RN MGC officer?

[Guest stevenbec]

Can anyone supply details on this officer.

Guy Trevarton Sholl gained a commison as Sub/Lt in the RNVR from the AIF 14th Nov 1915.

A note in his records shows he Returned to Australia as Maj MGC in June 1919.

Is it possible for for this officer to be in the Navy and MGC and hold the rank of Maj?

Would he have been in the 63rd RN Div?

Thanks for any details

S.B

[michaeldr]

Steve

Have a look at the London Gazette 29886 - 29 Dec/1 Jan 1917

Your man got the DSC while i/c a squadron of RN Armoured Cars fighting the Turks in Armenia & Persia during early Sept 1916

Regards

Michael D.R.

[michaeldr]

Steve

Further trawls of the LG also produced the foll

30146 – 22 Jun 17

Decorations conferred by the Russian Government

Order of St. Stanislas (2nd Class with Swords)

Lieut. Guy T. Sholl DSC, RNVR

30532 – 15 Feb 1918

War Office 19 Feb 1918 Regular Forces

Machine Gun Corps

The under mentioned Lts., from RNVR to be temp Capts

G. T. Sholl 1 Feb 1918 with seniority 1 Jan 1917

30632 – 12 Apr 1918

Temp Capt G. T. Sholl to be temp Maj 2 Feb 1918 Machine Gun Corps (Motor)

Best regards

Michael D.R.

[michaeldr]

Would he have been in the 63rd RN Div?

Steve,

So far I cannot see any 63rd RN Div connection and I would guess that in 1916 Sholl was with Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson’s RNAS armoured cars. This unit was facing extinction as the Western Front became static so he engineered an official request from Russia for service on the eastern front.

“They landed at Alexandrovsk (later Murmansk) in January 1916 with 33 armoured cars and four heavy Pierce-Arrow lorries armed with 3-pounder guns. Support vehicles included wireless trucks, command vehicles, cranes and staff-cars.

After a suitable working-up period Locker-Lampson found his unit work in the south of the country. His units were spread along the border with Turkey and Northern Persia between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Not only did they have to fight Turks but also the local Kurdish population who had been incited to rise and attack their Russian overlords.

When the campaigning season started to slow down for the winter in September (the Caucasus Mountains are inhospitable at the best of times) the British Armoured Car Division, as it was known in Russia, was faced with the prospect of a long period of inactivity. All units of the division were collected and moved to Odessa when suddenly Romania joined the war on the Allied side. The Division thereafter operated on the Galician Front and in Romania, helping to stiffen the Romanian sector when her inexperienced army was rolled back in the face of Austrian and Bulgarian attacks.”

After the revolution and despite the best efforts of Trotsky, “eventually the division managed to extricate themselves through Murmansk.”

Details from ‘RNAS 1912-1918’ by Brad King

Perhaps another Pal can provide something a little more firm on this episode and Sholl’s part in it?

Regards

Michael D.R.

[charlesmessenger]

Michael is quite correct. Sholl was a member of Locker-Lampson's Russian Armoured Car Division, which went on to serve in the Dunsterforce Armoured Car Brigade in Mesopotamia and North Persia in 1918, with all personnel being transferred to the MGC(Motors).

A very good account of its history is Bryan Perrett's and Anthony Lord's 'The Czar's British Squadron', Kimber, London, 1981. Sholl receives a number of mentions.

Charles M

[Guest stevenbec]

Many Thanks,

I was unware of the story behind this man, surprising what a simple request can lead to.

I'll check my sources for more about this unit.

Thanks again.

S.B