In World War II it operated as an RE headquarters, particularly on D-Day and at the Rhine Crossing, while its subordinate companies served in a number of campaigns, including the Siege of Tobruk and with the Chindits.

[2][3][4] Administratively, the unit was attached to the 1st Middlesex EVC in 1863, and in 1865 it moved to a new HQ at Gretton Place, Victoria Park Square, in Bethnal Green.

By 1876, it had moved its HQ the short distance to the barracks of the Queen's Own Royal Tower Hamlets Militia Light Infantry (later 5th Battalion, Rifle Brigade) in Victoria Park Square.

[10] In 1896 the unit built a new drill hall at Victoria Park Square, next door to the Tower Hamlets Militia Barracks.

[33][34] On 4 September the 1st London Bde, with its attached Signal Section, embarked for Malta, to relieve the Regular Army Garrison there.

[24][26][37] In January 1915,1/2nd London Field Company, followed in February by the Signal section from Malta, joined the 29th Division, formed from Regular troops returned from the Empire.

[22][24][26][38] When the Germans counter-attacked at Cambrai on 30 November 1917 and threatened to break through, capturing one of 29th Division's field companies, the divisional Commander, RE, Lt-Col H. Biddulph, organised the others to support the infantry.

He gathered 510th Fd Co and the divisional pioneers (1/2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment) to form an improvised defence line, brought up ammunition for them, and finally handed them over to an infantry brigadier.

[48][49] For the attack on 1 July, 56th Divisional Engineers had No 2 Company of 5th Battalion, Special Brigade, RE, attached to provide a smokescreen using 4 inch Stokes Mortars and smoke candles.

The company began firing smoke bombs into the German line and lit its candles at 07.20, which provided a smokescreen across the division's attacking front before the artillery barrage lifted and the infantry went 'over the top' at 07.30.

[49] The leading battalions of the two attacking brigades succeeded in the first phase of the assault, crossing No man's land behind the smokescreen and seizing the German front line trench comparatively easily.

[56] More Edinburgh sappers were killed while they and the Cheshire Pioneers cleared the Hebuterne–Gommecourt road through the British lines behind the attack by the 1/12th Londons (The Rangers).

[72][73][74][75] During the final Advance in Picardy, the divisional RE were mainly engaged in road repair to enable the division to continue moving forwards.

The division began embarking for France on 20 January 1917 and by early February it was on the Western Front, where it remained for the rest of the war.

[34] 58th Divisional Engineers served through the following actions during World War I:[34] 1917 1918 When the Germans broke through on 21 March, the REs began destroying bridges across the River Oise to deny them to the enemy.

On 31 March, when the enemy had been in Chauny for 10 days, Maj William Tamlyn of 504th Fd Co personally reconnoitred the damaged bridge, and by placing combustible materials underneath and setting light to it he succeeded in completing its destruction.

216th, 217th and 218th (1st London) Companies joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, 216th with General Headquarters (GHQ), 217th with III Corps and 218th with Lines of Communications (LoC).

The division's role was to prepare for a breakout to meet the planned offensive by the British Eighth Army, but the engineers were also involved in strengthening the defences, building an underground hangar for the Desert Air Force, and clearing enemy minefields (making a study of the new Teller mine).

[88] Once Tobruk was relieved, 70th Division moved back to Egypt, and after a short spell in Syria, it went by sea to India, arriving in March 1942.

The company as a whole appears to have remained with Special Force HQ, but detachments may have flown into Burma with the Long Range Penetration columns during the Second Chindit Operation.

[91] During the retreat to the Egyptian frontier after the German intervention in March 1941 (Operation Sonnenblume), 295th Field Company was engaged in destroying port installations and jetties at Bardia and Sollum, putting water supplies out of action and in cratering roads to hinder the Axis advance.

After this, 231 Brigade became an integral part of the 50th Northumbrian Division and was recalled home with the division, to prepare for Operation Overlord[96] 294th Field Company landed in Normandy on 12 June 1944 and fought through the campaign in North West Europe until VE Day as part of 49th (West Riding) Divisional Engineers.

[93][91][97][98] 295th Field Company landed on D-day (6 June) as part of 50th (Northumbrian) Division's assault on Gold Beach and fought through the rest of the campaign.

When 50th Division was broken up for reinforcements at the end of 1944, the divisional engineers continued as 50th GHQ Troops RE (GHQTRE), and were heavily involved in the assault crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder).

Thereafter, it served through the campaign with 15th (Kent) GHQTRE, including the assault crossing of the River Seine at Vernon by 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, and Operation Plunder.

18th GHQTRE was one of the RE assigned to I Corps for this work, which had to be carried out in secrecy on the night of 17/18 July, but required much preparation in road building and mine clearing, as well as bringing up and concealing the bridging material.

It was given the task of building a Class 9 Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge for XXX Corps codenamed 'Waterloo' immediately after the assault on the night of 23/24 March.

The original site was near Rees, but this had not been cleared by morning and on 24 March all that could be done was some work on the approaches and to send an officer's patrol across to reconnoitre the proposed exits.

In conjunction with the Royal Navy, they constructed booms across the river to prevent the enemy floating boats or mines downstream to damage the bridges.

In XXX Corps' sector, 18th GHQTRE was instructed to build two 'Arrow' booms devised by the engineers of US Seventh Army.