page_title: Sapper
section_title: Australia
hierarchical_section_title: Sapper / Specific usage / Australia
caption_attribution_description: English: Jisr Benat Yakub, Palestine. c. 1918. British and Australian Army soldiers and some local civilians standing on the Bridge of the Daughters of Jacob over the River Jordan, destroyed by the Turks in their flight from Tiberias to Damascus. Other information Photo in the public domain access unrestricted
context_page_description: A sapper, also called pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses, as well as working on road and airfield construction and repair. They are also trained to serve as infantry personnel in defensive and offensive operations. A sapper's duties are devoted to tasks involving facilitating movement, defence and survival of allied forces and impeding those of enemies. The term "sapper" is used in the British Army and Commonwealth nations, the Polish Army and the U.S. military. The word "sapper" comes from the French word sapeur, itself being derived from the verb saper.
context_section_description: During the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I Australian sappers repaired a bridge at the historic crossing of the Jordan River at Jisr Benat Yakub (also known as Jacob's Ford). Here the retreating Ottoman and German rearguard had blown up the bridge's central arch which was repaired in five hours by sappers attached to the Australian Mounted Division. While the light horse brigades forded the river, continuing the Desert Mounted Corps' advance to Damascus, the sappers worked through the night of 27/28 September 1918, to repair the bridge to enable the division's wheeled vehicles and guns to follow on 28 September.
caption: Jisr Benat Yakub repaired (September 1918)
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