Updated: Sep 20, 2021
This post will look at the type of weapons that a Mounted Sapper would have been likely to have carried as the Great War progressed, both in relation to their role when mounted and also when in the dismounted role in the trenches.
The Boer war exposed the problem of Cavalry and mounted troops being equipped with a carbine. The reforms to the army required that all branches of the Army would be equipped with the SMLE and also there would be standards set for shooting and Marksmanship. (a good site to understand what was required is at Rob Enfield’s “British Muzzle Loaders” YouTube site – a link is posted below.)
Based on a RE Journal Article from 1913 about the RE Field Squadrons and Troops it states that Royal Engineers of the Field Troops were required to be equipped, trained and meet the horsemanship standards of Mounted Infantry. This is also stated in the 1911 and 1915 Cavalry Manual which states that when RE Field Troops dismount “for action” they are required to operate as dismounted Infantry.
Having looked at the 1908 manual for Yeomanry and Mounted Infantry, the Manual of Musketry and also the Field service manual it is possible to see how a RE Field Squadron and Field Troop would be armed and equipped.
From the Manuals, Cavalry and mounted troops would be equipped with the Short Magazine Lee Enfield, The Army Service manual shows that RE Field Squadrons and Troops would be issued with 50 rounds of .303 inch ammunition with a further 50 rounds per man carried by the unit Echelon (Shown by the cloth bandolier). To allow the carriage of the ammunition the Sapper would be issued with a 1903 pattern equipment 5 pouch leather bandolier, which held 2 charger clips of 5 rnds per pouch.
It should be noted that while the Manual of musketry makes a difference between the shooting standards, practices and standards required between Drivers of the RE Field Troop and the Sappers of the Troop this is not reflected in the Field Manual allocation of ammunition. (it is interesting to note that a Sapper of a Field Company would be issued with 120 rounds)
At the start of the Great War the soldiers of the Cavalry Division, while they were all armed with the SMLE, were not issued with the bayonet for the SMLE. With the experience of the actions that arose from the Retreat from Mons in Autumn 1914 it was seen that the Cavalry Division would have benefited from having a bayonet and this was issued to Mounted personnel and units of the Division in October and November 1914. These would be carried in a number of ways, either on a 1903 pattern belt or the bayonet frog would be added to the bottom of the bandolier. As most mounted units were not initially issued the 1903 pattern belt as a work round the bayonet frog was threaded onto the bottom of the bandolier.
The bayonet frog shown above is a 1903 pattern frog but due to initial supply shortages there are images of mounted troops with older patterns, such as Slade Wallace equipment.
One of the issues with this is that the bayonet is on the wrong side of the body for ease of fitting to the rifle, but the practice of hanging from the bandolier is a pragmatic solution for the time.
With issuing the 1903 equipment belt the bayonet can be moved to the correct side of the body and would make the ability to fit and replace the the bayonet easier.
As the war progressed the Sappers of the Field Squadrons spent significant amount of time working in the trenches and providing engineer support to the Dismounted Cavalry Division when they were in the trenches. The Cavalry recognised that their troops were not carrying enough ammunition when in the trenches and for many regiments they would issue additional 1903 pattern equipment pouches to supplement the 90 rounds that they would carry in the 9 pouch cavalry bandolier, bring them upto 140 rounds of .303 ammunition.
While my research of the war diaries of 1st Field Squadron in March 1916 show that the Sappers had a very trench focused shooting training programme, probably based on their experience from time in the trenches. While this suggests that the Mounted Sappers would have carried more ammunition than the 50 rounds, particularly when in the trenches I’ve not been able as yet to find any thing formal to state that was the case.
Also one of the main training activities that the mounted RE units were tasked with, even prior to the Great War, was to teach Cavalry personnel Hand Grenade/ Bomb throwing. As units spent more time in the trenches and as grenades developed this became even more important. The war diaries of all of the Mounted units show that they provided training to their respective divisions and brigades.
As the war progresses, it’s also seen that RE Troops started to do more grenade training for themselves, while this may be to allow training to other units but also to help their own personnel when they were in the trenches.
When I represent late war Mounted Sappers I add 2 Mk5 Mills Grenades to the kit. This matches what was occurring with other units. While a unit would have sections of dedicated bombers, these could be resupplied from within the unit by everyone in the wider unit carrying 2 grenades. Considering that the RE Sappers would be required to go forward to provide engineering support with the infantry/ dismounted cavalry it would not be unrealistic for a sapper to carry 2 grenades.
There is more research and digging to happen with this, particularly as I believe that the Mounted Sappers would have been carried more ammunition. while it is suggested/ alluded to in various parts of the war diaries it is more difficult to find a formal statement that the ammunition allocation was increased.
Notes – The Mk 5 Mills Grenades and the .303 ammunition are resin replicas from Trev’s Castings. A link to Trev’s site is provided below
References:
Link to Rob Enfields SMLE videos at his British Muzzle loaders site – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkOVIw4NSWVJ2RQjscT2wH6nXiqroXi_l
Trev’s Castings – https://www.trevscastingsandreplicas.com/
Manual of Yeomanry and Mounted Infantry 1908
Manual of Musketry
Cavalry Manual 1911 and 1915
RE Journal of 1906 and Jun 1913