Royal Engineer photos during the Italian Campaign

I am looking for pictures of Royal Engineers in action in Italy for a short family film I am producing, and I wonder if members can point me in the right direction or provide pictures that I may be able to use.

I am particularly keen to see pictures of the following:

Sappers clearing a minefield
Clearing / maintaining roads using diggers
Photos of Italian roads in the mountains with or without transport.
Pictures of the 8th Army Motor Boat school on Lake Trasemino 1944
Photos of Bridge dumps.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

This might be of interest Courtesy of the Shepherd Family Collection
Anzio 1944 dont know which RE were using it but someone on the forum can no doubt advise you.

 

Thank you for this interesting picture

 

1) clearing wooden (IT) mines
2) Rapido river, Amazon bridge
3) Nine Sapper Bridge

 

Thank you for the photos

Julian

 

These were in a photo album that my grandfather had – no captions so no idea where they were taken but are among a few (mainly of bridging) that seem to be in Italy. (Not sure how much the first qualifies as road...)

 

Rob
Perfect thank you very much.

Julian

 

What type of truck is that in the first picture? I'm interested in the vehicles that the RE used during Africa and Italy. I have details of the classes of vehicles used but not makes and models. Would this be classed as a 15 cwt truck?

 

Rob those are brilliant photographs. The first one is just such a "wonderful" example of the mud in Italy. The second... obviously just a really big bridging job, amazing to behold. I have to imagine that in the third case the road could not be repaired, I mean, there's nothing left there. But talk about your cliff-edge road!

 

I have a question about Sapper D's photo of wooden mines. Why are they just sitting on the surface? The Germans can't have expected someone to come along and accidentally kick one.

 

My grandfather was for about a year an instructor at a training battalion – I'm guessing he obtained the photos then as he was never in Italy himself (and it includes some photos of German engineers during the blitzkrieg and he definitely wasn't there!)

 

There was a RE Bailey Bridge training school on the site of PG66 at Capua. The RE museum has a small bocklet:
Royal Engineers Museum
Prince Arthur Road,
Gillingham, Kent, ME4 4UG
Tel: +44 (0)1634 822839
http://www.re-museum.co.uk/

Title: 'Engineer Training Establishment C.M.F.'
Reference: SME/1/2
Date: 1943 - 1945
Creator : Engineer Training Establishment C.M.F.
Scope and Content:
This is a small, hand published book concerning the founding of the School of Military Engineering in Capua, Italy, in 1943. There is an introductory explanation, followed by a description of the activities of the School. There are then maps and photographs of the School and its actions, black and white, with typed captions underneath. In the second half of the book is course and training information, including course charts, joining instructions, synopsis of courses, course results and trade tests, including lengths of courses and syllabuses. It finishes with a brief history of Capua.

Exent: One book

Physical description:

This is a small hardback book, with an orange cloth spine and white card covers. It is covered on the front with a black and white photograph of a bridge over a river, from above. The title is written in black ink: 'Engineer Training Establishment C.M.F', and beneath in red: 'Nov 43 Capua June 45'. The photograph is titled 'SME Bridging Hard Capua'.

Level of description: item

Hope this helps

 

Photos from the above booklet

 

My guess is that the pairs of men are pulling the mines out the minefield using ropes; in case that some of the mines were fitted with anti-lifting devices. In mine-clearing it is healthy to be suspicious

 

Oh for sure. I think I was just being stupid - those are all mines that have been cleared out of the minefield.

 

Do you have any info on 592 Fd Coy or 717 AW Coy
Gaffa

 

You will see from this, that Julian sent me, that 229 Fd Coy RE were part of HQ 2 General HQ Troops RE.

That makes them a sub-unit that carried out Italian theatre-wide tasks.

Regards

Frank

 

Frank /Julian What date is this and where did 2 HQ goto in Germany. I know 229 Fd Coy went Iserlohn [Dads History] in /out of X2 lists.