Every young lad, greedy for glory, realizes sooner or later that he cannot be both engine driver and a soldier.
Unless, that is, he is fortunate enough in later life to join a unit like the Tenth Railway Squadron, Royal Engineers, which is based at Adabiya, near Suez, in the Canal Zone of Egypt.
This Squadron, the only one in the Middle East, is rightly proud of its heritage. Research has shown that it had its beginnings in Gibraltar at the end of the eighteenth century as part of the Corps of Military Artificers. It was one of two companies, commanded by officers of the then Corps of Engineers, stationed on the Rock. The tenth company was converted to a Railway Company in January 1885 and has been one ever since. Certainly it is the oldest unit of that corps still in existence.
Located on the sandy shores of Suez Bay under the shadow of the frowning, precipitous Gebel Ataka, the Tenth Railway Squadron lives and leads a purposeful life. Military stores are un-loaded at the docks of the adjacent Port Operating Group, Royal Engineers and it then becomes the responsibility of the Squadron (in close co-operation with the Egyptian State Railways) to convey them by rail to the waiting units in the Canal Zone. The sidings have all the bustle and noise of Nine Elms Marshalling Yards.
One of the Squadron’s duties is to operate a regular passenger service from Ataka to Adabiya on cinema evenings for the benefit of outlying units. This stretch of track was laid by the Squadron in 1942.
Detachments of Tenth Railway Squadron are stationed at Tobruk, for track maintenance of the Western Desert Railway and at Fanara in the Canal Zone.
The Commanding Officer, Major G.C.L. Alexander, T.D., is a Regular who has been engaged in Army transportation since 1941. He comes from a family which has had links with the former Great Western Railway for three generations. Most of the men under his command have had pre-Service practical experience of railway work or have become experts in their trade during they stay in Adabiya.

Although most of them are Regular soldiers, there is a keen element of National Servicemen. Squadron rolling stock includes three ex-LMS 2-8-0 giants, built just before World War Two. For the edification of the technically minded these engines have a tractive effort of 32,438 lbs and a boiler pressure of 225 lbs per square inch.
It is intended that these three locomotives shall commemorate Sappers who won the Victoria Cross. The first naming ceremony was performed a few months ago by the Chief Engineer, Middle East Land Forces, when WD locomotive No. 70320 became “Lt. W.O. Lennox VC”, in tribute to the first Sapper Officer to receive the award – in 1855.
Tenth Railway Squadron provided a guard of honour to greet the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, General Sir Brian Robertson, when he first arrived at Fayid to assume his appointment. It made a fitting compliment to a General whose military career started in the Royal Engineers. ---

One of the Squadron’s tank engines which
hauls military freight in the Canal Zone

From a report by Major D.O. Hogg, Military Observer in Egypt

Our Tent Lines

Our Tents

Road Entrance to Loco Shed

New Yard Track Arriving

New Track Laid

The Yard At Ataka

It raged all night until this is all that remained the next day

They Were Based Across The Road From Us

Our 1949 Cricket Team

Our Shields & Cups On Display

0-6-0- No: 71267

Class 8 Loco

Diesel No: 71242

Diesel No: 71215

Diesel No: 71896

Diesel MLD 91228

Our Rolling Stock

Troop Train Arriving At Abadiya Docks

70320 In For Repair - Engine Out

All Sorted - Engine Back In

Train De-Railment

Well I'm Not Pushing It!!

Essential Repairs

Taking On Water

Myself, Wally Warren - Driving A Chevrolet

Myself, Wally Warren - Ready For Guard Duty

NAAFI Break

Hodgeson, Haycock, Croy & Phillips

Roberts, Blades, Jones,Rence & Croy

Diplock, Reed, Mustafa & Myself

More Of The Lads - Another NAAFI Break

Fanara Shunters -Shodi & Abdull & Mauritians

Two Of The Fitters

10 Railway Sqdn Office Staff

Some Of The Lads At Ataka

Christmas 1950

Christmas 1950 - Me Marked With Arrow

Mustafa & His Egyptian Crew

Working Party At Chequers Loco

Three Wreckers

Yes, Another NAAFI Break

Cpl 'Jock' Allen

Cpl 'Esso' Eglington

'Jock' Grant & 'Taffy' Fry

L/Cpl Dennis Hook

L/Cpl 'Ginger' Dalton

S/Sgt Wally Peake

Sgt Joe Mathews

Sgt Ron Lloyd

At Port Fouad - Self, Hook & Bowden