The Royal Engineers Journal
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TE ROYAL JEGINEERS JOURNAL AUGUST 1998 VOL 112 NO 2 Guidelines for Authors The Editor is always pleased to consider articles for publication in the Journal. Subject. Articles should have some military engineering connection but this can be fairly tenuous, especially if an article is well written and interesting. Length. Approximately 4500 words plus illustrations. Copy. Ideally one copy of the text should be submitted, together with a head and shoulders photograph of the author plus a short pen picture. Clearance. Articles must be cleared by an author's CO where applicable. Computers. See boxed item on inside back cover. Copyright. If an article has been published elsewhere before being submitted to the Institution, copyright clearance must be sought by the author; where necessary copyright clearance on photographs, maps or illustrations must also be obtained prior to submission. Photographs should be of good quality with sharp definition, and don't forget to add appropriate captions. Please do not submit laser/photo copies of photographs for publication. Rewards can be generous. The Publications Committee has about £350 in prize money to allot for each issue plus valuable annual prizes. All authors receive £20 to help cover costs. Pseudolymsls will not be revealed by the Editor under any circumstances. Contributions should reach the Editor by: Minimum Metal 12 Octoberfor the December 1998 issue Mine Detector Early Febr-laryfor the April 1999 issue Early Jluefor the August 1999 issue Guartel Limited Phone +44 0181 896 0222 Submissions before the deadline Fax +44 0181 896 0333 are particularly welcome. ISSN 0035-8878 THE ROYAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL © Published in April, August and December by the Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4UG Printedby Stephens & George Magazines, Goat Mill Road, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan, CF48 3TD Volume 112 August 1998 No 2 Contents 1 EDITORIAL .......................................................... ..................................................................................... 90 2 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CORPS by the Engineer in Chief ............................................................................ 92 3 CLOSE SUPPORT ENGINEERS: TOWARDS A COHERENT DOCTRINE, Major J A H Welch ......................... 102 4 JOURNAL AWARDS FOR APRIL 1998 AND ANNUAL AWARDS FOR 1997 . .................... ..... 112 5 CORRESPONDENCE FROM OVER THE POND, Colonel P Lilleyman MBE ........................................ .113 6 CONVICTS, COLONIES AND ROYAL ENGINEERS, Lieutenant Colonel A Taylor . ............................. 118 7 THE FORGOTTEN RESERVES, NON-TERRITORIAL ENGINEER UNITS 1877 TO 1998, Dr G raham E W atson .............................................................................................................................. 122 8 Two UP AND BAGS OF SMOKE, Lieutenant Colonel A D Macklin .............................................................. 126 9 RAILWAY OPERATIONS IN PALESTINE 1947 TO 1948, A PERSONAL MEMOIR, M ajor C F R ose C BE M BE ...................................................................................................................... 128 10 No BREAKTHROUGH IN LAND-MINE CLEARANCE - BUT ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FROM PRACTICE AND TECHNOLOGY, Colonel Stewart Grainger..........................................................................134 11 MILES BEHIND THE LINES, J W Pounder ................ .................................. 139 12 THE BOSNIAN EXPERIENCE, Lieutenant Charlie Battey ................................................................................ 143 13 MEMOIRS Brigadier E C W Myers CBE DSO ............................................................................................. 146 M ajor General R L Clutterbuck CB OBE ................................................................................................ 148 M ajor F J Pipe ......................................................................................................................................... 150 Colonel T C Wilson M BE M C ................................................................................................ 151 Brigadier H A T Jarrett-Kerr CBE ......................................................................................................... 153 Lieutenant Colonel D C Merry ................................................................................................................ 155 Lieutenant Colonel W G Carter MBE ................... .................................. 156 Lieutenant Colonel W B J Armstrong MC .............................................................................................. 157 Maor Allan Albery MC* ... .................... 15................158 14 M EMOIRS IN BRIEF ...................................................................................................................................... 159 15 CORRESPONDENCE .................................................. 160 16 REVIEW S .......................................................................................................................................... 161 17 A BBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................................................168 This publication contains official information.It should be treated with discretion by the recipient. 3750 Opinions are an author's own and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Corps or the MOD. Editorial THE Engineer in Chief's Annual Report to the addressed. The legacy of uncleared land-mines Corps was written at the end of May 1998, prior to will remain, possibly for decades to come, and the announcement in July of the strategic defence No Breakthrough in Land-mine Clearance is a review (SDR). Brigadier McGill's optimism about stark reminder that there is no easy solution to increases in regular engineer manpower, and pes- this seemingly intractable problem. simism about cuts in the TA, were well founded. With the forthcoming reductions in the overall What is encouraging in his report is that both reg- size of the TA, it is timely to emphasize the ular officer and soldier recruiting into the Corps is requirement for specialist TA engineers to meet excellent. This bodes well for its expansion by on-going commitments. The Forgotten Reserves nearly 15 per cent over the next few years, a clear Non-TerritorialEngineer Units 1877 to 1998 recognition of the utility of the Sappers both now traces the history of what became known as spon- and in the future. sored units and individuals, whose central head- The Engineer in Chief also says in his report that quarters, 111 Engineer Regiment (V), was in its whatever the outcome of the SDR, there is still time little known in the wider Corps, to what are much to be achieved in developing a military engi- now STsRE(V) which bring together skilled neering capability to meet future needs right across tradesmen and specialists from civilian life to the spectrum of defence. However this is to be complete tasks that the regular Corps no longer achieved, there is little doubt that new technology has the resources to undertake. will play a significant part. To quote from his One of these tasks, now the preserve of a report: " The Digitization of the Battlespace (Land) STRE(V), is railway construction. Railway programme stands to have as significant an impact Operations in Palestine 1947 to 1948 A Personal on British military capability as mechanization did Memoir is an exciting account of those troubled in the 1930s." days at the birth of the state of Israel in which rail- If the word digitization does not conjure up any ways played such an important role in the final meaningful image in the minds of readers, then withdrawal of British forces. Correspondence From Over the Pond gives a Turning to other matters, at the AGM in July it mind-boggling insight into what digitization tech- was agreed to accept the recommendation arising nology could herald. Some may think it is in the from the Review of the Institution that warrant realms of science fiction, but then who would officers be eligible for full membership of the have believed a decade ago that IT systems would Institution. The Clerk to the Lords of the Privy today be impacting upon so many facets of our Council is required to endorse the AGM's deci- everyday lives? sion before it can be enacted, sometime later this Convicts, Colonies and Royal Engineers pro- year. The other major recommendation, to exam- vides a more familiar concept of the role of ine the management of the RE Museum to reflect Sappers. It is also a reminder of the extraordinary more realistically the interests of the MOD, the contribution the Royal Engineers made to the Institution and the Corps as a whole, will be taken development of countries in the British empire in forward in a wider review of Corps affairs being the 19th century. initiated by the Chief Royal Engineer's A more contemporary role of the Sappers is dis- Committee. ECAB has recently endorsed the rec- cussed in Close Support Engineers: Towards a ommendations of AG's Review of Army Coherent Doctrine, which for serving officers at Museums paper, recognizing that security of least keeps their feet firmly on familiar territory. tenure, staffing support and maintenance of the The author uses some apt quotations to punctuate buildings should in principle be underwritten by his exposition of close support engineer operations the MOD. This is a great