3 Battalion M.G.E.

[Dannemois]

I have a photograph labelled No 10 Hut, 3rd Battalion MGE, Clapstone Camp, August 1917. I wonder if someone could tell me what regiment the 3rd Battalion MGE belonged to and what does MGE mean.

Thanks

Roy

[daggers]

Could the 'E' of MGE be a bad 'C', in which case I suggest Machine Gun Corps.

D

[Dannemois]

Could the 'E' of MGE be a bad 'C', in which case I suggest Machine Gun Corps.

D

Hi Daggers

I've had a second look but unfortunately I am not able to confirm if it could be a 'C'. I have tried posting the image but it keeps getting rejected as being too big, even though I reduced its size.

Roy

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Roy

It's almost certainly Machine Gun Corps. You see a lot of script C's from that period which are more elaborate than the ones most of us would write today.

And it's probably also Clipstone Camp, not Clapstone.

Ron

[Stebie9173]

Clipstone Camp was one of the main training camps of the Machine Gun Corps.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/malcolm.marpl...pstoneCamp.html

3rd Battalion would be the 3rd "Training" battalion, a name extant before the units of the Machine Gun Corps were named as Battalions in mid-1918.

Steve.

[Dannemois]

Hello Roy

It's almost certainly Machine Gun Corps. You see a lot of script C's from that period which are more elaborate than the ones most of us would write today.

And it's probably also Clipstone Camp, not Clapstone.

Ron

Thanks Ron, would the soldiers of the MGC be known as troopers?

[Ron Clifton]

Thanks Ron, would the soldiers of the MGC be known as troopers?

No, as Privates - officially, that is. It is possible that men in the MGC Cavalry section affected the description of Trooper, but this was unofficial even in the regular cavalry, at this period.

Ron

[PhilB]

Here are the photos.

[Dannemois]

QUOTE (Phil_B @ Mar 26 2009, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here are the photos.

Thanks Phil

Now why couldn't I do that? I have posted photos in the past but for whatever reason failed this time.

With regards to the photos above. Group photo is now correctly tagged No 10 Hut, 3rd Battalion MGC, Clipstone Camp 1917. The photo of the soldier is tagged 'Trooper Cyril Harris with a studio stamp, S.J.Allen, Pembroke Dock. I would welcome any comments in addition to those already made. Cyril Harris, now deceased, survived the war and I am trying to find what he did in the war.

Regards

Roy

[Staffsyeoman]

If it's 1917, it will be the 3rd Reserve Battalion MGC, a training formation (consistent with Clipstone), as front line units of the MGC were not organised into battalions until the spring of 1918. MGC soldiers were Privates, although the Heavy Branch - later the Tank Corps - also had "Gunners".