[2] 37 Field Squadron can trace its history back spanning three centuries to its original formation as the 37th Depot Company RE at Chatham on 1 April 1861.
With bolstered forces, in January 1900, Sir Redvers decided to attempt to take Ladysmith, outflanking the Boers by crossing the Tugela in the vicinity of Potgieter's Drift.
The 37th established a ferry at Potgieer's Drift, by means of which part of the Second Division crossed to the north side of the Tugela, ready to flank Ladysmith.
Unfortunately at the time detailed records were not kept of sappers killed in action and whilst his name almost certainly can be found on the South African Memorial Arch (Boer War) in Chatham which name is his is still not known.
In 1907 many alterations were made to the Corps of Royal Engineers to bring it into line with the new organisation of the Army for service abroad and the 37th Field Company was disbanded.
In September 1916 it worked with the 140th Army Troop and 95th Labour companies to make a road suitable for lorries that ran through Dorjan town and the battle belt to enable the attack upon Signal Allemand.
The proclamation of the Communist Chinese People's Republic made a Red Army invasion likely and 37 Squadron was deployed with 40 Infantry Division to help secure the border.
The types of tasks they would have been involved in where repairing mine fields and enhancing wire obstacles, constructing gun emplacements, command posts and observation posts all along the northern border, a 12-mile water pipeline, an All-weather road linking the villages of Tsun Wan and Sek Kong, and camps were also constructed, though it is not clear if 37 field Squadron had direct involvement in all of these tasks.
These were times when the security of the Canal was considered essential to UK interests, but when there was growing opposition from Egyptian nationalists whose paramilitary groups carried out frequent and often grewsome attacks on British military and civilian personnel.
From October 1951 to 1954 Egyptian nationalist extremists became more openly hostile, with British fatal casualties totalling 520, of which 394 were service personnel, including 30 Royal Engineers, the third largest category after the RAOC and RA.
Under his command the squadron took part in Op RODEO FLAIL, a tank loading operation at Port Said, pontoon building, constructing several semi-permanent Bailey bridges over the Sweetwater Canal (one of which at El Firdan – a 30EWBB – was 82m/270 ft long over two piers x 17m/55 ft high), exercises TRIANGLE and LONGBOW and several long-range desert patrols in GMC armoured trucks (typically well beyond the official limits of the Canal Zone!).
There were regular attacks made on the detachments of the squadron working in the Troodos Mountains, and on 15 December the OC was ambushed by four people, and his driver, LCpl J.B. Morum was killed.
The Engineer requirement for the programme was construction of a variety of laboratories, weapon assembly and tests sheds, decontamination houses and photographic processing workshops.
On 15 August 1958, Sgt K. Bamforth of 1 Troop, 37 field Squadron, was presented the British Empire Medal by Lt. Gen. Sir Edwin L. Morris KCB, OBE, MC.
They returned again to Northern Ireland from November 1973 to March 1974 carrying out an independent operation DESCANT tour, this time in the engineer role supporting 8 Infantry Brigade in the Derry area.
In November 1992, 37 Field Squadron deployed from Hameln to Tomislavsgrad (TSG) in Bosnia on Op GRAPPLE, as part of the United Nations protection Force (UNPROFOR).
The regiment as a whole built a camp for 24 Air Mobile Brigade, for which the Commanding Officer Lt Col NMH Fairclough RE got his OBE.
In March 1998 the squadron, along with the rest of the regiment, deployed to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia on Operation LODESTAR/PALETINE, as part of the NATO led stabilisation force (SFOR).
After an Adventurous Training break, they continued construction work, this time building a school, and dog kennels and shower and latrine blocks for the local Army units, whilst Support Troop dug waterholes for the wildlife.
After some Adventure Training, the squadron held a fun run, charity auction and other fund raising events to enable the school to buy new desks and books.
Following this busy period the squadron, commanded by Major A.Hilton, were again warned for operations in Iraq and deployed two months earlier than planned in November 2003 on Op TELIC 3.
The squadron, along with the help of the RAF, pioneered a new way of replacing damaged or looted pylons that were having a drastic impact on the quality of life for the Iraqis.
A Chinook helicopter lifted the 4.5 tonnes pylons from BAS and flew them to location where sappers from 37 and Iraqi Engineers were on the ground ready to fix them down.
The sappers Worked often in their own time, into the night after a day on task, to complete the wall before the end of their tour, and they fixed onto it plaques bearing the name of every fallen soldier.
Other tasks completed during the exercise were the upgrading of the historical Garrison Library Kitchen, and the stair access inside St Michael's Cave was repaired.
These patrols were vital in clearing the area of insurgents, as its location had previously been used on numerous occasions for launching indirect fire into the COB.
It was announced during the tour that Op TELIC 13 would be the last deployment of British troops to Iraq, and therefore the Engineers had to ensure that it was left in a state to allow easy handover to both the Americans and the Iraqis.
The early task involved the two troops moving out independently into the city of Basra to upgrade existing FOB's and to give force protection to Iraqi police stations.
It was decided by the prime minister that the bricks and plaques would be removed to the UK, where it would be resurrected as a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives during Operation TELIC.
After the section and recce competitions, the sub-unit deployed to Salisbury Plain on Ex DRUIDS DANCE to support 1RGR, where, over the three-week period, the squadron built 21 bridges including a double story MGB.