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Summary of RE Construction 1893-1903
The following is a summary of Royal
Engineer major building projects from 1 April 1893 to 31
March 1903. In some cases these projects may be useful
to readers for dating photographs, including those on
early postcards, the publication year of some of which
were a number of years after the photograph was taken.
|
1892-93 |
Main
Pass gateway and defence parapet dismantled,
thus establishing a free passage from Crater to
Steamer Point
Road gradient
Main Pass to Crater
made easier
Two rifle ranges constructed |
|
1893-94 |
Road and viaduct to Gold
Mohur Valley completed.
3rd barracks for Royal
Garrison Artillery (RGA) built on Chapel Hill
New lines for the Indian
Infantry battalion built in Crater. |
|
1896-98 |
Accommodation for the Indian
Sappers & Miners increased |
|
1898-99 |
New two storey station
hospital at Steamer Point completed
Crater, Isthmus and Steamer
Point Lines connected by telephone |
|
1899-1900 |
The well at Sheikh Othman provided with an
‘airmotor windmill’
Installation of electric
searchlights at Tarshyne and Morbut in progress
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|
1900-01 |
Searchlights completed
4th barracks
Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) built on Chapel Hill |
|
1901-02 |
Field telephone laid to Dthala for use by the
Boundary Commission. |
In March 1903
projects under consideration were a
railway from Steamer Point to
Sheikh Othman and on into the Interior and a piped water
supply for the cantonments in Crater and Steamer Point.
Two of the
topics of particular interest were the railway and the
laying of a telephone line all the way to Dthala. The
latter will be covered in detail in a future article. As
regards the railway, the proposal was for the line to
follow the Wadi Tiban as opposed to being constructed
alongside the ‘Dthala road’.
In the period
1902-1905 the garrison at
Dthala was quite
considerable. In 1905 serious consideration was being
given to opening a sanitarium on the Jebel Jihaf, at
nearly 7,000 ft above sea level.
The
Regimental Crest of 2nd Battalion South Wales
Borderers on the main road to the Crater, Aden. The
crest commemorates 2nd Battalion’s visits to Aden
1892-1893, and 1927-1929 (note it has been recently
repainted by someone who does not know the
regimental history!). The crest was originally
painted by 3902559 Pioneer Sgt. Edward Kelly under
the direction of Captain (Quartermaster) John
Mellsop prior to the departure of the 2nd Battalion
in January 1929. The 1st Battalion were sent Aden
during emergency of 1967. Today, the Crest is in
good order and the only British one remaining.
There is a suggestion that the sphinx has some
mystical powers. Captain Mellsop was the son of
2-24/1613 Pte John Mellsop (served in the 1879 Zulu
War) who fashioned the memorial to the 24th at
Rorke's Drift, Natal.
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