Machine Gun Corps organisation

[Guest]

A relative of mine was killed in 1918 serving with the 10Bn Lancashire Fusiliers. An old photo shows him wearing the uniform of that regiment, and he is proudly showing off a MG tradesmans badge on his left sleeve.

Would this have meant that he was a machine gunner in his battalion? This might sound like a daft question but i was of the opinion that the machine gunners were provided to the Divisions/Battalions by the Machine Gun Corps, or is this not the case?

Also, if somebody qualified as a machine gunner within their own battalion, would they be posted to the machine Gun Corps?

Hopefully someone can help me with this.

[salientguide]

Hi chris my wifes grandfather started the war in the South Wales Borderers which was the unit wifes mother remembered him serving in. But photo showed him in uniform with a type of laurel leaf badge on sleeve cuff and a crossed motif badge on cap which is crossed Vickers guns, we still have it set under a galss dome.

Like many he probably qualified as a Lewis gunner and then was remustered into the MGC on its formation ??1916. At that time he was also given a new and different army number for his service in the MGC

There is a chap who's an expert on the MGC contactable through the MGC Old Comrades Association, search on that and you should find their website they should be able to help you

[Chris_Baker]

You could read this page on the MGC, or this page about battalion organisation, on the Long, Long Trail website.

The heavy MGs were indeed pulled out from battalion control, and were under MGC. This left the lighter Lewis guns in the hands of the infantry.