London Electrical Engineers
The London Electrical Engineers was a Volunteer unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers founded in 1897. It pioneered the use of searchlights for port defence before World War I and for anti-aircraft defence during the war. In the interwar period, it formed the two senior searchlight regiments of the Territorial Army, which defended Southern England during The Blitz. Detachments later served in the Battle of Crete and Siege of Tobruk.
Origin
Queen Victoria approved the formation of 'The Electrical Engineers, Royal Engineers ' on 27 April 1897. Their role was to supplement the regular Royal Engineers in wartime by operating searchlights to defend major ports in conjunction with minefields controlled by Volunteer companies of Submarine Miners, RE. The headquarters of the new force was at 5 Victoria Street, Westminster, and initially there were four companies recruited in London and the Midlands. By 1908, there were seven 'Divisions' of electrical engineers around the great estuary ports of Britain, including the London Division, which was responsible for the Thames Estuary. The London Electrical Engineers established its HQ at 46 Regency Street, Victoria, in 1900.Second Boer War
The commanding officer of The Electrical Engineers was Rookes Crompton, the electrical pioneer and founder of Crompton & Co, one of the first large-scale manufacturers of electrical equipment. In his earlier life, he had been an infantry officer in the Rifle Brigade and the 57th Foot before going onto the Reserve List in 1880, but had spent much of his service in India designing military steam wagons. Early in the Second Boer War, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell improvised searchlights to deter night attacks during the Siege of Mafeking. Soon afterwards, Major Crompton led a detachment of the Electrical Engineers Volunteers to South Africa, where they operated electric Arc lamp searchlights of his own design, the first use of such equipment by the Royal Engineers on campaign. The detachment served from April to October 1900 in the Transvaal and Orange Free State. Crompton was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, Mentioned in Dispatches and made a Companion of the Bath for his efforts and was later given the honorary rank of colonel.Territorial Force
Under the Haldane Reforms, the Electrical Engineers RE were converted into Fortress Companies RE in the new Territorial Force. They were responsible, among other duties, for electrical installations in the defended ports. The large London Division was planned to split into six RE companies as follows:- London Royal Engineers
- 1st London Divisional Telegraph Company RE
- 2nd London Divisional Telegraph Company RE
- London Wireless Telegraph Company RE
- London Cable Telegraph Company RE
- London Ballon Telegraph Company RE
The London Division was therefore finally reorganised as follows:
- London Electrical Engineers
- London Wireless Telegraph Company RE
- London Cable Telegraph Company RE
- London Air-Line Telegraph Company RE
- London Balloon Company RE
World War I
By the outbreak of World War I, in August 1914, the London Electrical Engineers had grown to six companies based at Regency Street. Searchlight units were immediately deployed to the South Coast of England and the Thames Estuary to form light barriers against surface raiders. For example, No 2 Company London Electrical Engineers was positioned at Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury. By an agreement between the Admiralty and War Office on 3 September 1914, responsibility for air defence of the UK lay initially with the Royal Navy, which provided aircraft, quick-firing guns and searchlights to defend vulnerable points against the anticipated air raids. These acetylene searchlights were operated by civilian Special Constables.Anti-Aircraft defence
The first night raid was made by Zeppelin airships on 19/20 January 1915, then in April and May regular raids began on the East Coast of England, reaching London on 31 May/1 June. Zeppelin raids continued during the summer and autumn of 1915, after which it was decided that the Royal Navy would try to deal with raiders approaching the British coastline, while the Army would be responsible for dealing with them over land. The transfer took effect between February and April 1916. Experience had shown the need for plentiful searchlights to guide both gunners and fighter pilots to their targets. The army established a 25-mile wide searchlight belt stretching from Northumberland to Sussex, with a double ring round London.The TF began forming AA S/L companies in December 1915, mainly from the LEE and the Tyne Electrical Engineers. By July 1917, there were 42 AA Companies of the RE scattered around the country, all with the LEE and TEE as their parent units. These included the following LEE units:
- Nos 1–6 AA Companies, London
- Nos 11–12 AA Brigade Searchlight Companies
- Nos 20/21 and 24/26 Aeroplane Squadron Searchlight Companies
- No 40 AA Company, Dover
- No 53 AA Company, Newhaven
Changes were also needed in searchlight design and training, so a team was selected from the London Electrical Engineers to return to their Headquarters at 46 Regency Street and set up workshops, design and drawing offices to deal with the redesigns. This organisation became The Searchlight Experimental Establishment commanded by Captain P. Yorke, RE. Technology and tactics developed to keep pace as the Germans replaced vulnerable airships with heavy bombers. New 90 cm and 120 cm electric searchlights and their sound locators were linked directly to the guns to provide early warning.
In August 1918, a new establishment was implemented. The London and Tyne Electrical Engineers became the parent units for all coast defence and anti-aircraft Electric Light units and the depots that trained men for them. It was from these that nearly all RE AA companies and AASL companies were formed, serving on Home Defence, with the British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and on the Italian Front.
Between 1915 and 1918, the RE formed 76 AA Searchlight Sections for overseas service. The LEE is known to have found 25 of these: Nos 2, 3–5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 25, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45 and 48, together with Nos 21, 23 and 24, which were formed in France from Nos 1-8 AAS sections. Others were formed by the Regular RE and by the TEE. The parent units of a further 29 AAS sections are not known, but they probably consisted of mixed LEE, TEE and Medical Category B personnel. A fixed two-light section in France in 1917 comprised 20 men with three vehicles; a mobile three-light section in 1918 consisted of five vehicles and 28 men.
Western Front
In August 1915, a detachment of volunteers from the TEE and LEE proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. They were formed into 13 small detachments, each assigned to a Field Company of the RE to operate small oxy-acetylene searchlights to detect enemy raiding parties in No-Man's Land. Although these were used with some success for a few months, exposing a light drew heavy fire from the enemy, and the dangerous work earned the detachments the nickname of 'the suicide brigade'.In November 1915, a joint LEE/TEE company was formed for service in France, designated No 1 Electrical & Mechanical Company, RE. It assembled at the LEE's HQ in London, and landed at Le Havre on 15 December, where it was attached to General Headquarters of the BEF. It carried out a variety of duties, ranging from installing electric lighting for hospitals, water pumps and laundry equipment, to erecting a printing works and building a trench locomotive. After the Battle of the Somme, it was decided to form an E & M Company for each of the Armies of the BEF and the London & Tyne Company was split to form 351 Company and 354 Company. 354 Company was later responsible for the development of air-lift and belt water pumps to supply drinking water. During the German spring offensive of 1918, 351 and 354 E &M Companies were entrusted with destroying electrical installations and water supplies ahead of the advancing enemy. These then had to be replaced during the Hundred Days advance.
Among the professionals who served with the London Electrical Engineers during the war were the electrical engineer Reginald Frankland-Payne Gallwey and the chemist Theodore Acland. The remaining part-time civilian searchlight operators were also replaced. By the end of the war, there were 622 searchlights in use for Home Defence.
Interwar
This large anti-aircraft effort was quickly scaled down after the Armistice, but the Searchlight Experimental Establishment continued as civilian body, with several officers of the London Electrical Engineers still attached. In 1922, the London Electrical Engineers was split into the 10th and 11th Anti-Aircraft Battalions RE. These were renumbered in 1923 as the 26th and 27th Battalion, RE, becoming the two senior searchlight units of the new Territorial Army. 26 AA Battalion, based at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea, comprised Nos 301–3 AA Companies, and 27 AA Bn headquartered at Mitcham Lane, Streatham, had Nos 304–6 based at Rochester Row, Westminster. Crompton remained Honorary Colonel of the 27th.During the 1930s, the air defence strength of the Territorial Army was greatly expanded. In December 1935, 1st Anti-Aircraft Division was formed to cover London, with 26th and 27th Battalions assigned to 26th Anti-Aircraft Group, which shared the Duke of York's Headquarters. With the further expansion of the TA after 1938, each battalion was brought up to a four-company establishment with newly raised companies, 26th Bn gaining 321 AA Company and 27th Bn receiving 390 AA Company. On 15 December 1938, 26th Battalion transferred its 302 AA Company to 34th Anti-Aircraft Battalion at Greenwich, receiving 339 AA Company in exchange.
In September 1938, 26th AA Bde was split in two, the two London Electrical Engineer battalions remaining with 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade at the Duke of York's Headquarters.