Army Cyclist Corps and Northern Cyclist Battalion badges

[Michele J]

I have my grandfather's WW1 badges/insignias from his time in the Northern Cyclist Battalion (Territorial Forces) and the Army Cyclist Corps. I have no pictures of him in uniform, so I'd appreciate help as to where each of these would have been worn on the uniform. I believe #1 and 3 in the photo are his Northern Cyclist insignias and the others (#2, 4, 5, 6) are his Army Cyclist Corps, but not sure what exactly each piece is (cap badge, collar insignia, shoulder insignia, etc.), He also had another badge/insignia with a latin inscription, but no unit/regiment name. Not sure what that one is. Any help identifying it would be appreciated. I know he trained on the Lewis Gun while he was overseas in France in the Army Cyclist Corps. It looks like there is some kind of machine gun on the badge, so I wondered if it might be related to his Lewis Gun training. Unfortunately his service records did not survive, but I have his diary documenting his experiences in detail. 

[Michelle Young]

1, 5 and 6 would have been worn as shoulder titles. 2 and 3 look like cap badges. The separate photo shows the cap badge of the Royal Artillery. 

[FROGSMILE]

58 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

1, 5 and 6 would have been worn as shoulder titles. 2 and 3 look like cap badges. The separate photo shows the cap badge of the Royal Artillery. 

Yes agreed and 4 is also a cap badge worn by army cyclists in the Northern Cyclist Battalion. 

Edited 16 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Michelle Young]

Would #4 be a wartime economy issue badge? 

[Michele J]

Thank you both for your responses. I just checked pictures I have of his platoon (No. 3, Northern Cyclist battalion, Home Front service) and it looks like they are all wearing cap badge #4 (without the words Army Cyclist Corps). That leaves 2 identical cap badges labelled Army Cyclist Corps (#2 and 3) which would probably be what he wore when he was sent to France, since that is when he was transferred into the ACC according to his diary. This is probably a stupid question, but why would he have 2 ACC cap badges? Would they normally get issued a spare?

[FROGSMILE]

26 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

Would #4 be a wartime economy issue badge? 

Was just checking before replying.  It’s the Northern Cyclist Battalion badge.

17 minutes ago, Michele J said:

Thank you both for your responses. I just checked pictures I have of his platoon (No. 3, Northern Cyclist battalion, Home Front service) and it looks like they are all wearing cap badge #4 (without the words Army Cyclist Corps). That leaves 2 identical cap badges labelled Army Cyclist Corps (#2 and 3) which would probably be what he wore when he was sent to France, since that is when he was transferred into the ACC according to his diary. This is probably a stupid question, but why would he have 2 ACC cap badges? Would they normally get issued a spare?

Yes that’s all correct.  Each man was issued with two badges.  Pre war this had been one for best forage cap and one for service dress cap.

[Allan1892]

I can confirm that badge 4 is the Northern Cyclist Battalion, my maternal grandfather joined the 2/1st NCB in December 1914. The attached image is men of the 2/1st at camp in Alnwick, Northumberland, my grandfather is circled.

Image of NCOs of the Northern Cyclist Battalion, Alnwick camp 1915.

[FROGSMILE]

42 minutes ago, Allan1892 said:

I can confirm that badge 4 is the Northern Cyclist Battalion, my maternal grandfather joined the 2/1st NCB in December 1914. The attached image is men of the 2/1st at camp in Alnwick, Northumberland, my grandfather is circled.

Image of NCOs of the Northern Cyclist Battalion, Alnwick camp 1915.

Excellent photos Allan, thank you for sharing them.  Of the two sergeants seated in the second row in the lower photo one appears to have both South Africa (Boer War) medals and one wears the Imperial Service tablet showing his willingness to serve overseas.

In the upper photo the fellow stood next to your grandfather appears to have cracked his skull, as it’s bandaged and he can only wear his flat cap on top.  I wonder if he fell off his bike!  He too wears an Imperial Service tablet.

The men in white fatigue suits on the flanks are the unit’s duty cooks from the cookhouse. On the left is a bugler with brass bugle horn badge on each upper arm.  In theory it should be right arm only according to the regulations, but as ‘bugler’ was rated as as a separate rank (more pay) many men wore two, as if they were stripes.  Another fellow on the far right has a brass grenade badge visible on his left upper arm indicating that he’d trained as a specialist ‘bomber’ (hand grenades).

Edited 16 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Michele J]

This is a strange coincidence! My grandfather joined the 3/1st NCB but was transferred to the 2/1st NCB in August 1915 according to his diary. I have various postcards (some have descriptions on the back) of his platoon (No. 3 platoon) showing the same cook, dog, etc... possibly some of the same men as in your pictures.

The first photo shows the bike tents and my grandfather wrote the following on the back: Part of No. 3 Platoon. You can see the tents where we keep our bikes. The chaps in the white ducks are our cooks. The one on the right is the best cook in the Battalion. He is a Scot.

The second photo was at Huttoft Bank. His diary says he arrived there mid Feb 1916. My grandfather wrote: This is a photo of No. 3 Platoon (part of them) taken at Huttoft Bank. The officer is 2nd Lieut. Clay, a proper sport. He bought us our rations yesterday & eggs for our breakfast this morning.

[Allan1892]

38 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

and one wears the Imperial Service tablet showing his willingness to serve overseas.

As you can see, my grandfather is also wearing the Imperial Service tablet, he ended up in the Somerset Light Infantry.

[FROGSMILE]

23 minutes ago, Michele J said:

This is a strange coincidence! My grandfather joined the 3/1st NCB but was transferred to the 2/1st NCB in August 1915 according to his diary. I have various postcards (some have descriptions on the back) of his platoon (No. 3 platoon) showing the same cook, dog, etc... possibly some of the same men as in your pictures.

The first photo shows the bike tents and my grandfather wrote the following on the back: Part of No. 3 Platoon. You can see the tents where we keep our bikes. The chaps in the white ducks are our cooks. The one on the right is the best cook in the Battalion. He is a Scot.

The second photo was at Huttoft Bank. His diary says he arrived there mid Feb 1916. My grandfather wrote: This is a photo of No. 3 Platoon (part of them) taken at Huttoft Bank. The officer is 2nd Lieut. Clay, a proper sport. He bought us our rations yesterday & eggs for our breakfast this morning.

Super photos.  Notice the signal flags on the ground in front of the group in the lower photo.

The TF units, including the Northern Cyclists were initially divided into two battalions, 1/1st and 2/1st.  The former was intended to concentrate men ready willing and able to deploy overseas.  The latter was to concentrate those men unwilling or unable to go overseas, but able to defend the nation at home, as well as train up new recruits to send as reinforcements to their brother unit that went overseas.

However, the latter two roles could be conflicting and so a third unit was raised, the 3/1st.  To that unit passed new recruits and those still under training, plus those who had medical, or other limitations limiting their employment.  In 1916 universal military service was introduced (conscription) and 2/1st was then allocated as eligible for overseas service too, leaving just 3/1st behind in Britain as a reserve and training unit for both 1/1st and 2/1st.

19 minutes ago, Allan1892 said:

As you can see, my grandfather is also wearing the Imperial Service tablet, he ended up in the Somerset Light Infantry.

Yes a great part of all the cyclist units were combed out to provide infantry casualty replacements from late in 1916 onward.

Edited 16 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Allan1892]

@Michele J -- I have the names of a number of men of the 2/1st -- what is the name of your grandfather?

[Michele J]

His name is Arnold Mackenzie RENTON. I'm very lucky to have his diary. Otherwise I would have very little information on his WW1 service as his medal card is the only document that survived. He goes into a lot of detail describing when he was transferred from one line to another and when he was attached to different regiments as part of his Army Cyclist Corps duties in France. I've got his trench map as well from his time in France.

Edited 16 October , 2023 by Michele J

[FROGSMILE]

It’s quite sobering to think that all the men in those photos were under the impression that there’d be a war of movement and that as specialists they’d be highly mobile, almost elite troops, carrying out reconnaissance and moving swiftly from flank-to-flank, perhaps taking the enemy by surprise and saving the day.  It was all a bit romantic.  In reality of course trench warfare and fixed machine guns ended all that, with a line running from Switzerland to the French coast that could not be penetrated, and so the majority of them found themselves fed into the gaping maw of the infantry meat grinder.

Edited 16 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Allan1892]

11 minutes ago, Michele J said:

His name is Arnold Mackenzie RENTON.

Just read through the list that I have but your grandfather isn't on it.

[FROGSMILE]

4 minutes ago, Allan1892 said:

Just read through the list that I have but your grandfather isn't on it.

Probably joined later, as he had initially been in training with 3/1st.

[Michele J]

Thanks everyone for all of your help! 

[Wardog]

Michele, would you be able to take larger images of your relatives Northern Cyclist badge? (No4) It would be a good guide to identify good versions of this badge. That would be most useful for those of us who collect badges. Regards, Paul.

[Michele J]

Here are larger images of the Northern Cyclist cap badge, front and back. My grandfather would have worn this from May 1915 when he enlisted in the Northern Cyclist Battalion until he was transferred into the Army Cyclist Corps and sent overseas to France in May 1917.

 

[landser]

Ma petite contribution à cet intéressant article, badge accompagné de deux lampes de vélo de marque LUCAS, l’une datée de 1915, l’autre de 1916.

Edited 17 October , 2023 by landser

[Allan1892]

@Wardog -- Paul, this is my grandfather's NCB cap badge. Sorry that I can't give an image of the reverse, the badge is now behind glass along with his medals. Second image was taken before the frame was glazed and sealed. The third image is taken from a memorial wall in St Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne.

[battle of loos]

good morining,

What was the role of the cyclist battalions?
Were they used as conventional infantry or as scouts?
Thank you in advance for your answers.

here are 2 Cyclist badges, 1 of which has aged badly in the ground because it was burned :

michel

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, battle of loos said:

good morining,

What was the role of the cyclist battalions?
Were they used as conventional infantry or as scouts?
Thank you in advance for your answers.

here are 2 Cyclist badges, 1 of which has aged badly in the ground because it was burned :

michel

Cyclist companies were initially established overseas at divisional level, but these were later grouped into battalions at corps level.  Their main intended role was reconnaissance, although they were also often involved in traffic control, or communications (messages/dispatches) work.

Before the war there were no regular army cyclist units and cycle equipped companies and battalions was seen as a role for auxiliary troops (Territorial Force).

See: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/army-cyclist-corps/

Edited 17 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[battle of loos]

Thank you for your explanations 

michel

[landser]

 

 

Royaume-Uni[modifier | modifier le code]

 

 

• Le 25th (County of London) (Cyclist) Battalion, the London Regiment issu des rangs du 26th;
• Le 10th (Cyclist) Battalion, The Royal Scots;
• Le 5th (Cyclist) Battalion, the East Yorkshire Regiment;
• Le 9th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Royal Highland Regiment (The Black Watch) qui devient le Highland Cyclist Battallion;
• Le 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Norfolk Regiment;
• Le 7th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Welsh Regiment;
• Le 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Northumberland Fusiliers qui devient le Northern Cyclist Battalion;
• Le 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) qui devient le Kent Cyclist Battalion;
• Bataillon cycliste de l’Essex et du Suffolk.

 

 

• Le 7e bataillon (cycliste) du régiment du Devonshire.

En 1910, l’Essex and Suffolk Cyclist Battalion

 

• 7e bataillon (cycliste) du régiment d’Essex;
• 6e bataillon (cycliste) du Suffolk Regiment.

En 1911, deux autres bataillons sont créés :

• Le 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Royal Sussex Regiment
• Le 9th (Cyclist) Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment

 

 

• Bataillon cycliste du Huntingdonshire.

 

 

 

• 1er bataillon cycliste, rattaché au <>er corps.
• 2nd Cyclist Battalion (Yorkshire Dragoons), rattaché au IIe corps.
• 4e bataillon cycliste rattaché au IVe corps.
• 5th Cyclist Battalion (North Irish Horse), rattaché au V Corps.
• 6e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au VIe corps.
• 7e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au VIIe corps.
• 8e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au VIIIe corps.
• 9e bataillon de cyclistes, rattaché au IXe corps.
• 10th Cyclist Battalion, rattaché au Xe Corps.
• 11e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au XIe corps.
• 13e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au XIIIe corps.
• 15th Cyclist Battalion, rattaché au XV Corps.
• 17e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au XVIIe corps.
• 18th Cyclist Battalion, rattaché à la 1st Army.
• 19e bataillon cycliste, rattaché au XIXème Corps.
• New Zealand Cyclist Battalion, rattaché au XXII Corps.
• Australian Cyclist Battalion, rattaché au Australian Corps.
• Canadian Cyclist Battalion, rattaché au Canadian Corps.

 

 

 

Edited 17 October , 2023 by landser