs and dredgers. During theSecond World War the Royal Engineers' Blue Ensign was flown from theMulberry harbours.[45]
Bishop Gundulf, a monk from the Abbey of Bec in Normandy came to England in 1070 asArchbishopLanfranc's assistant atCanterbury. His talent for architecture had been spotted byKing William I and was put to good use inRochester, where he was sent as bishop in 1077. Almost immediately the King appointed him to supervise the construction of theWhite Tower, now part of theTower of London in 1078. UnderWilliam Rufus he also undertook building work onRochester Castle. Having served three kings of England and earning "the favour of them all", Gundulf is accepted as the first "King's Engineer".[46]
The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers is the officialmilitary band of the RE. The RE Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1880. It was recognised byQueen Victoria seven years later, with her command that they perform atBuckingham Palace for a banquet on the occasion ofher Diamond Jubilee. In 1916–1917, the band touredFrance andBelgium, giving over one hundred and fifty concerts in a journey of 1800 miles. The band continued its tour of Europe following the cessation of hostilities. In 1936, the band performed at the funeral ofGeorge V and played the following year for thecoronation of George VI in 1937. The band appeared at thecoronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, and has since been called on to play at state occasions,military tattoos andmilitary parades. It has notably performed during the opening ceremonies of theChannel Tunnel and theQueen Elizabeth II Bridge.[47]
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The Institution of Royal Engineers, theprofessional institution of theCorps of Royal Engineers, was established in 1875 and in 1923 it was granted itsRoyal Charter byKing George V. The Institution is collocated with the Royal Engineers Museum, within the grounds of theRoyal School of Military Engineering atBrompton in Chatham, Kent.[48]
Royal Engineers Journal - published tri-annually and contains articles with a military engineering connection. The firstJournal 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 (TheJournal eventually superseded theProfessional Papers, which were started by Lieutenant WT Denison in 1837 and continued to be published until 1918).[49]
TheHistory of the Corps of Royal Engineers is currently in its 12th volume. The first two volumes were written by Major GeneralWhitworth Porter and published in 1889.[50]
The Sapper is published by the Royal Engineers Central Charitable Trust and is a bi-monthly magazine for all ranks.[51]
The presentRoyal Engineers Association (REA) - known asThe Sapper Charity[52] promotes and supports the Corps among members of the Association in the following ways:[53][49]
Note: November 2025 the Royal Engineers' Association unveiled a grave marker to honour SapperDorothy Lawrence (1888–1964) atNew Southgate Cemetery.[54]
The Royal Engineers' Yacht Club, which dates back to 1812, promotes the skill of watermanship in the Royal Engineers.[55]
They have entered every Fastnet Race since the second in 1926, which they won sailingIIlex.[56]
The club was founded in 1863, under the leadership of MajorFrancis Marindin. SirFrederick Wall, who was the secretary ofThe 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.[57][58][59] Wall states that the "Sappers moved in unison" and showed the "advantages of combination over the old style of individualism".
The Engineers played inthe first-ever FA Cup Final in 1872, losing 1–0 atKennington Oval on 16 March 1872, to regular rivals Wanderers.[60] They also lost the1874 FA Cup Final, toOxford University A.F.C.
Their greatest triumph was the1874–75 FA Cup.[60] Inthe final againstOld Etonians, they drew 1–1 with a goal fromRenny-Tailyour and went on to win the replay 2–0 with two further goals from Renny-Tailyour.[61][62] Their lastFA Cup Final appearance came in1878, again losing to the Wanderers.[60] They last participated in1882–83 FA Cup, losing 6–2 in the fourth round toOld Carthusians F.C.[60]
The Engineers' DepotBattalion won theFA Amateur Cup in 1908.[63]
On 7 November 2012, the Royal Engineers played against theWanderers in a remake of the 1872 FA Cup Final atThe Oval. Unlike the actual final, the Engineers won, and by a large margin, 7–1 being the final score.[64]
The Army were represented in thevery first international by two members of the Royal Engineers, both playing forEngland, LieutenantCharles Arthur Crompton RE and LieutenantCharles Sherrard RE.[65]
Several Corps have been formed from the Royal Engineers.
| Preceded by | Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
The following Royal Engineers have been awarded theVictoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British andCommonwealth forces.[75]
In 1998,HMSO published an account of the 55British and Commonwealth 'Sappers' who have been awarded theVictoria Cross. The book was written by Colonel GWA Napier, former Royal Engineers officer and a former director of theRoyal Engineers Museum. The book defines 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.[76]
The Royal Engineers have a traditional rivalry with theRoyal Artillery (the Gunners).[78]
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