It gives me great pleasure as a former Chairman of the RE Historical Society to add a few words of introduction to the Great Sappers website pages containing an anthology of accounts of RE, who have made their name in one special way or another. This chronicle of ‘Great Sappers’ contains not only the stories of officers and leaders who excelled on campaign and in innovation, but also those of more junior members of the Corps, whose contributions are often forgotten, whether they be valorous or sporting. Together, regardless of rank or role, these Great Sappers are worthy of study today, not only to learn from what they achieved in the context of their times, but also to inspire others following in their footsteps – some of whom may well become the Great Sappers of the future.
The original intention of the Great Sappers project was to collate the stories into a well-illustrated hardback book, providing a sequel to Gerald Napier’s Follow the Sapper. But market research revealed that there would be greater appetite for an Internet-version, which would offer the flexibility of growing and adjusting the anthology over the years to meet future needs. Whatever the method of presentation, the goal remains the same – to provide an attractive and easy source of learning. With that in mind, we should be very proud of our learning tradition in the Corps, which by the second half of the Nineteenth Century had built a remarkable reputation across the Army and the British Empire as being a ‘Scientific’ Corps. Accordingly, the RE were called ‘Scientifics’, not just in terms of their understanding of natural sciences, but more widely to reflect the professional manner in which they embraced and employed enthusiastically the latest technical knowledge to best tactical effect. That approach surely remains a valuable and honourable objective.
Furthermore, to encourage reading about the latest developments, the RE set up a series of libraries in garrisons at home and abroad, and encouraged all ranks to make good use of them. For various reasons these establishments have all closed, including, most sadly, the Central RE Library in Brompton Barracks. But times move on: now, information made available on the Internet can provide that function, and be immediately accessible by all, regardless of location. Hence it is to be hoped that the Great Sappers webpages will provide a similar function, recording not only the triumphs of RE long past, but also the accomplishments of those who have contributed markedly to the life and work of the Corps much more recently.
Inevitably, there has been a good deal of personal taste involved in selecting the Great Sappers documented here, and, deliberately, no hard and fast rules of adoption have been made. Rather, the ‘Great Sappers’ anthology offers both a wide canvas and a critical cross-section of individuals, whose ‘greatness’ is revealed in their stories. So please read on, leaving your comments on those currently described, and do make suggestions of other individuals for future inclusion. In this manner, Great Sappers will become a dynamic and handy source of reference for years to come.
Major General (Retd) Mungo Melvin CB OBE FInstRE
Article in the August 2026 Journal on the Great Sappers Anthology by MAJOR GENERAL C L WILKS CB CBE
Some articles have already been collated by the Corps Historian and the Editor of The RE Journal from other sources but members of the REHS and the Institution are invited to submit further articles for inclusion.
Follow the confirmation link below to express an interest in proposing to submit an article. The editors will provide any information already held to avoid too much duplication of effort.
More information is given about how to conduct research and the support that is available on the expression of interest page. If you are interested in writing and submitting an article, please click the link ‘CONFIRM YOUR INTEREST IN SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE’ below:
Pioneers of the Georgian Corps (1700 — 1793)
Founders, Fortifiers and the First Surveyors
| Hon Brigadier Michael Richards | 1673 — 1721 | |
| Hon Major General John Armstrong | 1674 — 1742 | |
| Lieutenant General Sir William Skinner | 1699 — 1780 | |
| General Lord Heathfield (George Elliott) | 1717 — 1790 | |
| General Sir William Green, 1st Baronet | 1725 — 1811 | |
| Major General William Roy | 1726 — 1790 |
The Napoleonic and Crimean Era (1793 — 1856)
| General Sir William Twiss | 1745 — 1827 |
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| Lieutenant Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher | 1768 — 1813 | |
| General Sir Charles Pasley | 1780 — 1861 | |
| Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne GCB BT | 1782 — 1871 | |
| Major General Sir John Thomas Jones | 1783 — 1843 | |
| General Sir Harry Jones | 1791 — 1866 |
Builders of Empires — Imperial Construction and Frontier Command (1815 — 1914)
The Sapper as Engineer of the Imperial Estate and Commander on its Frontier
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Lieutenant Colonel John By |
1779 — 1836 |
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| Field Marshall Lord Napier of Magdala | 1810 — 1890 | |
| Field Marshall General Sir John Simmons | 1821 — 1903 | |
| Lt General Sir Andrew Clarke | 1824 — 1902 | |
| General Sir Alexander Taylor | 1826 — 1912 | |
| Colonel Sir Colin Scott-Moncrieff | 1836 — 1916 |
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| Field Marshal Sir James Brown KCSI CB ‘Buster Browne’ | 1839 — 1896 |
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| General Sir Charles Warren | 1840 — 1927 |
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| General Sir Bindon Blood CRE | 1842 — 1940 |
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Surveyors and Explorers
Sappers Who Mapped and Measured the World
| Colonel Sir Henry James | 1803 — 1877 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel T G Mongomerie | 1830 — 1878 |
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| Maj General Sir Charles Wilson KCB KCMG FRS | 1836 — 1905 |
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| Colonel Mark Bell VC CB | 1843 — 1906 |
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Sapper Statesmen and National Leaders
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Major General Charles Gordon |
1833 — 1885 |
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| Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum | 1850 — 1916 | View Article here |
| Lt General Sir John Bagot Glubb ‘Glubb Pasha’ | 1897 — 1986 | View Article here |
Architects of the Realm - Civil Engineers of the UK and Empire
Sappers Who Built the Nation’s Civil Estate
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Lt Colonel Sir Joshua Jebb |
1793 — 1863 |
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| General Sir Arthur Cotton KCSI | 1803 — 1899 | |
| General Sir Richard Strachey | 1817 — 1908 | |
| Lieutenant General Sir William Drummond Jervois | 1821 — 1897 | |
| Major General H Y D Scott | 1822 — 1883 | |
| Capt Sir Douglas Galton | 1822 — 1899 | |
| Captain Francis Fowke | 1823 — 1865 | View Article here |
| Colonel Sir Edmund du Cane KCB KCMG | 1830 — 1903 |
Tank Pioneers and Armoured Warfare
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Major General Sir John Capper KCB KCVO |
1861 — 1955 |
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| Major General Sir Ernest Swinton KBE CB DSO | 1868 — 1951 | View Article here |
| General Sir Hugh Elles GBE KCB KCMG DSO | 1880 — 1945 | |
| Major General Sir Percy Hobart KBE CB DSO MC | 1885 — 1957 | |
| Lieutenant General Sir Giffard Le Q Martel KBE KCB DSO MC | 1889 — 1958 |
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First Sapper CGS and Senior Command of the Great War
| Field Marshal Lord Nicholson of Roundhay | 1845 — 1918 |
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| Lt General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston KCB DSO | 1864 — 1940 |
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| Lt General Sir George Fowke KCB KCMG | 1864 — 1936 |
Inventors, Innovators and Scientists
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Maj General Sir Frederick Beaumont |
1833 — 1899 |
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| Lt General Sir William Abney | 1843 — 1920 | |
| Major Peter Nissen DSO | 1871 — 1930 | |
| Captain William Livens | 1889 — 1964 | |
| Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths | 1871 — 1930 | |
| Maj General CH Foulkes CB CMG DSO | 1875 — 1969 |
The Second World War - Senior Sappers and Strategists
| Lt General Sir William Dobbie GCMG KCB DSO | 1879 — 1964 | |
| General Brian Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge GCB GBE KCMG KCVO DSO MC | 1896 — 1974 | |
| General Sir Frank Simpson*GBE KCB DSO | 1899 — 1986 | |
| General Sir Charles ‘Splosh’ Jones* GCB CSI CBE MC | 1906 — 1988 | |
| General Sir Charles Richardson* GCB CBE DSO | 1908 — 1994 |
Post-War and Cold War Leadership
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General Sir William Jackson GBE KCB MC |
1917 — 1999 |
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| General Sir Hugo Beach* GBE KCB MC | 1923 — 2019 | |
| General Sir George Cooper* GCB MC | 1925 — 2020 | |
| General Sir John Stibbon* KCB OBE | 1935 — 2014 |
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Gallantry Under Fire - A selection of Victoria Cross Holders
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Major General Sir Howard Crauford Elphinstone VC – Crimean War |
1829 — 1890 |
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| General Sir Harry North Prendergast VC GCB | 1834 — 1913 | |
| Colonel J M Chard VC – Anglo Zulu War | 1847 — 1897 | |
| Sapper William Hackett VC – WW1 Tunneller | 1873 — 1916 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel Sir Brett Cloutman VC MC | 1891 — 1971 | |
| Edward Mannock VC DSO** | 1887 — 1918 |
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| Lieutenant Claud Raymond VC | 1923 — 1945 |
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Selection of Sporting Stars
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Colonel Sir Francis Marindin KCMG – Footballl |
1838 — 1900 |
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| Colonel Henry Renny-Tailyour – Football, Rugby, Cricket | 1849 — 1920 | |
| Captain Ronald Rawson Rawson MC** – Boxing Gold Medal 1920 Olympics | 1892 — 1952 | |
| Serjeant Colin Blythe – Cricket | 1879 — 1917 | |
| Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame VC KBE CB DSO – Gold medal Olympian | 1888 — 1978 |
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