The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry consisted of an Infantry Battalions that would have had an MG Section as part of its Battalion Headquarters.
The Great War
The MG Section would have been brigaded when the Machine Gun Corps was formed in 1915. The guns, and crews, would have been formed into a Machine Gun Company.
During the Great War, the Battalions were distributed as follows:
1st
The 1st Battalion was part of the 16th Brigade, attached to the 6th Division. Its MG Section was transferred in February 1916 to form the 16th Bde. MG Coy..
As a unit of the 6th Division, its MG Section will have taken part in the following battles and engagements.
1914 | |
19 and 20 September | BATTLE OF THE AISNE [I. Corps]. |
20 September | Actions on the Aisne Heights. |
13 October to 02 November | Battle of Armentieres [III. Corps]. |
1915 | |
09 August | Hooge [VI. Corps, Second Army]. |
2nd
The 2nd Battalion was part of the 80th Brigade, attached to the 27th Division.
As a unit of the 27th Division, its MG Section will have taken part in the following battles and engagements.
The division had no existence before the outbreak of the Great War.The division assmebled and mobilized at Magdalen Hill Camp (2 miles east of Winchester) during November and December, 1914. The 13 infantry battalions of which was composed came from India (10 from ten different stations), Hong Kong, Tientsin and Canada (P.P.C.L.I.); the infantry brigades were formed at Winchester. The mounted troops included a cavalry squadron from an existing yeomanry unit and a cyclist company, which was formed at Winchester. Of the field artillery brigades: I. was originally at Edinburgh, whilst XIX. and XX. came from India; but all three were extensively reorganized and re-formed at Winchester. The field companies, signal company, field ambulances, and train came from territorial force divisions.
The 27th Division embarked at Southampton on the 19th – 21st December, disembarked at le Havre between the 20th – 23rd December, and concentrated between Aire and Arques by the evening of the 25th December. The 17th Division served on the Western Front in France and Belgium until November, 1915. In the following month it embarked for the Macedonian Front, on which it served for the remainder of the War. |
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1914 | |
1915 | |
14 and 15 March | St. Eloi [V. Corps, Second Army]. |
BATTLES OF YPRES | |
22 and 23 April | Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge [V. Corps, Second Army]. |
24 April to 04 May | Battle of St. Julien [V. Corps, Second Army, until 28 April; then Plumer’s Force]. |
08 to 13 May | Battle of Frezenberg Ridge [V. Corps, Second Army]. |
24 and 25 May | Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge [V. Corps, Second Army]. |
On the 1st November the division was warned to be ready to entrain for Marseille on the 10th November. Entrainment began on the 15th, and embarkation for the Macedonian Front on the 17th; but it was not until the 13th February, 1916, that the last of the division disembarked at Salonika. |
Its MG Section was transferred on the 16 May 1916 to form the 80th Bde. MG Coy..
5th
The 5th Battalion was part of the 42nd Brigade, attached to the 14th (Light) Division.
As a unit of the 14th (Light) Division, its MG Section may have taken part in the following battles and engagements.
FORMATION, BATTLES AND ENGAGEMENTSThis New Army Division had no existence before the outbreak of the Great War.
A proclamation was issued on the 11th August 1914 asking for an immediate addition of 100,000 men to the Regular Army (see Appendix 1). Army Order No. 324 of the 21st August, 1914 authorized the addition of six divisions (8th to 13th) and Army Troops to the Regular Army. This augmentation formed the First New Army, and early in September, 1914 the 8th (Light) Division, the senior division of the First New Army, began to assemble in Aldershot. The three infantry brigades of the Division were numbered: 23rd, 24th, and 25th. It was, however, seen ascertained that the additional regular battalions released from the overseas garrisons would suffice to form another regular division. In consequence of this, Army Order No. 382 of the 11th September, 1914 directed that henceforward the number of the Light Division would be 14, and its infantry brigades would be renumbered 41, 42, and 43. On Monday the 14th September, 1914 this new numbering came into force, and instead of being the senior division, the Light Division became the junior division of the First New Army. On the 26th September, whilst it was still at Aldershot, H.M. the King inspected the 14th (Light) Division on Queen’s Parade. Late in November, 1914 the Division moved out to billets in the Guildford and Godalming district, and on Friday the 22nd January, 1915 the Division was inspected on Hankley Common by Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener. The Division remained in billets around Guildford until the 18th February, and the troops then returned to Stanhope Lines, Aldershot. Divisional field manoeuvres and the fnal training for war were now undertaken. On the 11th May a warning was received from the War Office that the 14th Division would proceed overseas on the 14th; this date, however, was altered to the 18th May, and on the 18th entrainment began. The Division then crossed from Southampton to le Havre, and by the 25th May it completed its concentration around Watten (north-west of St. Omer). For the remainder of the Great War the 14th Division served on the Western Front in France and Belgium and was engaged in the following operations: |
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1915 | |
30 and 31 July | Hooge (German Liquid Fire Attack) [VI Corps, Second Army]. |
25 September | Second Attack on Bellewaarde [VI Corps, Second Army]. |
Its MG Section was likely to have been transferred by 24 February 1916 to form the 42nd Bde. MG Coy..
6th
The 6th Battalion was part of the 60th Brigade, attached to the 20th (Light) Division. It’s MG Section was likely to have been sent to Grantham for retraining and subsequently transferred into the 60th Bde. MG Coy. which joined the Division on 03 March 1916.
As a unit of the 20th (Light) Division, it will have taken part in the following battles and engagements.
FORMATION, BATTLES, AND ENGAGEMENTS | |
This New Army Division had no existence before the outbreak of the Great War.Army Order No. 382 of the 11th September 1914 authorised the further addition of six divisions (15th to 20th) and Army Troops to the Regular Army. This augmentation formed the Second New Army, and during September, 1914 the 20th (Light) Division, the junior division of the Second New Army, began to assemble in the Aldershot area.
At first the infantry brigades formed at Blackdown, Deepcut, and Cowshott Camp; and all units encountered the usual difficulties which were eventually overcome by goodwill and keenness. The divisional artillery was started by sending to Deepcut two officers and two drafts of nearly 2,000 men each. The available artillery accommodation, which had been built for two brigades with a total peace-time strength of 700, was strained to its utmost: rooms originally intended for 20 men had to accommodate about 50. By December, in the Artillery, the men were clothed partly in full dress blue uniforms, partly in canvas suits, and partly in shoddy thin blue suits. By this time a few horses had also arrived, and the available saddlery was made up of civilian-pattern snaffles, regulation bridles, hunting saddles, and colonial saddles. Each artillery brigade also possessed enough harness for one six-horse team, and each brigade also had 4 guns (2 French 90m/m and 2, 15-pdrs.) but no sights. In February 1915 twelve old 18-pdr. Q.F.s arrived from India and each 18-pdr. battery received one gun, henceforward proudly known as “our battery’s gun.” Later on in February 1915 the Division moved to Witley, Godalming, and Guildford; but part of the divisional artillery had to go by train as there was not enough harness to move all the vehicles. The issue of khaki now began, additional horses and harness arrived, and the divisional ammunition column was completed with mules. In April 1915 the Division marched to Salisbury Plain, covering the 62 miles in four days. On arrival the artillery drew its remaining harness and modern 18-pdr. Q.F. equipments were received; but it was somewhat later before the 4.5″ howitzer equipments were issued. From the outset the 4.5″ howitzers were equipped with No. 7 dial sights, whereas until July 1916 there were only No. 1 dial sights for the division’s 18-pdrs. In June all the batteries went to gun-practice. The training for war was now nearing its final stage. On the 24th June H.M. The King inspected the 20th Division on Knighton Down. Embarkation for France began on the 20th July and by the afternoon of the 26th July the Division completed its concentration in the area to the west of St. Omer. For the remainder of the Great War the 20th Division served on the Western Front in France and Belgium and was engaged in the following operations:- |
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1915 | |
25 September | Attack towards Fromelles [III Corps, First Army]. |
7th
The 7th Battalion became part of the 8th Brigade on 19 October 1915 (transferred from 76th Brigade), attached to the 3rd Division. It’s MG Section was transferred on 22 January 1916 to form the 8th Bde. MG Coy.
Inter-war Period
In 1922, the Machine Gun Corps was disbanded and the guns returned to the Infantry Battalion as a Machine Gun Platoon and then formed as a Machine Gun Company in the early 1930s.
Second World War
This remained until the formation of Divisional Machine Gun Battalions in 1936 where guns were brigaded once again.
Post-Second World War
Upon the disbandment of Divisional Machine Gun Battalions in the post-WW2 restructure of the British Army, the Vickers Machine Gun assets reverted to individual Battalions as part of the Support Company as a Machine Gun Platoon.