BillyH Posted 29 May , 2019 Share Posted 29 May , 2019 Can anyone suggest why an infantryman (private) might be attached to Brigade Headquarters for a fairly lengthy time? BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 29 May , 2019 Share Posted 29 May , 2019 A signaller or batman perhaps? TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 29 May , 2019 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2019 Thanks Terry, I was thinking of batman myself. If it was this, might it be an indication that he was a bit less than 100% fit? BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 29 May , 2019 Share Posted 29 May , 2019 A brigade headquarters, indeed any headquarters, needed hewers of wood and drawers of water to run the place, looking after individual officers as a batman (and not necessarily as an unfit man) was just one job needed to be done by soldiers. http://www.researchingww1.co.uk/structure-of-the-british-army-in-ww1 has an establishment of 23 other ranks. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 29 May , 2019 Share Posted 29 May , 2019 If we exclude known NCO positions, mounted police (normally lance-corporals of MMP) and vehicle drivers (probably ASC) the only others at a brigade HQ were seven batmen and a cook, so batman looks to be the most likely! The brigade signal section would be part of the divisional company, not the brigade HQ, and in any case they belonged to the RE Signal Service. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 29 May , 2019 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2019 Excellent replies, many thanks. BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 29 May , 2019 Share Posted 29 May , 2019 Mate, Ron has got most I known about, but most HQ's have a group to look after them, most I see show them as HQ company, but the strenght very's as goes its composition. Most also have a Cavalry Troop attached for messengers and protection, that is Div or Corps HQ's, but a small detail for Bde HQ's. The Motor cyclist appears quiet comman in these units, for messagers and such. S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 30 May , 2019 Share Posted 30 May , 2019 The tables I used in my posts were for the HQ itself. Each cavalry brigade also had a brigade signal troop, and infantry brigades had a section of the divisional signal companies, and that is where motor-cycle despatch riders would be found. But it is a peculiarity of the War Establishment tables that they do distinguish between actual HQs and the units which support them. I am sure that arrangements were made for the protection of brigade, divisional and corps HQs when necessary, but again this would have been provided by detachments from fighting units. When armies were formed, either a platoon of infantry or a troop of cavalry was originally allocated for their defence - often from a unit associated with the army commander, such as 17th Lancers for Haig and 6th Dragoons for Allenby. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 31 May , 2019 Share Posted 31 May , 2019 (edited) Ron, Yes the ALH show a Troop from each Regt attached to the Div HQ each month, these would rote threw each Regt unill all had been to HQ then would start again. This went on in Palestine as they did in France. In France there were at these three Div's, so a Sqn was used from the Corps Cavalry each month, while in Palestine there were more Cavalry so they got that duty less. During operations this posed some problems when Troops had to be dettached for all the duties they had to do, as well as be ready to move into action. During the fight on the Marne in 1918, only two Sqn's were ready to advance into the German lines and the third Sqn took a day to groups together and then only three Troops were ready to relieve one of the forward Sqn's. S.B Edited 31 May , 2019 by stevebecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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