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The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. See Western Front (disambiguation for other meanings Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat, and the branch was subsequently turned into the Tank Corps, later called the Royal Tank Regiment. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR is an armoured regiment of the British Army. The MGC was disbanded in 1922.

Contents

History

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 the tactical potential of machine guns was not appreciated by the British Military. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. The Army therefore went to war with each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment containing a machine gun section of just two guns each. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. This was supplemented in November 1914 by the formation of the Motor Machine Gun Service (MMGS), administered by the Royal Artillery, consisting of motor cycle mounted machine gun batteries. The Royal Artillery, is the common name for the Royal Regiment of Artillery, is an Arm of the British Army. A machine gun school was also opened in France.

A year of warfare on the Western Front proved that, to be fully effective, machine guns must be used in larger units and crewed by specially trained men. See Western Front (disambiguation for other meanings Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World To achieve this, the Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915 with Infantry, Cavalry and Motor branches, followed in 1916 by the Heavy Branch. A depot and training centre was established at Belton Park in Grantham, Lincolnshire, and a base depôt at Camiers in France. Grantham is a Market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. Camiers is a French, commune in the département of Pas-de-Calais and the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

The Boy David Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps in London. The Vickers Guns on each side of the Boy David (which each have a laurel wreath laid over them) are actual Vickers Guns.
The Boy David Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Vickers Guns on each side of the Boy David (which each have a laurel wreath laid over them) are actual Vickers Guns. The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled.
The inscription on the memorial: "Saul hath slain his thousands but David his tens of thousands".
The inscription on the memorial: "Saul hath slain his thousands but David his tens of thousands". Saul (שאול המלך (or Sha'ul) ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt ( (reigned 1047 - 1007 BCE is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible

The Infantry Branch was by far the largest and was formed initially by the transfer of battalion machine gun sections to the MGC, these being grouped into Brigade Machine Gun Companies, three per division. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers New companies were raised at Grantham. In 1917 a fourth company was added to each division. In February and March 1918, the four companies in each division were formed into a Machine Gun Battalion.

The Cavalry Branch consisted of Machine Gun Squadrons, one per cavalry brigade.

The Motor Branch, after absorbing the MMGS, formed several types of units: motor cycle batteries, light armoured motor batteries (LAMB) and light car patrols. As well as motor cycles, other vehicles used included Rolls-Royce and Ford Model T cars. For the present day company see Rolls-Royce plc. For other uses see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation. The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and also the Flivver) was an Automobile produced by Henry Ford 's Ford

The Heavy Section was formed in March 1916, becoming the Heavy Branch in November of that year. Men of this branch crewed the first tanks in action at Flers, during the battle of the Somme in September 1916. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September, 1916 and lasted for one week was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War In July 1917 the Heavy Branch separated from the MGC to become the Tank Corps, later called the Royal Tank Regiment. The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR is an armoured regiment of the British Army.

In its short history the MGC gained an enviable record for heroism as a front line fighting force, seeing action in all the main theatres of war. Indeed, in the latter part of the war, as tactics changed to defence in depth, it commonly served well in advance of the front line. It had a less enviable record for its casualty rate. Some 170,500 officers and men served in the MGC with 62,049 becoming casualties, including 12,498 killed.

At the end of hostilities the MGC was again re-organised in a smaller form as many of its soldiers returned to civilian life. However, the Corps continued to see active service in the post-war campaigns in Russia, Afghanistan, and the Northwest Frontier of India. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed The European influence in Afghanistan refers to political social and sometimes Imperialistic influence various European nations have had on this historical development of the The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP ( Urdu: śimāl maġribī sarhadī sūba) is the smallest of the four main provinces of Pakistan. It also served prominently in the British army which occupied parts of Germany in the period between the 1918 Armistice and the Versailles Peace Treaty. The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. The armistice treaty between the Allies and Germany was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on November 11, 1918 The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. Its equipment and training made it possible for a relatively small garrison to control a large population.

By 1920 the headquarters in Belton Park was closed and the War Office was seeking to dispose of the many buildings. The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963 when The Corps was disbanded in 1922 as a cost-cutting measure.

Victoria Crosses

The following members of the Machine Gun Corps have been awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. See below the section "Separate Commonwealth awards" Note that since The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

References

Bibliography

External links

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