background info required on signalling.

[Rosliston Mark]

My grandmothers brother James Fenwick was a specialist signaller with the Northumberland fusiliers. What did this entail ? Flags, pidgeons or hand written messages ? and what was their role in battle ie did they go over the top or remain behind to inform hq what had transpired. He apparantly won the military medal why is and will probably remain a mystery!

[grantowi]

Possibly morse using a tap key

as they relied on cables to carry the signal, its possable that he won his medal carrying out repairs under nasty conditions

Grant

[Smithmaps]

My grandmothers brother James Fenwick was a specialist signaller with the Northumberland fusiliers. What did this entail ? Flags, pidgeons or hand written messages ? and what was their role in battle ie did they go over the top or remain behind to inform hq what had transpired. He apparantly won the military medal why is and will probably remain a mystery!

Hi

Signallers often got the MM, for mending telephone lines under fire in exposed places. Also if they went out to mend a break, and managed to restore communications, they were very well thought of.

There were pigeon specialists, runners, telephone engineers. Line maintenance engineers. Pole specialists, radio specialists, exchange specialists, morse specialists, flag wavers, men who had to look after the horses. Dispatch riders. Men who worked in the trenches, men who worked at HQ manning lines round the clock. Guys who mended or constructed lines in all weathers.

My web site

149th Inf Brigade Signallers

Will give you more info.

Look carefully at the picture at the top, because these guys were mainly 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th NF.

Yes they did go over the top, though more often if they were Regimental signallers, as opposed to Royal Engineers. Though many regimental engineers found themselves seconded to the RE if there were jobs to do.