Hi, My late father was in Boring division No 6 and I was wondering if anyone knew much about it ? I can see some information relating to division number 10 but not number 6. I believe he was in North Africa Many thanks in advance Regards Basa
Apply for his service records Get a copy of military service records Required below Date of birth Death cert General Register Office (GRO) - Official information on births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths And £30 also have a look Royal Engineers Drilling Water Wells Egypt 1941 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258646046_Groundwater_as_a_military_resource_Development_of_Royal_Engineers_Boring_Sections_and_British_military_hydrogeology_in_World_War_II To drill boreholes for water supply, the Royal Engineers raised ten 'Boring Sections' between September 1939 and May 1943, eight in the UK, two in Egypt. While supporting campaigns in World War II, two deployed briefly to France, seven served widely within the Middle East (one of these in Iraq and Iran and later Malta, the others mostly operating from Egypt), one deployed to Algeria/Tunisia, four to Sicily and/or Italy (one of these onward to Greece), two deployed to support the D-Day Allied landings in Normandy and the subsequent advance via Belgium to Germany, and three served long-term in the UK. Greatest use was by Middle East Command, which at its peak had about 35 officers, 750 men and 40 drilling rigs assigned to water supply, and whose boreholes attained a cumulative length of some 40 km. The British Army used geology to help guide emplacement of boreholes in all these regions. Innovations included groundwater prospect maps at scales of 1:50 000 and 1:250 000, to help planning for the Allied invasion of Normandy and the subsequent campaign in NW Europe. Geology also helped guide groundwater abstraction by Indian Engineers in the Far East, and British/South African troops in East Africa.
That’s great, many thanks for taking the time to reply, I will apply to get his war records. I did look on a forces website but nothing came up when I used my fathers service number Thanks again Basa
If you can get this book it has a lot of info. I own the photos of number 3 Sect RE. here is a link to more info Military Aspects of Hydrogeology
Hi Just for info, 104 Well Boring Section (South African Engineer Corps) were in Greece from October 1944. Sounds like my kind of wartime unit. Well boring sounds better than well dangerous. ;-) Hope this helps Gus
