The Royal Engineers Journal
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THE ROYAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL INSTITUTION OF RE OFFICE COPY I DO NOT REMOVE APRIL 1992 VOL 106 No 1 Guidelines for Authors The Editor is always glad to consider articles for .TXT added, are most welcome. File on an publication in the Journal. Guidelines for prospective IBM compatible 3.50 disc. Mrs Juliet Scanlan authors are: would be pleased to assist with queries - ring Subject. Articles should have some military Chatham Mil 2299 or (0634) 842669. engineering connection but this can be fairly Photographs should be black and white. Coloured tenuous, specially if an article is well written photographs rarely reproduce well unless they are and interesting. excellent quality with sharp definition and no red Length. Normally, chance ol publication is in colouring. Slides are not acceptable at present. inverse proportion to length. More than 4500 words Line Drawings, if possible should be drawn in (five pages of text) tends to lose most of our readers. proportion with the page size (145mm x 205mm). Blockbusters can sometimes be serialised. Rewards can be generous. The Publications Clearance. Opinions are an author's own. The Committee has about £250 in prize money to allot wise man clears an article with his boss on any for each issue plus valuable annual prizes. All policy matters. Security clearance must be authors receive £5 to help cover costs. obtained locally. Pseudonyms may be used. They will not be revealed Copy. Ideally the text should be double space typed by the Editor under any circumstances. and include the author's pen picture, photo and captions for artwork. Contributions should reach the Editor by: Computers. Articles typed as straight text only, Early June for the August 1992 issue no indents or tabulation, using text wrap ie do Early October for the December 1992 issue not use enter/return key at end of each line and Early Februaryforthe April 1993 issue saved to disc as an ASCII file (check your word processing package manual for details on Submissions before the deadline will be how to do this) and with the file extension particularly welcome. ( v ( UN -, 17©F~I ©B~l 2URAQH 1 5. ,. g -..... 1 1-,,.'.,-,,.",>,i.51"15".".-,5.".',,' : : :: * F_ I -~~:..;-. ..... .1- 1.11 -1- .1--. J Detecting Set. Metal L8A1. NSN Z5/6665-99-282-4063 Telephone 081 567 0702 - Facsimile 081 79 2158 THE INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS (Established 1875, Incorporatedby Royal Charter, 1923) Patron - HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN Chief Royal Engineer General Sir George Cooper GCB MC DL COUNCIL President Major General J A M Evans CB MA FBIM ... 1990 Vice Presidents Major General J A J P Barr CBE ... 1991 Colonel A F George TD MA LLM BSc ... 1990 Members Elected Ex Officio Colonel J B Bennett BSc CEng Eurlng Deputy EinC Brigadier E H Barker CBE ADC MA FBIM MICE FIPlantE 1989 Col PB7 Colonel P J Williams BSc(Eng) FBIM Lieut Colonel J P Marsh BSc(Eng) CEng MICE 1989 Comdt RSME Brigadier P J Russell-Jones OBE BSc(Eng) Lieut Colonel B W Cox 1989 DG Mil Svy Major General R Wood MA MSc Lieut Colonel A S Craig BSc(Eng) 1989 FRICS FBIM Brigadier M J F Stephens MA CEng MICE 1990 Regt Col Colonel M R Cooper BA Colonel W H T Spaight BSc(Eng) CEng Eurlng Comd 11 Engr Gp Brigadier R Macdonald MBE BSc(Eng) MICE MIHT FBIM 1990 D Engr Svcs Brigadier R A Bradbury BSc(Eng) Lieut Colonel J E Kitching BA FBIM 1990 CEng FICE Colonel R S Eyre TD BSc(Eng) DMS MICE MIHT 1991 DPCS Brigadier M A Browne Lieut Colonel W J H Clark BSc(Eng) AMICE 1991 Major A D Macklin MA(H) 1991 Corresponding Members Brigadier W 1 C Dobbie BSc(Eng), Comd Engr BAOR Colonel J G H Robertson, BLO Fort Leonard Wood, USA Lieut Colonel R J F Owen OBE, BLO Pionierschule, Munich Major R C F Braybrook, BLO Engineer School, Angers Major A H Bayliss MA MICE CEng, Exchange Appointment, Australian SME Captain A W Phillips BA, Exchange Appointment, Canadian SME Secretary: Lieut Colonel F R Beringer BA ... 1990 Treasurer:Lieut Colonel A J Hicks ... 1989 PUBLICATIONS AND LIBRARY COMMITTEE Chairman: Brigadier R A Bradbury BSc(Eng) CENG FICE 1991 Vice-Chairman: Colonel M R Cooper BA 1988 Members: Brigadier J R E Hamilton-Baillie MC MA(H) CEng MICE 1988 Colonel I S Mercer CBE 1988 Colonel B A McCandlish OBE 1991 Lieut Colonel J N Cormack MBE MC BA MBIM 1988 Lieut Colonel R J H Cooke 1990 Lieut Colonel C A Mildinhall 1991 Major A Keeley BSc 1991 Coopted Member: Colonel G W A Napier MA 1990 Editor RE Journal:Lieut Colonel F R Beringer BA Secretary: Mrs J D Scanlan All correspondence in connection with editorial matters should be addressedto the Secretary of the Institution of Royal Engineers, Raielin Building, Brompton Barracks,Chatham, Kent, ME4 4UG The Institution of Royal Engineers is Registered as a Charity Number 249882 ROYAL ENGINEERS MUSEUM AND LIBRARY Trustees: The Council RE MUSEUM TRUSTEES STEERING COMMITTEE Chairman: Major General J A M Evans CB MA FBIM Members: Major General J A J P Barr CBE Major General H E M L Garrett CBE MA Brigadier P J Russell-Jones OBE BSc(Eng) Colonel Sir Idris Pearce CBE TD DL Colonel J E Kitching BA FBIM lan Robertson Esq MA FMA DirectorRE Museum: Colonel G W A Napier MA Regimental Colonel: Colonel M R Cooper BA Corps Treasurer: Lieut Colonel A J Hicks TRUSTEES RE MUSEUM FOUNDATION Chief Royal Engineer: General Sir George Cooper GCB MC DL Chairman: Colonel Sir Idris Pearce CBE TD DL Members: Colonel P E Williams TD DL Captain J H Fitzmaurice Lieut Colonel Sir William Francis CBE FEng FICE Colonel W T Dennison CBE Colonel M R Cooper BA Major General W N J Withall CB A F Budge Esq OBE Ex Officio: Major General J A J P Barr CBE Major General J A M Evans CB MA FBIM RE MUSEUM STAFF Director: Colonel G W A Napier MA Curator: Dr J Rhodes Registrar: P J Dutton Esq MA Assistant Curators: Mrs B J Williams S R Jones Esq BA Administrative Officer: Miss N J Underwood Telephone: Chatham Mil (0634) 844555 Ext 2312 or Medway (0634) 406397 RE CORPS LIBRARY Librarianand Editor Sapper: Major J T Hancock Assistant Librarian: Mrs M Magnuson Telephone: Chatham Mil (0634) 844555 Ext 2416 ISSN 0035-8878 THE ROYAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL Published in April, August and December by the Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4UG Telephone Medway (0634) 842669 or Chatham Military (0634) 844555 Ext 2299 Printed by Staples PrintersRochester Limited, Neptune Close, Medway City Estate, Frindshury,Rochester, Kent, ME2 4LT Volume 106 APRIL 1992 No 1 Contents 1 EDITORIAL 4 2 THE NEW M3 AMPHIBIAN UK USER TRIALS BY 28 AMPHIBIOUS ENGINEER REGIMENT Lieut Colonel T H E Foulkes 5 3 THE FATE OF THE 18TH DIVISION ROYAL ENGINEERS, Professor P H G Allen 12 4 1ST QUEEN'S PRINTER A SHARPSHOOTER, reprint from Sunday supplement to the Times Colonist, BC 19 5 ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE - A SAPPER'S STORY OF AN EVENT IN FEBRUARY 1942, Major T J Phelps MBE 21 6 DISASTER AT THE SITTANG BRIDGE - BURMA 1942, Major E R B Hudson TD 26 7 SAPPERS AT THE BATTLE OF KYAUKSE, Major General I H Lyall Grant MC 34 8 JOURNAL AWARDS, December 1991 and Annual Awards for 1991 38 9 A WALK WITH HEROES, Lord Kitchener of Khartoum 1850-1916 39 10 DELAYING THE JAPANESE ADVANCE IN BURMA 1942, Sir Eric Yarrow MBE DL 42 11 ADW - NOT JUST ANOTIIER MINE, Lieut Colonel A F M Douglas 46 12 TIIE SAPPERS' BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION JOB? Sapper C Meacher 50 13 MAJOR HERBERT MUSGRAVE DSO - TIE MAD MAJOR? Wing Commander P J Dye 58 14 IN AT THE DEEP END, Lieutenant C D Fergus 62 15 A UNIQUE SAPPER REMEMBRANCE, Colonel J V P Braganza 64 16 AN EMERGENCY, Lieutenant Colonel B R White MBE TD 66 17 OPERATION GRANBY, PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOR WAR, Correction 69 18 EL ALAMEIN, Colonel J H Frankau MC 70 19 RE MUSEUM - SOME RECENT ACQUISITIONS, Phillip Dutton Esq 73 20 THE WADI-EL-KUF BRIDGES, CYRENAICA 1948-49, Major R E Ward 74 21 MEMOIRS: Lieut Colonel R A Bevan 79 Colonel T H Egan MBE 80 Colonel George More MC* 80 Lieut Colonel Sir Desmond Fitzmaurice CIE 83 Brigadier Sir Mark Henniker Bt CBE DSO MC DL 83 Colonel K N Wylie DSO MBE 85 Major General Henry Hutson CB DSO OBE MC 86 Lieut Colonel (QM) R J Grocott 87 Colonel Stephen Hollway OBE MC TD DL 88 22 MEMOIRS IN BRIEF 89 23 CORRESPONDENCE 89 24 REVIEWS 91 Authors alone are responsible for the statements made and the opinions expressed in their papers. 4400 Editorial As Secretary of the Institution I frequently War. There is a thread running through them. receive the news of the deaths of retired officers Professor Allen, in his moving article on The of the Corps. As I reflect on their names I am Fate of the 18th Division RE, mentions small struck by the rich diversity of the talents of parties escaping from Singapore. We find Major members of the Corps - talents often forgotten Phelps in another article reminiscing on his until we begin to prepare memoirs. It can be experiences as a sapper escaping in one of those invidious to name names but since I had been parties. Further North, Major Hudson describes closely involved with Lieutenant Colonel vividly his experiences at the bridge at Sittang Bob Grocott and Major Ken Bryan, I was and gives his opinion on the events surrounding particularly saddened by their deaths.