Help deciphering abbreviations from 1945 Christmas menu

[K127]

Hello everyone,

My mother in law has asked me to find out some information about her father's war service (he never spoke about it before he passed away). I'm going to apply for service records using the .gov link helpfully provided in this forum but am trying to find more information to make the search more specific, especially the regiment he might have been with, as there are a number of personnel with the same name and year of birth (Thomas Alcock born Nov 1912)

She has shown me this wonderful menu her father kept from a Christmas dinner in 1945 in Baghdad(I believe he'd stayed on until 1946 to help with rebuilding). I've tried to search what 345 REWS might be but nothing comes up. CRE I believe is Corps of Royal Engineers, but when I google that with BR 31 nothing comes up. What might BR 31 be, please? And is CRE different to REWs? She believes he had something to do with maintaining pipelines in Iraq during the war. Sorry for my bumbling questions, it's a whole different language to me!  Thank you for any pointers you might have, it's much appreciated.

[ShaunJ]

This might be helpful - it includes another Baghdad Christmas menu (from 1942):

https://www.robertehill.co.uk/the-war-in-1939/paiforce/

I would think 345 REWS is 345 Royal Engineers Works Section

[K127]

Thanks ShaunJ! That's a really interesting read.

[Andy J2022]

CRE is Commander Royal Engineers. Although this is technically an appointment, in this context it refers to the Engineer resources under his command.

[Andy J2022]

The war diaries for 345 REWS are available at the National Archives.
Aug - Dec 1943
1944
1945
Jan - Apr 1946

Unfortunately they haven't been digitised so you would need to visit in person to read them. I suspect it wouldn't be worth paying a researcher to view them on your behalf unless you had a specific query. Your mother-in-law's father is unlikely to be mentioned by name in the war diaries. The war diaries will only provide some background on what the various elements of the REWS were doing, and so until you get his service record you won't really know where to look.

[hanes teulu]

CRE is Commander Royal Engineers. Although this is technically an appointment, in this context it refers to the Engineer resources under his command.

Thanks Andy - had spotted possible CRE in - 
https://www.researchingww2.co.uk/ww2-abbreviations-acronyms/ 

[K127]

Thank you everyone for your expertise, this will help narrow it down!