61st Brigade Machine Gun Company

A Machine Gun Company was attached to each Infantry Brigade and their subsequent Division.

Brigade attached to:61st Brigade
Division attached to:20th (Light) Division
Formed from the Machine Gun Sections of:12th Bn. The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment
7th Bn. The Somerset Light Infantry
7th Bn. The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
7th Bn. The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

The 61st Bde. M.G. Coy. disembarked at Le Havre on 25 February 1916 and joined the Division on 03 March 1916. It is likely to have been formed from the Machine Gun Sections of the listed infantry battalions.

As a unit of the 20th (Light) Division, it will have taken part in the following battles and engagements.

1916
02 to 13 JuneBattle of Mount Sorrel [XIV Corps, Second Army].
BATTLES OF THE SOMME
21 August to 03 SeptemberBattle of Delville Wood [XIV Corps, Fourth Army].
03 to 05 SeptemberBattle of Guillemont [XIV Corps, Fourth Army].
16 to 20 SeptemberBattle of Flers-Courcelette [XIV Corps, Fourth Army].
27 SeptemberBattle of Morval [XIV Corps, Fourth Army].
01 to 08 OctoberBattle of the Transloy Ridges [XIV Corps, Fourth Army].
1917
14 MArch to 05 AprilGerman Retreat to the Hindenburg Line [XIV Corps, until 2 p.m., 25 March; then XV Corps, Fourth Army].
26 May to 16 JuneActions on the Hindenburg Line [IV Corps, Fifth Army, until 10 a.m., 31 May; then Third Army].
BATTLES OF YPRES
16 to 18 AugustBattle of Langemarck [XIV Corps, Fifth Army].
20 to 25 SeptemberBattle of Menin Road Ridge [XIV Corps, Fifth Army].
26 to 28 SeptemberBattle of Polygon Wood [XIV Corps, Fifth Army].
BATTLE OF CAMBRAI
20 and 21 NovemberThe Tank Attack [III Corps, Third Army].
23 to 28 NovemberCapture of Bourlon Wood [III Corps, Third Army].
30 November to 02 DecemberGerman Counter-Attacks [III Corps, Third Army].

On 15 March 1918, it was amalgamated with the 59th, 60th and 217th Machine Gun Companies to form No. 42 Battalion, Machine Gun Corps.


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