This was a formation of Regular infantry battalions returned from India, with engineers, signals and medical services provided by Territorial companies.

[34] The Northumberland Division was now made responsible for holding a section of the line and learnt the techniques of trench warfare in which the engineers were kept busy improving defences.

[22][37] 7th Field Company had landed in France with 4th Division on 22 August 1914, and had served through the Retreat from Mons, and the battles of the Marne, Aisne and Armentières.

This meant more intense trench warfare, with the divisional engineers and signallers constantly engaged in repairing defences and communications.

[43] As the attack developed, by the afternoon of 15 September they were engaged in digging communication trenches, repairing roads and building gun emplacements under fire.

The division's last action on the Somme before being relieved was an attack on Gird Trench and Hook Sap on 14 November, which gained no ground.

[47] After a spell in Army Reserve, 50th Division returned to the line, and the summer of 1917 was spent in vigorous trench warfare, with constant patrols, raids, and constructing or repairing defences.

[49] 1918 When the German spring offensive opened on 21 March 1918, 50th Division was in GHQ Reserve west of the Somme Canal, behind the Fifth Army front that was attacked.

The following day, the division was ordered to retreat behind the Somme Canal, and fell back over 10 miles, fighting rearguard actions.

On the morning of 27 March the CRE was ordered to form a composite infantry battalion from the 7th and 447th Field Companies and some details of 150th Brigade.

7th Field Company then laid out the jumping-off tapes under cover of darkness and heavy rain, and 151st Bde broke through before dawn on 8 October.

[67] After a period in reserve, the division rejoined the offensive, forcing its way through the Forest of Mormal and across the River Sambre by plank bridges (4–5 November).

The provisional brigades and units received numbers and henceforth part of their role was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas.

[90] It began a planned withdrawal,[91] providing a rearguard for the eastern flank of the BEF, suffering heavy casualties from bombardment as it did so.

Partly trained, 23rd Division was sent to France in an incomplete state primarily to provide labour behind the lines, but after the German breakthrough it was ordered up to defend a frontage of 16 miles along the Canal du Nord.

Outflanked, and faced with five German Panzer divisions, the infantry and engineers fell back towards Arras, doing what they could to hold up the enemy and suffering heavy casualties in the process.

The division played a peripheral part in the Battle of Arras and by 27 May had retreated into the Dunkirk perimeter, by which time it was incapable of further action.

507 Field Company later went to Northern Ireland with 148 Brigade Group until mid-1942 when it joined 47th (London) Infantry Division, a reserve formation, with which it remained until the end of the war.

[95][96][97][105][106][107] 508 Field Park Company was assigned to VIII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers by February 1941 and apart from a brief interval it served with that unit in home defence and throughout the campaign in North West Europe.

[82][109] Following spells in Cyprus, Iraq and Syria, it joined British Eighth Army for the Battle of Gazala (26 May–21 June 1942).

It rejoined the division in February 1942, but during the 'Battle of the Cauldron' at Gazala the whole brigade, including 232 Field Company, was captured on 1 June and never reformed.

Under accurately ranged shellfire and enfiladed by machine guns, the sappers began to build fascine causeways for tanks and vehicles.

[112][113] 50th Division was also in the forefront of the attack on Wadi Akarit on 6 April, when the divisional engineers had the task of clearing gaps in the minefields and making crossings over the anti-tank ditch.

[95][82][120] With its experience of amphibious assaults, 50th Division was earmarked for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) and sailed for Britain in October 1943.

For this it was heavily reinforced, including two squadrons (81 and 82) of 6th Assault Regiment RE from 79th Armoured Division equipped with AVREs, and two additional field companies RE (73 and 280) carrying explosives to deal with beach obstacles.

[128][129] However, it was back in action on 9 August, attacking against stiff opposition in the advance beyond Mont Pincon as the Allies closed the Falaise Gap.

[131][132][133] More resistance was met at the Albert Canal, and 50th Division had to make an assault crossing in storm boats, after which the engineers erected (and maintained under heavy fire) a folding bridge, while the infantry pushed on and captured Gheel after bitter fighting.

However, the Divisional RE continued its frontline engineering role, the four companies becoming 50th GHQ Troops RE within 21st Army Group until the end of the war in Europe.

But rain on 26 March turned this into slippery mud and the soil had to be scraped off again and replaced with coir matting and Sommerfeld tracking.

A World War I memorial to the men of the Durham Fortress Engineers and its three field companies was unveiled in Jarrow Drill Hall in 1928.