Corps History - Part 6
Royal Engineer Establishment (1812-1962)

Royal Engineer Establishment - 1812

On 23 April 1812 a Royal Warrant authorised the establishment of the 'Royal Engineer Establishment', in Chatham, Kent for "the Instruction of the Corps of Royal Military Artificers, or Sappers and Miners, and the junior officers of the Royal Engineers, in the duties of Sapping and Mining and other Military Field Works".

Captain (later General Sir) Charles Pasley, was promoted to Major and appointed as the first Director of the Establishment, a position he held from 1812-46.

In 1815 Pasley recommended that the Royal Sappers and Miners Training Depot at Woolwich be closed, to concentrate all training at Chatham. But that was not achieved until 1850 when the training Depot was moved to Brompton Barracks, Chatham. The move was made possible by the completion of North Kent Railway, which facilitated a fast transport link into London.

Curriculum and Innovation - 1812-1918

Under his Directorship the Establishment gained a reputation for experimentation, innovation and achievement. The Establishment which later developed into the School of Engineering provided the foundation upon which the high reputation of the Corps of Royal Engineers was built and prepared it for its participation in the widest aspects of engineering throughout the 19th century and beyond.

Some of the subjects taught and innovations included:

Field fortification - This was the original course of instruction and covered: field defence, siege works, bridging, demolition. Railway work was introduced in 1830's.

Survey - first introduced in 1833, covered Technical Surveying and Military Topography. This lead to officers and soldiers conducting surveys (e.g. India 1820-1947, Palestine1865-83, and Uganda railway 1890's) and boundary commissions throughout the world, (e.g. North American 1843 and 1858, Russo-Afghan 1884, Gambia 1890, Kenya 1892 and Chile-Argentine 1902). Both tasks are still practiced to this day.

Electricity - first introduced in 1830's, covered battery construction, telegraphy, firing of mines, and electric light (search-lights) - From this department grew; the Army Signals Service, which became the Corps of Royal Signals in 1920. The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (1942) also owe their origins to this department.

Photography and Chemistry - first introduced in the early 1850's just before the Crimean war (1854-56) because its potential as a method of photo-reconnaissance was seen. Captain (later Sir) William de W Abney RE, whilst acting as department head in 1870's, invented the photolithographic process called `Papyrotype'. The interest in chemistry continued through to the First World War and gave rise to the development, by the Corps, of chemical weapons in response to the German use of poison gas in 1915.

Lithography - Lithography was first introduced into the curriculum in 1850's. It was invented in 1798 as a method of printing using stones.

Diving and Submarine mining - this subject was of a personal interest to Pasley, who introduced it in 1838. To trained divers in coast defence, underwater demolition, guided torpedoes (Brennan torpedo) and port wreck clearance.

Estimating and Building Construction - first introduced in 1830's and included: building materials, sewerage, drainage, ventilation, gas and water supply, building design and architecture. Architecture was introduced in 1825 and by the 1840's onwards, this department was training world-class building designers and architects; men such as Lieutenant Colonel George Barney (designer of Victoria Barracks, Sydney, Australia), Captain Joshua Jebb (prison designer), Captain Francis Fowke (architect of the Royal Albert Hall), and Major General HYD Scott (builder of Royal Albert Hall).

Ballooning - first introduced in 1860's as a means of aerial reconnaissance. After the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902) developments shifted from air balloons to fixed-wing aircraft, which eventually led to the formation of the Royal Flying Corps in 1912.

Mechanics - Brought about with the adaptation of the Steam Engine for military purposes in the 1870's; this gave rise to the interest in railways, which led to the formation of the Royal Engineers Transport Section responsible for railways, waterways and ports, and from this the Royal Corps of Transport was formed in 1965.

School of Military Engineering - 1868

The title of the Royal Engineer Establishment was changed to 'School of Military Engineering' in 1868 and the Director's title was changed to Commandant.

• Fortification School
• Survey School
• Construction School
• Special Schools - Electricity and Demolitions, Telegraphy, Chemistry, Photography and Lithography, Submarine Mining.

In 1940, due to the heavy bombing of the South East of England and the Royal Navy's need for accommodation close to its Chatham dockyard, the School of Military Engineering (SME) was evacuated from Chatham to Ripon, North Yorkshire. The School returned to Chatham in 1948.

Royal School of Military Engineering - 1962

To mark 150 years of its existence Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the word 'Royal' to the title of the School of Military Engineering in 1962, to become the 'Royal School of Military Engineering' (RSME).

History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol I-IV (Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham)

A Short History. The Royal Engineers. Compiled by Maj DP Aston RE (Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1993)

Follow the Sapper. Napier G (Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 2005)

Links to further reading:

Biography - General Sir Charles Pasley (1780-1861)

Specialist Engineering - Royal Engineers Diving

Specialist Engineering - Submarine Mining (1863-1905)

Specialist Engineering - Searchlights