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The 1st Durham Engineers, later Durham Fortress Engineers, was a Volunteer unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers. First founded in 1868 it was sometimes united with the Tyne Electrical Engineers, at other times it formed an independent unit. Although its main role was defence of the North East Coast of England, the unit sent detachments on active service to the Suakin Expedition, the 2nd Boer War, and the Western Front and Italy during the First World War. ==Volunteer Force== In 1868 a new unit of Engineer Volunteers (EV) was formed at Jarrow on the County Durham bank of the River Tyne. The 1st Durham EV was raised and commanded by Charles Palmer (1822–1907), founder of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company and later the first mayor and Member of Parliament for Jarrow.〔Burke.〕 The 1st Durham initially comprised six companies and Palmer was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant.〔Beckett, Appendix IX〕〔''Official Army List'' 1868–88.〕〔Westlake, p. 7.〕〔(Durham Fortress Engineers at Regiments.org )〕 By 1874 the 1st Durham EV (now 8 companies strong) and the 1st Newcastle EV (1 company) were united into the 1st Durham Administrative Battalion EV, consolidated in 1880 as the 1st Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham EV, with Palmer as commanding officer and an establishment of 1300 men.〔〔〔Short ''et al'', p. 2.〕 In 1885, the Inspector-General of Fortifications, Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, sent a detachment of Volunteers to the Red Sea port of Suakin to assist the Regular Royal Engineers (RE) in railway construction for the British force engaged there. The detachment of 40 men was drawn from the 1st Newcastle & Durham EV and the 1st Lancashire EV.〔Beckett, p. 184〕 Palmer, by now created Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet of Grinkle Park, retired from the unit in 1888 with the rank of Colonel. The same year, the 1st Newcastle & Durham was split into three separate units: the 1st Durham RE (Volunteers), at Jarrow,〔〔 and the Tyne Division RE (V), Submarine Miners at North Shields, with Palmer as Honorary Commandant of both units,〔''Official Army List'' January 1889.〕〔Short ''et al'', pp. 4–5.〕〔Westlake, p. 15.〕〔(Tyne Electrical Engineers at Regiments.org )〕 together with a new 1st Newcastle-on-Tyne RE (V) at Newcastle.〔Westlake, p. 13.〕 The 1st Durham RE (V) sent a detachment of one officer and 25 other ranks to assist the regular REs during the Second Boer War in 1900, and a second section the following year.〔Watson, pp. 42–3.〕〔(1/2nd Durham Fd Coy RE at Great War Forum )〕〔(North East War Memorials Project, Ref J2.04 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1st Durham Engineers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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