Background
“On 24 December 1917 it was decided to organise the four existing machine gun companies within each division in France and Flanders into a single machine gun battalion. In each division, one such company was under orders of one of the division’s three infantry brigades, and one directly under command of divisional headquarters.
Certain infantry officers were ordered home from France to undergo a course to be held at the Machine Gun Corps Training Centre at Grantham, with the object of eventually commanding a battalion. On completing the course they would return to France and go to the Machine Gun Corps Depot at Camiers, where they would be joined by MGC officers who had likewise been earmarked for command.
While at Camiers several discussions took place with representatives from General Headquarters on the subject of the organisation of the machine gun battalion.” War diary, 62nd MG Battalion (National Archives WO95/3077)
The officers were despatched to the various divisions to await the issue of the approved establishment of the new organisation. A provisional establishment was issued on 21 February 1918. It required the addition of a considerable number of extra personnel over the total provided by adding the four companies together. The battalion was to comprise four companies of 16 guns each (that is, a battalion total of 64 machine guns). The division was authorised to transfer Warrant Officers, NCOs and men who had become surplus to the establishment of the division (for example, men affected by recent restructuring of infantry brigades from four to three battalions). Certain new posts also came into existence, such as the battalion’s Regimental Sergeant Major and its attached Medical Officer.
On 28 February 1918 the War Office authorised that the number of the battalion related to the division under whose command it came: so, for example, 3rd Battalion came under 3rd Division. All of the divisions employed in France and Flanders formed MGC battalions, but this was not always the case in the other theatres of war.
The companies of the battalion were to be lettered, and reflect the existing “seniority”. So for example, in 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division, 201 Company became the battalion’s “A” Company; 208 became “B”; 212 became “C”; and 213 became “D” Company.
With only a few exceptions, the battalions formed during the period 26 February to 1 March 1918.
MGC Battalions
Arranged by number, and indicating the MGC Companies from which they were formed.
1st Battalion MGC
Formed from 1, 2, 3 and 216 MG Companies
2nd Battalion MGC
Formed from 5, 6, 99 and 242 MG Companies
3rd Battalion MGC
Formed from 8, 9, 76 and 233 MG Companies
4th Battalion MGC
Formed from 10,11, 12 and 234 MG Companies
5th Battalion MGC
Formed from 13, 15, 95 and 205 MG Companies
6th Battalion MGC
Formed from 16, 18, 71 and 192 MG Companies
7th Battalion MGC
Formed from 20, 22, 91 and 220 MG Companies
Division in Italy
8th Battalion MGC
Formed from 23, 24, 25 and 218 MG Companies
9th Battalion MGC
Formed from 26, 27, 28 and 197 MG Companies
10th Battalion MGC
Formed from 29, 30 and 31 MG Companies (only)
Division in Egypt and Palestine
11th Battalion MGC
Formed from 32, 33, 34 and 250 MG Companies
12th Battalion MGC
Formed from 35, 36, 37 and 235 MG Companies
13th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in Mesopotamia.
14th Battalion MGC
Formed from 41, 42, 43 and 224 MG Companies
15th Battalion MGC
Formed from 44, 45, 46 and 225 MG Companies
16th Battalion MGC
Formed from 47, 48, 49 and 269 MG Companies
17th Battalion MGC
Formed from 50, 51, 52 and 236 MG Companies
18th Battalion MGC
Formed from 53, 54 and 55 MG Companies (only) at Mondescourt 16 February 1918
19th Battalion MGC
Formed from 56, 57, 58 and 246 MG Companies
20th Battalion MGC
Formed from 59, 60, 61 and 217 MG Companies
21st Battalion MGC
Formed from 62, 64, 110 and 237 MG Companies
22nd Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in Salonika.
23rd Battalion MGC
Formed from 68, 69, 70 and 194 MG Companies
Division in Italy
24th Battalion MGC
Formed from 17, 72, 73 and 191 MG Companies
25th Battalion MGC
Formed from 7, 74, 75 and 195 MG Companies
26th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in Salonika.
27th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in Salonika.
28th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in Salonika.
29th Battalion MGC
Formed from 86, 87, 88 and 227 MG Companies
30th Battalion MGC
Formed from 21, 89, 90 and 226 MG Companies
Broken up 13 May 1918 (in which majority, 540 men, moved to 31 Battalion MGC)
Replaced 29 June 1918 by “A” Battalion MGC (see below)
31st Battalion MGC
Formed from 92, 93, 94 and 243 MG Companies
32nd Battalion MGC
Formed from 14, 96, 97 and 219 MG Companies
33rd Battalion MGC
Formed from 19, 98, 100 and 248 MG Companies
Free copy of battalion history at archive.org
34th Battalion MGC
Formed from 101, 102, 103 and 240 MG Companies
35th Battalion MGC
Formed from 104, 105, 106 and 241 MG Companies
36th Battalion MGC
Formed from 107, 108, 109 and 266 MG Companies
37th Battalion MGC
Formed from 63, 111, 112 and 247 MG Companies
38th Battalion MGC
Formed from 113, 114, 115 and 176 MG Companies
39th Battalion MGC
Formed from 116, 117, 118 and 228 MG Companies
40th Battalion MGC
Formed from 119, 120, 121 and 244 MG Companies
41st Battalion MGC
Formed from 122, 123, 124 and 199 MG Companies
42nd Battalion MGC
Formed from 125, 126, 127 and 268 MG Companies
43rd Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in India
44th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in India.
45th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in India.
46th Battalion MGC
Formed from 137, 138, 139 and 178 MG Companies
47th Battalion MGC
Formed from 140, 141, 142 and 255 MG Companies
48th Battalion MGC
Formed from 143, 144, 145 and 251 MG Companies
Division in Italy
49th Battalion MGC
Formed from 146, 147, 148 and 254 MG Companies
50th Battalion MGC
Formed from 149, 150, 151 and 245 MG Companies
51st Battalion MGC
Formed from 152, 153, 154 and 232 MG Companies
52nd Battalion MGC
Formed from 155, 156, 157 and 211 MG Companies
Division in Egypt and Palestine
53rd Battalion MGC
Formed from 158, 159, 160 and Cape Corps MG Companies
Division in Egypt and Palestine
54th Battalion MGC
Formed from 161, 162, 163 and MG Companies (only)
Division in Egypt and Palestine
55th Battalion MGC
Formed from 164, 165, 166 and 196 MG Companies
56th Battalion MGC
Formed from 167, 168, 169 and 193 MG Companies
57th Battalion MGC
Formed from 170, 171, 172 and 173 MG Companies
58th Battalion MGC
Formed from 198, 214, 215 and 206 MG Companies
59th Battalion MGC
Formed from 175, 177, 178 and 200 MG Companies
60th Battalion MGC
Formed from 179, 180, 181 MG Companies (only)
Division in Egypt and Palestine
61st Battalion MGC
Formed from 182, 183, 184 and 267 MG Companies
62nd Battalion MGC
Formed from 201, 208, 212 and 213 MG Companies
63rd Battalion MGC
Formed at Bourjonval from 188, 189, 190 and 223 MG Companies
64th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
65th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
66th Battalion MGC
Formed from 202, 203 and 204 MG Companies
Battalion broken up 15 April 1918
67th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
68th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
69th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
70th Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division did not form.
71st Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
72nd Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
73rd Battalion MGC
Did not form. Division in UK.
74th Battalion MGC
Formed from 4, 209, 210 and 261 MG Companies
75th Battalion MGC
Formed from 229, 230 and 231 MG Companies (only)
Division in Egypt and Palestine
“A” Battalion MGC, later 30 Battalion MGC
Formed 21 May 1918 by XIX Corps from 221, 262, 271 and 272 MG Companies arriving in France from Egypt
After periods under XIX and then Australian Corps, joined 30th Division 29 June 1918 and renamed
17th Indian Battalion MGC
Formed from 129, 257, 258 and 276 Companies
18th Indian Battalion MGC
Formed from 207, 238, 239 and 249 Companies
Notes
Strictly not of the MGC but related: 4th (Foot Guards) Battalion, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment. It had originally joined the Guards Division 27 March 1917 as 4th Guards MG Company, and became a battalion on 1 March 1918 when joined by 1st, 2nd and 3rd Guards MG Companies.
Units of the Yeomanry serving in Egypt and Palestine were converted to lettered battalions of the Machine Gun Corps in 1918. They moved to France and Flanders and were given three-figure numbers. See link below for details.
Research tips
War diaries exist for the MG Battalions, all held by the National Archives in collection WO95. They are your source for detailed information on locations, movements and actions. Some (France, Mesopotamia) have been digitised but others (Italy, Egypt, etc) will need to be consulted at the archives.
The most difficult aspect of researching a man of the MGC is determining his unit. If you locate his service record it should be fairly clear, but if all you can locate is is entry in the campaign medal roll it is unlikely to give this information. Pension records and absent voters lists can be good sources but even those often only give him as MGC.
Researchers should be aware that in many cases, the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission are highly misleading in mis-stating a man’s unit. The number of the unit is usually correct, but whether it was a company or a battalion is often mixed up. A simple rule is if the man died before February 1918 he was serving in a company, for battalions had not yet been formed. Always take care when researching a man of the MGC who lost his life.
The war diary of 17th Company MGC stated that one man was killed and three wounded by shellfire near Zillebeke Lake while moving forward to the front line. The one man was Stanley Peirce.
Links
Companies of the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) – being added during April 2024