Can anyone help me untangle a problem. My grandfather Walter Lord 39555 Loyal North Lancs was later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps as Sergeant W Lord 176913. Can anyone tell me - were complete batallions transferred across to the MGC (Grandfather always said he was in Mesopotamia which is where 6 Bn Loyals served - but was the MGC there also?) He was awarded an India medal with Afghan Clasp - I can find no record of 6 Bn Loyals going to India. Did he only transfer to the MGC late on, towards the end of the war? Any information will be gratefully received
It doesn't mean because he had a INDIA medal that he was in India. see here for medal details. Is this the one? Looks like he was in Afghanistan.
Prior to the creation of the MGC each infantry batallion would have 2 machine guns, with around a dozen men assigned to them. It's possible he might have been part of a machine gun section, hence his transfer to MGC - depending on the dates we are talking about. The MGC would be divided up around the Infantry brigades, in much the same way as Artillery and Engineer companies were. I believe is was one MGC company per brigade. Chances are, he was in Mesopotamia with 6th Loyals manning a machine gun, then transferred to the MGC attached to a brigade in India. (I'm making a lot of assumptions here) Have you seen his service record at all? If the answer is no, then let me know some extra details and I'll see if it's on Ancestry. Info such as middle name, birth year and birth place and/or residence at the time of enlistment will help. Also (if married) name of spouse or (if not married) name of parents. You can PM me this info if you would prefer. Chris
The Machine Gun Corps was authorised by Royal Warrant in October 1915, with a depot at Belton Park, Grantham. The Corps was to be divided into three services: infantry, cavalry and motor. Existing machine-gunners of battalions and regiments were transferred to become Brigade machine-gun companies and squadrons. In March 1918 all the Brigade machine-gun companies were grouped into battalions. Initially the men retained their former unit badges, until replaced by the MGC badge of a crown over two crossed machine-gun barrels. So a machine-gunner of an infantry regiment in Mesopotamia was simply re-designated as a gunner in the MGC and he was then part of a new machine-gun unit. The MGC was awarded 7 Victoria Crosses and it lost 1,120 officers killed (out of 11,500) and 1,267 men killed (out of 189,000).
Interestingly the first world war section of the Loyal's wiki page is almost exclusively 6th Battalion. During the First World War, the 6th Battalion of the Loyal Regiment was raised in August 1914, as part of the "Kitchener Army"'s first wave (sometimes referred to as K1). It was moved to Tildworth and then to Blackdown in February 1915. Eventually it sailed as part of the 38th Brigade of the 13th (Western) Division to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. As part of the 13th (Western) Division, the battalion served in the Gallipoli Campaign. The division landed at Anzac Cove on 4 August 1915. After participating in the battles at Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay, the 6th Battalion along with the rest of the division were withdrawn from Suvla and moved to the Helles landing beaches. The division was finally withdrawn from Gallipoli and sent to Egypt to refit in January 1916. In February 1916, the division was ordered to move to join the Tigris Corps in its operations to relieve the Anglo-Indian garrison besieged at Kut. As part of the Tigris Corps, the battalion attempted to lift the siege of Kut. Initially deployed along the left bank of the Tigris River, the North Lancs participated in the Battles of Fallahiya, on April 6, 1916, and Sanniyat, on April 9, 1916. The 6th North Lancs managed to break into the Turkish positions at the Sanniyat, but because follow-on forces were unable to link up with them, they along with the rest of the 38th Brigade were eventually driven back. After the failure of the Tigris Corps to relieve Kut, the 6th North Lancs, as well as the rest of the division remained in theater. Receiving replacement drafts from home, the 6th North Lancs began training to prepare for the winter campaign to retake Kut and drive on Baghdad. After the capture of Kut, the 38th Brigade, of which the 6th North Lancs was a part, was the spearhead for the drive across the Diyala River. After the failure of the first attempt to cross the river, 6th North Lancs were tasked with seizing the beachhead on the far side of the river. Approximately 100 men of the 6th North Lancs were able to make the initial crossing on March 8, 1917. Subjected to multiple counter-attacks through the day, North Lancs held on to the beachhead despite the main force being unable to land more troops. By the end of March 8, 1917, there only 40 effectives left. Throughout the next day, the North Lancs defended their beachhead against a further counter-attack and shelling by the Turkish Army. They were not relieved until the next day when the Turkish forces retreated after their position became untenable because of advances by the British and Indian forces on the right bank of the Tigris River. In the course of two days, 6th North Lancs suffered 31 KIA and 65 wounded. Following the fall of Baghdad, the 6th North Lancs, participated in the drive north to Kirkuk. At the conclusion of the war, the 6th North Lancs was selected as one of the battalions which would make up the initial occupation force of region (eventually renamed Iraq). They were transferred to the 34th Indian Infantry Brigade for occupation duties in 1918 after the armistice with Turkey on 31 October 1918. The 6th North Lancs were eventually demobilized in 1919.
Did he only transfer to the MGC late on, towards the end of the war? Judging off his MGC number ... approx. July 1918
As mentioned your Grandfather served with 38th Brigade in Mesopotamia. My Great Great Uncle served there as part of 38th Brigade with 6/South Lancashires. I obtained the war diaries for the 6/South Lancs for this period from the NA. Unfortunately they are not available to be downloaded however, if relevant to your research, you can obtain the diaries for 38th Brigade from June 1915 - Jan 1916 online for £3.50 here.. The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Image Details For the 38th Brigade in Mesopotamia I would recommend the following. It predominantly features the 6/ East Lancs but does mention often 6/South Lancs and 6/LNL and gives a great and quite personal overview to events.. Pen and Sword Books: Diary of an Old Contemptible by Peter Downham
Judging off his MGC number ... approx. July 1918 Hi can you tell me when a soldier with the number 146968 would have joined the MGC. Many Thanks Colin.
Hi can you tell me when a soldier with the number 146968 would have joined the MGC. Many Thanks Colin. (Approx) January 1918
