The Renfrewshire Fortress Royal Engineers was a Scottish volunteer unit of the British Army under various titles from 1888. Its main role was defence of the ports and shipyards on the River Clyde, but it also provided detachments for active service in the field during both World Wars. Its successors continue to serve in the Army Reserve.
Submarine miners
Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–6, did not have enough Regular Royal Engineers (RE) to man the fixed mines being installed to defend British ports. He decided to utilise the Volunteer Engineers for this task, and after successful trials the system was rolled out to ports around the country. In 1885, the 1st Lanarkshire Engineer Volunteer Corps in Glasgow formed No 9 (Submarine Mining) Company and raised a second company of submarine miners in early 1888. The submarine mining establishment for the River Clyde was established at Greenock in Renfrewshire. It occupied Fort Matilda(first built in 1814 to defend the Port of Glasgow), which later had quick-firing guns and searchlights installed to cover the minefield between Greenock and Kilcreggan.
In March 1888, the War Office decided to constitute the submarine miners as separate 'divisions' within the Volunteer Engineers. Thus the two Lanarkshire companies became the Clyde Division, Engineer Volunteers, Submarine Miners, RE, with its headquarters at Fort Matilda. The first honorary commandant was Col Sir Donald Matheson, who had been commander of the 1st Lanarkshire Engineers since 1865. The new unit took its precedence from the 1st Lanarkshire (1860) and ranked third in the list of Submarine Miners. A further two companies were raised in 1892 and 1900 respectively. In 1901, the unit was redesignated the Clyde Division, Submarine Miners, R.E. (V) at Greenock. In 1903, its establishment was reduced to three companies. At the Royal review of 1905, Clyde Division had 10 officers and 175 other ranks.
Territorial Force
In 1907, the War Office decided to hand over all submarine mining duties to the Royal Navy and the Clyde Division was reduced to a single company of 4 officers and 70 other ranks (ORs) and redesignated as Electrical Engineers to make wider use of the coast defence searchlights that had been used to illuminate the minefields. Thus the Greenock unit became the Clyde Division (Electrical Engineers) (Volunteers), but the Haldane Reforms came into effect the following year, under which all the Volunteers were subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF). The Clyde Division was retitled as the Renfrewshire (Fortress) Royal Engineers, part of the Scottish Coastal Defences, and ranked ninth in the list of Fortress Engineers.
By World War I, its organisation was as follows: Renfrewshire (Fortress) Royal Engineers HQ at Fort Matilda, Greenock No 1 Works Company at Paisley No 2 Electric Lights Company at Greenock
World War I
Mobilisation
On the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, the Renfrewshire Fortress Engineers mobilised and moved into their war stations. Shortly afterwards, the men of the TF were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and WO instructions were issued to form those men who had only signed up for Home Service into reserve or 2nd Line units. The titles of these 2nd Line units were the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. They absorbed most of the recruits that flooded in. Britain's harbour defences were never seriously tested during the war, but the fortress engineers formed companies for service with the armies in the field. During 1915 the Greenock unit formed 1/1st Renfrewshire Field Company R.E. (T) composed of 1st Line Territorials.
The 2/1st Renfrew appears to have been incorporated into 408th (Highland) Reserve Field Company, the reserve unit for 51st (Highland) Division's divisional engineers, but did not proceed overseas, and was probably absorbed into the central training organisation.
Egypt
1/1st Renfrewshire Field Company, R.E. (T) was attached to 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division at Thetford from 16 November until 19 December 1915. It then embarked at Plymouth and sailed for Egypt as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. On 10 December 1915, Capt Hodgart was in temporary command. Disembarking at Port Said on 3–5 January 1916 it was allotted to 'Army Troops', working on the Suez Canal Defences. The company arrived at El Kubri, Egypt on 15 January 1916 and was immediately attached to the 10th Indian Division.