Below is a collection of biographies of Sappers:
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
Bindon BLOOD |
1842-1940 |
General
First modern day Chief Royal Engineer (1936-40),
inventor of the 'Blood Pontoon' (1870), GOC Meerut
Division (1898-1900), CinC Punjab (1901-07). Saw
active service during the Zulu war (1978), on the
North West Frontier and Anglo-Boer war (1901)
- see also Blood's
Pontoon |
|
Sir
John Fox BURGOYNE |
1782-1871 |
Field Marshal
Engineer at every battle and siege of the Peninsular
war (1809-1814), Chairman of a Board of Public Works,
Ireland (1831), Inspector General of Fortifications
(1845), Served on General Staff at the Crimea (1854)
- see also Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880)
- see also Corps
Amalgamation and Coastal Defence (1855-1905)
- see also and campaign history of engineers during
the
Peninsular War (1808-14) |
|
John
BY |
1781-1836 |
Lieutenant Colonel
Builder of the Rideau Canal, Canada (1826)
- see also Engineers
in a Civic Role |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
James Michael CALVERT |
1913-1998 |
Brigadier
Chindit Commander (1943-4)
Founder of the Malayan Scouts (later SAS)
- see also The
Corps and the Second World War (1939-1945) |
|
John Rouse Merriott CHARD VC |
1847-1897 |
Colonel
Defender of Rorke's Drift, Zulu War (1879), an action
that earned him the Victoria Cross
- see also campaign history of Royal Engineers during
Zulu
War
Corps History - Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880) |
|
Samuel
COLE |
1832-1913 |
Captain (Quartermaster)
Served as Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the
Baltic (1854) and at the Crimea (1854-56) awarded
the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).
- see also Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Basil Charles Davey |
1897-1959 |
Major General
Served in First and Second World Wars, Chief Engineer
XXX Corps during Operation Market Garden (1944),
Chief Engineer Eighth Army (1945), gifted linguist,
Commandant Military College of Science (1951-54),
awarded CB (1953) and CBE (1944)
- see also Royal
Engineers and Operation Market Garden (1944) |
|
Sir
William George Shedden DOBBIE |
1879-1964 |
Lieutenant General
Served in the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902), First
World War (1914-18) and Second World War (1939-45)
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Malta during
the historic siege (1940-42)
- see also The
Corps and the Second World War (1939-1945) |
|
Anthony
William DURNFORD |
1830-1879 |
Lieutenant Colonel
Commander of Natal Native Contingent at the battle
of Isandlwana (1879)
- see also campaign history of Royal Engineers during
Zulu
War
- see also Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
Richard FLETCHER |
1768-1813 |
Lieutenant Colonel
Wellington's Commanding Royal Engineer (1809-13)
Architect of the Lines of Torres Vedras (1809-10)
- see also Global
Wars and a third Corps (1756-1815) and campaign
history of engineers during the
Peninsular War (1808-14) |
|
Francis
FOWKE |
1823-1865 |
Captain
Architect and designer of the Raglan Barracks (Devonport),
Prince Consort's Library (Aldershot), Museum of
Science and Art (Edinburgh), South Kensington Museum
(London) and Royal Albert Hall (London).
- see also Engineers
in a Civic Role |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
John Bagot GLUBB |
1897-1986 |
Lieutenant General
Commander of the Arab Legion (1930-50's) |
|
Charles
George GORDON |
1833-1885 |
Major General
Commander of the 'Ever Victorious Army', China (1860's),
Founder of the Gordon Boys School, Anti-Slavery
campaigner, Victorian and Imperial icon
- see also Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880)
- see also The
Corps and the late Victorian Wars (1882-1902) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
Percy Cleghorn Stanley HOBART |
1885-1967 |
Major General
Forward thinker of modern armoured warfare.
Instigator of the "Hobart Funnies" (Assault
Engineers 1943-45) used during Operation Overlord.
- see also The
Corps and the Second World War (1939-1945)
- see also campaign history of Royal Engineers during
Operation
Overlord |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Earl
Herbert Horatio KITCHENER |
1850-1916 |
Field Marshal
Surveying Palestine and Cyprus (1870's), Victor
of the battle of Omdurman (1898), Secretary of State
for War (1914-16)
Earl of Khartoum and Broome
- see also The
Corps and the late Victorian Wars (1882-1902) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
Francis Arthur MARINDIN |
1838-1900 |
Major
Saw active service during Crimean War (1854-56)
President of the Football Association (1874-90)
- see also Engineers
in a Civic role (1820-1910) and When
the Sappers won the FA Cup (1875) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Lord
Robert Cornelius NAPIER |
1810-1890 |
Field Marshal
Commander of the Abyssinian Expedition (1867-8)
Lord of Magdala
- see also Engineers
and the early Victorian Wars (1853-1880) |
|
Lord
William Gustavus NICHOLSON |
1845-1918 |
Field Marshal
Civic and military engineering activities in India,
Chief of General Staff (1908)
Lord of Roundhay
- see also The
Corps and Army Reforms (1902-1913) |
|
Sir
John NORTON-GRIFFITHS |
1871-1930 |
Lieutenant Colonel
Developed the use of Tunnel mining during the First
World War (1915-1918).
- see also The
Corps and the First World War |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
Charles William PASLEY |
1780-1861 |
General
Founder of the School of Military Engineering (1812),
Railway Inspector, Inventor
- see also Royal
Engineer Establishment |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Charles
John ROBSON |
1854-1933 |
Driver
Lieutenant Chard's VC batman at Rorke's Drift (1879)
- see also campaign history of Royal Engineers during
Zulu
War |
No image |
William
ROY |
1726-1790 |
Major General
Developer of Ordnance Survey (1740's) |
| Name |
Dates |
Career highlights |
|
Sir
John Lintorn Arabin SIMMONS |
1821-1903 |
Field Marshal
British Commissioner with the Turks (1854-6), Lieutenant
Governor, Royal Military Academy, Inspector General
of Fortifications, Governor of Malta |
|
Sir
William SKINNER |
1699?-1780 |
Lieutenant General
Chief Engineer of Gibraltar (1741-45).
Builder of forts in Scotland in post-Jacobite Rebellion (1745-6) period.
Chief Engineer of Great Britain (1757-80). |
|
