RAE and Our History...
R.A.E Association History
| R.A.E History
Royal Australian Engineers Association of W.A
Inc's History:
The Royal Australian Engineers Association of W.A Inc was formed shortly
after World War 1. We have correspondence, etc dating back 1926.
The Association currently have approximately 400 members, the numbers
changing periodically as new recruits join and sadly when members pass
on.
We have members from Engineers of Ireland, Britain, Burma, New Zealand,
USA and of course Australia. Some of our members are working in PNG, Eritrea,
Iraq, Cambodia, Lebanon, Laos and other countries . Most overseas members
are involved in demining or EOD .
Royal Australian Engineers History:
ENGINEER TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
What is a Sapper | Colonel-in-Chief
| Sovereign's Banner | Corp Mottoes
| Corp Badges | Waterloo Dinner
| Regimental Music | Patron Saint
| Brief History | The
Heritage Area | Road Names | Bicentennial
Building | Diorama Models | Bridges
| The Museum | The RAE Memorial
| Other Exterior Objects | RAE
Memorial Chapel | RAE Corp Shop.
What is a Sapper?
It is the correct title for an engineer private. It is also the generic
term now given to all members of the Royal Australian Engineer. Many other
armies of British descent have also adopted the term to describe military
engineers. The word "sapper" was conferred by Queen Victoria
as a distinction because of the gallant assault operation carried out
by the British Engineers in the Crimean War. The term originally comes
from the term "to sap". This was the art of digging trenches,
particularly during sieges to enable the infantry to get close enough
to the fortified position to conduct an assault. The diggers were known
as sappers.
Colonel-in-Chief
The Royal Australian Engineer Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty Elizabeth
II.
Sovereign's Banner
The Corps was presented with its Sovereign's Banner on 1 July 1992. It
is secured in the Dining Room of the RAE Officer's Mess at the Engineer
Centre. It is paraded on special events such as Freedom of the City parades
and special dining in nights at RAE unit Officer's and Sergeant's messes.
Corps Mottoes
The following mottoes are used within the Corps:
"Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt" - Where right and glory leads -
(It appears on the Royal Coat of Arms).
"Facimus et Frangimus" - We make and we break - This is the
original motto of Australian Engineer adopted at Federation and appearing
on the engineer hat badge up until 1947. It now only appears on the Corps
Cipher.
"Ubique" - Everywhere - This motto was originally bestowed
on Engineers and Gunners by King William IV in 1832 in recognition that
both Sappers and Gunners where not entitled to carry Regimental Colours.
This was because at most times they served as small detachments and never
as a whole unit.
"Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" - Evil to he who evil thinks - This
motto which appears around the Garter on the Corps hat badge is also the
motto of the Order of the Garter. It was bestowed on Australian engineers
in 1947 in recognition of service by the Corps during WWII.
Corps Badges
The Corps has two badges worn by all sappers, they are the Hat Badge
and the Flaming Grenade.
Hat Badge
It should be noted that the Royal Cipher monogram which is surrounded
by the Garter belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. The monogram changes each
new monarch.
The Flaming Grenade
This badge or collar dog first appeared in 1824 on the coat tails of
Royal Engineer officer's coats. No documented evidence can verify what
was its real significance, but it has been speculated that it represented
siege warfare when it first appeared. The Grenade is shared by both Engineers
and Artillery, except that the number of flames differ, Sappers having
nine and the Gunners having seven.
Waterloo Dinner - an engineer tradition
It is of interest that the RAE Annual Dinner the "Waterloo Dinner"
was established June 18, 1915 at Gallipoli. Lieutenant Stan Watson, RAE
signals officer, whilst serving on Gallipoli was directed to construct
a pier at ANZAC Cove. On the completion of "Watson's Pier",
it was decided to celebrate the completion of the task. The date chosen
was 18 June 1915, the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo".
After the war engineers continued to conduct a dinner for all officers
on the Friday closest to the Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. As
LT Watson was a signal officer, it has always been traditional to invite
a senior signals officer to the Dinner after the Corps of Signals was
formed on Feb 14, 1925. This tradition continues to this day.
Regimental Music
The Corps marches to song and music of "Wings". The words are
reproduced in Appendix 1.
Corps Songs
Songs sung within the Corps are "Hurrah for the CRE" (reproduced
in Appendix 2) and "The Shovel and the Pick".
Corps Poem
The adopted poem of the Corps is Rudyard Kipling's "Sapper"
(reproduced in Appendix 3).
Engineer's Patron Saint
St Barbara is the patron saint of all engineers. She is a virgin martyr
and a saint of the Christian churches, her festival is on December 4th.
Her father, a heathen, tortured and beheaded her himself on finding out
she as a Christian. He himself was struck dead by lightning shortly after
he carried out the punishment. For this reason St Barbara is regarded
as the patron for thunderstorms and as the protectress of all those in
danger of sudden death when using explosives, namely gunner, sapper and
ordnance works.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN
ENGINEERS
Victoria was the first colony to raise a corps of volunteer engineers.
Its formation was proposed at a meeting held at the Duke of Rothsesay
Hotel, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne on 7 November 1860. It was attended
by seven members, Mr John George Knight, a civilian engineer and architect
from Melbourne acting as the honorary secretary.
Also in attendance was Capt. Peter Scratchley, RE (Later Maj-Gen Sir),
the government adviser on defence works. The results of the meeting was
the government approval for the formation of the "Corps of Volunteer
Engineers" in the Colony of Vic in March 1861.
By 1876 five of the six colonies had raised their own engineer Units.
All based their organisation and training of Royal Engineer practices.
On 1st July 1902, all former colonial engineer corps were merged to form
the "Corps of Australian Engineers'. The Corps Birthday is therefore
celebrated on 1 July each year.
On 19 March 1907, Royal Assent was given for the granting of the title
"Royal" to the regular sappers. The militia engineers retained
the title "Australian Engineers" until 31 Jan 1936, when the
Corps was constituted as the Corps of the Royal Australian Engineers embracing
both Regular and Citizen Forces.
Areas of Operation
Engineers have served in the following areas of operation:
Sudan Campaign 1885, Boer War 1899 - 1902, WWI and WWII, Korea.
Engineer units were not deployed to Korea; but many sappers saw service
with the 1st Commonwealth Division as Infantry assault pioneers. Some
engineer officers served as RAE officers attached to the Commonwealth
Brigades.
The Malaya Emergency, the Indonesian Confrontation (Borneo), Vietnam,
UN peace keeping dates.
Engineer Trades
The following trades can be found in the Corps:
Bricklayers, Carpenters & Joiners, Plumber & Gas Fitters, Mechanical
Services Supervisors, Engineer Surveyors, Architectural Draughtsmen, Field
Engineers, Fire Fighters, Electricians, Painter & Decorators, Sawyers,
Plant Operators, Explosive Ordnance Demolition Technicians, Dog Handlers,
Well Drillers, Clerks, Storemen, Drivers
UN Duties were conducted in Rhodesia, Sinai, Namibia, Pakistan, Cambodia
and Somalia.
Past Trades
In the past, the Corps has been involved in trade/operational areas,
some of which have been taken over by other Corps or Services. In some
instances new corps were raised to accommodate the trades, the areas included:
Black trades including welding - pasted to RAEME in 1972, Railways -
now a responsibility of RACT, Small Ships - pasted to RACT in 1972, Submarine
Mining - pasted to Navy in 1922, Tunneling - still a corps responsibility,
Postal - pasted to RACT in 1972, Forestry - still a Reserve responsibility,
Signals - pasted to RAE Sig when Corps raised in 1931, Survey - past to
RAE Svy when the Corps was raised, Engineers Stores - past to RAAOC.
Role of Engineers During Conflict
RAE are primarily responsible for combat and logistic support engineering
and also have an input into certain aspects of counter-surveillance and
NBCD operations. The engineer responsibilities include:
Roads, airfield and LZ's construction, obstacles construction and demolition,
mine laying, mine clearance and breaching, bridging, booby traps, clearance,
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), water supply, field defences construction
and demolitions
The responsibility to conduct engineer surveying has been retained within
the RAE, Vertical construction, electrical power supply, counter-surveillance/deception
training, Nuclear/Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD).
Role of Engineers During Peace
During time of peace, other than training for our war time role, engineers
are actively employed in the following areas:
Training other Corps in counter-surveillance and deception methods,
training other Corps and government agencies in NBCD, EOD training and
assistance to law enforcement agencies, dog handling assistance to law
enforcement agencies in detection of explosive devices, co-ordinate construction,
maintenance and repairs required in military facilities, fire fighting
to provide fire protection and advise on fire prevention measures in permanent
facilities and during exercises and engineering assistance to the civil
community during natural disasters.
Brief History of the School of Military Engineering (SME)
Engineers have been associated with the Liverpool district since before
the turn of this Century. Photographs depicting sappers exercising on
the banks of the Georges River can be seen in the Museum. The SME can
be traced back to colonial times when first established in Victoria Barracks,
Sydney.
The SME has been located in other areas of Sydney including Moore Park
(now the site of the Sydney Football Stadium), South Head and Chowder
Bay at Middle Head (Mosman). It was established on a permanent basis in
the Liverpool District in September 1939 in the area known as Hospital
Block (not far from Yulong Oval). In 1940 it was moved to the present
site and was located with the School of Signals until 1941 when the School
of Signals move out.
In 1942 the RAE Training Centre was established at Kapooka Loop outside
Wagga Wagga on the same as site as 1 RTB. The centre was used to conduct
basic field engineer training for other ranks.
The SME was used to training all engineer officers and NCOs. During the
war period, 7450 students passed through the School in twelve different
types of courses. At the end of the war the School's staff was decreased
and by 1949 it consisted of only five officers and 45 other ranks.
The School remained at this size until 1953 when the Korean War caused
the size of the staff to almost double and the range of courses to expand.
At this time, the Trade Wing was established and was responsible for trade
training and works service instruction. Today this wing is known as the
Construction, Mechanical and Electrical (CME) Wing.
The NBC Wing was established in 1963 to training the Army in NBCD. It
now trains NBCD instructor for all three service. It also maintains an
operational NBC response team that is on call 24 hours a day.
In 1965, Australia's involvement with Vietnam and the introduction of
selective National Service gave the school a boost. The staff levels were
gain increased and the Depot Sqn (now FE Wing) was expanded to cater for
the basic sapper training commitment of 1200 men per year.
Since Vietnam, the size of the School has remained relatively constant
with a staff of approximately 250.
Links with the Royal Engineers and US engineers are maintained through
an Officer and SNCO exchange system. At present Operations (Ops) Wing
is commanded by an American Major and the Plant, Road and Airfield (PRA)
Wing is commanded by a British Major. Two exchange SNCO, a US Master SGT
and a British QMSI are posted to the FE Wing.
Today, the SME trains all ranks of the RAE in following areas:
ARA and ARes Initial Employment Training (IET), specialist training
in trades employment and promotion qualifications, young officers from
both Australian and overseas in the military engineering and to prepare
them for service as engineer officers within their own army, for the management
of engineer projects and resources, and practical apprentice tradesmen
tasks.
THE HERITAGE AREA
Major General Sir Clive Steele Memorial Gates
The Memorial Gates at the entrance of the SME are symbolic of the Bridge
which was conceived and designed in 1942 by MAJGEN Sir Clive Steele, K.B.E.,
DS.O., M.C., V.D.. The bridge was manufactured in Australia during WWII
when Bailey Bridging supplies were unavailable.
Brigadier Clive Steele, Engineer Commander of the Australian Army HQ
had departed Colombia aboard SS Orcades in Mar 1942 bound for Australia.
The "Designers" of the bridge, CAPT. G.D. Colebatch and R.A.
Simpson on the staff of C.R.E. 7th Div Corps Troops were instructed by
Brigadier Steele to carry out a detailed design and prepare drawings and
specifications for a heavy bridge to be fabricated on and prepare drawings
and specifications for a heavy bridge to be fabricated on arrival in Australia.
On arrival in country Hume Steel Ltd fabricated the test sections and
in April 1942 the first test section of the Steele Bridge was assembled
and tested with a single tank passing without incident. When tested with
two tanks, deliberately overloading the bridge, it failed. A hurried redesigned
of the cross-bracing on the top chords resulted in the bridge passing
all tests. One of the early Steele Bridge sets was dispatched here to
the School for training purposes.
For spans up to about 120 ft the Steele Bridge proved to be invaluable
in the South West Pacific campaigns before the more sophisticated and
more expensive Bailey and Australian Panel bridges became available.
Road Names
Road names with the Engineer Centre all relate to place names associated
with Engineers and campaigns in which Australian sappers served. They
include:
Chatham Avenue Named after the location of the Royal Engineer School
in the UK.
Belvoir Road Named after the location of the old US Engineer School in
the USA.
Birrcross Road This name is a misquote of "Birr Crossroad".
Birr Crossroads was the marshalling yards outside Ypres during WWI. It
was destroyed by German Artillery and later saw 10 sappers killed and
34 injured while trying to maintain an open railway line through the area.
Ripon WWII campaign in New Guinea.
Bicentennial Building
This building was designed by Engineers and constructed by 17 Construction
Squadron in 1987. All materials for the building were purchased using
funds donated by serving members of the Corps and by funds raised through
Art Unions. It was officially opened on 1 July 1988 by retired Lieutenant
General Sir Mervyn Brogen, an Ex Sapper and former CGS of the Army.
Diorama Models - Bicentennial Building
The Bicentennial Building contains life size dioramas depicting different
engineer activities and periods of time since the arrival of military
engineers in Australia. From the left in a clockwise direction they are:
Colonial Engineers
Sappers constructing a non equipment bridge over a creek bed, pre 1900.
These types of bridges were used for the passage of both foot and horse
drawn traffic.
Mine warfare - Western Desert WWII
Soldiers clearing a safe lane through a minefield in the Western Desert
Campaign in North Africa during WWII. The soldier in front is holding
a prodder, which is used to test the ground for mines. Despite all our
modern technology, prodding is still the only totally effective way of
clearing mines.
Demolition Scene WWII
One of the Sapper's primary roles is to deny freedom of movement to the
enemy. If you stand back from the arch you will see a brick arch bridge
being prepared for demolition. The soldier on the left is preparing to
attach charges to the bridge while the sapper on the right is laying out
the electrical wire for the firing circuit. The soldiers on top of the
bridge represent the guard who are protecting the demolition party.
Bomb Disposal WWII
This scene depicts another responsibility of the engineers during War.
It shows an Officer neutralising a bomb which has fallen in a back yard,
but which has not exploded. He is operating a "Trepanning Machine"
which cuts a hole in the shell allowing the explosive content to be steamed
out. The steam boiler and steaming apparatus can be viewed on the right
hand side of the entrance to this Building.
Tunnel Clearance Vietnam
This scene depicts sappers preparing to explore a tunnel complex. One
task of the combat engineer in South Viet Nam (SVN) was tunnel clearance.
The Viet Cong were responsible for many of tunnel complexes discovered
throughout SVN. These tunnel complexes were used to house store cashes
of weapons and food and move undetected large groups of the enemy around
the countryside. The clearance of these underground cashes and operational
complexes was also a job for the engineer tunnel rats.
Because of the design and construction of these tunnels which prevented
flooding, destruction by explosion and other types of techniques to effectively
penetrate and clear the tunnels failed, they ultimately had to be cleared
by hand. A Sapper sometimes with little more than a torch and pistol would
have to crawl in and search. The equipment displayed is a electronic detection
system that enabled the sapper on the surface to track and have voice
communications with the sapper under ground.
The Entrance
The etched glass panel depicts the RAE Corps hat badge.
Bridges
One of the main tasks of military engineers is to be able to bridge gaps
to allow the Army to go forward with speed. The Colonial Diorama in the
Bicentennial Building depicts a timber non-equipment bridge. These type
of bridges were built from timber recovered from natural resources, which
made them very time consuming to build.
With the advance in technology, prefabricated bridges were developed,
which allowed engineers to just bolt them together and span the gap. They
are called equipment bridges and they are now all made from steel and
aluminium. There are a number of these bridges featured within the Heritage
Area.
The Standard Bailey Bridge
The Bailey Bridge was designed in the UK in the late 1930's and was introduced
into service in Europe in 1940. It is a particularly versatile bridge
that could be constructed by hand or crane in a relatively short period
of time.
The basic component was the standard panel. The panels were pinned end
to end to form girders between which the road was supported. The span
and load carrying capacity of the bridge could be increased by adding
extra panels alongside or on top of the first panel.
The bridge on display has two panels constructed alongside each other
to form a stronger girder. This combination is called a double single.
Girders can be constructed up to three panels wide and three panels high
to give spans of up to 70 m.
The Bridge was used extensively throughout Europe in WWII. It was only
employed behind the combat zone, normally where previous bridges had been
destroyed.
The Australian Army introduced the Bailey Bridge into service in 1944.
It was used throughout the Pacific by Allied Forces and many bridges are
still used within the region.
The Standard Bailey was replaced after the war by a wider version called
the Extra Wide Bailey Bridge. Although only a few feet wider it allowed
crossings by all combat vehicles. The Extra Wide Bailey Bridge is now
used only in Australia by civil construction agencies.
The Australian Defence Forces have replaced it with the British Medium
Girder Bridge (MGB).
The Bailey Bridge did not always solve all our bridging needs. During
WWII it was either not available or in very short supply, as a result,
it was decided to design and build our own version of a bridge called
the Australian Panel Bridge.
Australian Panel Bridge
The Australian Panel Bridge was introduced in 1944. It was constructed
of structural steel, whereas the Bailey used lighter high tensile steel.
The panel is a different shape to the Bailey, instead of a rectangle with
two diamond shaped internal supports, the Australian Panel is a trapezoidal
or leaning rectangular shape with an internal "W" or Zig Zag
shaped support.
Apart from the panel the bridges are very similar. The Australian Panel
was not as widely used and is no longer in service. The Bridge on display
allows for a Class 40 load or approx 40 tons, which is the weight of a
bulldozer or light to medium tank. A Leopard Tank would not be able to
cross this bridge cause it is a class 42 load and is wider than the Bridge.
The signs at the end of the bridges tells drivers the capacity of the
bridge.
Unfortunately, both of these bridges are only one way. To provide two
way traffic either a traffic control point would need to be establish
or two bridges would be needed side by side. Clearly it would be more
economical to build one two way bridge than two one way bridges. To this
end the Heavy Girder Bridge was developed in the early 1950's.
Heavy Girder Bridge
The British designed Heavy Girder Bridge is a larger and heavier version
of the Bailey Bridge. Introduced into service in the early 1950's, it
is wide enough to allow two way traffic or one way traffic up to 100 tonnes
over a 45m gap or 30 tonnes over 65m gap.
The Bridge is no longer in service and has been replaced by the Line
of Communication Bridge, which is constructed with the use of a crane.
THE MUSEUM
Museum History
The Museum is the repository for the heritage and history of Sappers
in Australia. The Collection was commenced around 1957 and was opened
for viewing in 1960. The Museum has been housed at a number of building
throughout the SME area. The present museum building was occupied by the
Headquarters of 1 Fd Sqn, 7 Fd Sqn and SME. In 1972 the HQ of SME was
converted to the Corps Museum. Since then there have been extensions to
the building and major interior development develop with show cases and
other facilities. A further addition to the Museum was the Bicentennial
Building project in 1987/88.
The First Curator
The plaque at the entrance to the Museum was placed there in memory of
the first Curator of the Corps Museum, Major Fredrick George Hamilton
"Tiny" Clark. Tiny Clark was born in Christchurch, NZ on 15
May 1911. He was educated in NZ and enlisted in the NZ Artillery in 1929.
Six years later he transferred to the NZ Engineers for volunteer service.
At the outbreak of the war "Tiny" transferred to the regular
forces and was allocated to the 7 Fd Coy, NZE. He attained the rank of
WO1 and served in the UK, the Middle East and Greece. He was commissioned
after the war and remained in the NZ Army. In 1952 he transferred to the
Australian Regular Army with rank of Captain. He retired in 1958 and continued
to work at the SME as a civilian for a further 17 years. In addition to
his normal duties he undertook the task of establishing and maintain the
Corps Museum. He died on 20 Aug 75 after a long serious illness.
Museum Facade
The sandstone on the Facade of the building is stone recovered from the
old stone curbing which once ran from the old FE Store to the pump house
on the Georges River.
The stone kerb had originally been laid by sappers in the early 1950's
and had come from a stone railway bridge built by German POW's during
WWI. The bridge was on a railway line which ran from Liverpool to an internment
camp in Old Holsworthy.
The Collection and Displays
The Museum Collection is a collection of both privately donated and commonwealth
property. Private donation constitute the major part of the Collection.
Items from all significant corps events are collected by the Museum and
include such events as parades, unit disbandment, UN tours etc. The displays
represent a small portion of the total collection.
With the development of the Plant hanger and possible future extensions
to the Museum a larger part of the Collection will be displayed.
Archives
The Museum has an Archives Collection containing maps, plans, photographs,
audio visual material, books and documents.
This section is closed for public viewing but can be accessed for research
by contacting the Museum Curator.
The Future
The Old SME Plant Hanger has been acquired and is being refurbished for
the Museum. It is proposed to open it to the public for the first time
on Sunday 23 May 1993. It will house and display large items of engineer
origin.
It is proposed to develop the open area between the Bicentennial Building
and the Plant Hanger into a lake surrounded by displays of engineer activities.
Plans for extensions and air-conditioning to the Museum Building as the
Corps Centenary project have been approved by the Corps Committee for
opening on the Corps Centenary on 1 July 2202.
RAE WAR MEMORIAL
This Memorial was erected "... in memory of fallen comrades"
by 7 Independent Field Squadron in 1956. The Squadron upon completion
of the Memorial and the Clive Steel Gates moved to Maralinga, South Australia,
the site of British Atomic Bomb tests.
OTHER EXTERIOR OBJECTS
Tracked Tractor - CR1
The tracked tractor, CR1 on display at the side of the Museum is the
result of service needs and sapper ingenuity. Prior to WWII no tracked
tractors were produced in Australia, all those in use in Australia were
produced in the USA. When the USA entered WWII the supply of Caterpillar
Dozers ceased due to the demands of the US Army. Australia's only supply
of tractors were of inferior quality and limited numbers. Australia approaches
to the US Army fell on deaf ears, the shortage of dozers became crucial
to our operational needs. Australia decided to investigate the possibilities
of producing its own tracked tractor. Enter the "Sapper".
The story goes that a it was decided to produce our own Tractor and there
was a need to acquire a sample of a Tractor for guidance. A Sapper driving
a low loader past the Melbourne wharves saw a ship unloading Caterpillar
D7 dozers destined for the South West Pacific for US forces. He joined
the queue of low loaders and loaded up a D7 and drove off for parts unknown.
At unknown, he off loaded the dozer and it was dismantled. All parts except
the injectors and some of the more precision parts were used as patterns
to produce the CR1. This was the only Australian Dozer Built. By the time
it had been built, a steady flow of D7 dozers had started to arrive from
the USA for Australian forces, thus putting pay to any
need to produce "Australian" tracked tractors.
The CR1 was shipped to the SME and used to train plant operators. Records
indicate it has given good service throughout its life. Its life in hours
cannot be stated as the service meter stopped at 1143 hours and was never
fixed it was retired in 1957. It was placed in a dark corner of the SME
and used for spare parts until 1960-, when the CI, LTCOL Curlews had it
refurbished, painted olive drab and placed on a concrete slab as a permanent
display for all to see. It was moved around the SME by successive CI's
without any further maintenance. In 1973, LTCOL Binney decided, due to
its historical significance, it should be restored by sand blasting and
repainting it grey. It was then placed in its present position.
Behind the bronze plate on the pedestal is a time capsule, which contains
such items as a Commonwealth ball point pen, a bush hat and booby trap
switch.
Japanese Heavy Machine Gun
This weapon was a war trophy returned to Australia and presented to the
Australian War Memorial (AWM). Rationalisation of the AWM's war trophy
collection allowed the Museum to collect this weapon and the Torpedo.
Russian Torpedo
The Russian torpedo has had a checkered career since arriving at the
Museum. It was locate at the EOD section of the school where it was used
as a training aid for Navy Shallow Water Divers undergoing demolition
training. The original warhead was removed and used as a demolition target
by one of the courses. A British warhead was then acquired and fitted
to the engine. It now has been relegated to the Museum as a museum piece.
RAE MEMORIAL CHAPEL
The thought behind the chapel, and the determination to bring this fine
building to a successful completion gives expression to the importance
which the engineer corps places upon the need to foster the spiritual
well being of the soldier, and to ensure that guidance in this aspect
of the sapper's life is present in a tangible way.
The chapel was designed by Australian Army Engineer Officers COL D.A.
Davey and CAPT. J.M. Brindley.
Construction was undertaken by Army Apprentice Tradesman working under
the supervision of their Apprentice Masters or Adult Army Tradesmen. Many
of the adult tradesmen were either National Servicemen or Regular soldiers
awaiting posting to Vietnam.
The sandstone material for the walls came from a number source:
The external walls are ex-convict hand cut stone from the Bow-bowing
Flour Mill (circa 1855) that was located at Campbelltown. The remains
of the Mill were owned and donated by the Airds-Campbelltown Historical
Society.
The stone behind the alter area was faced stone from an old MQ at Holsworthy
constructed by German POW's during WWI.
Stone blocks fro Victoria Barracks, Paddington, Sydney.
Fittings for the Chapel were donated by the following:
The Hanging Plant Container by the RE (UK), Baptismal Font by the Western
Command engineers (Perth, WA), Alter Chairs by the Australian Women's
Army Services (AWAS), Bells for Bell Tower by the RE of Far East Land
Forces (Singapore), Badges on the front of the Chapel were cast at the
RSME, Chatham, England.
The badges are, from right to left:
The Corps Monogram or Cipher of the RAE, The Hat Badge of the RAE, The
Royal Coat of Arms of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - Colonel in Chief
of the RAE.
Many other fittings have been donated by units, organisations and dependants
of serving and ex serving members.
The Courtyard
Head Stone - LT Thomas Hodgson
Hodgson was a founding member of the NSW Colonial volunteer Engineer
Corps and the founder of Technical Military School in Sydney. He died
on 25 June 1972, by the present Director of the Corps, Colonel Rod McKinnon.
It was raised and installed in the court yard by members of 1 Field Engineer
Regiment.
Memorial Cross and Stones
Many signalers from the 8th Div trained in this location before embarking
for Singapore and capture and internment by the Japanese in 1942. The
memorial cross in the Courtyard was raised from a donation by 8th Div
Sig Assoc in memory of those POWs interned in Changi prison and those
who worked and died on the Burma Railway. The timber members of the Cross
consists of two teak sleepers from the Burma Railway. Stone is from the
Changi POW Camp, Singapore.
THE RAE CORPS SHOP
The Corps shop is available to purchase items of RAE significance, not
only for personal use but are ideal gifts for friends. The two objectives
of the Shop is to offer a service to all members of the Corps in selling
military equipment normally available through the Army logistic system
and supporting the Museum's development from the small profits made from
shop sales.
This page was last updated
25-Jun-2007
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