Cyclist Companies at Gallipoli - photos of bicycles?

[owen4256]

A number of Divisional Cyclist Companies served at Helles and Suvla. I know that that at least the 29th disembarked their bicycles and there are a couple of references in diaries of riding them down to W beach. I have yet to locate any photograph from the peninsula showing a bicycle. Mules motorcycles, traction engines - but no bicycles.... Has anyone come across a photograph of any of the cyclist companies with their bicycles on Gallipoli?

Any help gratefully received

Clive

[Anneca]

Not exactly bicycles but could these motorcycles at Gallipoli possibly be referred to as bicycles as they look more like the BMX bicycles we have today? On second thoughts, probably not.

Anne

[owen4256]

Anne

I did try and persuade myself that this photo was the one but they are definitely motorcycles. Still hoping for the elusive picture of a BSA Mark IV General Service bicycle! Many thanks for taking the trouble to look.

Regards

Clive

[Guest]

There is (I think) a bicycle on the left hand side of the photo on post #12 of this thread here.

These are not Div cyclists though. They are Yeomen having landed on 17th Aug 1915 at Suvla. Anyone who knows the terrain will understand that cycles would be fairly useless in this area so it has always perplexed my why there would be a bicycle in this area. I assume the bicycle is part of the Div signals unit. MG

[owen4256]

Martin

Excellent set of photographs, thanks for the link. The Brigade HQ shot certainly seems to have a bicycle in view. It does indicate that the questionable decision to disembark bicycles was not confined to the 29th Divisional Cyclist Company.

Regards

Clive

[Guest]

Martin

Excellent set photographs, thanks for the link. The Brigade HQ shot certainly seems to have a bicycle in view. It does indicate that the questionable decision to disembark bicycles was not confined to the 29th Divisional Cyclist Company.

Regards

Clive

More so since 29th Div landed in April and 2nd Mtd Div landed in August....in the spread of questionable decisions at Gallipoli I believe there are are few contenders for the most questionable.

GWF member Krithia is your man. If there is a Gallipoli photo with the Div cyclists he will know. I would suggest a PM to him. MG

[Krithia]

After 20+ photos of motorcycles at Gallipoli I have managed to find a bicycle, well, a bicycle wheel, nicely positioned in front of a machine gun on tripod. This is from an RND album, I think Drake Battalion. There is another I am sure I have seen of several bikes, probably the one Martin G is eluding too, so bear with me whilst I hunt it down.

[Krithia]

Here you go, this shows the 29th Divisional Cyclist Company at Gallipoli. This scan is a little low res, but on the original you can clearly see the markings on each rear mud-guard of he bicycle which are additionally marked with their own unique number (highest number I can see is 38). As you can see there are quite a few bikes on the beach.

This is from a Naval album that has some cracking shots of 29th Division landing at Helles, some previously published, others not. Many will hopefully be in a new book next year.

All the best, Stephen

[owen4256]

Stephen

Fantastic! Thank you very much for taking the trouble to look this out for me. One guaranteed purchaser of the book for this alone! Really chuffed finally to have got an image of the Cyclist Company on the peninsula. Please let me know the publication details when available.

Best regards

Clive

[Guest]

I have this photograph in my possession. It is a picture from Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, I don't know how my grandfather came to posses these photos.

[owen4256]

Dragon

 

I should have logged on more frequently! Excellent photo and really scarce to find cyclist companies pictured. This is the 29th Divisional Cyclist Company The CSM was 2508 William Thomas Humphreys of the Royal Fusiliers who was appointed as CSM when the Company was formed on the 6th February 1915. He was posted back to the UK on the 27th August 1915 . Humphreys finished the war as RSM of the 2/1  Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and was awarded  the MSM . From  April 30^th, the Cyclist Camp was  situated 500 Yards West of Point 138, where it remained until June. The camp was right on the shore  which looks to be the location shown here. Very many thanks for taking the time to post this. Love to see any others you may have of Gallipoli

 

Best Regards

Clive

 

[owen4256]

Born in Poplar 1882, Henry Schoenthal was the son of Adolf Schoenthal. He enlisted in the Essex Regiment on 27^th December 1900 and went to South Africa with the draft to 2the ^nd Battalion in April 1902 and qualified for the Queen’s South Africa medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and South Africa 1902. Transfered to 1^st Essex and served with G Company in India and Burma. Re-engaged for 21 years on 7^th September 1912 and promoted to full Corporal 20^th September 1913. Served with the half Battalion of 1^st Essex in Mauritius in 1914 before returning with the battalion to England. On 6th August 1914 after learning of the outbreak of war, he wrote from Vacoas in Mauritius about his promotion hopes and adding another medal to the one he already held for South Africa. On 6^th February 1915 Lt Creighton Arthur Bell Wood, Sergeant Henry Emery and 30 Other Ranks of 1^st Essex, including LSgt Henry Schoenthal joined the Company forming No 5 Platoon. Schoenthal was re-numbered as 2507 Army Cyclist Corps. The Cyclist Company arrived off the Gallipoli Peninsula at dawn on 25^th April. They finally disembarked on the 29^th April on W Beach.

 

The following letter was published in the Jewish Chronicle of 4th June 1915 and so was probably written at the end of April: Lance Sergeant Harry Schoenthal, 29th Cyclist Company with the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force writing to his parent Mr A Schoenthal of the Palladium writes: “You must excuse if paper is dirty for the reason I am sitting in a hole about four feet deep and my writing desk in an old tin box. Do you know it is a comfortable way to get in for corresponding to anyone. Let me tell you that I say my prayers every day out of the Regulation Prayer Book. If you remember I told you there is another Jew in my Company but let me also say there is something still more interesting  because there is a Jewish Battalion here which was formed somewhere near here a few days ago. They do not come from home. Have not had a chance to speak to anyone of them yet but at the first opportunity will do so. Do you know it is splendid to see so many of our denomination serving for so good a cause which is a righteous one. We must remember that in no part of the world is a Jew treated so freely as in England and it is up to all of us to do our duty to our gracious King and Country. We are progressing favourably. Now and then we see the flash of a gun to be followed a few seconds later by a hissing noise through the air, a shell hits the ground; bursts or burrows in the ground. Little or no damage is done. The sight of such is not easily forgot especially when seen at night.”