Captain Donovan RCE and the AVRE

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

Checking some facts for a friend.

Does anyone know where I can find information about the above mentioned officer, who is credited with inventing the Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers based on his experience at Dieppe?

The important question is whether or not Captain Donovan applied for one of those post-war British awards given to inventors of successful military hardware. Strassler got one for developing the DD Sherman.

Any thoughts?

Steve

[sapper740]

Originally posted by Steve Guthrie
Hi there

Checking some facts for a friend.

Does anyone know where I can find information about the above mentioned officer, who is credited with inventing the Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers based on his experience at Dieppe?

The important question is whether or not Captain Donovan applied for one of those post-war British awards given to inventors of successful military hardware. Strassler got one for developing the DD Sherman.

Any thoughts?

Steve

I've read very little about Capt. Donovan...this is an area I need to do more research on. One website I read intimated that he only aided in the design of AVREs, and was not the actual inventor. Another website suggests that he invented the Petard mortar.
Here's a quote from the MG website WWW.mgcars.org/uk

"Our job in life was to produce as many and as quickly as possible Churchill Tanks converted to A.V.R.E. (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers), a special purpose job for mine detection, road block destruction and fitted with a special mortar known as the Petard Gun. A Captain J. Donovan, a Canadian, was responsible for this weapon of terrific destruction and he was a frequent visitor in the early stages of our production. Life soon became extremely hectic and production of 30 tanks a week was attained, and maintained until we outstripped Vauxhall and Broome and Wade's production of basic vehicles. An extremely tight target of 208 vehicles by the end of March was set by the Ministry and we hit the target to the day!


One day when I have time I'm going to research Capt. Donovan in depth.

[PaulUK]

Lt JJ Denovan (not Donovan, apparently) was a liaison officer with the Tank Design Dept of the British Min of Supply at the time of Dieppe. He already saw the need to bring sappers up to support the initial assault. A few days after Dieppe the Special Devices branch of the Dept asked for ideas to get over obstacles without the crew being exposed. It was then that Denovan outlined his ideas, and even acquired a Churchill tank and illegally converted it to show what he had in mind! In Jan 1943 his ideas were accepted and development ordered to proceed on what became the Churchill AVRE.

When it was conceived it was envisaged it would use the petard. The petard mortar was already in existence, the brainchild of Stewart Blacker, inventor of the spigot mortar essentially. See the recent book by his grandson 'The Adventures and Inventions of Stewart Blacker' published by Pen & Sword in the UK.

The only info I have found on Denovan is in The official history of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, Vol 2.

Regards

Paul, UK

[PaulUK]

I forgot to add, Denovan was awarded £1500 for his contribution to the devlopment of the AVRE by the UK Commision on Awards and Inventions in 1953.

Paul, UK

[DChipman]

Cracking Hitler's Wall: The 1st Assault Brigade Engineers on D-Day by Richard C. Anderson gives a pretty complete story of Denovan's work on developing the AVRE.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by DChipman

Cracking Hitler's Wall: The 1st Assault Brigade Engineers on D-Day by Richard C. Anderson gives a pretty complete story of Denovan's work on developing the AVRE.

Are you the CMEA's DChipman?

[Lauren Child]

Just a quick correction: It was called Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (A.V.R.E.), not Armoured. Armoured is a later designation.

Also, it's the 1st Assault Brigade, Royal Engineers (A.R.E.) - there's a unit history called "A.R.E." which is very good, published just after the war.