HISTORY OF THE TYNE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS, ROYAL ENGINEERS From the formation of the Submarine Mining Company of the 1st Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham (Volunteers) Royal Engineers in 1884 to 1933

The Tyne electrical engineers originated in the early 1880s as a specialist unit in Newcastle responsible for defending the port with submarine mines and searchlights. Its work and numbers grew, and it soon became a full-fledged unit of the Royal Engineers. In the Great War the unit pioneered the use of mobile searchlights, defending ports on its native Tyneside and at Gosport from air and sea attack with searchlight batteries. Units were also engaged on the western front, where, amongst other responsibilities, they supplied water for hard-pressed infantry on the Somme; helped in the tunnelling work that preceded the explosion of a score of gigantic mines at the battle of Messines Ridge. For anyone interested in the vital role of engineering in the Great War, this book is a must.