sapper - pioneer
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Is there a difference between those two? I thought I once read somewhere that a sapper was not a member of the Royal Engineers, but here all the men who are mentioned, are called sapper and they belong to the R.E. Or am I mistaken and is it the other way around.
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cyngast
moderator
Sapper is the term given to privates in the Royal Engineers. Pioneers are members of an infantry battalion that has been assigned to do the work of such jobs such as building/repairing roads or digging trenches. Each division was supposed to have a pioneer battalion during WW1. Here's a bit of explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_(military)
As it mentions in the article, sappers and pioneers did essentially the same work but under different commands. A pioneer battalion could be called upon to man the trenches in an emergency, as could the R.E.s, but the pioneer battalion would be at greater strength.
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by
erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be
in response to cyngast's comment.
But why do I also find pioneers within the Royal Engineers on the site of the CWGC ?
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by
ral104
moderator, scientist
Erik,
Cynthia's explanation is correct, with the exception that during the First World War (and a couple of years beforehand) the RE were forced to recruit a number of men without a recognised trade (such as carpentry, for instance) due to a lack of skilled tradesmen. These men were given the rank of Pioneer, instead of Sapper. They stopped doing this just after the war.
Rob
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cyngast
moderator
That's good to know, Rob. Thanks!
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