Madras Sappers and Miners: Difference between revisions

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Including '''Madras Engineers'''
The '''Madras Sappers and Miners'''  were part of the Indian Army  Engineer Soldier Corps comprised the three armies of the Presidencies <ref name=REmus>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090725060217/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part10.htm  The Royal Engineers Museum and Library “Corps History Part 10 - Indian Engineering Soldiers 1777-1947”]; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016</ref>:- 
*The [[Bombay Sappers and Miners]] (1777; 
*The '''Madras Sappers and Miners''' (1780)
*The [[Bengal Sappers and  Miners]] (1803)
 
 
''Not to be confused with'' The  '''[[Madras Engineers]]''' being Engineers of one of the Honourable [[East India Company Armies]]. By the 1740’s each military administration of each presidency had its own cadre of British engineer officers, they were titled:-the [[Bombay  Engineers]], the  [[Madras Engineers]] and the [[Bengal Engineers]] <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090725060217/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part10.htm  The Royal Engineers Museum and Library “Corps History Part 10 – Engineers of the Honourable East India Company Army 1750-1862”]; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016</ref>
 
 
The '''Madras Sappers and Miners''' originated from two companies of Pioneers raised in 1780 called the 'Madras Pioneers', which were expanded and titled 'Corps of Madras Pioneers' but was renamed the 'Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners' in 1831  <ref name =REmus/>. The senior Officers were British and the loosely organised military units were later combined into battalions with Indian officers commanding local troops.  Officers were in the early years very conscious of the soldiers' local customs, caste rituals, dress, and social hierarchy.
 
== Chronology ==
== Chronology ==
*'''1780''' raised as Madras Pioneers
*'''1780''' raised as Madras Pioneers
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*'''1950''' Madras Centre, Corps of Engineers  
*'''1950''' Madras Centre, Corps of Engineers  


== External Links ==
==Regimental history==
*''The Indian Sappers and Miners'' by  E. W. C Sandes [Edward Warren Caulfeild] 1948. (726p). Covers the period from the pioneers in 1759 to the prelude to the Second World War. Available at the [[British Library]] UIN: BLL01011278725.
:Now available online, refer below.
*''A Short History of Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners during World War II, 1939-1945'' by R A Lindsell, published 1947 at Bangalore. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01011833621 , and also at Imperial War Museums LBY 27278.
 
== External links ==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_(military)#Pioneer_regiments_in_the_Indian_Army Pioneer Regiments in the Indian Army] from Pioneer(military) Wikipedia
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_(military)#Pioneer_regiments_in_the_Indian_Army Pioneer Regiments in the Indian Army] from Pioneer(military) Wikipedia
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20090725060217/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part10.htm Indian Sappers 1740-1947] - Royal Engineers Museum, previous website, now archived.  Details of the Madras Engineers are included.
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20090725060217/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part10.htm Indian Sappers 1740-1947] - Royal Engineers Museum, previous website, now archived.  Details of the Madras Engineers are included.
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*From the [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/  Main Index of  "A Newman Family Tree"], select H E M  Newman. He was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers on 19 December 1919 and posted to India  in 1924 as an officer of the Madras Sappers and Miners. He was in India until 1929 and again in India and Burma 1936-1943. The site includes his [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/H.E.M.Newman-memoirs%202c.pdf Memoirs] (152 pages pdf), the article [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/RE_Journal_1984.pdf  Waziristan 1937-1939] ( 9 page pdf) by Lieut Colonel H E M Newman ''The Royal Engineer Journal Volume 95, number 2, 1984'' and this [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/Missing-Years.html  html extract] which covers parts of the period 1918-1946. The two latter links are included in the Memoirs.
*From the [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/  Main Index of  "A Newman Family Tree"], select H E M  Newman. He was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers on 19 December 1919 and posted to India  in 1924 as an officer of the Madras Sappers and Miners. He was in India until 1929 and again in India and Burma 1936-1943. The site includes his [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/H.E.M.Newman-memoirs%202c.pdf Memoirs] (152 pages pdf), the article [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/RE_Journal_1984.pdf  Waziristan 1937-1939] ( 9 page pdf) by Lieut Colonel H E M Newman ''The Royal Engineer Journal Volume 95, number 2, 1984'' and this [http://www.newman-family-tree.net/Missing-Years.html  html extract] which covers parts of the period 1918-1946. The two latter links are included in the Memoirs.


====Historical Books Online====
====Historical books online====
*[http://dli.serc.iisc.ernet.in/handle/2015/278771 ''Historical Record 1877''] by Lieutenant Colonel W.J.Wilson. 1877. Pdf download, Digital Library of India. This book is believed to be ''Historical Record of the “Queen's Own” Sappers and Miners''.  Publication Details: Madras : E. Keys, 1877
* ''Historical Record 1877'' by Lieutenant Colonel W.J.Wilson. 1877. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.278771 Archive.org version], mirror from Digital Library of India. Full title ''Historical Record of the “Queen's Own” Sappers and Miners''.   Madras 1877
*[http://www.archive.org/stream/militaryhistoryo01viba#page/n5/mode/2up ''The military history of the Madras engineers and pioneers, from 1743 up to the present time Volume 1'']  by Major H M Vibart 1881. Archive.org. [http://www.archive.org/stream/militaryhistoryo02viba#page/n5/mode/2up ''Volume 2''] 1883
:[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.278779 ''Historical Record Of The 2nd "Queens Own" Sappers and Miners from 1780 to 1909''] by Lieut.-Colonel C H Roe, R E. c 1909. Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.
*''The Military History of the Madras Engineers and Pioneers, from 1743 up to the present time'' by Major H M Vibart. [http://www.archive.org/stream/militaryhistoryo01viba#page/n5/mode/2up ''Volume 1'']  1881. [http://www.archive.org/stream/militaryhistoryo02viba#page/n5/mode/2up ''Volume 2''] 1883 Archive.org.
*[https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Indian-Sappers-and-Miners-1948.pdf ''The Indian Sappers and Miners''] by  E. W. C Sandes [Edward Warren Caulfeild] 1948. (726p). nzsappers.org.nz. Covers the period from the pioneers in 1759 to the prelude to the Second World War.
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=wboRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9 ''Twelve years' military adventure in three quarters of the globe: or, Memoirs of an officer who served in the armies of His Majesty and of the East India Company, between the years 1802 and 1814 Volume 1''] by John Blakiston 1829    [http://books.google.com/books?id=vyUoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR1'' Volume 2'']. Google Books. He joined the Madras Engineers  [http://books.google.com/books?id=wboRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA37 page 37] in 1802 and served until February 1812, including the 2nd Maratha War and the Expedition to Java in 1811.
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=wboRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9 ''Twelve years' military adventure in three quarters of the globe: or, Memoirs of an officer who served in the armies of His Majesty and of the East India Company, between the years 1802 and 1814 Volume 1''] by John Blakiston 1829    [http://books.google.com/books?id=vyUoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR1'' Volume 2'']. Google Books. He joined the Madras Engineers  [http://books.google.com/books?id=wboRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA37 page 37] in 1802 and served until February 1812, including the 2nd Maratha War and the Expedition to Java in 1811.
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=_G4BAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP9 ''Journals of the Sieges of the Madras Army, in the years 1817, 1818, and 1819''] by Edward Lake of the Madras Engineers 1825. Google Books
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=_G4BAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP9 ''Journals of the Sieges of the Madras Army, in the years 1817, 1818, and 1819''] by Edward Lake of the Madras Engineers 1825. Google Books
:[http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/lsidyv367626ee#ark:/81055/vdc_00000000DBFB.0x000009 ''Plans and Views illustrating the Journals of the Sieges of the Madras Army, etc''] by Edward Lake, 1825. British Library itemViewer. Note (for at least some browsers) the full screen option only seems to display adequately in the one page option, and even then, the right side of some maps may not display. Also available as a pdf download, accessible through the BL Main catalogue. Note there are two online versions of this publication, one is said to be  of an ‘imperfect’ original.
:[http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_00000000DBFC ''Plans and Views illustrating the Journals of the Sieges of the Madras Army, etc''] by Edward Lake, 1825. British Library Digital Collection.  
*[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=sOILAQAAMAAJ&pg=PP5 ''Reports, correspondence and original papers on various professional subjects connected with the duties of the Corps of Engineers, Madras Presidency, Volume 1'']  by John Thomas Smith 1839 Google Books
*[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=sOILAQAAMAAJ&pg=PP5 ''Reports, correspondence and original papers on various professional subjects connected with the duties of the Corps of Engineers, Madras Presidency, Volume 1'']  by John Thomas Smith 1839 Google Books
*[http://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/bookreader/sea:354/#page/8/mode/2up ''Fifty years' reminiscences of India : a retrospect of travel, adventure and shikar'']  by Colonel Pollock, [FitzWilliam Thomas Pollock] Madras Staff Corps  1896 seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu. [https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsremini00poll Archive.org version] The author arrived in Madras in early 1849, and was posted to a Native Infantry Regiment. In 1853 he was appointed to the Sappers and Miners in Burma.
*[https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sea354  ''Fifty years' reminiscences of India : a retrospect of travel, adventure and shikar'']  by Colonel Pollok, [FitzWilliam Thomas Pollok] Madras Staff Corps  1896 Southeast Asia Visions Cornell University. [https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsremini00poll Archive.org version]. The author arrived in Madras in early 1849, and was posted to a Native Infantry Regiment. In 1853 he was appointed to the Sappers and Miners in Burma.
*[http://www.archive.org/stream/addiscombeitsher00viba#page/n7/mode/2up ''Addiscombe, its heroes and men of note''] by Colonel H. M. Vibart 1894 Archive.org.  Addiscombe was the East India Company Military Academy in England for the training of cadets for the Engineers, Artillery and Infantry.
*[http://www.archive.org/stream/addiscombeitsher00viba#page/n7/mode/2up ''Addiscombe, its heroes and men of note''] by Colonel H. M. Vibart 1894 Archive.org.  Addiscombe was the East India Company Military Academy in England for the training of cadets for the Engineers, Artillery and Infantry.
*''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'' by Whitworth Porter 1889 [http://www.archive.org/stream/historycorpsroy01portgoog#page/n8/mode/2up Volume 1],  [http://www.archive.org/stream/historycorpsroy00portgoog#page/n12/mode/2up Volume 2] Archive.org  
*''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'' by Whitworth Porter 1889 [http://www.archive.org/stream/historycorpsroy01portgoog#page/n8/mode/2up Volume 1],  [http://www.archive.org/stream/historycorpsroy00portgoog#page/n12/mode/2up Volume 2] Archive.org  
*[https://archive.org/details/army-review-vol-3-no-1-july-1912/page/113/mode/2up "Technical Troops of an Indian Division"] "Sappers and Miners" by Major H R Stockley followed by "Pioneers" by Major H F Cooke, pages 113 and 121,  ''The Army Review'' Volume 3 1912  HMSO Archive.org
*[https://archive.org/details/MadrasSoldier ''The Madras Soldier 1746-1946''] by Lt.-Col. E G Phythian-Adams. Revised and enlarged edition 1947 Archive.org. Includes Chapter VI
*[https://archive.org/details/MadrasSoldier ''The Madras Soldier 1746-1946''] by Lt.-Col. E G Phythian-Adams. Revised and enlarged edition 1947 Archive.org. Includes Chapter VI
**[https://archive.org/stream/MadrasSoldier#page/n165/mode/2up Sappers and Miners] page 148
**[https://archive.org/stream/MadrasSoldier#page/n165/mode/2up Sappers and Miners] page 148
== References ==
Our grateful thanks to The Royal Engineers Museum and Library, Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME4 4UG, England for permission to cite directly from their website.  Some records on websites do not give clear distinctions between the ‘Sappers and Miners’ and the ‘Engineers’.
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[[Category:Madras Army]]
[[Category:Madras Army]]

Latest revision as of 03:41, 20 August 2024

The Madras Sappers and Miners were part of the Indian Army Engineer Soldier Corps comprised the three armies of the Presidencies [1]:-


Not to be confused with The Madras Engineers being Engineers of one of the Honourable East India Company Armies. By the 1740’s each military administration of each presidency had its own cadre of British engineer officers, they were titled:-the Bombay Engineers, the Madras Engineers and the Bengal Engineers [2]


The Madras Sappers and Miners originated from two companies of Pioneers raised in 1780 called the 'Madras Pioneers', which were expanded and titled 'Corps of Madras Pioneers' but was renamed the 'Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners' in 1831 [1]. The senior Officers were British and the loosely organised military units were later combined into battalions with Indian officers commanding local troops. Officers were in the early years very conscious of the soldiers' local customs, caste rituals, dress, and social hierarchy.

Chronology

  • 1780 raised as Madras Pioneers
  • 1792 renamed Corps of Madras Pioneers
  • 1831 renamed as Madras Sappers and Miners
  • 1876 renamed Corps of Queen's Own Madras Sappers and Miners
  • 1903 became 2nd Queen's Own Madras Sappers and Miners
  • 1911 became 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners
  • 1923 became Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners
  • 1932 merged with Bengal and Bombay Sappers to form the Corps of Indian Engineers
  • 1941 became Queen Victoria's Own Sappers and Miners Group, Indian Engineers
  • 1946 became Queen Victoria's Own Madras Group, Royal Indian Engineers
  • 1832 merged with Bengal and Bombay Sappers to form the Corps of Indian Engineers
  • 1947 half allocated to India on Partition and half to Pakistan
  • 1950 Madras Centre, Corps of Engineers

Regimental history

  • The Indian Sappers and Miners by E. W. C Sandes [Edward Warren Caulfeild] 1948. (726p). Covers the period from the pioneers in 1759 to the prelude to the Second World War. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01011278725.
Now available online, refer below.
  • A Short History of Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners during World War II, 1939-1945 by R A Lindsell, published 1947 at Bangalore. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01011833621 , and also at Imperial War Museums LBY 27278.

External links

Historical books online

  • Historical Record 1877 by Lieutenant Colonel W.J.Wilson. 1877. Archive.org version, mirror from Digital Library of India. Full title Historical Record of the “Queen's Own” Sappers and Miners. Madras 1877
Historical Record Of The 2nd "Queens Own" Sappers and Miners from 1780 to 1909 by Lieut.-Colonel C H Roe, R E. c 1909. Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.
Plans and Views illustrating the Journals of the Sieges of the Madras Army, etc by Edward Lake, 1825. British Library Digital Collection.

References

Our grateful thanks to The Royal Engineers Museum and Library, Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME4 4UG, England for permission to cite directly from their website. Some records on websites do not give clear distinctions between the ‘Sappers and Miners’ and the ‘Engineers’.