Machine Gun Corps - what Coy from service number?

[mikebear63]

Hi

I am looking for clarification on Private James Parkinson Duxbury.

I have a service number of 63446, unit as Machine Gun Corps, enlistment as 1916 and discharge (Serial N/88/D/B/962) on 19 Dec 1918. He was awarded the Silver War Badge.

But I also have info that he was with the border Regiment. There is nothing on his MIC about the border Regiment - just MGC.

Is it possible to work out which unit in the MGC from his service number. If so, this should tie the MGC Coy into possiblt the border Regiment??

Thanks in advance for anything you can tell me.

Mike

[kenf48]

The SWB rolls give his enlistment as 10.12.15. He was discharged as a result of sickness, aged 29 years and 9 months.

The date of enlistment suggests he joined under the Derby Scheme, but his MGC number shows entry into the MGC around April 1916, and shortly after existing machine gunners had been brigaded into the Corps.

A feature of the Derby Scheme was that it retained an element of choice, so he may well have elected to join the border Regiment, all we can say from the mic is he did not (or it's very unlikely) go overseas with them. The MGC was actively recruiting and it's quite possible he volunteered after basic training. If you can look at the SWB rolls there are a surprising number of men with similar numbers who enlisted 12/15.

Unfortunately from the records available it's not possible to say which company he was in from the number. Your only hope is if someone has a database not online for example http://www.machinegu...k/research.html

which is a long shot.

Ken

Sorry just noticed you're a new member so welcome, there may be some jargon in the above - please come back but make sure you follow the link at the top of the page for example for details of the Derby Scheme

[PPCLI]

Hi Mike,

Soldiers Died in the Great War returns:

Charles Harrison 63432 118th Coy MGC Formerly 20342, border Regt.

Abraham Varley 63439 87th Coy MGC Formerly 26752, border Regt.

James Mcavoy 63448 87th Coy MGC Formerly 4400, R.W. Fus.

So, you are probably correct about the border Regiment link. A tentative suggestion is that since 87th MG Coy was in the same brigade as the 1st border Regiment, then some newly trained border machine gunners were transferred to an 'associated' MG company.

I suggest that the entry into the MGC was later in the year for that number, possibly Oct/Nov. Another MGC man with a similar number (63452) was also a Derby Scheme man (attested 11 Dec 1915), but wasn't called up until June 1916 and his MGC number would have been issued at a further point after his basic training.

Cheers,

Stuart

[kenf48]

I suggest that the entry into the MGC was later in the year for that number, possibly Oct/Nov. Another MGC man with a similar number (63452) was also a Derby Scheme man (attested 11 Dec 1915), but wasn't called up until June 1916 and his MGC number would have been issued at a further point after his basic training.

Apologies, April probably was too early.

This soldier illustrates a similar timeline:-

Pte 67900 Wm Collins Attested 10.12.1915

Mobilised 14. 09.1916 East Surreys

Transferred 14. 11.1916 MGC renumbered 67900

To BEF 10. 04.1917

No mention of East Surreys on mic

Ken

[mikebear63]

Hi

Thanks for kenf48 and PPCLI. Your hep and suggestions if tremedously useful - and takes me so much further that I was before. Greatly appreciated

Mike