Sappers Six Read online

  THE AUTHOR AND THE ILLUSTRATOR

  Brian Warburton took up creative writing from the world of technology. Educated at Lytham, Lancashire he served as a 2/Lt. Royal Engineer in Southern Europe. He was released in 1948 to attend the University of Bristol, then he followed a career as a civil engineer. In retirement he began writing stories for children.

  Anne Moorse took a degree in languages at University College, London. After teaching for many years, she began painting full-time in 1981 and exhibited widely. In Dorset she is known for her fine watercolours, many taking inspiration from people and places in everyday life.

  SAPPERS

  SIX

  BRIAN WARBURTON

  ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANNE MOORSE

  Copyright © 2010 Brian Warburton

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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  ISBN 978 1848764 668

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Typeset in 13pt Bookman Old Style by Troubador Publishing Ltd, Leicester, UK

  Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

  For Sam and Zac, also Scott down under

  Acknowledgements.

  The author is grateful for help from Alan

  Croxford (RE ret’d) and, on kid’s logic, from

  Elayne Bennett.

  He is most grateful for good advice and updates

  from serving Officers in The Corps of Royal

  Engineers.

  Contents

  1. What’s in a name?

  2. The whole show.

  3. Trade Sense.

  4. Specialists CAN-DO.

  5. The School Project (Can do?)

  6. And again so!

  APPENDIX

  1

  What’s in a name?

  Groups of soldiers were marching along the High Street. Hundreds of people were there, on each side, because they wanted to watch. An old lady in the crowd was with her grandson, Harry. “The last time I saw marching and a parade like this was when our boys came back,” she said. “And there were many horrors in that Second World War. I’m not sure that I like to be reminded of it.”

  “Not the same,” replied Harry. “These soldiers are all volunteers and they’ve been invited to march through the town. As well as that,” he added, “this lot came home a short time ago and they had to struggle against an enemy in a dangerous country.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” she agreed. “And it’s true. These soldiers have been through a very hard time. So let’s give ’em a cheer!”

  Harry’s grandma looked more closely at the groups as they came by. Nearly all of them were men. But a few women were amongst the parade.

  Soldiers in column of threes march through the town. Harry and grandma watch.

  “Well now!” she said. “These are the Sappers. I can tell by their badges.”

  “What’s a Sapper?” asked Harry.

  “Ha,” she chirped. “It would be good if you can find out about the Sappers. Now there’s a mission for you!”

  “Mission!” said Harry. “Come on Gran. Let’s get real!”

  Later that day, Harry was at a friend’s home with some of his mates. He was telling them about the parade in the High Street, also that his Grandma had noticed that some of the marchers were not infantry soldiers. “They were Sappers,” he said.

  “What on earth are Sappers? And what’s it got to do with the Army anyway?” asked Simon.

  “Dunno,” Harry laughed. “It sounds as if they might be geeks who’ve been chopping down trees. Must have been rubber trees!”

  “No way you silly prat,” Dick snorted. “That’s far too wacky. Let’s see if we can find a dictionary!”

  Jean, another of the pre-teenage group, joined in. “I know a bit about it ’cos my Dad was in the Royal Engineers. In the British Army, soldiers who are in the Royal Engineers are called Sappers.”

  Keith, who was a member of the group of six, decided he would like to find out more. “Well I’d like to know more about the technical side of the Army. I’m really interested in learning about the types of engineering that they do.” he said.

  The six children gather round while Jean’s dad talks.

  Just then Jean’s dad, Bob, came towards the group carrying a tray with a large bottle of fizz and some glasses. “How many in your squad tonight?” he asked. “Hey, six of you, so I’ve guessed it right! Hope you like this drink it’s home-made ginger beer.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” said Jean. “We were talking about the Royal Engineers. Would you tell us about when you were in the Corps and why the soldiers are called Sappers?”

  “Sure, I’d be delighted to,” said her dad. “A trip down memory lane is OK by me. And by the way, anybody who’s been in the Royal Engineers will have heard the saying ‘Once a Sapper, always a Sapper’. I think that tells how ex-service people feel about it.”

  A sap (in the Middle Ages) in front of the wall of a fortress. Sappers crouch in the trench. (Note: Gabions filled with earth)

  Jean’s dad continued, “There are many Regiments and Corps in the British Army, all of them important. But the Royal Engineers are a Corps which holds a special place of honour and a long history. The name ‘Sappers’ was taken from the ancient French word ‘Sapeurs’. It was given to soldiers who had the job of digging ‘sappes’. These were trenches, usually zig-zag in plan, for getting close to a fortress. By gaining access in this way, the Sappers were able to place explosive mines so as to blow a big hole, known as a breach, in the enemy’s protective wall.”

  Dick spoke up with a question. “Why did the trenches have to be made in a zig-zag layout?”

  “It was because they were within the enemy’s view. If they had dug the trench straight towards the wall, the enemy would have looked along the whole length and might shoot at soldiers in their line of sight.”

  “Wow,” Doug gulped, “that’s a pretty scary and dangerous job.”

  Bob nodded in agreement. “Yes, those soldiers really did need to be tough, persistent and very brave.” he said.

  Bob carried on with the explanation of why the name ‘Sapper’ is used nowadays. “For many years,” he said “these soldiers were formed together in a group called the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners. In 1856 this became merged with the Corps of Royal Engineers, which previously was mainly Officers. From that time, the title and rank of Sapper was granted to private soldiers in the Royal Engineers. It was regarded as a special privilege. Nowadays in the British army, a soldier in an infantry regiment is called a Private. But in the Royal Engineers, the official title for a soldier of that ordinary rank is a Sapper. So there you go. That’s how it all came about.”

  “Thanks very much,” said Doug, “that’s really interesting, and nothing to do with rubber trees, hey, Harry!”

  All the gang together said they wanted to hear more stories from Jean’s dad’s tour of duty with the Sappers, if he had t
ime to spare.

  “No problem,” said Bob, who was delighted to have the opportunity to share his memories and experiences with this group of keen teenagers. “Well, there’s six of you interested, I think I’ll call you ‘Sappers Six’ and perhaps we can meet up here next Saturday? If that’s OK, you can all fit in my van and we’ll go to the County Show. We may see some genuine present-day Sappers, not from history.”

  Sappers in military uniform and working clothes of the late Nineteenth Century.

  2

  The Whole Show

  The boys met at Jean’s house again.

  “Anybody been to the County Show before?” asked Bob.

  “I went three years ago,” said Doug. “Never saw the Army though, we just looked at farm animals.”

  “What sort of animals?” asked Simon.

  “Saw the llamas,” he replied.

  “Bit more cuddly than the Sappers,” laughed Harry.

  “Sucks stupid!” said Dick. “At least the Sappers won’t bite you.”

  Jean’s Dad opened the doors of the vehicle. It was similar to a van but having side windows and seats, it served as a small people-carrier.

  “Got your sandwiches, Sappers Six?” he asked.

  They had all come prepared and nodded “OK”.

  The five boys climbed in the back and Jean took the front seat, next to her dad.

  “Seat belts everybody!” said Bob. And they were away.

  Going along the open road, the van came up behind a line of military vehicles. They were Land Rovers, some towing trailers.

  “Here’s some other part of the Army,” said Bob “They’re keeping a good discipline,” he added.

  “Does that mean that they’re being punished?” asked Keith.

  “No, not that,” said Bob, “it means that the drivers are holding the correct spacing and they have their lights on. They are trained to keep a safe distance between vehicles so that, in a war, if one vehicle were hit by enemy action then the next in line should escape damage. But if they let their vehicles get too far apart, the convoy might become separated. Of course we’re not in a war now. But keeping the space between vehicles does make it easier for other road users.”

  Bob speeded up the van and was able to overtake the Army convoy, occasionally pulling in for safety between their vehicles.

  The conversation continued until Bob announced, “This is it, coming up now. We’ll find a parking place,” he added. “Then when we’re through the barrier, we’ll go straight to the Army display. It won’t be crowded yet. So we can spend time there before we have our lunch.”

  Bob’s van with the Sappers Six as passengers manages to overtake a line of Army vehicles.

  The sign stated the display was by the Territorial Army.

  “What does that mean?” asked Simon.

  “It’s the reserve for the Regular Army,” said Bob. “These soldiers work in ordinary civilian jobs and they do training for the Army in their spare time,” he added. “Some of them have served in past years as regular soldiers.”

  The Royal Engineers had a display with several Sappers looking after it. Jean’s dad knew some of them.

  “Here’s Captain Harding. Good morning,” he said. “These young people are my Sappers Six. – This is Simon, Harry, Dick, Jean who is my daughter, Keith and Doug.”

  “Nice to see you again, Bob. And a pleasure to meet you all,” said the Captain. “Well, what would you like to know?” he asked.

  “I think these guys will ask questions soon enough,” said Bob. “And let’s hope that the questions will fit in with what’s usually given!”

  “Well I’m going to tell you about the work that the Sappers do,” said Captain Harding. “I’ll give you the serious side of it,” he said, “after that, Corporal Marsden will let you all have a go on the mine strip which demonstrates the difficulties of lifting and removing old mines.”

  The Captain explained the tasks of the Corps of Royal Engineers in a very positive manner. He asked, “What would it mean to you lot, Sappers Six, if you had just joined the RE and you were going to become real Sappers?”

  The gang looked at one another, not knowing what was coming.

  “Let’s take a look at the whole job,” he said. “You are going to become soldiers in the first instance. It’s the same for those in all other branches, getting used to the Army with plenty of work in the gym and outdoors, learning skills with weapons and getting fit. Yes, and learning to march and do parades. The initial training course, for recruits, age over 17, takes fourteen weeks.”

  Harry spoke up with a question. “Do they already know which part of the Army they are going into?”

  Sappers Six are gathered round Captain Harding RE. Army display in background.

  “Yes,” the Captain said. “Most of them do. Recruits for the Royal Engineers have already done tests and normally their selection is not changed. But at this stage it can be reviewed.”

  Carrying on with his explanation, Captain Harding said, “Those for the Sappers will be trained as combat engineers. When the Army is at war, Sappers understand that having this capability gives the reason why they are there. It’s because they are an essential part of the fighting force.”

  Simon then asked, “What’s the difference between a combat engineer and an ordinary engineer?”

  The Captain replied, “Combat engineers work in teams in a battle zone. They must use their skills to overcome obstacles, in order to support the Army. The Royal Engineers are always told that their official purpose is to help the Army ‘LIVE, MOVE and FIGHT’. This will involve opening routes perhaps through enemy minefields or across rivers, by building bridges that can be rapidly installed and which are strong enough to carry tanks. At other times, when the enemy is on the move, it becomes part of their job to create obstacles so as to delay them, for example by laying minefields or destroying bridges.”

  “Cor!” said Doug, “That’s what I’d call a tough job.”

  “Yes it is,” said the Captain. “The basic training to become a Sapper lasts a further nine weeks. After that we all learn by doing things, from experience and by refresher courses.”

  Captain Harding looked at his wrist watch. “I think you’ve heard enough from me for now. The mine clearance demo is just starting. Then if you have time, perhaps after lunch, I’d like to ask Sergeant Taylor to tell you about the one remaining requirement for being in the Royal Engineers. It is that all Sappers must have a trade.”

  At that, Jean said, “That was brilliant! Thank you very much.”

  “No problem,” said the Captain.

  The area set aside for the mine clearance demonstration was quite small. It was about six metres in length by three metres in width. The turf had been removed and the soil loosened. There were dummy mines hidden below ground, but nobody knew where.

  “I’m not going to apologise for talking about mines,” said Corporal Marsden. “Nobody likes them because we all know that they’re designed to kill and injure people. The good news is that most countries in the world including our own have signed an agreement, which applies across all other countries in the world, that armies will not keep or use anti-personnel mines. These are the mines that will explode under the weight of a single person. But anti-tank mines, will continue to be used. Now the Royal Engineers have the job of removing mines of any kind. It’s called mine clearance or ‘de-mining’. It may be done to create an access road through an enemy minefield or, when the war is over, to make an area safe.”

  Harry spoke up with a question. “What about detectors?” He added, “My friend has a metal detector. Is that the same thing?”

  Corporal Marsden replied, “Yes it is, and I’ll come to that. But first you need to understand that if mine clearance is required then every Sapper, he or she, may have to become involved in this work.”

  Cpl. Marsden explained that magnetic detectors had been invented 70 years ago. Nowadays they are useful to find a mine, but only if it contains a certain
amount of iron or steel. If the mine is mainly of plastic, it has to be found by gently probing with a steel rod or unearthed by mechanical equipment.”

  Sappers Six are in two groups, trying to find buried mines by using detectors and probes.

  Corporal Marsden said, “There are six of you, so we’ll start with three at each end. One of you in each team will have a magnetic detector and the other two have got to get down on your hands and knees to use the steel probes.”

  They all had fun searching for the buried dummy mines and there was much talk and laughter at first.

  “Let’s stop the giggling because this is serious,” said Cpl. Marsden. “If these were real mines, any one of them could kill the lot of you. So I want you to put more effort into the search and detection.”

  By the end of the allowed time, they’d all had some success in finding the mines. But Corporal Marsden summed it up.

  “Yes, both teams have found most of the mines. But I’m sorry to tell you, from the way that you did it, that you wouldn’t have passed the test that we give to Sappers. You’d need a lot more practice, learning how to do it gently.”

  Bob appeared on the scene. “O.K.” he said. “Can I just ask my Sappers Six if they have found that interesting?”

  “Really great!” they all agreed.

  “Well, thanks for looking after this lot, Corporal Marsden,” said Bob. “I think we’ll be going away now to have a bite of lunch and something to drink. What do you say everybody? Then maybe we’ll go and see the llamas and come back here at two o’clock to see if we can have a chat with Sergeant Taylor.”

  3

  Trade Sense

  Bob and the Sappers Six had finished their lunch and together they moved over to see the llamas. Doug said, “I think they’re looking bored.” Jean thought they were unhappy but Harry said, “They’re just chewing and nibbling but sometimes they nibble one another.” Just then, one of the llamas tried to bite the hat off a man in the crowd. But the animal didn’t manage to get it. “This is all very interesting,” said Simon. All agreed, but Bob said, “It’s nearly time to get back to the Army display.”