© www.british-army-in-hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking
42 FIELD SQUADRON RE
1964 – 2013
Dates Location deployment under command: Sub-units – Remarks
1868 Raised as a
Depot Coy
in Madras
1885 Renamed
“K” Coy
1891 Reformed as
42nd Field Coy RE
Chatham
1899-1902 Deployed to
South Africa
as a Railway Coy
1902 Field Coy
in Portsmouth
1914/1918 Deployed to France
and Belgium WW1
1918/20 Remained in
France & Belgium
for civil
infrareconstruction
1920 Deployed
to Haifa
as Railway Coy
1922 Deployed to Moascar
as part of
Canal Inf Bde
1936/37 Deployed to
Sarafand,
Palastine in
Railway Role
1939/45 Deployed to Egypt,
Creta, Ismailia
and Italy
during WWII
1945/46 Deployed
to Austria
1947 Disbanded at
Barton Stacey
Jan 1950 35 Army Engineer Regiment Reformed as
42nd Field Sqn RE
in Egypt
1950 Retitled
42 Field Squadron
or
64 Squadron
renumbered
42 Squadron
Jan 1954 Cyprus 35 Army Engineer Regiment
Dec 1955 England:
Ripon35 Army Engineer Regiment
1956 Middle East:
Port Said
then Cyprus
OP MUSKETEER
(Suez Invasion)
35 Army Engineer Regiment
Nov 1957 Germany:
Osnabruck35 Engineer Regiment
Sept 1964 Germany:
Gordon Bks,
Hameln35 Engineer Regiment
Mar 1968
–
Jun 1968Northern Ireland:
OP JOLE35 Engineer Regiment
30 Apr 1971
–
5 Aug 1971Northern Ireland:
Long Kesh OPCON21 Engineer Regiment: Infantry Role
29 Dec 1972
–
30 Mar 1973Northern Ireland:
East Belfast OPCON35 Engineer Regiment: Infantry Role
30 Oct 1974
–
28 Feb 1975Northern Ireland:
Ballykelly35 Engineer Regiment: Infantry Role
22 Oct 1976
–
24 Feb 1977Northern Ireland:
Ballykelly35 Engineer Regiment: Infantry Role
Dec 1977 Germany:
Gordon Bks,
Hameln4 Armd Div Engr Regt. 35 Regiment
re-formed as
4 Armoured Division Engineer Regiment
4 Armd Div Engr Regt.
23 Jan 1978
-
27 Apr 1978Northern Ireland:
Armagh4 Armd Div Engr Regt.
20 Mar 1981
–
21 Jul 1981Northern Ireland:
Ballykelly
Jan 1981 35 Engineer Regiment 4 Armd Div Engr Regt
re-titled
35 Engineer Regiment
Oct 1983
–
Mar 1984Falkland Islands 35 Engineer Regiment single construction sqn
Feb 1986
–
May 1986Northern Ireland 35 Engineer Regiment Single Construction Squadron
(Information from DJ Wiltshire)
1987 Northern Ireland:
Antrim Op JOLE
Oct 1991
–
Mar 1992Northern Ireland:
OP DESCANTNI Construction Tour in 1991-92
(SSM was WO2 John Peers, OC Maj Jamie Sage)
29 Oct 1992
–
May 1993Vitez, Bosnia-Herzogovina:
OP GRAPPLE 135 Engineer Regiment (SSM was WO2 Tommy Henderson, OC was still Maj Jamie Sage).
Jun 1995
–
Nov 1995Ploce, Bosnia:
OP GRAPPLE SURGE35 Engineer Regiment To build a camp for
24 Air Mobile Bde
1996 Falkland Islands
1998 Bosnia:
OP PALATINEonly 9 Tp
1998 Falkland Islands only 7 & 8 Tp
1999 Macedonia / Kosovo / Albania:
OP AGRICOLA OPCON28 Engineer Regiment
2000 28 Engineer Regiment Came under
command
28 Engineer Regiment
Oct 2000
–
Mar 2001Northern Ireland:
OP DESCANT28 Engineer Regiment
2001 Oman:
Ex Saif Sarea II
2002-2003 Northern Ireland:
OP DESCANT / OP FRESCO
Jun 2003
–
Jul 2003Kongo:
Op CORAL28 Engineer Regiment
Jun 2003
–
Nov 2003Irak:
OP TELIC33 EOD Regt Sqn Personal
deployed to
Iraq Op Telic
May 2004
–
Jul 2004Afghanistan:
OP TARROCK28 Engineer Regiment
Mar 2005
–
Sep 2005Northern Ireland:
OP DESCANT28 Engineer Regiment
Oct 2006
–
Apr 2007Afghanistan:
Op Herrick 528 Engineer Regiment
c2008 Germany:
Gordon Bks,
Hameln28 Engineer Regiment
Oct 2009
–
Apr 2010Afghanistan:
Op Herrick 1128 Engineer Regiment
Jun 2013 Germany:
Gordon Bks,
HamelnDisbanded at Hameln
Special thanks to
Alan Young from British Army Units
who collected all these dates!
Also thanks to Jay Gilliot and DJ for supplement the data!
2013/07/06 – Freedom of the City – 42 Field Squadron RE disbanded
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking 🇬🇧 2013/07/06 🇬🇧 Freedom of the City Disbandment 42 Field Squadron RE A sad occasion for the soldiers of the 42 Field Squadron RE, part of the 28 Engineer Regiment from Hameln! Today, on 6th July 2013, their unit was disbanded as part of the restructuring of …
2008/09/15 – 2008/09/25 EXERCISE „NEPTUNE’S EAGLE / UNITED SHIELD“
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking 🇬🇧 15/09/2008 – 25/09/2008 🇬🇧 EXERCISE „NEPTUNE’S EAGLE / UNITED SHIELD“ The 28 Engineer Regiment from Hameln conducted the free-running exercise “NEPTUNE’S EAGLE” from 15 to 25 September 2008. It was previously reported that the Panzerpionierbataillon 1 from Holzminden supported this exercise during a Weser river crossing in Grave …
2003/01 – Operation “TELIC 1”
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking 🇬🇧 2003/01 🇬🇧 Operation “TELIC 1” 28 Engineer Regiment Loading at Hameln Station Photos by Rainer Preuss **2003** – The world was ablaze, and the war knew no mercy. Not even the gates of the tranquil Weser town of Hamelin could hold it back. The 28 …
1999.08.26 – New commander of the 28 Engineer Regiment
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking 🇬🇧 1999/08/26 🇬🇧 New commander of the 28 Engineer Regiment On August 26, 1999, the command of the 28th Engineer Regiment changed hands. Exactly 25 years ago, John Mullin, an Englishman, handed over command to his successor, Andrew Mills, a Scotsman. The local Newspaper „Deister- und Weserzeitung“ …
1985 – Ravelin Camp – Memories of Dean Grice
© Dean Grice December 1985 – Royal Engineers of 42 Field Squadron building a Medium Girder Bridge on the Combat Engineer Training Area Hameln / Ravelin Camp! +++ +++
1982 / 03 / 26 – We will remember Sapper “Rosie” Rose – ✝
© Dewezet & Arnd Wöbbeking In Memoriam Among other things, the tasks of the Royal Engineers from Hameln consisted of blowing up explosives. In war time, they had to destroy the Weser bridges to prevent a fast move of the Warsaw Pact troops. In many exercises this was part of the scenarios. But also on …
1980-83 – 42 Field Squadron – Memories of John Hicking
(c) John Hicking Gestern habe ich von John ein paar tolle Bilder aus den Gordon Barracks erhalten! Die Bilder stammen aus den Jahren 1980-83! Er war von 1980-1983 in der 42 Field Squadron und von 1991-1993 bei 522 STRE (Spezialist Team Royal Engineer) Vielen Dank für Deine Bilder John! ++++ Yesterday I got some great …
1978 – 42 Field Squadron RE – A brilliant piece of art by Steve Hart
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking 🇬🇧 1978 – A brilliant piece of art by Steve Hart 🇬🇧 42 Field Squadron RE Clive Jones Davies sent me a section of a newspaper report about one of his comrades. Steve Hart was stationed from 1977 to 1981 in Hameln with the 42 Field Squadron. During his …
1973/07/24 – 1973/07/25 – British soldier from Hameln killed in an Exercise accident – ✝
© British Army in Hameln.com / Arnd Wöbbeking In Memoriam 🇬🇧 1973/07/24 – 1973/07/25 🇬🇧 British soldier from Hameln killed in an Exercise accident ✝ On 26 July 1973, a tragic training accident shook the region of Erzhausen in the district of Gandersheim. The “Deister- und Weserzeitung” reported on a terrible incident that occurred during a military …
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Great site just a couple of things 42s tours of NI 74/75 and 76/77 weren’t infantry they were Engineer and search teams the SSM for the 76/77 was EDDY Banks I was his driver
Author
Thanks you so much for the detailed information, will change soon as possible! Always great to read corrections from veterans!
Talk soon! Best wishes Arnd
Yes I served in Hameln when the British Army BAOR was at its best, now retired I feel proud how I served but think we could have withdrawn from Germany many years be fore I arrived in 1986. Too many soldiers saw it as an easy life with lots of LOA.
Re Op Grapple, I think you will find that it was Op Granby. I was there. If you need further info, just holler. I’ll dig some docs out.
Hi Madflags,
Ok, thank you that helps. I know my partner went to the Gulf, he also did the Irland tour shortly after coming back from the Gulf. I was just never sure where he belonged to during Op Granby as I browse so many sites with photos and never recognise what troop he might have been with.
Regards
Petra
Hello Arnd
I served in 42, Jan 82-Sept 86
and
Mar 90-oct 94
You have a cracking site,but there was a Northern Ireland tour Feb 86-May 86
We went to the Falklands as a single constrution sqn and we were still part of 35
Hope this helps
Cheers DJ
Will update the list soon! Thanks for support! Cheers Arnd
Hi Arnd,
Can you enlighten me whom 42 FLD SQN was attached to during Op Granby? 1990-1991
Grüße
Petra
Hi Petra,
just to fill in on your question to Arnd – 42 Fd Sqn did not deploy as a Unit on Op Granby back in 1990-91. 37 Fd Sqn deployed (augmented by a lot of lads from throughout the Regiment) and individual members of the Regiment (incl some 42 lads) were attached to other Engineer Regiments for the deployment (mainly 21 Engineer Regiment and 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment, if I recall correctly).
42 then went on to complete an NI Construction Tour in 1991-92 (SSM was WO2 John Peers, OC Maj Jamie Sage), followed by inclusion in the 35 Engineer Regiment deployment on Op Agricola (UN Tour, Bosnia 92-93) (SSM was WO2 Tommy Henderson, OC was still Maj Jamie Sage).
Hope that helps with your question.
might well have been that way , I remember we were the first sqn to go from 35 Engr Regt.
Served with 42 from 74-76 remember the tour of Ballykelly well
Hey Stuart, thanks for your posting! If you have more information, photos or other, feel free to caontact me! Best regards Arnd
Oct 83 – Mar 84 Falkland Islands 37 Engineer Regiment ,I think we were still 35 Eng. Reg. on these dates ;-) .
you probably just missed the right button ..
Interesting site you have here though .. I was in Hameln in 29 field qn. from 79-81 and in 42 field sqn from 82-85
Thanks Bill for the comment. I will talk to Alan and will check it out!
Alan wrote here:
http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/royal-engineers/regiments—major-units/37-regiment.html
the 42 was only on the falklands under command from 37? Is he wrong?
Best regards
Arnd