The Airborne Engineers Association (AEA) is a National Branch of the of the Royal Engineers Association, it has its own Constitution to ensure that everything is legal, formal, and abiding, to include an AGM each year,
Key objectives of the Airborne Engineers Association are.
Life membership is free to serving and ex members of the Corps of Royal Engineers although an annual subscription may be required for membership of the sub-branches.
The Association currently has an Executive Committee and five branches, 299 Association Hull, Aldershot, Birmingham, Scotland, and Yorkshire & Lancashire. There are also four ‘Social’ Branches: Chatham, East Midlands, Woodbridge and Wales & West.
Contacts for each Branch can be found on the AEA website at https://www.airbornesappers.org.uk/contactus.html
The AEA was formed in 1989 due to an incident that happened to the Squadron Duty Officer, Captain Joe Houlston (pictured above) during Airborne Forces weekend.
Whilst working late in Rhine Barracks, Joe was locking up the front door, when he noticed three elderly gentlemen standing by the Falklands memorial plinth. 'Bugger' he thought, 'now I am going to be harassed by some Parachute Regiment, 'golden oldies' who are probably lost! He walked down the steps and noticed they were wearing Corps ties and asked if they needed help.
They asked about the plinth, and he explained and when asked they told him who they were. They were ex-airborne engineers from the very early days of parachuting. One had even been on the Tragino Aqueduct raid, the very first Airborne Operation in the Army.
Capt Houlston then decided to take them up to the Squadron offices and show them the memorabilia on the walls and stored in the training wing. They were a walking history on the formation of Airborne and Parachuting Operations.
As a result of this chance meeting, Joe decided the next day to talk it through with other Officers and Senior NCOs in the Squadron, with a view to forming an Association.
Initially the idea was that veteran and serving Airborne Sappers could come together a few times a year, have a beer or two and reminisce on past events, before our history just passes away.
This meeting was originally met with a muted response, but after explaining what happened to him over the Airborne Forces weekend, those gathered quickly agreed that we should have an Association to represent Sappers who had served in Airborne units.
So, the Association was formed unofficially, with a basic 'Mission statement' and organisational committee. During this meeting, the group decided on the title 'Airborne Engineers Association' in the initial stages, rather than Parachute Engineers, due to the historical links with Airborne Forces and decided on a motto: 'Service Not Self.’
In 2024 a national ballot was held on the question of whether the Association should remain independent or join the REA as a National branch. The result was an overwhelming ‘yes’ to the merger.
The aims and objectives of the Association are:
Although the title of the Association states ‘Airborne Engineers’, the founding members unanimously voted to include all personnel who have served, or are still serving, on the strength of any Airborne Engineer Unit, and other units with an official military Parachute and Airborne role, e.g. Members of the Corps serving with Special Forces, this includes all personnel posted into those units be they RAOC, REME, RAPC and ACC, rather than just members of the Corps.
Membership may also be given to any person who in the opinion of the Executive Committee has rendered special service to the Airborne Engineers.
The National Branch is the Governing Executive of the AEA and consists of the elected National Officers of the Association.
Meetings. The National Branch has Two formal meetings per year.
Ad Hoc meetings are held as required.
Time. Timings vary but are advertised in advance.
Current Meeting Attendance. Meetings are open to all members of the AEA.
Activities.
The John Rock Dinner held on the Saturday Night of the Annual Reunion Weekend in October
The Fergie Semple Golf Tournament held on the Thursday of the Annual Reunion Weekend.
Contact: The AEA National Secretary, via our site administrator on the Contact Us page
Meetings: 1st Friday of every month 20:00hrs (unless otherwise stated)
Location: The Minerva Public House, Hull
Activities: Former Commando and Airborne Sapper’s meet monthly. We discuss what has been happening amongst our members with a few refreshments after the meeting.
We usually plan a trip to Arnhem every year. Although 2027 the main trip will be Normandy beaches. With various other activities throughout the year, organised by the members.
Contact: Branch Secretary, via the Contact Us page
Meetings: usually the second Sunday (depending on Bank holidays) April, June, September, and December. Meetings commence at 1200 hours lasting approx. 1 hour.
Location: The Brewers Fayre (Monkey Puzzle) at Cove, Southwood. For those wishing to attend, a carvery is on hand which has been very popular with the majority of members and their wives/partners.
Activities: For the past 2 years the branch has held a Spring lunch in February at the Bush Hotel in Farnham. This function has proved to be very popular by the Branch members and guests.
Contact: Branch Secretary, via the Contact Us page
Meetings. 1st Monday of each month from April 2025. Meeting starts at 19:00hrs but you can get a drink from the bar prior to the meeting.
Location. The Family Tree Social Club. B37 6QT
Current Meeting Attendance. Around 15 to 20 members attend monthly meetings. We also have branch members who live out of the district but stay connected.
Activities. Annual Branch Dinner (Christmas). Regular meetings for meals out. Breakfast Club. Military Visits. Arnhem Visits. Military Commemoration or Services Attendance. Remembrance Day (Cenotaph). Supporting PRA events.
Contact: Branch Secretary, via the Contact Us page
Meetings: 1pm on the third Sunday of the odd numbered months - i.e. January, March, May, July, September, and November.
Location: Royal British Legion in Rodney Street in Edinburgh.
Activities: The RBL has several bars, one of which is open to us from 12:30hrs and this bar generally stays open from the close of the formal meeting at approximately 14:00hrs until about 16:30hrs. Pies and/or sausage rolls are available at the conclusion of the meeting.
In April we meet for a liquid lunch to remember John Lonergan, our SSM who was killed in Aden in 1965.
In June we have a little parade at the graveside of Cpl Scott Wilson of 9 Sqn who lost his life in the Falklands and are sometimes joined by his relatives and comrades based in the South.
September brings the commemoration of the Cromwell Lock tragedy in 1975 when we have a parade, service, and lunch.
We are not all gloom and doom; we generally have an annual lunch with wives where like the above drink is taken.
Contact: Branch Secretary, via the Contact Us page
Meetings: 1st Saturday of March, June, and November
Location: Wakefield ARC, Bridlington, Wakefield ARC
Activities: Each meeting has food and a bar where likeminded veterans can meet. The Branch holds a Febuary function to avoid the congested December Calender. Each year we plan a trip to Arnhem.
Contact: Branch Secretary, via the Contact Us page
A social Branch is an informal branch of the AEA that meets on a regular basis but does not have the usual Branch Officers (President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer) nor does it hold ‘minuted’ meetings. The loose organisation of the Branch is controlled through social media, usually WhatsApp, which is used to co-ordinate members and arrange social gatherings for a ‘Pie and a Pint.’ Anyone can set up a social branch in an area that has no other representation, it is as simple as setting up the group, inviting members, and informing the AEA National Committee.
The Chatham Branch has recently converted from a formal Branch to a social branch. Membership is open to any serving or ex serving Airborne Sappers from the Kent region.
The co-ordinator for the branch is Tim Van Der Kraan
Contact: Branch coordinator, via the Contact Us page
The East Midlands Social Branch is centred on Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire although the Branch also has members from Northants and Lincs.
This is a newly formed Branch and aims to hold social events in the East Midlands every two months.
Contact: Branch coordinator, via the Contact Us page
Meetings: 2nd Saturday of February, May, July, and November
Location: The Hereford Welsh Social Club 1 Hinton Road, Hereford, HR2 6BL
We also plan to hold 1 of the above meetings per year in Wales.
Activities: Each meeting has a bar where we meet and chew the cud. The Branch meets for informal meals (usually a curry) as and when the branch can make it.
We have a small walking group. We meet when work commitments allow.
Contact: Branch coordinator, via the Contact Us page
The Woodbridge Social Branch is newly formed and is based in and around the Woodbridge Area of Suffolk. It has close links with 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment.
Contact: Branch coordinator, via the Contact Us page
This Branch was put in place to ensure all members who, for whatever reason, do not want to be or cannot be affiliated to a geographic Branch. Its aim is to ensure members not affiliated to a geographic Branch receive all important communications such as the Journal
Contact: Branch coordinator, via the Contact Us page
The AEA has access to several National and Branch Standards that can be made available to AEA Members for Memorial Service, Funerals etc.
There are two ‘National Standards’ one for the North of the Country and one for the South. Members wishing to use one of the standards should contact the National Secretary. The National Standard is carried at numerous events throughout the year including The Freedom of Woodbridge Parade, Cromwell Lock, Ist Para Sqn Memorial service and Hardwick Hall. It is also available, on request, for AEA members to use at events such as Funerals of AEA Members. The person requesting the standard is responsible for collecting and returning the standard and for its safe keeping.
The REA(Airborne) Standard is held at 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment in Woodbridge. Wherever possible, this standard will be paraded alongside the AEA Standard at events such as the Freedom of Woodbridge Parade.
299 Association has its own Standard. Persons wishing to use this standard should contact the secretary of the 299 Association.
The Birmingham Branch is the only branch to have its own Branch Standard. Persons wishing to use this standard should contact the secretary of the Birmingham Branch.
The Association has had its own web site since about 2006, primarily as a means to share information and help with the recruitment of new members.
There have been a few design and content changes over the years, not least our very successful online shop.
The latest, much cleaner, simpler design was launched in March 2025, but its primary purpose remains the same.
https://www.airbornesappers.org.uk/
https://www.aea.org.uk/
The Association has had a shop for many years, but in 2022 it was decided we should move with the times and setup an online shop.
The AEA shop has been very successful in raising funds, and helping the Association reach far afield, so far, as well as the UK, we have shipped orders to AEA members in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Guam
We are also host the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment PRI, which makes a wider product range available to our veterans, including many Squadron specific items. As well as boosting profits for the Regiment’s PRI and further enhancing ties between Veteran and serving Sappers.
The AEA shop and PRI can be accessed using the link below, from the AEA Website or using the appropriate QR code.
https://www.airbornesappers.org.uk/shop/
https://www.airbornesappers.org.uk/pri/
The association produces an ‘Airborne Engineers Association Journal.’ Currently there are two editions per year. The Journal is free to all members and is distributed to all Branches, posted on the AEA website and Facebook Page, and e-mailed to all members that we have contact details for. If funding allows the December Journal is printed and posted.
For many years, the Journal has been a major source of information and a means to stay connected, as well as providing an extensive archive of what the association has been up to.
The Journal is intended to advertise future events and provide information via historical sections and general notices. Over the years the Journal has been produced in different formats
The Journal has been a great asset to the Association, but remember, it depends on you for its content, let us keep it going.
The Association aims to maintain close links with 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment. The Commanding Officer of the Regiment is the Association President, and the National Committee consists of both serving soldiers and veterans.
In recent years, AEA members have been invited to take part in the Freedom of Woodbridge parade and also attended the VE Day 80 celebrations at Rock Barracks.
The CO and RSM attend the annual ‘John Rock’ dinner held during the reunion weekend. This event is open to all serving members of the Regiment and it is always good to see serving soldiers swapping stories with the AEA Members.
It is hoped that the AEA and the Regiment can maintain their close relationship, providing AEA members with the levels of friendship and camaraderie associated with being an Airborne Engineer.
The Association has a National Facebook page which can be found at
Airborne Engineers Association National Page
Membership of this group is open to anyone who has served with an Airborne Engineer unit. This is a private page and membership is by invitation.
Each year the association bids for an allocation of places for the National service of remembrance at the Cenotaph in London. This is a Veterans parade and is not open to serving soldiers.
Currently the AEA is allocated 42 places on the parade. We are invited to apply for these places in June of each year and have to confirm names and details by August. Tickets are sent, electronically, shortly before the parade.
Tickets are allocated as follows.
Following the parade, Airborne Engineers congregate at the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ pub just off Trafalgar Square and socialise with the wider RE community.
Following Winston Churchill’s call to establish a corps of parachute troops on 22nd June 1940, parachute training commenced at RAF Ringway near Manchester. Number 2 Commando, the fledgling parachute unit was posted to Knutsford in Cheshire. On 31st August 1941, the decision was made to form the 1st Parachute Brigade under Brigadier Richard Gale. This was to be located at Hardwick Camp near Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Hardwick Hall became the new nucleus for parachute training and physical selection for airborne forces.
On 15th December 1941 the 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions formed at Hardwick with No 1 Air Troop Royal engineers and a skeleton Signals Squadron. At the same time, the 11th SAS Battalion that evolved from No 2 Commando remained stationed at Knutsford. The units at Hardwick selected men from volunteers across the Army through a toughening course combined with pre-jump training.
The Formation of the Parachute Depot 1942-4
When the 1st Parachute Brigade moved from Hardwick to the Bulford area in Wiltshire an Airborne Forces Depot was formed at Hardwick from the units left behind.
It started as an unofficial establishment but was created as a properly organized unit, training and holding recruits before they went to the Parachute Training School, as well as rehabilitating the temporary unfit from injuries.
On 16th May 1987, a Commemorative Plaque was placed on the site to recognise its significance during the formative phase of Airborne Forces.
A commemoration service to remember the 1st Airborne Depot is held at the plaque on the 3rd Sunday in May each year. The service is attended by members of the Airborne Fraternity including Airborne Engineers.
An annual service takes place at the Double Hills memorial at Poulton near Bristol. This is the site of a Glider Crash on the way to the battle of Arnhem. The 21 members of 9th Field Company (Airborne) and two Glider Pilots became the first fatalities of Operation Market Garden.
Mr Peter Yeates, an Ex Royal Navy Rating, was responsible for organising the first Double Hills memorial service. Many years later he is still organising the service although he has recently decided to scale back the event. Peter is an Honorary member of the AEA and has completed a Parachute Descent from the Balloon.
The memorial service takes place on the first Sunday in September and is attended by Local dignitaries, marching contingents from 9 Parachute Squadron RE and the Glider Pilot Regiment, members of the AEA and the local civilian population. Following the service there is a march past through the village.
The 1st Parachute Squadron RE was based in the village of Donington, Lincolnshire from December 1943 to September 1944. Since 1949 veterans of The Squadron gathered for an annual Reunion Dinner and Memorial Service over the last weekend in September.
A Squadron Memorial Altar was created in the south transept of the church in 2000. This was consecrated by the Archdeacon of Lincoln, The Venerable Arthur Hawes, on the 24th of September in the same year.
In 1960, a Donington resident, Major AJ Sudlow, brought home an oak sapling that he had retrieved from the 1944 battle area near the Hartenstein Hotel in Oosterbeek. He nursed it for ten years then offered it to Eric Booth, a Squadron veteran, who had settled locally. Eric arranged for it to be planted in the churchyard of St Mary and the Holy Rood to serve as a memorial for the 1st Parachute Squadron RE. The Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend K Riches, officiated at the planting on the 29th of November 1970 and it continues to serve as a fitting tribute to the “Hearts of Oak” that it commemorates.
In 2012 a Memorial Stone was commissioned and placed in front of the Arnhem Oak. It was dedicated, on the 30th of September 2012, by the Reverend John Moon who had officiated at the annual Squadron Memorial Service in the church for over fifty years.
In 2022 Andrew “Charlie” McColgan, a former Sapper in 9 Parachute Squadron generously donated a bench for the use of those who wish to spend moments of quiet reflection in the Churchyard, close to the Memorial Stone. “Charlie” and another ex-9 Parachute Squadron Sapper, Dave Raes, installed the bench which was dedicated on Sunday 23rd September 2022 in the presence of friends, families, and villagers.
With the passing of the veterans, the Altar, the Oak, the Stone, and the Bench are reminders of a very gallant group of men, and they serve as a touching focus for the annual Remembrance gatherings which continue to be held on the last Sunday of September each year.
Pangbourne Chapel
The Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel at Pangbourne College stands as a permanent and ‘living’ memorial to commemorate the lives and sacrifice of all those who died in the South Atlantic in 1982 and the courage of the thousands of Servicemen and women who served with them to protect the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
It was formally opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in March 2000. For many years the annual Remembrance service, on the Sunday closest to 14th June, has been well-attended by men who served in what was at the time, 4 Troop 9 Parachute Squadron RE. Other Sappers also attend and make the Corps representation the largest of any minor unit that took part in the Campaign. Long may this continue.
Squadron Wreath Laying – Aldershot Military Cemetery
Every year, on the Saturday closest to the 14th of June, ex-9 Parachute Squadron veterans of the Falklands Campaign in 1982 gather for an informal, ‘family’ laying of wreaths at the Falklands Memorial Stone in Aldershot Military Cemetery.
The veterans are joined by other ex-Squadron members and representatives of the Scots Guards, the Welsh Guards and others with whom the Squadron served in 1982.
It is not a Parade and there is no religious ceremony. It is merely a gathering of friends who wish to pay their respects to comrades who did not return.
On the 28th of September 1975 ten members of 131 Indep Para Sqn RE(V) were sadly drowned at Cromwell Lock whilst participating in Ex Trent Chase, a waterman-ship training exercise involving all Troops of the squadron.
Those who died were from 300 Tp, based at Falkirk in Scotland and there was only one survivor from the crew.
A granite stone slab in a small, enclosed area was erected shortly after the tragedy, and a bronze plaque records the names of those lost. The memorial has in recent years been regularly maintained by AEA members with initial ground works carried out by 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment
For many years, an annual memorial service to remember the casualties has been held as close to the date as possible. This service is open to all interested persons, including the bereaved family members, serving and ex-members of 131 Sqn and the local PRA branches, and a short service is conducted, normally by a local vicar.
For many years, the Journal has been a great source of information and a means to keep in touch, as well as providing an extensive archive of what we've been up to. Let's keep it going.
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