despatch riders

[paul.pengelly]

I read on the long,long trail that despatch riders were part of a signals company (162 men)that "worked for" a infantry division,delivering orders,messages and post to and from sections/company H,O and that they were sgts or crpls ? Was this always the case ? One of my great uncles was said to have been a despatch rider,yet the photo we have of him he is stripeless,apart from the 4 upside down chevrons on his right lower sleeve,so would that make the photo from 1918?

And the 2 most likely candidates on ancestry's medal rolls

Frank Pengelly,North Riding Regt,3/11091,Royal Field Artillery,126756

F.A Pengelly,Welsh Regt,3411-1

are both privates.

He is also said to have spent a year in hospital in London suffering from injuries including amnesia and only regained his memory when reckognised by somebody from the same village,or maybe thats another family legend as well.Unable to get to Kew in the near future, anybody able to shed any light on this.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Paul

The original (1914) motor cycle despatch riders with Signal Companies were all corporals and above but this changed during the war and privates were also used for these duties.

Infantry battalions and artillery batteries also used orderlies mounted on horses or bicycles and it is likely that they would have been referred to unofficially as despatch riders. Either of your Pengellys might have fallen into that category.

Can you post a copy of the photo, or describe the vatious belts and trimmings which are shown in it? A white lanyard on the left shoulder, for instance, would make the RFA the more likely.

Ron

[centurion]

There were definitely some numbers of cyclist dispatch riders, often from the various cyclist companies batns etc. Not sure if they were part of a signals unit or just part of a Batn's hq. but they appear in various documents as dispatch riders.The humble pedal cycle was sometimes better suited than the motor cycle for messages to the front line as it was silent and therefore almost undetectable at night, could be easily lifted over any obstacles, craters etc and could often be ridden down communications trenches

[Ian Riley]

Paul,

Possibly not relevant to your great uncle's service but you may find the book Adventures of a Despatch Rider by WHL Watson of interest (if you can find a copy, published William Blackwood 1915). I don't know if it has been reprinted. Watson was at Balliol College Oxford, volunteered immediately on outbreak of war as a despatch rider then purchased a motorbike. He describes how he took the oath of allegiance and two minutes later became a corporal of the Royal Engineers. He was reassured to be told that his division, the 5th, would not be going to France. A short time later at Le Cateau ...

As for looking for regimental origins, as Ron mentioned, motor cyclist despatch riders belonged to divisional signal companies (1914 Expeditionary Force establishment tables) and so would be Royal Engineers There are also 'signal squadrons' - haven't time to check as I am off to lunch but I presume that these worked with cavalry. Certainly in 1914 there is no establishment for motorcyclists in an infantry battalion (which is does not preclude enterprising battalions acquiring their own) although the battalion signallers (not engineer personnel) had bicycles. It is possible that the artillery brigades acquired their own motorcyclists later in the war but I can't spot them in the 1914 establishment tables; gunners always seem to be very keen to maintain the independence of their own signals network in my experience! Perhaps someone could comment?

Ian

[paul.pengelly]

Thanks for the replies men,

Looks like I'm still stuck with 2 possibles for Frank.....

Would the North Ridings have recruited in South Wales ,(that one's date of entry was5/12/1914) or was the Welsh Regiment the Regt of choice for somebody living in Wales (not Welsh)

There are two photo's of "Pengelly's" in uniform ,unfortunately no captions on either ,one is of an R.F.A man but I take that to be cprl Sidney John#4676 K.I.A,5/6/1917 (buried at Kandahar farm cemetery)as he was five years older than Frank,see what you think, they are on a relatives web-site "flickr longwinterfarm photostream" (page 4)sorry not good at the tech stuff.

I have Henry (4 possibles),and William (10 possibles)to look for yet and no clues/ rumours to go on.

My Grandfather on mothers side was also a despatch rider ,WW2,invalided out after a collision with a cow,hard to spot when you've got those headlamp restrictors on ,its night and its a black cow.

Paul

[paul.pengelly]

Blimey its 8 years again when I originally posted this!

Since then I have found some of his service records

Frank Pengelly 34117 -Attested 9 April 1915 -Newport -aged 19 (18 and a half)

Posted to France 2/10/15 -with the 2nd Welsh

Reported wounded 13/10/?? -Cannot read it -Typical still dont know when / where he was injured was it soon as he arrived or 1916 /17 or 18.?

Family "history" has it that he was a Dispatch rider who had an accident and suffered amnesia and was finally recognised in hospital by somebody from the same tiny village in Wales,who sat with him and talked and he gradually regained his memory.

If the photo comes out he is the man sitting -The man standing is possibly one of his brothers and unfortunately I do not know which one ,no captions and no way of working out who is who,as 2 of them were in the RFA

[johnboy]

Can you give the link to his record?

[johnboy]

The right hand cap badge could be RHA/RFA?

[PerthHuron]

Cpl Frank Rousell MM despatch rider 76th CEF/CE signal section w/ plate from his bike

Edited 8 February , 2017 by PerthHuron

[trajan]

That's a nice set - thanks for sharing!

[Muerrisch]

This might be of interest:

 

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=409974#post409974