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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Machine Gun Sections


Droocoo

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Hi all,

 

I am researching Pte Oswald Kendall of "C" Company, 11th Platoon, 12th Middlesex Regiment who was part of his unit's machine gun section.

 

I have several questions pertaining to this:

 

1. How were these men selected?

2. Did these men have any special privileges?

3. How many men were there per section and what were their roles?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Andrew

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 I would imagine that selection was often 'Pike, Jones - do you know how to use a MG', 'No, Sergeant', 'Congratulations, you've just volunteered to learn...'.


A general description can be seen here - http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/machine-gun-corps-in-the-first-world-war/

 

As the war went on it became more common for the MG's to be utilised apart from the battalion and men were often billeted separately for this purposes where needed - this eventually led to the Bde MG Companies and Battalions.

Craig

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As a clarification PS/2122 Oswald Kendall enlisted, as his number suggests in the 16th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (Public Schools) and landed in France with the main body of that Battalion on the 17th November 1915.  He did not serve in the MGC.  The war diary of the 16th Battalion lists 4 Machine Guns on embarkation. The MGC was formed in October 1915 and it's likely that he would have moved into the Corps however the Battalion left the Brigade before the formation of 100 Brigade MGC in April whose diary records they took over the duties from the Acting Brigade MGO Lt Dawson of the 16th Middlesex on the 29th April.

 

If he remained with the 16th unit it was disbanded it seems likely he was a Lewis Gunner.

 

As regards the specific questions:-

 

George Coppard (with a machine gun to Cmabrai) describes his selection in 1914 as reserve to the original Vickers Guns in his Battalion as coming  'out of the blue'.  There is some evidence that later in the war good marksmen were selected, also men who were on light duties at the Depot also received training in the Lewis Gun before returning to France.

 

No - the MGC was also known as the 'Suicide Club'.

 

See this earlier thread for the composition of a Lewis Gun Section in an infantry Battalion in 1917 as tactics developed

 

Ken

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by kenf48
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Hi Ken and Craig,

 

Thank you for your responses. Just to clarify further, although Kendall did serve initially with the 16th Middlesex, as his Prisoner of War card would indicate, he was indeed a member of the Machine Gun Section of "C" Company, 11th Platoon, 12th Middlesex Regiment.

 

The problem I am facing is that I am finding a lot of information on the Machine Gun Corps but not on machine gun sections within infantry battalions. Am I right in assuming that the MGC used Vickers Machine Guns and infantry machine gun sections used Lewis Guns?

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Andrew

 

image.png.e548487e93811dcd1b7b128576b17a76.png

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Yes, you are correct the Lewis Gun was deployed by the machine gun section of the infantry battalion.  However, on its introduction it was considered a much more inferior weapon than the Vickers.  First introduced in 1914, during 1915 production difficulties meant that it was not until 1916 that there were sufficient numbers to enable two or four guns for each Company, four guns meant one for each platoon of thirty six men (by 1918 there were sufficient numbers to allow eight per Company).

 

Initially they were deployed in a defensive role, for example protecting an open flank but by February 1917 the infantry assault manual SS 143 was urging their use in a more offensive attacking role providing covering and suppressing fire in support of infantry attacks on strong points.  So much so that they eventually became known as ‘pillbox busters’ and used in conjunction with bombers and mortars developed into a very effective weapon.

 

One of the initial criticisms was that although lighter than the water cooled Vickers the Lewis gun still needed a team of men (as described above) to service the weapon, this was mainly because each magazine held 47 rounds as opposed to the Vickers belt.

It therefore was seen as more of an automatic rifle than heavy weapon.  As noted in the previous thread the key members of each section were no 1 and 2.  The men who fired the gun went on a technical course but there were often shortages, whereas the carriers could be rotated within the platoon.

 

The war diaries often describe their deployment and disposing in an attack (but not the 12th Middx on the 3 May).

 

Ken 

Edited by kenf48
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