Machine Gunner 1914-1918

[Robert Dunlop]

Subtitled 'Personal Experiences of the Machine Gun Corps' (ISBN 1844153592).

This is a republication in the Pen and Sword Military Classics series. It contains the diary accounts and personal reminiscences of men who served in the British Machine Gun Corps, the 'Suicide Club'. The editor was himself in the 135th MG Company, which served in Mesopotamia. This means there are several accounts from this theatre and from Palestine, East Africa, Italy and Gallipoli (but not Salonika). At least two-thirds of the accounts relate to the Western Front though. Only some were written during the war. Most are memories recounted up to 60 years later. This means there are several minor errors of fact. But there is no getting away from the personal impact. There are enough details to give a good understanding of how machine gunners plied their trade, although much of the content deals with life between stunts. I especially liked the inclusion of the motorised MG units, as well as the armoured car units in Egypt and Palestine.

There are contributions relating to:

41, 46, 47, 50, 58, 62, 74, 98, 109, 126, 129, 130, 135, 136, 137, 142, 151, 161, 162, 163, 166, 168, 184, 185, 205, 257 Machine Gun Companies

25th, 58th Division MG Company

3rd, 16th, 17th, 33rd Battalion MG Corps

10th Brigade MG Corps

1st Armoured Motor Battery Machine Gun Corps

13th Light Armoured Motor Battery MG Corps

3rd Cavalry Squadron MG Corps

A very interesting read, especially if coupled with George Coppard's book.

Robert

[Staffsyeoman]

Fully agree - and endorse the last (read it alongside Coppard) as I put in my recommendation in the National Army Museum book review I did for it!

The reprint's well deserved, but the original* hardback's not hard to find either if you want one - pay more than ten quid and you've been done.

(Well, there was an initial print run via a small publisher in Folkestone, but it was soon picked up by a bigger publisher)

[Kate Wills]

I had the pleasure of meeting the author during a brief visit he made to our news library. Years later I purchased his annotated copy of Northamptonshire in the Great War from a local bookshop, and found myself working with his nephew, who completed my collection of Charles Crutchley's publications by giving me copies of the two booklets he published prior to writing 'Machine Gunner'.

RIP, a true gentleman and a very modest man.