A Silver Medallion.

The medallion pictured below bears the unit title ‘No.4 Batt Machine Gun Corps’ over the two crossed Vickers Mk.1 machine guns. While it has been in the Group’s collection for a little while, it was only very recently that some research on the unit named has been undertaken. This research has been expanded upon to take a brief look at the history of the Machine Gun Corps. A number of men from Goole were to be posted to the M.G.C., some of whom were also part of the battalion MG Sections that preceded them.

Throughout the First World War a number of units were formed that only existed for the duration of the War and for a few years after hostilities ceased.

A large number of these units were the Service Battalions that were formed after January 1916 when conscription was brought in. These battalions would go on to supplement the Regular and Territorial battalions, as well Kitchener’s New Armies following the surge of enlistment in the weeks after the commencement of hostilities, all of which would be formed into Brigades and then assigned to a specific Division. Prior to November 1917 a Division was formed of four brigades, each with four infantry battalions – these in turn, if at full strength would number approx. 1025 officers and men.

After the above date and through to January 1918 a re-organisation of the Divisions led to the number of brigades and battalions each being reduced to three. The table below shows a simplified version of how a Division was organised, and where it fit into the overall organisation of the Army to which it was assigned within the BEF as a whole.

In addition to the infantry units, each division was also assigned ‘Divisional’ troops. The ‘Divisional’ troops were individual units and companies which were part of other Army units at a higher Corps level – being from the Royal Engineers; Royal Army Medical Corps; Army Service Corps and Royal Field Artillery. Unlike the infantry units, which were on occasion re-assigned to another Division (dependent on battles then in progress and the casualties caused to it, or indeed to the one being replaced), to a large degree the ‘Divisional’ troops would remain with their division for the duration of the War. There were times though when a Division was moved from one Corps to another – the Corps formed the basis for an Army.

Prior to February 1915 each infantry battalion had a Machine Gun Section, being formed of two subsections – a gun each and manned by six privates under the command of a Sergeant (1 Section) and Corporal (2 Section). Each gun was transported by a limbered wagon hauled by one or two draught horses. The men of the MG Section were from and would still be a part of their respective battalions.

A limbered Maxim machine gun of an MG Section, of an unidentified Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light

Infantry, date and location unknown. (Group collection)

In February 1915, and as a result of the experiences of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front and as Kitchener’s New Armies were being trained in England the number of MG sections was increased to four. As with the previous statement, the men were from the battalion itself, with no increase of the established number to allow each company to have the full complement of around 250 officers and men.

Army Order No.414, dated 22nd October 1915 authorised the formation of the Machine Gun Corps, being formed to bring an overall command structure to allow the British Army Divisions in France to have an organised structure of machine gun units to each Division and the men to man them; as such, a machine gun battalion was assigned to each Division.

One such battalion, No.4 Batt. Machine Gun Corps was assigned to 4th Division. It was formed on 26th February 1918 and comprised of the 10th, 11th, 12th and 234th Machine Gun Companies – the table below shows how these companies were formed. The men from the constituent MG Sections were all transferred to the Machine Gun Corps; there numbers supplemented by other men transferred from other units or by newly enlisted men.

4th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps
Machine Gun Company	MG Sections from -
10th	1st Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
	2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders
	2nd Bn Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment)
11th	1st Bn Somerset Light Infantry
	1st Bn Hampshire Regiment
	1st Bn Rifle Brigade
12th	1st Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
	2nd Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
	2nd Bn Essex Regiment
234th	Joined 4th Div. on 16th July 1917

The four companies were each formed of 150 officers and men (including two from the Army Service Corps) being equipped with 64 Vickers Mk.1 machine guns, 52 horses and four bicycles. While the 10th, 11th and 12th MG Companies were assigned to their respective battalions, the 234th MG Company was held as Divisional Reserve.

A Vickers Mk.1 Machine Gun, from 1917, during the display at Boothferry Primary School, 6th November 2023.

After the formation of the MGC and the attachment of No.4 Batt. MGC, the 4th Division, which was classed as a ‘Regular’ Division based on the battalions within, though very few of the men who left England in August and September 1914 were still serving with it. In early April 1918 the 4th Division was transferred from XVII Corps Third Army to I Corps First Army. Prior to 28th August it was again transferred, this time to Canadian Corps First Army; in October it was again transferred, to XXII Corps First Army, with which it remained at the time of the Armistice. Following the Spring 1918 German Offensive, Operation Michael (Kaiserschlacht or ‘Kaiser’s Battle) it went on to take part in a number of battles that became part of the ‘Advance to Victory’.

On 11th November 1918, the 4th Division was acting as XXII Corps Reserve, being concentrated to the south-east of Valenciennes. In the days and weeks following the Armistice, the division did not proceed to the Rhine to form part of the Army of Occupation. Instead, it moved to Valenciennes, where on 4th December it was visited and inspected by King George V. On 6th January 1919 the division moved to the Binche-le-Louviere area, from where the process of the demobilisation of the men was started.

The reverse of the medallion is stamped with the characters ‘J W T’ – being the letters of the person who sponsored the casting of the medallion. Next to these are three shield marks that show an Anchor, denoting that it was manufactured in Birmingham; a Lion – showing that it is of sterling silver; and the character ‘S’ – showing that it was assayed in 1942. The individual links on the chain are also stamped with the Lion mark.

One local man is recorded as having served with 4th Battalion MGC. Millson Burkitt was born in Luddington in September 1887. He was living in Edinburgh Street at the time of his marriage in March 1910 to Beatrice Gamewell. Millson’s war service took him from the Royal Navy (as a fireman onboard a ‘Q’ ship) to the K.O.Y.L.I., before being posted to the MGC, firstly to 61st Coy. in December 1916 and then to 11th Coy. in September 1917, which in turn joined 4th Batt. on its formation in February 1918.

Millson Burkitt pictured with his wife Beatrice and their daughter Mary Agnes (Courtesy Jay Whittaker)

Official records that survive show some 60 or so men from Goole served with various battalions and companies of the Machine Gun Corps, some of whom were killed while serving with the Corps. By the very nature of the weapon they were tasked with using on the enemy, the MGC were in turn heavily targeted, and not without cause, with typical Army humour, were the MGC referred to as ‘The Suicide Club’. Around 170,500 officers and men served with the M.G.C. during its brief wartime existence, they suffered nearly 17,000 thousand men killed; died as a result of wounds; accidents; drownings and unknown causes, with another 6,600 being wounded while almost 43,000 were reported as ‘missing’ – with a large number later to be recorded as ‘Prisoners of War’.

The Machine Gun Corps was disbanded in 1922, partly to save money but also to bring the army back to a pre-War level of manpower. A different approach to how machine guns equipped, and the organisational structure of the units, was in place prior to the Second World War, which is beyond the scope of this text.

Sources

Published

Crutchley, C.E.; Machine Gunner 1914-18: Personal Experiences of the Machine Gun Corps

Pen & Sword; 2013.

Russel, Arthur; The Machine Gunner

Roundwood Press; 1977.

Online

Vickers MG Collection & Research Association

https://vickersmg.blog

 

The Army Bible with an Inscription.

We have over the years of this project looked at the service of a great number of people from the town who served in the Forces, or as in the case of a number of women, as nurses – in all cases, both at home and overseas. While this work is largely concerned with those from Goole, there are a number of additional names that have been brought forward to us by people whose relatives also served but who had no connection to the town when they themselves were serving – in some cases they moved to the town later, in others it was a later generation that arrived in the town; in a smaller number of cases there is no link between them and Goole, we have been purely asked if we can help somebody who has some idea as to a relative’s service but doesn’t know where to start in looking at this aspect of their family history. The story below is one of the latter, though the ‘name’ came to us in an unusual way.

Earlier this year, at a local auction, and within a box contain numerous other items that were known to have come from the Isle of Axholme was an Army Bible. On the front fly page is inscribed, in pencil ‘In remembrance of Col Belcher Killed June 1917’. So, with this name and date a search was started to determine what could be found to tell his story.

Using the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website it was shown that ‘Col Belcher’ was Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Thomas Belcher DSO, and despite the entry within the Bible, he died on 8th July 1917. At the time of his death he was serving with 52nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and was buried in the extension section of Dickebusch New Military Cemetery and Extension.

Used by permission from a family tree on ancestry

Harold Thomas Belcher was born on 17th March 1875 in Thorpeness, Suffolk to Thomas Hayes and Annie Belcher, being baptised in Preston-next-Faversham, Kent on 26th April. Thomas was their oldest child, the others being Arthur Hayes, Ethel Mary, Margaret Elaine, Eva Nearne, Raymond Douglas and Gordon. Their father in 1891 is a Cleric in Holy Orders and the Headmaster of Brighton College.

After being home-school by a governess he attended Brighton College before his entry to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, where, as a keen sportsman he won the long jump in 1894, later competing in that event in representing Woolwich against Sandhurst. As well as athletics, Harold was a fearless rider and keen on hunting and polo, being a member of the Vine Hunt of Hampshire and often rode in Royal Artillery point-to-point races. Harold was ‘gazetted’ to the rank of Second-Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 15th June 1895 after passing-out from the Royal Military Academy. His service over the next three years cannot be fully determined, but on 15th June 1898 he was promoted to Lieutenant.

In 1899 Harold, then serving with 69th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, arrived in South Africa. He was to see considerable action during operations in Natal – including Talana and Lombard’s Kop, where he was severely wounded. After returning to his unit he was at the Defence of Ladysmith, before again being in Natal for further operations, including the action at Laing’s Nek (6th-9th June 1900). He went on to serve in Transvaal from July until the end of November 1900; later to serve on the frontier of Zululand and Natal from September to October 1901.

As a result of his service in South Africa Harold was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal, with six clasps, for Belmont; Orange Free State; Transvaal; Talana; Defence of Ladysmith and Laing’s Nek. It is unknown when Harold left South Africa, but owing to the criteria, he didn’t qualify for the award of the King’s South Africa Medal. In the London Gazette on 27th September 1901, and being dated to 29th November 1900, Harold was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order – ‘Harold Thomas Belcher, Lieutenant, Royal Artillery. In recognition of his services in South Africa’. The Insignia, Warrant and Statues were forwarded to Commander-in-Chief, India, and presented to (now) Captain Belcher at Mooltan on 13th March 1902. The promotion to Captain was ‘gazetted’ on 9th July 1901, being from 14th June (the Army List, which also gives dates of promotion, shows 14th May).

On 3rd October 1904 Harold was appointed Adjutant, Royal Artillery, until 5th November 1907. He was to serve for a number of years in India, before on 1st February 1910 he was appointed Commander of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. This date also saw him being seconded for ‘Service on the Staff’.

On 15th March 1912 Harold was promoted to the rank of Major. It was with this rank that his command of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets ceased on 31st January 1914. It is unknown when he ended his term of Staff service, being ‘Returned to the Establishment’ on 14th February, though it may well have been tied to the former announcement.

In addition to the ranks gained and posts appointed to, Harold also held a First Class Certificate in Gunnery; was the author of a book on Field Gunnery and the inventor of a special machine for instruction in ranging for use at the Royal Military Academy.

Following the commencement of the War with Germany on 4th August 1914, Harold arrived in France on 9th September 1914. Unfortunately, it is not known as to which unit he was serving with at this time.

Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Thomas Belcher DSO

He was to serve continuously near the front line throughout until he was wounded in the Summer of 1915, which necessitated five weeks at ‘home’ for treatment and subsequent convalescence. Unlike the infantry, which only spent short periods in front line trenches on rotation, and even if in work parties near the front, they were allowed some time away from the stress, occasional bombardments, and horrors of seeing fellow comrades being killed and wounded, with the knowledge that it could be you – the same cannot be said of the Royal Field Artillery units and batteries. If they were not firing on the enemy, they may have been on the move to new positions – or preparing them; all the while dealing with enemy bombardments and counter-battery fire or just random shelling aimed at roads known to have guns and supplies moved on them.

On 2nd February 1916 Harold was appointed as Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, this being later antedated to 20th December 1915. Full promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel came on 28th June 1916.

On 13th February 1917 the London Gazette announced the Order of St. Anne 3rd Class (with Swords) was conferred by Field-Marshall His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia 12th September 1916.

Lt.-Col. Belcher assumed command of 52nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery, 9th Division on or about 14th September 1916. While no formal date is known, the entry within the 52nd Brigade ‘War Diary’ for the above date is the first in Harold’s hand.

Extract from 52nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery War Diary (WO95/1752/4) TNA showing entries for 27th to 30th September 1917 and the signature of Colonel Belcher, Commanding

On a date after 29th December 1916, Harold returned home for a period of leave. During this time he married Ghita Isobel Powell in Woodbridge, Surrey. He returned to France and his unit on or about 28th January.

In an attempt to give RFA batteries a little more flexibility as to their use, on 8th January 1917 52 Bde RFA left 9 (Scottish) Div to become 52 Army Field Artillery Brigade – four batteries (A, B, C and D), each with six guns (18-Pdrs and 10 men per gun). Prior to this a battery was assigned to a particular Division – when that Division moved, either from one section of the line to another, or from one Corps to another (which generally necessitated a much longer march) the whole unit moved. In allowing more flexibility it was hoped that greater use of the guns could be used more effectively.

Lt.-Col. Harold Belcher was killed in action on 8th July 1917. The entry within 52 Brigade AFA War Diary for this date reads:

‘Col Belcher Commanding the Brigade Major Potter Commanding D/52 & Lt McGarvie D/52 were all killed by a shell. Lt Palmer the Brigade orderly officer was wounded by the same shell.’

Harold’s two youngest brothers also served during the ‘Great War’ –

Captain Gordon Belcher, 3rd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, attached to ‘B’ Company, 1st Battalion, died between 15th-17th May 1915. Buried Rue-des-Berceaux Military Cemetery, Richebourg-L'Avoue.

Major Raymond Douglas Belcher, ‘C’ Battery, 63rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery, died 7th December 1917. Buried Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport.

Extract of page from 52nd Brigade Army Field Artillery War Diary (WO95/203/4) TNA recording the death of Colonel Belcher

__________

The owner of the Army Bible which records Harold’s name is unknown. It can be assumed from that same inscription that whoever it belonged to must have been assigned to Colonel Belcher’s 52nd Brigade during the time of his command. Unfortunately, with the great loss of material over the years regarding WWI service records, pension records and pensions awarded for service, to widows as well as surviving troops, there is no way of being able to piece that part of the story together. In some ways, the loss of records, as much as being able to discover and read what survives, can and does help to inform us in some way as to the service of those men, regardless as to how their service had an impact on their lives, or indeed on that of their families back home.

Sources:

Official:

52nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery War Diary (WO95/1752/2); The National Archives, Kew.

52nd Brigade, Army Field Artillery War Diary (WO95/203/4); The National Archives, Kew.

Army List; The National Archives, Kew.

London Gazette; various Issues & Supplements; His Majesty’s Stationary Office (online).

Published:

Clarke, Dale & Delf, Brian; New Vanguard 94: British Artillery 1914-18 – Royal Field Artillery

Osprey Publishing; 2004.

Hamilton, Lt.-Col. The Hon. Ralph; The War Diary of the Master of Belhaven

Wharncliffe Books; 1990.

O’Moore, Creagh and Humphris, E.H.; The V. C. and D. S. O. Distinguished Service Order 1886-1915: Distinguished Service Order 6th September 1886 – 31st December 1915

Naval & Military Press; 2009.