The Engine er Company:
In 1892 the S.V.C. was inspected by Major-General G. Digby Barker, G.O.C. in China, who made the suggestion that a small body of Engineers would form a_ useful adjunct to the Corps for extemporizing defences whenever the force might be called into action. The heads of the Corps had no difficulty in giving effect to the suggestion, for engineers have ever been plentiful in Shanghai, and the old "CE" Com any was re-organized as an Engineer Company. However, it would seem to have fallen away some time later, for there is an hiatus in the records until we come to 1909, when the Engineer Company was established as we now know it. At its inauguration it. consisted of 40 officers and men, Lieut. C. H. Godfrey being in command and having the assistance of 2nd Lieuts. H. King-Hiller and S.
Sellick. Of the original rank and file it is believed there is not a single one left in Shanghai today.
The Company prospered exceedingly and at one time recorded a parade strength of 80. The O. C. rose to be Captain and during the War was transferred to the Staff with the rank of Major, the command then being taken over by Capt. C. D. Pearson, who had with him Lieuts. J. T. W. Brooke amd C. Young. We have alrendy given something of Capt. [Pearson's history in the account of the present Headquarters Staff and we have been pulled up for having without authorization promoted him to Major. Ah, well, prophetic anticipation has been one of civilized man's accomplishments since the earliest times and when a Corps Order does eventually announce the reward to which Capt. Pearson is justly entitled, it will no doubt be ante-dated so as to make this history correct.
Capt. Pearson carried on until the end of 1918, when he was transferred to the Staff and relieve ed by Lieut. J. T. W. Brooke, who shortly afterwards was given his third star. Capt. Brooke had to relinanish the duties at the end of last year, since when the Company has been without officers, but fit has carried on as usual under Sergt.-Major Mackenzie, who has held that rank since October, 1917, and is one of those few invaluable men who everybody recognizes ought to be rewarded with a commission, but who simply cannot be spared from his present position. The Regular Army knows hosts of such men and respects them almost above Generals. Quartermaster-Sergt. Harris and his predecessor, Quartermaster Sergt. Harpur, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works, deserve equal commendation, The officering of the Engineers is nothing" like so easy as in the case of the non-technical units, because professional engineers are necessity and it requires a very self-sacrificing man to work hard through several hours of the dav at his profession for a living and then for several more as a hobby. Most of us prefer that our recreations shall be along different lines to our professions. However, Headquarters believe that they have now persuaded a good man to take over the command—one. moreover, who has had service with the Company and elsewhere—and if he does consent the Company will be in for another highly successful run.
Teacninc rae War Orrice.
Just as the wartime Volunteer Commandant, in the earlier days when he was at_Home taking the Army Musketry Course, took a rise out of the brass hats by telling them that Shanghai, in the matter of brigading machine-guns, had done years before what the War Office was then only considering, so the Engineers have an anecdote on their records as to how they "handed one" to a big man of the Royal Engineers. The particular date does not matter, but it was some years ago when the Engineer Staff Officer at Hongkong was up here having a look round.
The inspecting officer was quite kind to our Engineers and told them their work was deserving of the fullest praise, but he did not seem to appreciate how far they had gone and could go. Motoring along the Soochow Creek, he said to Capt. Pearson: "I suppose some day, when you lave sufficient men, you will be wanting to bridge this." Another officer promptly replied, with a laugh: "Why, sir, they have bridged it three times already!"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.