The Museum and Library Collection

Introduction to the Collection

The RE Museum and Library hold over 500, 000 objects relating to the history of the Corps of Royal Engineers and the development of military engineering.

Although one organisation they hold completely separate collections. The origins of the Corps Library date back to 1812 when Major (later General Sir) Charles Pasley founded the Royal Engineer Establishment.

The Chatham library was such a success that in 1847 a Central Library was established in London. By 1862 libraries were also established in 16 home and 19 oversees stations.

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Such a widespread organisation was difficult to control and the overseas libraries began to close with books being return to England. In 1951 a permanent home for the Library was established in the old lecture theatre in the HQ building of the School of Military Engineering.

The Museum collection emerged from the model room at the Royal Engineer Establishment, (today the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME)), in Chatham. This collection of training models was established in 1812 and was quickly added to as Royal Engineers returning to Chatham bought souvenirs and mementoes to display in the room.

In 1875 the Institution of Royal Engineers founded a museum as rival to the model room, the collection seems mainly to have been of geological specimens.

At the beginning of the 20th Century the two museums combined and in 1912 a display gallery inside Brompton Barracks opened to the public. By 1986 the Museum had grown considerably and moved to its current position in the Ravelin building.

Together the Museum and Library hold one of the best military collections in the country. The galleries of the Museum display less then 20% of the collection but any member of the public can make an appointment to view any item in the collection.

Archive Collection

The Museum and Library hold an extensive and varied archive of material relating to all aspects of Corps history. Service records, letters, diaries and post cards illustrate the lives of Sappers from the earliest years of the Corps formation to the Cold War. The collection also includes many early maps drawn by engineers and plans of buildings designed by them.

Examples:

• Letters and diaries from the Peninsular War, including correspondence between Wellington and Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher, Chief Engineer (Museum).
• Unit War Diaries for most of the Royal Engineer units serving in the First World War (Library).

Armoury

The Museum has a small but varied collection of arms and armour which includes standard British issue firearms, swords and bayonets as well as some unusual foreign weaponry.

Examples:

• Zulu assegais (or spears) from the action at Rorke's Drift, Zulu War, 1879.
• Chinese parapet guns captured at Peking during the 2nd China War, 1857-60.

Equipment Collection

The Museum holds a diverse collection of military equipment and personal artefacts with objects as different as pocket watches and mine detectors. We also hold a large number of souvenirs and curios collected by Royal Engineers.

Examples:

• Theodolite used by Field Marshal Lord Kitchener when a Lieutenant on the survey of Palestine, 1875-77.
• A collection of Field Post Office and Courier Service date stamps (1939-97).
• Part of the main mast from the wreck of HMS Royal George, salvaged by Royal Engineer divers in 1840-41.

Ethnographic and Textiles Collection

Reflecting the diversity of Royal Engineer postings the Museum's ethnography collection contains many interesting artefacts gathered from all over the world.

Examples:

• Jewellery from African tribes, particularly Zulu and dating from the Zulu War of 1879.
• Traditional Korean headdress bought by Major T Steadman as a souvenir of the Korean War, 1950-53.

Large Equipment and Vehicle Collection

This part of the collection again reflects the diverse nature of Royal Engineer tasks. It includes bridging equipment, tanks, boats and rafts. We also hold a collection of plant (bulldozers, diggers and cranes), most of which have been specifically designed for military use.

Examples:

• Chieftain AVRE Interim (W) with mine plough and pipe fascines used by 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment and 23 Engineer Regiment, 1980c.
• Railway carriage used by General Kitchener as his headquarters on the Dongola Expedition, 1896.

Medal Collection

The Museum holds a collection of approximately 6500 medals, including 26 Victoria Crosses, 3 George Crosses and the regalia of Field Marshals Burgoyne, Napier, Simmons and Kitchener. Donations of medals won by Royal Engineers are always accepted and all are displayed in our medal rooms.

Examples:

• Victoria Cross of Captain Wilbraham Oates Lennox (1830-1897), the first VC to be awarded to the Royal Engineers 1855.
• South Atlantic Medal of Sapper Wayne Tarbard, 20 Field Squadron, Falklands War 1982.

Model Collection

Dating back to 1812 and the Model Room of the Engineering Establishment in Chatham, the Museum has an outstanding model collection. It contains one example of almost every type of post-World War Two bridge used by the Engineers as well as models of older bridging systems used by the Corps.

Examples:

• Blood Pontoon Cart, perfect and complete training model of this system of bridging designed by Bindon Blood, 1879.
• Models of Mulberry Harbour made by Bassett Lowke and used to brief the Cabinet in 1943.

Paintings, Prints and Drawings

The collection of paintings, prints and drawings contains examples of works created by Royal Engineers in both an official role and privately as well as prints and paintings collected by Royal Engineers or showing subjects related to Corps history. The collection spans the entire history of the Royal Engineers.

Examples:

• First World War watercolour paintings by members of the Camouflage Units.
• Watercolour sketches by Major (later Brigadier) Montagu Champion Jones painted when he was a Prison of War (POW) during the Second World War, includes paintings of Colditz.

Photographic Collection

The Library keeps the bulk of the Corps' photograph collection including some extremely rare examples of the work of the (mostly un-named) Sapper photographers. The Museum does also hold a large number of personal photograph albums.

Examples:

• Two albums of photographs taken on the 1861 North American Boundary Commission (Library).
• Examples of works by Roger Fenton, James Robertson and Samuel Bourne (Library).
• Zulu War 1878-1879 (Library)

Printed Books Collection

The Library holds an extensive collection of books relating to the history of the Royal Engineers and to the worldwide history of military engineering in general. There a complete set of Sir John Fortesque's History of the British Army, a collection of Army Lists, and histories on the specialist activities of the Corps. It also holds the most complete collection of the Royal Engineers Professional Papers, Royal Engineers Journal (REJ) and The Sapper magazine.

Examples:

• De Re Militari by R Valturius, 2nd Edition 1483, this is an extremely rare version of a book.
• The Peninsular War section.

Uniform Collection

The Museum has a good collection of uniform covering a wide period of Corps history. The earliest dates from Colonel Landmann's Pattern 1817 dress uniform and more recent examples include; Desert combat dress and UN blue berets.

Examples:

• Royal Staff Corps uniform
• General Gordon's 'Pasha' Jacket from his time as Governor of Sudan.
• Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) (Postal) uniform jacket worn by Private Danter at Home Postal Centre RE, Nottingham 1945.
• Parka jacket worn by Captain E Sharpe, 3 Troop 55 Field Squadron, in the Korean War, 1950-1953.