Army Cyclist Corps

[delta]

Have heard of the ACC but know little about their role etc

Can some-one point me in the right direction

[Steven Broomfield]

Hi. Reconnaisance, carrying messages, mobile infantry. I think Charles Messengers' books "Call to Arms" has an outline of their role which is more detailed (it could hardly be less!).

[John_Hartley]

I'm tempted to tell you to get on your bike and find out for yourself.

But, in the early "open" part of the war, they were scouts and a sort of cavalry. They returned, in part, to this role in the closing period. But for the most part, they just fought as ordinary infantry.

John

[gporta]

In some cases, Military Police duties as well.

Gloria

[montbrehain]

a good site (although in danish) is www.chakoten.dk/eng_cyk_ww1_1.html and www.huntscycles.co.uk is worth a look too.

[Steven Broomfield]

I'm tempted to tell you to get on your bike and find out for yourself.

John

Well, he could always Google it.....

[horatio2]

You may be interested to know that the Royal Naval Division had a RM Cyclist Company from October 1914. They served throughout the Gallipoli campaign, specialising as bombers (jam-tin bombs) and catapult, bomb-gun and trench mortar (not many of those) operators. They later also ran a Bombing School on the peninsula to train battalion bombers. They were disbanded in mid-1916 when the RND joined the BEF in France. Not sure if they ever rode their bicycles anywhere except in Blighty.

H2

[Steven Broomfield]

In all seriousness, i think H2's post points it out nicely.

They had a role - scouting and communications - which in trench warfare became redundant; as a result, they became odd-job men, used to do whatever else it was no-one else was doing.

When open warfare came back in, they were back in business, scouting ahead of advancing columns, etc.

Some TF Cyclist Bns (such as the 9th Hampshires) had very exotic wars, ending up in Siberia.

[gporta]

Indeed, these fellows were photographed serving in Italy... (seems they had decent roads to cycle so far)

Gloria

[gporta]

... And that's a pictorial impression of how Cyclist units were expected to perform (a 1912 recruiting poster of the London Cyclists)

Gloria

[Guest Hill 60]

In 'Passchendaele', by Nigel Steel & Peter Hart (pages 217-220), there are a number of quotes from Private V. R. Magill, Cyclist Battalion, XVIII Corps.

Magill is talking about heading out into no-man's-land at night, along with other Cyclists and protected by parties of other infantry units, to 'plant' dummies of British soldiers.

After planting these dummies a number of the Cyclists, including Magill, stayed out in no-man's-land to pull lengths of line attached to the dummies making them appear, to the Germans, as if they were an attacking force.

After a bombardment the lines were pulled, the dummies rose and the Germans fired away at what they thought were attacking troops, then came the next British bombardment hitting the German in their trenches.

As an aside to this, I remember an 'interesting' story from a medal dealer (who shall remain nameless) who told Jean (who collects ACC medals) that the vast majority of ACC men were killed. The reason why the Cyclist suffered such a high mortality rate? German snipers shot them off their bikes when they were taking messages back behind the lines

[delta]

Well, he could always Google it.....

Thanks guys, for all your help

for Harters and Councillor Broomfield - you're both right - senior moment on my part

Stephen

[Chris_Baker]

The London Cyclists poster - thanks for showing it, Gloria - looks as though they are fighting their way down Stratford upon Avon High Street! Have they fallen out with the Warwicks? Is this why the ACC Memorial is at nearby Meriden?

[Charles Fair]

Thanks for the poster Gloria, havent seen that before.

Many of the men in the 25th Londons seem to have been posted from either England (or from India from mid 1916 in the case of the 1/25th) to the 47th or 60th Div Cyclist Companies and from there into one of the London Regiment battalions. They show up in blocks in the London Regt medal rolls and I have quite a few in my 19th London database.

[Guest simon p]

Hi Gloria and everyone,

I have just come across the Great War Forum and these posts.

My grandfather Harry Parker was in the 1/25th London Bicycle Regt and served in Waziristan in 1917.

Several years ago I put my grandfathers diary on my website, and since then have been contacted by several other people whose ancestors also served in the 1/25th. They have sent me photos and what information they have which I have put on another of my web pages dedicated to the 1/25th :-

http://www.simonpg.com/1-25th/gallery.htm

I am interested in using the poster on my website and also in a booklet I intend to print of my grandfathers diary and his photos. Are you able to send me a higher resolution copy? I would be most appreciative. Also do you know if it is subject of copyright?

regards

Simon