Machine Gun Corps

A British Army regiment

Also see

• Royal Tank Corps for Armoured Motor Batteries and Armoured Motor Brigades of the Machine Gun Corps

Chronology

• 1915.10.22. Formed with three branches: Cavalry, Infantry, Motor Machine Guns Service.

The Motor Machine Guns Service appears to have been formed prior to this date.

• 1916.11.18. Heavy Branch of Motor MG Service formed.
• 1917.07.27. Heavy Branch withdrawn to form Tank Corps, and Motor MG Service gradually disbanded.
• 1918.03. MG companies grouped in battalions.
• 1922. MG Corps disbanded.

First World War

Motor Machine Gun Batteries

• The MGC Motor Machine Gun units of 1914-1918 www.1914-1918.net. Includes India.

The Motors Branch had small motorcycle mounted Motor Machine Gun Batteries, Light Armoured Motor Batteries (LAMB) and Light Car Patrols (LCP), most went to the Tank Corps in 1922.

• In January 1918, 3rd Battery (along with 14th and 15th Batteries) was sent out to India where it was stationed at Ambala. The unit participated in the Third Afghan War to the extent that it was sent to Kohat (there from 31 May 1919 to 23 June 1919) during the relief of Thal though does not appear to have seen any action. The unit was disbanded in India on 1 December 1919. National Archives catalogue reference WO95/5484 Order of Battle for India may possibly contain some information.
• Two Motor Machine Gun Batteries, numbers 19 and 22, served during the 3rd Afghan War (1919) and the revolt in Waziristan (1919-1920). 5 Officers and 68 men from M M Gun No. 22 Battery, with equipment embarked on the Ship 'Beltana' for India from Devonport on 26th February 1916. 22 Battery was in Rawalpindi in 1917. It appears likely that both 19 and 22 Batteries had been disbanded by September 1920, as there is no mention of these Batteries in Issues 1-5 of The Machine Gunner, first published September 1920.
• See 25th Motor Machine Gun Battery (Calcutta Volunteers)

Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry)

Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) units, listed below, all appear to have been formed on the Western Front.

• The Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) units of 1914-1918 www.1914-1918.net. Advises:

Machine Gun Cavalry Brigade Squadrons

• 10: Formed after February 1916 in 2nd (Sialkot) Brigade in 1st Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 17th and 19th Lancers and 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry (the latter being of the Indian Army).
• 11: Formed 29 February 1916 for 5th (Mhow) Brigade in 1st Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, 2nd Lancers and 38th King George's Own Central Indian Horse (the latter being of the Indian Army). Broken up 14 April 1918.
• 12: Formed 29 February 1916 for 8th (Lucknow) Brigade in 1st Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) and 36th Jacob's Horse (of the Indian Army). Broken up 14 April 1918.
• 13: Formed 29 February 1916 for 13th (Secunderabad) Brigade in 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 7th Dragoon Guards, Poona Horse and 20th Deccan Horse (both of the Indian Army).
• 14: Formed 29 February 1916 for 14th (Ambala) Brigade in 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 8th Hussars, 18th Lancers and 9th Hodson's Horse (of the Indian Army).
  • Disbanded 1 April 1918 on the Western Front.
• 15: Formed 29 February 1916 for 15th (Meerut) Brigade in 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. Machine gun sections taken from 13th Hussars, 14th Lancers and Watson's Horse (of the Indian Army).
  • This information from 1914-1918.net is stated to be incorrect, the correct information is stated to be: 15th Squadron was part of the 6th (Poona) Cavalry Brigade and was formed from (originally) the MG Sections of the 14th Hussars, 21 Cavalry and 22 Cavalry. It went back to India in July 1918, [although there were some men in Mesopotamia in October 1918]. Most of the Indian machine gunners were replaced by men of MGC (Cavalry) sent out from the UK. The same source also advises:
  • 16th Squadron was part of the 7 (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade and was formed from MG Sections from 13th Hussars, Watson's Horse and 14 Lancers.
  • The 15th Machine Gun Squadron took part in the 3rd Afghan War
• 22, 23 and 24: Formed in 1st Indian Mounted Brigade
• 25: Formed in 11th Indian Mounted Brigade

Machine Gun Companies

The following Machine Gun Companies are known to have been in India

• 222 Machine Gun Company. It was at Campbellpur at least for the period 1 March 1917 to 22 October 1917. The company then moved to Rawalpindi, where it remained past 18 April 1918. It was still in existence in June 1919.
• 263 Machine Gun Company. Formed in India, December 1917. There is a War Diary available for the period May-September 1919, probably for service during the 3rd Afghan War
• 282 Machine Gun Company. It was at Mhow, at least for the period 17 January 1919 to 5 June 1919
• 283 Machine Gun Company. It appears to have been In India In 1916 and was at Mhow, Christmas Day 1918
• 285 Machine Gun Company. There is a War Diary available for the period May-July 1919, probably for service during the 3rd Afghan War
• 287 Machine Gun Company was part of the Kohat-Kurram Force May – August 1919. A War Diary is available.

Records

National Archives, Kew

War Diaries

Catalogue entries include

• WO 95/5391 1 Cavalry Brigade: 15 Squadron Machine Gun Company 1919 May - Aug.
• WO 95/5391 10 Cavalry Brigade: 24 Squadron Machine Gun Corps 1919 May – June
• WO 95/5392 Kohat-Kurram Force: Force Troops: 287 Machine Gun Company 1919 May - Aug.
• WO 95/5405 263 Company Machine Gun Corps 1919 May - Sept.
• WO 95/5405 285 Company Machine Gun Corps 1919 May – July

Medal Rolls

India General Service Medal Rolls for the Machine Gun Corps may be found at WO 100/480, WO 100/485, WO 100/492 These are stated to be for the period 1920-1935, but also include the 1919 awards for the 3rd Afghan War. See Medal Rolls for more details of the subdivisions of these records. There may be additional references. All may be downloaded for free. This data is also available on the pay website Ancestry.

Regimental Journals

• The Machine Gun Corps Magazine. [Nottingham], [1916]-1918. Available at the British Library, however exact holding is not stated. Imperial War Museums also hold editons from Volume 1, No 1 November 1916 to December 1918.
• The Machine Gunner, The British Library hold issues Volume 1 No.1 September 1920 to Volume 1, No.5 February 1921. These journals are available on the subscription website database ProQuest "Trench Journals and Unit Magazines of the First World War", which is available at the British Library and elsewhere - see Subscription websites-online newspapers, journals and directories for access through some libraries.

Regimental flashes

• A LAMB [Light Armoured Motor Battery] soldier in Mesopotamia wore a sun helmet with a flash/badge showing a lamb.
• Refer Edwin Cross photographs below.

External Links

• Machine Gun Corps Pack compiled by Jim Parker, now an archived webpage. Multiple pages, keep scrolling past some blank sections at the bottom of sections. Research and detailed background information, including details of uniforms, from Machine Gun Corps Research, now archived.
• Units That Used The Vickers: The Machine Gun Corps (Infantry): Companies. Includes Companies in India vickersmachinegun.org.
• Machine Gun Corps Old Comrades Association
• The Machine Gun Corps Research Database “Contains details of over 100,000 soldiers who served with the MGC. Continuously updated”. A research fee applies. The database includes information relating to the India General Service Medal (Afghanistan, Waziristan etc) from the medal rolls.
• Machine Gun Corps Regiments.org, now an archived website.
• Photograph: A motor cycle machine gun team, c 1919 North West Frontier, probably Miranshah, probably of one of Motor Machine Gun Battery number 19 or 22. From an album of 367 photographs compiled by W K Fraser-Tytler (later Ambassador at Kabul). NAM. 1982-02-31-174 National Army Museum
• Edwin Cross and his photographs of India during the First World War 31 items. Peoples Collection Wales. If URL is not permanent, use Edwin Cross in the Search. He served in the Machine Gun Corps. One of the photographs is dated "Bombay - Bangalore, Feb 26 1916". There are later mentions of 283 Machine Gun Company. The collection includes Photograph: Edwin Cross and comrades, Machine Gun Corps with machine gun and also showing tropical helmets with flash.
• Albert Victor Cook (1891-1973) On 1 March 1917 Albert transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) Territorial Force. He was posted to the 222nd Machine Gun Company, at Campbellpore in the Punjab. 25thlondon.com
• Claude John Ainslie British Indian Army 222nd Coy. Machine Gun Corps. The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War
• "Mesopotamia 1920-21:The Machine Gun Corps during the Arab Insurrection" by Harry Fecitt. Harry's Sideshows. kaiserscross.com
• Imperial War Museums Their online collection contains many items on the Machine Gun Corps in India. Try the search terms "machine gun corps india". The following interviews may be listened to online:
  • 1976 interview with Walter Cousins, British private served with 1/5th Battalion, East Surrey Regt in India, 1914-1916; NCO served with 222nd Coy, Machine Gun Corps in India and Afghanistan, 1916-1920.
  • 1977 interview with Charles Douglas Armstrong, British officer served with 7th Bn Machine Gun Corps in India, 1920- 1921; served with 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regt in India, 1926-1929; served as staff officer with Manzai Bde on North West Frontier in India, 1929-1933; served as adjutant with 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regt in India, 1933-1938

Historical books online

• Also see Western Front - Historical books online.
• The Book of the Machine Gun by F.V. Longstaff and A. Hilliard Atteridge. 1917 Archive.org.
• "Formation and Growth of the Machine-Gun Corps (May 1920)" page 174, Statistics of the military effort of the British Empire during the Great War, 1914-1920 published by HMSO 1922 Archive.org.
• There is a brief mention of the Machine Gun Corps in a short chapter "Royal Tank Corps", page 113 in The Army in India and Its Evolution: Including an account of the establishment of the Royal Air Force in India 1924. Compiled Officially. Digital Repository of GIPE (Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics [Pune, India]). A pdf download to your computer.
• War in the Garden of Eden by Kermit Roosevelt, Captain, Motor Machine Gun Corps 1919 Archive.org. Location Mesopotamia. The author was an American, the son of (pre WW1) US President Theodore Roosevelt, who was appointed an honorary Captain in the British Army in August 1917. Page 66 indicates the author was in the 14th Battery, Light-armoured motor-cars (14th L. A. M. B.). The fighting cars were Rolls-Royce.
• Through Palestine with the 20th Machine Gun Squadron 1920 Project Gutenberg at Archive.org, or from Gutenberg.org
• The Motor Cycle. Link is to Volume 16, January to June 1916. Links for other available online volumes may be accessed here. Archive.org. Mention of Despatch Riders and the Motor Machine Gun Service (MMGS).
  • "Motor Machine Gun Batteries" of the Motor Machine Gun Service including 22nd Motor Machine Gun Battery, The Motor Cycle, Volume 16, March 23rd 1916, pages 282-283 Archive.org. Includes a photograph of the Battery. “The MMGS which is now a Branch of the Machine Gun Corps sanctioned last year by His Majesty the King, has lately been extended, and embraces all forms of mobile machine guns.”
  • "In India with the MMGS" Letter from Sgt A Fielder page 35, July 13th 1916 The Motor Cycle, Volume 17. With photograph. The unnamed Battery is stated to be 22 Battery.
• French-English Dictionary of Machine Gun Terms by Major H J Maloney, 1st Lt Frank Short, 1st Lt. H Morton [USA Army] 1918 Archive.org