40th Company, Machine Gun Corps ( Infantry )

[Safecontractor]

Has anyone any information about this unit - can't trace it anywhere other than to the Arras area in March 1918 - any info. would be gratefully received.

EWMCG

[sotonmate]

EWMGC

This is perplexing ! No reference to this unit in the WO95 War Diaries section of the National Archives. Nor, when it seems that three MGCoys made up a new Battalion in 1918 is there a link to the logical progression of allocation where the three Coys numbered 38/39/40 would have been allocated to a 40th Battalion MGC. For instance 35 to 37 Coys made up 12 Battalion MGC,41 to 43 Coys made up 14 Battalion,but there is a hole in between !

Wossappened ?

By the way it was in March 1918 when these changes occurred.

Sotonmate

[Stebie9173]

Machine Gun War Diaries of 13th (Western) Division:

WO 95/5156 Brigade Machine Gun Company 1916 Sept. - 1919 Jan. {38th Brigade}

WO 95/5159 Brigade Machine Gun Company 1916 Nov. - 1918 Nov. {39th Brigade}

WO 95/5162 Brigade Machine Gun Company 1916 May - 1919 Mar. {40th Brigade}

WO 95/5153 273 Machine Gun Company 1917 Oct. - 1919 Feb.

Located in the Catalogue by Browsing.

I can't see a 13th Machine Gun battalion, though the others continue after its theoretical formation. Perhaps the Brigades were split up more than on the Western Front and thus the Brigades kept seperate WDs?

The Division was in Mesopotamia from 1916-1919 so the Arras reference is intriguing!

Could we be actually talking about 40th Machine Gun BATTALION of 40th Division?

Steve.

[Safecontractor]

Gentlemen -

Thanks for your assistance to date - all I can tell you is that my Great Uncle -Private Ernest Wood - 60252 - 40th Coy, Machine Gun Corps ( Infantry ) is recorded as having died between 21st March and 26th March, 1918 and is remembered with honour at the Arras Memorial.

CWGC have given this Certificate and his grave memorial reference as Bay 10 at Arras.

Anymore info. would be gratefully received

Regards

[Safecontractor]

Gentlemen :

I've been able to trace a little more information - will this help you, to help me ?

Apparently, Pte Ernest Wood - 60252 - 40th Coy - MCG Infantry was previously 45510 in the Cheshire Regiment with a K.I.A. date of 26.03.1918.

No trace on CWGC or on Cheshire Reg. homepage.

Anything to point me in the right direction would be wonderful.

Best wishes.

EWMCG.

[Ray Tomlinson]

A bit of a long shot but is there any chance that this is him?

Ray

[Safecontractor]

Ray (T)

Thanks - as you can appreciate, that's a bit scary ....!!!! - if only we could tell you if this was / is Pte Ernest Wood as, unfortunately, there are no family photo's.

We know he was born in 1888 in Northern Etchells ( the old name for the Gatley, Poundswick, Crossacres area of Manchester, now largely Wythenshawe) and his name appears on a memorial stone commemorating the fallen of WW1, along with the names of his 2 brothers, originally from the old Heyhead Cong. Church, which stood on Woodhouse Lane near the old Ringway Airport in Manchester. A site for this church now remains amidst the Car Parks for Manchester Airport.

Therefore, at the time of his death, it would have made him about 29 / 30 - and the photo appears to be somebody about that age.

Do you have any more info about the photo / person ...???? ... if you have, it would be more than helpful.

Regards

EWMCG

[SFayers]

Just a word of warning - the CWGC registers are sometimes incorrect with regard to MGC companies vs battalions. I'd suggest there's a good possibility there's such a mistake in this instance (considering the date of death), and it may well be 40th Machine Gun Battalion of the 40th Division. I don't know if 40th Division was in the Arras sector at that time, but the division was certainly in France & Flanders.

Edit: One other thing, 40th MG Battalion was made up of the former 119, 120, 121 and 244 Machine Gun Companies between late February and March 1918 (from the Long Long Trail website).

cheers

Steve

[Staffsyeoman]

I would just add weight to Steve's comment above- there is frequent juxtaposition between Companies and Battalions in the CWGC - i.e. casualties are ascribed to machine gun battalions in 1916 (impossible) and to machine gun companies in (late) 1918 (un- or less likely). By and large the conglomeration of the MG Companies into Divisional MG battalions was complete by late March - just in time for the German offensive!

In this case (and I have a feeling I said this in another query on the same unit a few days ago) it will be 40th Battalion in this case as Steve says.

[Ray Tomlinson]

Sorry EWMCG, all I have is the photo with the name "Wood" on the back. I have a number of MCG photos (I've posted them here before in case anyone recognised one) which came with a bundle of stuff from my Grandfather Lawrence Tomlinson. He was with the 41st Bn - or at least he was in Sept 1919. He was born in 1899 and from what I can see first went overseas in early 1918 so they were clearly there at the same time. That said there were probably 100's of "Woods" in the MGC and it is a bit of a long shot.

If you'd like a better copy, PM me with your email address and I'll send you one. If you can prove its him let me know and I'll send you the original.

I know what you mean by scary. I had a similar experience managing to track down a photo of my other grandfather a couple of years ago. He went to sea in 1919 and was never heard of again. The family had no idea what he looked like but that's another story.

Ray

[Safecontractor]

Gentlemen ;

I can only thank you for your detail and early response and I'll endeavour to pursue some of the avenues you've revealed ...

Ray ... regarding the photo and your extra info..... how co-incidental that your Grandfather was in the 41st Bn and my Great Uncle, Ernest Wood, was apparently in the mysterious 40th ( Coy or Bn according to the other correspondents ) ... obviously I can only appreciate your comments that there were numerous Woods .. perhaps hope remains eternal, along with the memory of these young men whose fates and resting places we are only just now discovering, with the help of the technology at our fingertips, and thus hopefully I'll discover more in the future.

Thank you all again.

Regards - JC Wood .... on behalf of E.Wood - K.I.A. 1918.

[SFayers]

Here's something interesting (courtesy of Geoff's Search Engine) - 18 men of the MGC who died between 21st and 30th March 1918, including Ernest, and all commemorated on the Arras Memorial are variably listed by the CWGC as being with 40th Battalion or 40th Company (and one infact being with "40th Rn"!). Since, as Steve says, (what was) 40th Machine Gun Company was in Mesopotamia with 13th Division from 1916, I'd think it highly likely all these men were with 40th MG Battalion (40th Division). So sad to think that all these men who died during that period have no known graves.

Kind regards

Steve

[Safecontractor]

Thanks for that - all info is gratefully received - I can only remain impressed by the interest and publishing of information by so many people in such a short time.

My intention is to go to Arras in Spring 2009 to see the memorial - like Rolf Harris's visit recently to France..... that's going to be very hard ... but after 91 years I feel I owe it to someone I never knew or met .. but to whom I am closely related.

Regards and thanks,

J.C. Wood

[weejock]

Thanks for that - all info is gratefully received - I can only remain impressed by the interest and publishing of information by so many people in such a short time.

My intention is to go to Arras in Spring 2009 to see the memorial - like Rolf Harris's visit recently to France..... that's going to be very hard ... but after 91 years I feel I owe it to someone I never knew or met .. but to whom I am closely related.

Regards and thanks,

J.C. Wood

I have a distant relation from the 40th (INF) BATTALION MGC who was killed on the 30 March 1918. He was 128326 Pte Angus McLaren who was 26 when he was killed. like the others he is remembered on the Arras Memorial. ANY info or pics would be appreciated.

Regards

[Safecontractor]

It's taken me almost 5 years to update and I must apologise for the delay ... finally made the trip last May with my wife, by car, to the battlefields / memorials / cemeteries of N. France and to the Arras memorial to pay my respects to my uncle.

Found his plaque ( no known grave ) and laid a wreath from 4 generations of his / my family ... his brother ( my father - a Dunkirk veteran - sadly no longer with us ), myself and family, my daughters, and finally but not least, my 6 year old grandson.

To " weejock", I hope these photo's have some interest for you, I do have more, and if you can contact me I'll be pleased to send them.

After some 7 days in N. France and also at the Beaches in Normandy, I'm proud to say, emotion got to me ..... but, I am going back again .. I felt very proud.

Great credit and thanks to the War Graves Commission for their immaculate, untiring and wonderful work ... a credit to them, as well as solace to relations ... they can feel happy that their loved ones have been carefully remembered and tended.

Regards J C Wood