13th Div Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps

[Joy Dean]

My great-uncle, Joseph Barber Brooks, was Pte. 5640 in the 13th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps, and served in the Gallipoli Campaign. Please can someone tell me what he would have done? I have this vision of him cycling in the mud, but then doing what?

Joy

[MartinWills]

Joy,

In an age when the motor vehicle was only beginning to be developed troops were principally deployed by railway and foot. Once away from the railway an army could typically only advance as fast as it could march. The light infantry, of course, marched faster. Cavalry was loosing it's status and ability and it was a remarkably effective approach to put soldiers on bicycles and these units could move as fast as anyone on the battleground given a reasonable surface.

This was the idea - and it worked well on occasion. He could well have cycled through the mud.

At Gallipoli, however, the territory did not lend itself to cycling (or cavalry). A number of units found themselves at Gallipoli but dismounted, both from horses and from bicycles. A number of British Yeomanry units served as did many Australian Light Horse Units as anyone who has seen "Gallipoli" the film with Mel Gibson will know (and don't take the film as absolute truth - there has been much debate elsewhere n this forum about this).

At Gallipoli your man would have fought just as any other infantryman might have done.

[Joy Dean]

Thank you for this information. It is very helpful, and brings my great-uncle Joe closer to me.

Joy

[charlesmessenger]

Just to clarify the role of the divisionalist cyclist companies, they were originally formed for reconnaissance purposes, but the onset of trench warfare somewhat restricted this. Their employment now varied from division to division. Some used them to man observation and sniper posts, others for more humdrum tasks like traffic control and even fatigue parties. They could also be used as an emergency reinforcement to go to any part of the division's sector which was under threat.

To find out what great uncle's company did you would need to look at the war diaries of 13th Division, which are in the National Archives at Kew.

Charles M