History of the Royal Sappers and Miners, Volume 2 (of 2): From the Formation of the Corps in March 1712 to the date when its designation was changed to that of Royal EngineersConnolly, T. W. J. (Thomas William John)
History
History of the Royal Sappers and Miners, Volume 2 (of 2): From the Formation of the Corps in March 1712 to the date when its designation was changed to that of Royal Engineers
Connolly, T. W. J. (Thomas William John)
Great Britain. Army. Royal Sappers and Miners
The party from Sandhurst and colour-sergeant Brown’s detachment were
billeted at Sunning-hill and Sunning-dale. On Captain Lovell arriving
with his company at Shrub’s-hill, finding no billets or tents he stayed
for three days in a barn at Bagshot Park House. On the 16th of May the
company was for the first time tented on the skirts of Colonel
Challoner’s wood, then on Sheep’s-hill, and lastly on the
Oystershell-hill near the “Magnet.” The division under Lord Seaton
reached the encampment on the 14th of June, when in allusion to the
appearance and exertions of the troops as they took up their ground, a
leading journal of the day observed, “that the sappers and miners,
probably the most intelligent and best-educated men in our army, make
the least external show.”[120] The pontoon train was encamped about one
and a half miles from Virginia Water, near the Wellington Bridge, from
which the camp took its name. The detachment of sixty-five men furnished
to assist in the formation of the bridge across the Thames at Runnymede,
was billeted during its short stay at Egham.
The camp equipment for the Chobham company embraced five marquees,
fourteen circular tents, one hospital tent for officers’ mess, one for
orderly room, one guard tent, and one store and ammunition tent, besides
fourteen Flanders’ kettles. For the pontoon train there were four
marquees, thirty-four circular tents, two hospital tents for workshops
and stores, one laboratory tent, and twenty-five camp kettles. Each man
was supplied with a wooden canteen, haversack and blanket, but no
bedding. Straw was afforded in abundance to sleep on. The men were
distributed in parties of nine and ten to each tent, which permitted the
senior non-commissioned officers to be provided with ample canvas
accommodation, and some spare tents to be used for various incidental
military purposes.
A detail of the duties and services performed by the sappers and miners
in connexion with the encampment follows. In some of them they were
assisted by small levies from the guards and the line. The senior
non-commissioned officers were colour-sergeants Henry Brown, Noah Deary,
and Timothy Sillifant, who throughout the service were indefatigable in
their exertions, and their skill and contrivances were on many occasions
found very useful.[121] In the early stage of the preparations, Viscount
Hardinge inspected the camp on Sheep’s-hill, and expressed in a few
pointed sentences his satisfaction of the appearance of the field, and
the steps taken to render the accommodation of the troops as comfortable
as the resources of the district would admit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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