Royal Engineers

[Genie24]

I have just discovered that my great grandfather Michael Brett born 1877 Batley, Yorkshire was a Sapper in The Royal Engineers - Regimental Number 458094.

He died in  Sunderland in 1940 as a result of a cerebral haemorrhage and a newspaper article about his inquest stated  that he had fought in The Great War  and had  been in hospital  undergoing treatment  for injuries sustained in the war. However, I have never been able to find out which regiment he served with.

I took out a free trial for Fold3 and was overjoyed to find a pension record for him stating that he was discharged on the 30th March 1919. His address was 59 Lees Street, Hendon, Sunderland. They also had the medal roll records for him.

Now I am curious to know where the Royal Engineers fought during the war so I can find out more. Can anyone give me any advice please?

[Jebber]

Unfortunately nearly 70% of WW1 records were lost during the Second World War.

His medal card is not very informative, it doesn't say when or which theatre of war he entered,  without knowing which Field Company he was in you are rather stuck. The Corp of Royal Engineers were all over the place building bridges, digging tunnels and trenches etc. You may not be able to find anything more.

[alan o]

The RE literally were in all theatres and all campaigns.

[MaxD]

In common with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the first word of the Royal Engineers motto is Ubique - Everywhere which is the short answer to your question.

One has to know which of the many units of the Royal Engineers a man belonged to.  This Longlongtrail page https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-corps-of-royal-engineers-in-the-first-world-war /and the links from it show he could have been a signaller, a barge operator or a railwayman to name only 3 of the multitude of trades carried by the RE.

Unfortunately, his service record does not seem to have survived.  His medal record shows only that he served overseas and did not go overseas until after the end of 1915.

Is there anything on his pension record that may be his unit?  Something ending in "Coy" or "Company" for example linked with the initials RE??  Was there a marriage/birth certificate while he was serving?  Was there a 1918 absent voters' lost for the area?  Letters home with a unit?  Local newspapers?

Without his unit we may be stuck.

MaxD

Repeating previous posts but hopefully adding a little.

[Genie24]

Thanks to everyone who replied and apologies for the late response.
Yes, I think that I am not going to find anything else for him. I suppose I am lucky coming across this pension  record as I had almost given up.
I can't see any other references on it or his medal card that give any further clues to his unit apart from RE/101B241 which I think is the National Archives reference  as that is what comes up when I put a search in using that number.
My great grandfather was a stonemason by trade so I would surmise that he would be doing something along those lines.
He married in 1899 so no marriage certificate but his last two children were born during WW1. 20th September 1914 and 16th September 1916. I suppose their birth certificates would show that their father was in the army but not who he served with. The 1916 one would be the best one to get I think if he didn't go overseas until 1915. How do you know this? I can't find any reference to that date. In fact, I can't really make out most of it. There is a reference which I think says 'birth certificate received 19/2/23. His year of birth is recorded as 1879 but it was in fact 1877. I think he must have  knocked a couple of years off his age when he enlisted.
I looked on Find My Past for the 1918 Absent Voter's List but nothing there.
His pension record shows that his address was 59 Lees Street but I showed my Dad and he thought it was Tees Street and it turns out he was right. I couldn't find any references to a Lees Street but Tees Street was the next street to Wear Street where he was living in 1911.
Thank you so much for the ideas.

[MaxD]

His medal record has the British War and Victory medals.  If he had gone overseas to a war theatre in 1914 or 1915 he would also have either the 1914 or 1914/1915 Star.  The RE/101B241 is the reference of the particular RE medal roll he appears on , it has no more information than is on his card.  The roll number is on the card.


MaxD

I have sent a PM