Ministry of Supply and War Office: Military Engineering Experimental Establishment...

WO 321

1932-1983

Files of the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment and its predecessors, the Experimental Bridging Establishment, the Experimental Demolition Establishment and the Experimental Tunnelling Establishment, dealing with the development and testing of engineering equipment.

The series also contains reports and minutes of meetings of the Royal Engineering Advisory Board and the Mine Detection and Clearance Committee.

For reports and technical notes of the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment, Christchurch see SUPP 17

Public Record(s)

English

• Ministry of Supply, Military Engineering Experimental Establishment, 1946-1959
• War Office, Military Engineering Experimental Establishment, 1959-1970
• War Office, Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment, 1970-1973

109 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 2018 Ministry of Defence

Topics

Army

Research

Armed Forces (General Administration)

The Military Engineering Experimental Establishment (MEXE) was formed in 1946 as a result of the amalgamation of the Experimental Bridging Establishment (formed at Christchurch in 1919 as the Experimental Bridging Company, Royal Engineers and redesignated in 1925) with the Experimental Demolition Establishment and the Experimental Tunnelling Establishment, both formed at Christchurch during the Second World War. Until 1959, MEXE was the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply, but was then transferred to the War Office. In 1970, it was amalgamated with the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment as the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE).

MEXE and its predecessors carried out a wide range of research and development tasks connected with military engineering equipment, particularly the crossing of wet and dry gaps and aids to amphibians; earth moving; road and airfield construction equipment; mechanical handling plant and equipment and mine laying techniques and equipment. In particular, the famous "Bailey Bridge" was developed under the chief designer (and later director), Mr. D C Bailey. In addition, the work of MEXE involved problems relating to fuel storage and distribution, water supply, electricity supply and transmission, power driven watercraft, water purification and the testing of different types of materials.