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World War 2

Recently we've had some new members who served King and Country during World War 2.  The Royal Engineers were formed in a very different way before the 1960s and this site would become impossibly difficult to navigate if I tried to re-create all those individual units. In particular, this site is designed to help those sappers with common interests and experiences to connect, by being easily able to find each other. Therefore as a catch-all I've created this posting as a place where those most-respected sappers can link to each other. From here you can use the forum which I will create on 14th May or use the Message button to give me some more details about your own service. I will then copy those details onto this front page so everyone can see them easily. With much REspect and REgards,

Gordon

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World War 2

Comments

Submitted by Mark Foster on Thu, 2015-11-05 17:20.

My grandfather served in WW2 in Italy and Africa.I am trying to discover why he was mentioned in dispatches and bares van Oak Leaf on his Defence Medal..wondering if anyone could help or direct me to where I may get info Thanks in advance

Submitted by AndrewF on Tue, 2016-08-30 01:00.

My father Lt Col. RD Ferguson RE (Retd) was part of the formation of the unit which was formed with 571, 572 Field Troops in 1940 in the East Devon area following the evacuation from Dunkirk of the British and Expeditionary force. My father was regular army and in 1940 was posted to Ottery St Mary where in Nov 1940 after doing the Mcst Staff Sergeants course at RSME they were billeted in the Ottermill Switchgear factory as the WO2 for the Unit. He also commanded the Plant Troop. In Feb 1941 they embarked and sailed to North Africa (arriving in May 1941) via Cape Town and the Suez canal on a fast Troop Ship. In June 1941 they were attached to 13 Corps and based at Mersa Matruh. They were part of Cunningham's Reconnaissance in Strength and reached Benghazi capturing many Italian prisoners of War. 13 Corps then in the lull were transferred to Palestine and 570 Corps Field Park and other units were transferred to 30 Corps under General Horrocks. With 30 Corps they were at Tobruk, then in the retreat to Alamein. Subsequently he was transferred to the newly formed 573 Mechanised Equipment Coy and put in charge of the Plant Troop in time for the Battle of Alamein. He then won a battlefield commission, subsequently fighting with the unit all the way to Tunis (where he arrived just one week after it was captured). He was part of a small team that captured the airfield at Tripoli and got the airfield operating in record time getting a MD for his role in capturing the airfield. In August 1943 he was commissioned formerly at Ismailia when he was then posted to the E&M Depot in Lahore in India as Adjutant (now Pakistan) as Lt acting Captain where he was until returning to the United Kingdom in March 1945