8th Field Company - Engineers

Shoulder patch

Laying down a mule track and camouflaging it with earth at Albania Woods, in the Ypres Sector. AWM E00958

Brief History

Formed in Egypt during February 1916 as part of the 5th Division and allocated to II Anzac Corps. Following training in the Suez Canal area, they arrived in France in July 1916, the last of the 4 Divisions from Egypt to arrive. Never-the-less they were the first to see major action during the ill conceived Battle for Fromelles.

Engineers, also known as sappers, were essential to the running of the war. Without them, other branches of the Allied Forces would have found it difficult to cross the muddy and shell-ravaged ground of the Western Front. They undertook a broad range of tasks including preparation and supervision of the construction of defensive and gun positions, excavation of trenches and dugouts, erection of wire and other obstacles, preparation of command posts, signalling and water supply, field engineering, road and bridge construction and route maintenance. They also undertook obstacle breaching and crossing.

Thirty three men who served with the unit died whilst overseas, two of illness and the other 31 either dying from their wounds or killed in action.

Unit Personnel

• Alfred John Mitchell 2 Feb - 11 Sep 1916

Individual Honours

• 1 Distinguished Service Order
• 4 Military Cross
• 1 Distinguished Conduct medal
• 7 Military Medal
• 1 Meritorious Service Medal
• 9 Mentioned in Despatches
• 3 foreign award

Notes

Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of Wikipedia and the Australian War Memorial websites.