<\/span><\/p>\n Digging trenches, laying roadways, and building fortifications has been a part of the soldier\u2019s life since long before Hadrian\u2019s legionnaires built his wall, and formalised as a distinct discipline within the British Army in 1716 when the Corps of Engineers (later the Royal Engineers) was formed. This was an officer only Corps, with labour provided by either Articifer companies of specialised civilian trades, or regular infantrymen. In 1787, the Corps of Military Articifers was created to provide a dedicated source of labour, consisting of NCO\u2019s and privates under the command of the Royal Engineers. Throughout the course of the 19th Century, wherever the Army marched, these men followed, building or blowing-up whatever bridges and barricades the General Officer Commanding demanded.<\/p>\n At the outbreak of WWI, the role was seen no differently, but by November 1914 it was obvious that the scale of trenches, fortifications, road and railways required could not be built by Royal Engineers and regular infantrymen alone. The solution was to create so-called Pioneer battalions, one assigned to each Division, to support the Royal Engineers and relieve the infantry from some of its non-combatant duties.<\/p>\n The War Office decreed that at least 50% of a Pioneer battalion strength should be made up of men used to working with a pick and shovel, and the other 50% should have a recognised trade such as bricklaying or joinery. Adopting a badge of crossed rifle and pick, the role of these new units was defined as one of fighting infantry, capable of providing \u2018organised and intelligent labour\u2019 for engineering operations. *<\/p>\n * Pioneer Battalions of the Great War K.W.Mitchinson, Published by Pen and Sword, 1997.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”2em” link_text_color=”#b89632″ header_3_font=”|||on|||||” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_letter_spacing=”2px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”9px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” text_orientation=”center” sticky_enabled=”0″] <\/span><\/p>\n Of heroes and arms I sing, I sing of the pioneer, From Plug Street Wood to the Somme, The bullets around him hail. He works by day and by night, He labours with pick & spade, And yet he can shoot and drill But the Infantryman\u2019s joy is Yet mention his name with the best When the Hun from France we fling <\/p>\n Zem Zem Raised in September 1914, 9th was the last of the Seaforth Battalions to fill Lord Kitchener\u2019s New Army groups. Initial training was undertaken at Fort George, mainly by old NCO\u2019s as there were very few regular officers available. The battalion had been raised as infantry but at the end of November it transferred to Aldershot where it was designated the Pioneer battalion of the 9th Scottish Division. This meant beefing up its pioneering skills, necessitating a recruitment drive typified by an advert in the Dundee People\u2019s Journal classifieds in January 1915:<\/p>\n \u201cCARPENTERS, BLACKSMITHS, MASONS and BRICKLAYERS wanted for the 9th Seaforth Highlanders (Pioneers) at Aldershot, for service during the War only. Extra pay at 2d a day in addition to Ordinary Infantry Pay. This Corps is the Pioneer Battalion of the Scottish Division in the first New Army to go out. All ranks must be diggers as well as tradesmen\u201d.<\/p>\n The higher pay than ordinary infantry was a recognition that Pioneers were skilled artisans and tradesmen, not just labourers. Although a welcome bonus, the extra 2d per day was still 8d less than paid to Royal Engineer sappers, even though they often worked side-by-side on the same job, and hence the line \u201cHere\u2019s to the unpaid engineer\u201d in the poem.<\/p>\nTHE SEAFORTH PIONEEr<\/span><\/h3>\n
(\u2018Arma virumque cano)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Not the ring
Of steel on steel,
And mail on mail,
To your ears I bring.<\/p>\n
Give ear!
With his job of the worst
And his eager thirst
For beer.<\/p>\n
The bomb,
The crump intense and the rifle grenade,
The mortar \u2013 trench \u2013 and the hand grenade,
He met with aplomb.<\/p>\n
They fail,
To shake his nerve and his constancy,
To cause him in any emergency,
His lot to bewail.<\/p>\n
Poor wight!
Sweats away in the front line trench,
Toils in the communication trench.
In darkness and light.<\/p>\n
Unafraid!
The bursting shells around him fail,
He only curses and damns them all
Stoically undismayed.<\/p>\n
With skill.
If urgency call him the foe to face
In the firing line he takes his place.
To kill.<\/p>\n
Not his.
The exaltation of charging men
The tremendous joy of conquering men
Is never his bliss.<\/p>\n
For the rest.
At the well rivetted trench and the mine
At the dugout deep and the railway line
He labours with zest.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll sing
Here\u2019s to the Seaforth Pioneer
Here\u2019s to the unpaid Engineer
The Jock who labours devoid of fear
For Country and King.<\/p>\n
Bois de la Haie, Villers au Bois
(undated)<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-3px|||” custom_padding=”0px||18px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|auto|1px|auto||” custom_padding=”2px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thehighlandersmuseum.com\/newversion\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/9th-Divisional-Gudard-Seaforth-Pioneers-1.jpg” alt=”Battle of the Scarpe – Seaforth Highlanders – image courtesy of longlongtrail.co.uk” title_text=”9th Divisional Gudard – Seaforth Pioneers (1)” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin=”-20px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”5px||2px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”2em” link_font=”||||on||||” link_text_color=”#b89632″ header_3_font=”|||on|||||” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_letter_spacing=”2px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”||-3px|||” custom_padding=”||49px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]