This unit of the Royal Engineers’ Signal Service was under command of the headquarters of a Corps and was sometimes known as the Corps Headquarters Signal Company. Its job was to handle communications coming into and being sent from the corps headquarters.
The following information is from “War Establishments of the New Armies”, a War Office publication of 1915. It describes the staffing of the signal office. The company would also incorporate from a functional viewpoint air-line and cable sections, which organisationally were separate units and are described elsewhere on the Long, Long Trail.
Establishment
Personnel: all Royal Engineers unless stated
- Major or Captain in command
- 3 Subalterns (that is, Lieutenants or Second-Lieutenants)
- 1 Company Sergeant Major
- 1 Company Quartermaster Sergeant
- 3 Sergeants (superintendents)
- 1 Shoeing and Carriage-smith Corporal
- 3 Corporals
- 3 2nd-Corporals
- 30 Sappers and Pioneers
- 5 Batmen (likely to be Sapper or Pioneer and trained and equipped as a fighting soldier)
- 1 Subaltern in command of motorcycle (despatch rider) section
- 1 Sergeant of motorcycle section
- 1 Corporal Artificer of motorcycle section
- 15 Corporals (despatch riders)
Of the above total, two men would be trained in sanitary duties and 1 in the repair of bicycles.
Personnel attached from other corps:
- 2 Privates from Royal Army Medical Corps for water duties
- 8 lorry Drivers from the Mechanical Transport section of the Army Service Corps (including 1 Corporal and 1 Lance-Corporal)
- 1 motor car Driver from the Mechanical Transport section of the Army Service Corps
Transport:
- 1 1-ton lorry (with 2 of the ASC Drivers allotted)
- 3 3-ton lorries (6 of the ASC Drivers allotted)
- 17 motor cycles (and 1 spare, carried in the 1-ton lorry)
- 1 motor car (ASC Driver allotted)
- 1 light motor car (1 of the Corporal Despatch Riders allotted)