11th Coy, Australian Machine Gun Corps

[John_Hartley]

Can anyone confirm if this unit was operating under the name in March 1917 or if it's designation had changed?

My researchee, 2nd Lt T A Seddon was KIA on 28/3/17. I've been trawling the National Archives website for the war diary and can't find it.

Any thoughts?

John

[Blackblue]

John,

733 Private Thomas Alexander Seddon enlisted on 4 January 1915 at Alderley in Brisbane. He originally departed Brisbane as an original of the Machine Gun Section of the 25th Battalion on 29 June 1915 on board HMAT Aeneas (HMAT 60).

He was a 22 year old Engineer from 406 Wellington Road, Heaton Chapel, Stockport. His Next of Kin is listed as his mother of the same address.

It appears he was wounded, probably at Gallipoli, and returned to Australia. On 5 June 1916 he departed Sydney on board the HMAT Borda (HMAT 30) as a Corporal (also an original) with the 11th Machine Gun Company, his regimental number being 8.

He Died of Wounds on 28 March 1917 as a 2Lt with the 11th Machine Gune Company. He is buried at Trois-Arbres Cemetery Steenwerck.

You can request his service papers here:

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/ItemDetail.asp?M=0&B=8076739

I would try e-mailing the Research Centre at the Australian War Memorial in respect to the war diary.

Courtesy of Ross Mallett:

The AIF Machine Gun Companies were formed in February 1916 from the four battalion machine gun sections in each brigade. Each was equipped with 16 Vickers Machine Guns. They bore the same numbers as the brigades of which they were part, and usually had the state affiliation. In 1917, divisional machine gun companies were formed, numbered 21 to 25, where the last digit was the same as the parent division. The four companies in each division were consolidated into machine gun battalions in March 1918.

11th Machine Gun Company (Queensland) [3rd Machine Gun Battalion]

Formed Queensland February 1916 and assigned to 11th Infantry Brigade. Departed Sydney Borda 5 June 1916. Assigned to 3rd Machine Gun Battalion 2 March 1918. 1st Reinforcements departed Sydney Borda 5 June 1916, 2nd Reinforcements departed Melbourne Orontes 16 August 1916, 3rd Reinforcements departed Melbourne Commonwealth 19 September 1916, 4th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Port Lincoln 20 October 1916, 5th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Ulysses 25 October 1916, 6th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Orsova 6 December 1916,, 7th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Ballarat 19 February 1917, 8th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Osterley 14 February 1917, 9th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Ascanius 11 May 1917, 10th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Suevic 21 June 1917, 11th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Suevic 21 June 1917, 12th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Nestor 21 November 1917, 13th Reinforcements departed Melbourne Indarra 26 November 1917.

The colour patch of the 11th MGC is shown below.

Rgds

Tim

[John_Hartley]

Tim

Thanks for this, mate. I had some of his personal info, but you've added to it. I've asked for his file to be digitized and it's presumably under consideration.

If I've read the info about the MGC's correctly, it wouldnt have had the designation of 11 Coy by 1917 but would ahve a Division number. Must trawl the UK Archives again - but that's for tomorow. Time for bed over here.

John

[Blackblue]

John,

The way I understand it is that in February 1916 each Infantry Brigade (3 per Division) had a Machine Gun Company formed from the Machine Gun Sections of each battalion. These companies were numbered 1 to 15 for the fifteen AIF Infantry Brigades.

In January 1917 Divisional Machine Gun Companies were also formed on top of the Brigade Machine Gun Companies. This meant that each Division possessed four companies. Three Companies were Brigade troops and the fourth company Divisional troops. Initially the Divisional Companies were numbered 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. In March 1917 these Companies were re-numbered 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 to coincide with the Divisional Number 1 Div = 21 MGC, 2 Div = 22 MGC and so on.

In March 1918 the four Machine Gun Companies of each Division were formed into Machine Gun Battalions numbered 1 to 5 (again for each Division).

Your man would have been in the 11th Machine Gun Company attached to the 11th Infantry Brigade (this Brigade still exists in North Queensland). In March 1918 the 11th Machine Gun Company became part of the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, 3rd Division AIF.

Rgds

Tim

[John_Hartley]

Tim

Thanks again. Understood now. Looks like we don't have a copy of the war diary over here at Kew, then (I've tried just about eveyr combination I can think of to search). Will now try your suggestion of contact with the Australian War Memorial folk.

regards

John

[Blackblue]

No dramas mate. In my experience they have been very helpful.

Rgds

Tim

[Andrew P]

On the Australian War Memorial photo database I notice that there was a photo listed for the 11th Machine Gun Company marching to the troopship in Brisbane in June 1916.

Unfortunately the image of the photo does not appear next to it's description.

Regards

Andrew