34 Squadron.
History from Corp of Royal Engineers:
Units and Organisation, 1899-2001.
By: Dr. Graham E. Watson and Richard A.Rinaldi.
1899: 34th Submarine Mining Coy RE at Gravesend.
1907: Redesignated as 34 Fortress Company on Guernsey.
1914-18, World War I: Channel Islands.
1927: Disbanded on Guernsey.
1938: Reformed in Malaya.
3 Sept 1939: Regular Singapore Fortress, served in Malaya.
15th Feb 1942: Lost in Malaya.
1950: Assigned to 37 Army Engineer Group, (A), assumed lineage of old 34th Fortress Company RE. Independent Squadron in Kenya 1958 to Oct 64, (also shown as being with 37 Army Engr Regt until it disbanded in 1959), when it was assigned 12 SME Regiment. However it appears the Squadron remained in Kenya.Sent from Kenya to Kuwait in 1961, then returned, but a troop was in Aden in 1965.
1964: Assigned 3 Division RE, the Division was redesignated in 1970 as 22 Engineer Regiment.
1977: Relieved and assigned Oct 77 to 39 Engineer Regiment, (B), tasked for support of 19th Infantry Brigade 1983 to 93.
1993: Reorganised as 34 Field Squadron RE (Air Support).
History below, provided by Trevor Richardson, taken from programme of 34 Field Squadron farwell to Tidworth, Perham Down,
Wednesday 28th September 1977.
34 Service Company R.E. was formed in 1858 and later served in Bermuda and Nova Scotia, as well as at Shorncliffe and Chatham. In 1871 it was recognised as a Telegraph Company R.E. and spent the next 14 years in the U.K.
It was reorganised into a Submarine Mining Company in 1884 and served in Malta, Gosport and Gravesend.
In 1905, 34 Company was reorganised yet again this time as a Fortress Company R.E. and served in the Channel Islands and in Scotland. It was reduced to a Cadre in 1922 and disbanded in 1927. 34 Fortress Company was reformed at Changi in 1936 and remained there untill Singapore fell in 1942.
34 Field Engineer Squadron was formed as part of 37 Army Engineer Regiment , (A),in 1949 and served mainly in BAOR and Cyprus.
In 1958 the Squadron became Independent (it has remained so in spirit ever since!) and moved to Kenya as part of 24 Independent Brigade Group. The Squadron or troops from it served in Oman, Cyprus, Bahrain, Aden and Kuwait during the next seven years.
The Squadron returned to the U.K in October 1965 and reorganised as an airportable Squadron of 3rd Division Engineers and has remained in Tidworth ever since. However in the last 12 years the services of 34 Field Squadron have been called for in the Radfan, Thialand, Germany,Norway, Cyprus, Libya, France, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Channel Islands, British Honduras (Belieze), Gibralter and several times in Northern Ireland.
34 Field Squadron RE will shortly be moving to join 39 Engineer Regiment, (B), at Waterbeach in October 1977 under the current reorganisation of the Royal Engineers in the U.K.
(A): 37 Army Engineer Regiment.
1950: Formed at Crickwell for BAOR. 1951: Assigned 11 Engineer Regiment, Osnabruck.
1955: Relocated Cyprus.Nov 56: M,oved to Egypt during Suez Operations.
1959: Returned Cyprus and disbanded. 1967: Reformed as 37 Engineer Regiment at Longmoor, went to Northern Ireland.
1974: Disbanded. 1982: Reformed for Falkland Islands. 1985: Disbanded.
(B). 39 Corps Engineer Regiment.
July 1949: Formed at Crickhowell as 39 Army Engineer Regiment, but was disbanded in a matter of weeks.
1950: Reformed as 39 Corps Engineer Regiment, reduced to a Cadre to provide manpower for units in Korea.
1953: Moved to Ripon, then sent to Kenya in 1954, (assigned to East Africa Command).
1955: Returned to UK, Barton Stacey, (possibly returned to Ripon).
1956: Disbanded.
March 1967: Reformed at Waterbeach, as 39 Engineer Regiment (Airfields), for airfield construction and repair. Formed HQ RE(Airfields).
1990/91: Served in Gulf War with ForceTroops.
1997: Redesignated as 39 Engineer Regiment, currently assigned 12 (Air Support) Engineer Brigade.
Oct 1977: 34 Field Sqn RE assigned.
