19Hussar Posted 14 June , 2009 Share Posted 14 June , 2009 Frank Marklew like his brother John in my previous post served in the army before the Great War. He too was recalled from the reserves. I belive that he rejoined his old regiment the 5th Dragoon Guards but I might be wrong with that. At some stage after the formation of the Machine Gun Corps. he joined that unit dates are unknown to me at this stage. He "died of wounds" in France on 23rd March 1918. His medal card shows that he was promoted to Seargent but it doesn't say when. He was buried at the Rosieres British Cemetry. The casualty details supplied by the CWGC show that under the listing of Awards are the letters MM. What does the MM stand for ? Regards, Chainsaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSmithson Posted 14 June , 2009 Share Posted 14 June , 2009 Military Medal Introduced March 1916 as the 'other ranks' award alongside the Military Cross. Discontinued in 1993 as all ranks can now be awarded the MC. Jim PS Welcome to the Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Ormerod Posted 14 June , 2009 Share Posted 14 June , 2009 The London Gazette of 10 October 1916 records the award of the Military Medal to Sjt 3460 F. Marklew of the Machine Gun Corps. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 14 June , 2009 Share Posted 14 June , 2009 Military Medal for Bravery in the Field;The post nominal letters "MM" can be used after the recipients surname:~Gallantry Medals of the Great War. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 17 June , 2009 Share Posted 17 June , 2009 (edited) His service papers (51 pages!) and Medal Index Card (MIC) are available on ancestry.co.uk. His MIC confirms service with both the 5DG and the MGC. I'm a 5DG medal collector and I wish I knew where his medals were! Included in his papers in a note indicating that he transferred to the 1st Machine Gun Squadron on 26 February 1916. His rank at the time was corporal. In February 1916, the War Office created the Machine Gun Corps. Combat units were created by combining the machine gunners from regiments within a brigade into a "Machine Gun Squadron". Both cavalry and infantry Machine Gun Squadrons were formed. As a machine gunner with the 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st Cavalry Brigade, Marklew was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps Cavalry on 26 February 1916 as an founding member of the 1st Machine Gun Squadron (1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division). This squadron was formed by brigading together the machine guns sections of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, and the 11th Hussars. The "Machine Gun Corps Cavalry" (as they were referred to) used their horses to rapidly deploy their weapons during a battle. Otherwise, they fought just like any other machine gunner (i.e. from the ground). The 1st Machine Gun Squadron's War Diary is available at The National Archives. I have the medals to the officer who was in charge of the 5DG Machine Gun Section, which is why I know so much about this. His name was Lt. E.S.D. Martin and he transferred over on the same day. Barney Edited 21 February , 2023 by barney5042 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 17 June , 2009 Share Posted 17 June , 2009 The London Gazette of 10 October 1916 records the award of the Military Medal to Sjt 3460 F. Marklew of the Machine Gun Corps. Paul Very interesting. As I wrote in an earlier post, Lt. Martin transferred on the same day as Frank Marklew. Martin remained with the 1st Machine Gun Squadron until 6 October 1916 when he was placed in command of the 5th Machine Gun Squadron. As a result, I previously researched the 1st Machine Gun Squadron War Diary and believe they spent most of 1916 training. (1916 was a slow year for the cavalry.) I don't recall them being in any battles. I'm sure there is no mention of Marklew in the 5DG War Diary as I went through the time-consuming process of creating an index for this diary. Barney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Hussar Posted 19 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 19 June , 2009 Hi Barney, Your knowledge of 5DG is very impressive. Can I persuade you to examine your records on Frank marklew and 5DG for me ? I know that Frank was recalled from the reserves for the Great War and I assumed it was from 5DG and that he rejoined them in 1914 . Do you have any information on when Frank initially joined 5DG, and for how long was his first period of engagement ? I am intrigued to find this out because his brother John served with the 19 Hussars and was in South Africa in 1901 and 1902 for the Boer War. I understand that 5DG were also in South Africa but since Frank's MIC does not reflect this I have assumed his first period of engagement was outside the dates of the Boer War, can you confirm any of this ? I also note that you say the MGC were not engaged in any battles in 1916. Frank's name appears in the National Roll of the Great War and I thought that some of the battles mentioned were actually in 1916, but I might be mistaken. I understand that the cavalry used a different machine gun to that chosen by the infantry, which machine gun were the cavalry units equiped with ? Thanks for your assistance, Chainsaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 19 June , 2009 Share Posted 19 June , 2009 In February 1916, the War Office created the Machine Gun Corps. Combat units were created by combining the machine gunners from regiments within a brigade into a "Machine Gun Squadron". Both cavalry and infantry Machine Gun Squadrons were formed. Small correction. The Machine Gun Corps itself was formed in October 1915, not February 1916, but it took several months for units to form fully. Infantry units were not formed into Machine Gun Squadrons but Machine Gun Companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 19 June , 2009 Share Posted 19 June , 2009 Hi Barney, Your knowledge of 5DG is very impressive. Can I persuade you to examine your records on Frank marklew and 5DG for me ? I know that Frank was recalled from the reserves for the Great War and I assumed it was from 5DG and that he rejoined them in 1914 . Do you have any information on when Frank initially joined 5DG, and for how long was his first period of engagement ? I am intrigued to find this out because his brother John served with the 19 Hussars and was in South Africa in 1901 and 1902 for the Boer War. I understand that 5DG were also in South Africa but since Frank's MIC does not reflect this I have assumed his first period of engagement was outside the dates of the Boer War, can you confirm any of this ? I also note that you say the MGC were not engaged in any battles in 1916. Frank's name appears in the National Roll of the Great War and I thought that some of the battles mentioned were actually in 1916, but I might be mistaken. I understand that the cavalry used a different machine gun to that chosen by the infantry, which machine gun were the cavalry units equiped with ? Thanks for your assistance, Chainsaw. Hi Chainsaw, Frank Marklew's birth year is listed as "about 1889" so no Boer War service. He enlisted on 19 July 1909 and remained with the 5DG until his transfer to the MGC. You'll need to send me your direct e-mail address if you want the detailed Marklew research. I'll have another look at the machine gun squadron war diaries to confirm what they did in 1916. When I do, I'll see if they mention the weapons used. I'll also keep an eye open for Marklew. Although I created an index for the 5DG (and Marklew definitely is not mentioned), I never created one for either machine gun squadron. Barney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Hussar Posted 21 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 21 June , 2009 Hi there Barney, I would be very grateful for any information you could supply in connection with Frank Marklew, either during his time with 5DG or the MGC. I am starting from a very low base when it comes to knowledge or the skills required for this research, as such, I am really grateful for ant assistance, or advice, that I receive. My grandfather, John Marklew 19 Hussars and his two brothers, Frank 5DG and MGC and George 1 Btn. Lincolnshire Reg. were all recalled from the reserves for the Great War. Only John survived, Frank and George were both KIA in France. John returned with chest problems that plagued him for the rest of his life, he died in 1933. Like many old soldiers John was reluctant to speak at much length of his experiences and since there were so many returned soldiers, all with stories to tell, nobody ever took much notice. Ninety years on there are a lot of family historians and researchers from many different disciplines all struggling to find answers to questions that were never asked of the people that lived through those experiences. I cannot promise that I will not revert with more questions as I continue my research, if I become a pain in the butt you'll have to let me know and I'm not very good at taking subtle hints. Regards, Chainsaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 14 March , 2020 Share Posted 14 March , 2020 Dear Barney Would you have information on an action by the 5DG on 27 November 1914 in which my great great uncle Charles Horsnell was killed. Any information appreciated Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 14 March , 2020 Share Posted 14 March , 2020 Hi BillH, Welcome to the forum 3 hours ago, BillH said: 5DG on 27 November 1914 His CWGC record, Soldiers Died record, Soldiers Effects record, and medal roll records indicate that he died on the 17th rather than 27th November 1914. The Battalion war diary can be downloaded from the National Archive (£3.50) from here. Alternatively if you have access to Ancestry, the diary for November 1914 starts here. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 14 March , 2020 Share Posted 14 March , 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, BillH said: Any information appreciated BillH Are you connected with this remarkable website about charles and his 2 brothers ? Charlie Edit- I see John Malam, the creator of that website, is also a member of this forum There are at least three threads he's posted if you search for "Charles William Horsnell" Edited 14 March , 2020 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 26 March , 2020 Share Posted 26 March , 2020 (edited) On 14/03/2020 at 13:20, BillH said: Dear Barney Would you have information on an action by the 5DG on 27 November 1914 in which my great great uncle Charles Horsnell was killed. Any information appreciated Thank you Hi Bill, According to regimental sources, he was killed on 17 November 1914. My notes indicate his medals have been offered for sale within the last 25 years. Attached is the first page of the war diary entry for 17 November 1914. Barney Edited 26 March , 2020 by barney5042 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 26 March , 2020 Share Posted 26 March , 2020 And the second page of that day's war diary entry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac1918 Posted 12 September , 2020 Share Posted 12 September , 2020 On 17/06/2009 at 17:30, barney5042 said: His service papers (51 pages!) and Medal Index Card (MIC) are available on ancestry.co.uk. His MIC confirms service with both the 5DG and the MGC. I'm a 5DG medal collector and I wish I knew where his medals were! Included in his papers in a note indicating that he transferred to the 1st Machine Gun Squadron on 26 February 1916. His rank at the time was corporal. In February 1916, the War Office created the Machine Gun Corps. Combat units were created by combining the machine gunners from regiments within a brigade into a "Machine Gun Squadron". Both cavalry and infantry Machine Gun Squadrons were formed. As a machine gunner with the 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st Cavalry Brigade, Marklew was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps Cavalry on 26 February 1916 as an founding member of the 1st Machine Gun Squadron (1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division). This squadron was formed by brigading together the machine guns sections of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, and the 11th Hussars. The "Machine Gun Corps Cavalry" (as they were referred to) used their horses to rapidly deploy their weapons during a battle. Otherwise, they fought just like any other machine gunner (i.e. from the ground). The 1st Machine Gun Squadron's War Diary is available at The National Archives. I have the medals to the officer who was in charge of the 5DG Machine Gun Section, which is why I know so much about this. His name was Lt. E.S.D. Martin and he transferred over on the same day. Barney Mattingly Hi Barney You didn’t by any chance ever come across Frank’s Medals did you ? I have had no reply from ‘chainsaw’ and they are a distant relative of mine. Kind regards, Isaac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 12 September , 2020 Share Posted 12 September , 2020 5 hours ago, Isaac1918 said: Hi Barney You didn’t by any chance ever come across Frank’s Medals did you ? I have had no reply from ‘chainsaw’ and they are a distant relative of mine. Kind regards, Isaac Sadly, no, I haven't see Frank's medals. Barney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now