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101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment
(Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
Regimental Association

Regimental History - Origins 1860-1913

Chronology

1856 - Corps of Royal Engineers formed.
Jan 1860 - 1st Middlesex Engineer Volunteers formed.
Feb 1860 - Macleod of Macleod enlisted as 1st recruit.
1896 - Name change to 1st Middlesex Royal Engineer (Volunteers).
Mar 1900 - 2 detachments in action in the South African War.
Feb 1907 - The Territorial Force is born.
Mar 1908 - Rename to Divisional Engineers 2nd London Divison T.F.

Commentary

In 1860 Norman Macleod of Macleod offered two Companies of engineers from engineering and allied professions from the South Kensington Museum (Now the Natural History Museum) to form the nucleus of a new Engineer Battalion.
In 1892 the battalion had formed 10 Companies as follows; Nos 1,2 and 3 based at South Kensington Museums, 4 at Chelsea, 5 at South Kensington,6 at Wandsworth, 7 at London University, 8 at Brompton, 9 at Pimlico and 10 at Paddington.
In 1893 an 11th Company was formed at 69 Chancery Lane.
In 1892 strong links with Tonbridge School began, and the The School Volunteer Engineers Corps was formed.
In 1900 2 detachments from the Battalion of circa 200 men went to fight in the South African War. A memorial to the dead was erected shortly after on the north wall in the Parish Church of Chelsea, St Lukes to our fallen from the South African War.
In March 1908 2nd London Division - Divisional Engineers was formed of 3 and 4 Field Companies and a Telegraph Company.
In 1912 the School Volunteer Engineer Corps renamed into the Officer Training Corps. Tunbridge School OTC remained a good source of officer recruits for the regiment.