Tank Corps

[Rootes75]

My Great-Grandfather served in WW1 and in a couple of photos i have he wears insignia of the Royal Engineers.
We have now found out through family members that along with his medals he also has a Tank Corps cap badge.
My question is, were Engineers elisted or volunteering into the newly formed Tank Corps?

[jim1]

Originally the Tank Corps was made up of men from the MGC.
Give us his details & we can look him up & see who exactly he was with.
My only guess (& it is only a guess) at the moment is that he may have served on female tanks which were adapted as communication centres so may have been seconded if he was RE Signals.

[Rootes75]

That might make sense, he was very clever with early radios and even made his own. He also served as an Engineer after the war on naval vessels. His name is Frederick George Howlett.

[jim1]

He was Cpl. W/R 296675.The prefix denotes waterways & railways so not Tank Corps.
Slight correction he was 296675 & then W/R507162 which was his Railways & Waterways number but both RE.

[Rootes75]

So, what does it mean by railways and waterways? Is that like his specialism?

[jim1]

They were concerned with maintenance & construction. Mainly railways.
The RE consisted of 2 types, Sappers & Pioneers. The former were all skilled, Pioneers weren't.
It can't be judged from his rank which type he was. What he did pre-war may offer a clue.

[Rootes75]

He was an Engineer on a ship before the war, with that in mind I am surprised that he didn't join the Navy.

[jim1]

The Army needed them more.
So he would have been a Sapper I would think with his skills.
May have worked on Inland Waterways & Docks as they had the WR prefix as well.
His skills could also have been adapted to work on steam engines.
He would have worked on anything of that nature.