what did a sapper do in the war

[lovin lass]

my dad was in world war 2 and it says on his release papers that he was a sapper
his army number was 14831720
he was called up in 1944
his name was lewis gibson and apparently made a sargent
im not sure what regiment he was in but i know he was in egypt for a while
i think it says royal engineers


angie x

[AussieGenealogy]

I had a friend in The Aust Reserves he was a Sapper - he told me it was something to do with explosives but all countries might have different terms for it.
But generally according to Wikedpedia it is another term for a Private in the Royal Corps of Engineers, first introduced in ranks in 1856, also used to any soldier that was a member of the Royal Engineers regardless of rank.

  Means a lot to me too! Hopefully one of our military experts here in RC will help better than I can

[lovin lass]

many thanks annie

angie x


Moderator Comment:  see also
Topic: Napper-Royal Engineers
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,153725.0.html

[Emjaybee]

The sapper in WW1 dug the trenches. I heard them referred to as saps in one of the TV documentaries.

[harribobs]

I had a friend in The Aust Reserves he was a Sapper - he told me it was something to do with explosives but all countries might have different terms for it.
But generally according to Wikedpedia it is another term for a Private in the Royal Corps of Engineers, first introduced in ranks in 1856, also used to any soldier that was a member of the Royal Engineers regardless of rank.

  Means a lot to me too! Hopefully one of our military experts here in RC will help better than I can

nowt wrong with that explanation

he was indeed in the royal engineers, and he could easily have been involved with explosives, bridge building, anything that involved engineers

a sap is a trench running (usually) towards the enemy, although in WW1 trenches were dug by all the front line troops

[Getting on a bit]

The Sappers or Royal Engineers (formerly Sappers & Miners) can trace their roots back to 1066
Sapper has two meanings, a term for any Royal Engineer regardless of rank and the equivalent of Private soldier in the RE.
The number of jobs or trades in the RE at the time covers many aspects. The RE ran the Army Postal Services, the Army railways, the ports, Combat Engineering (including bridge building) & Airfield construction. All mapping was the responsibility of the Sappers (I was a surveyor in the RE myself), there were carpenters, electricians, saw doctors the list goes and on. Not least there was & is EOD, commonly known as bomb disposal. Alas many of the trades have moved from the RE, first to the Royal Corps of Transport and on its demise to the RLC. There are airborne units of the RE.
The RE Museum is your best reference. www.remuseum.org.uk/

The current trades in the RE can be seen here http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/careers/trades/index.htm

It may be of  interest that the following had a least part of their origins in the Royal Engineers
Royal Air Force
Royal Signals
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME)
Royal Logistics Corps (via Royal Corps of Transport)