R.N.A.C.D machine gun course ?

[FROGSMILE]

On 20/05/2020 at 17:33, horatio2 said:

Thank you very much for posting the list. Very useful.

Not so - The school list is in error here. None of the men listed were RNVR. They were all Royal Navy (RNAS), enlisted for armoured cars. None of them were "cyclist", All were enlisted as air mechanics and rated PO Mechanics in the RNACD. One only was a CPO. Five of the ratings listed were later commissioned in the Army or RNVR. Most enlisted in October 1914 and sent almost immediately to Hythe.

More work to do on the officers' list. Fascinating material.

That is fascinating.  It also rather vindicates Sykes, and one cannot help but have some degree of sympathy for his desire to have qualified air mechanics carrying out the duties that they were actually trained for, especially if they were in short supply.  

Edited 22 May , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[horatio2]

14 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

It also rather vindicates Sykes, and one cannot help but have some degree of sympathy for his desire to have qualified air mechanics carrying out the duties that they were actually trained for, especially if they were in short supply.  

I agree but the additional aeroplane-trained mechanics that he felt he needed could only have come from UK. As noted earlier, the POMs of the RNACD fighting ashore at Gallipoli had no aircraft experience at all. You would be correct to argue that the rating of Petty Officer Mechanic (POM) for such men is a bit of a misnomer (although many were engineers) but POM was the only PO rating that existed in the RNAS. The Admiralty decision had been taken that such men on enlistment to the RNACD would be rated as POMs on an attractive rate of pay.

There was also the minor matter of command. By August 1915, what was left at Gallipoli of the RNACD (three dismounted Motorcycle MG squadrons, all the rest having been withdrawn to Egypt) were all GHQ troops (along with two Bdes RGA). Sykes had been sent to the Dardanelles as 'Chief the Air Force' - specifically to co-ordinate the flying of Nos 2 and 3 Wings RNAS. It was a bit rich to try and grab GHQ's specialist MG units.

[michaeldr]

On 20/05/2020 at 08:31, michaeldr said:

“GHQ to War Office, Despatch 2205, 23 October 1915

The Sykes memo should be in the file AIR 1/654/17/122/503, but alas this is not yet digitised

There is an extract in The Naval Air Service Vol.I 1908-1918 [see pages 241-247] - but, not only is this only an 'extract' however, it does not include the 'attached estimate' either

[FROGSMILE]

44 minutes ago, horatio2 said:

I agree but the additional aeroplane-trained mechanics that he felt he needed could only have come from UK. As noted earlier, the POMs of the RNACD fighting ashore at Gallipoli had no aircraft experience at all. You would be correct to argue that the rating of Petty Officer Mechanic (POM) for such men is a bit of a misnomer (although many were engineers) but POM was the only PO rating that existed in the RNAS. The Admiralty decision had been taken that such men on enlistment to the RNACD would be rated as POMs on an attractive rate of pay.

There was also the minor matter of command. By August 1915, what was left at Gallipoli of the RNACD (three dismounted Motorcycle MG squadrons, all the rest having been withdrawn to Egypt) were all GHQ troops (along with two Bdes RGA). Sykes had been sent to the Dardanelles as 'Chief the Air Force' - specifically to co-ordinate the flying of Nos 2 and 3 Wings RNAS. It was a bit rich to try and grab GHQ's specialist MG units.

I understand the points you make, but these things always vary depending upon which side of the argument you sit, and a good commander will always fight his corner vigorously.  It’s then up to the overall command to make the call having balanced up the pros and cons.  I doubt that the fine point about the POMs was necessarily understood or appreciated at the upper level of command.  It would be interesting to know what was written in the correspondence that must have gone back and forth.

Edited 22 May , 2020 by FROGSMILE