Cyclists in the Army WWI

[WilmaM]

While browsing through the 'Glasgow City Roll of Honour '
http://scottishmilitary.blogspot.com/20 ... pdate.html

I was intrigued to find at my old address :
Private William JOHNSTON, Cyclists, Kings Own Scottish Borderers, 14 Percy Street, Ibrox

I searched and found cyclists appear in many forms:
Army Cyclist Corps, Cyclist Corps, LD Cyclist Corps, Lowland Division Cyclist Company, Cyclists
and Ranks:
Captain, Sergant, Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, Private
throughout the document.

My Dad was/is a keen cyclist from Glasgow but I'd never heard of an military cycling units before.
were they Messengers? or did they have other roles?

My G. Grandfather was a runner in WWI ,but was a POW, but I don't think he had a bike.

Does anybody know more about these fellows?

[SandySandilands]

Hi Wilma

Sorry, I no nothing LOL

However this specialist WWI Forum may be able to help:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... hp?act=idx

Sandy

[WilmaM]

That was interesting Sandy, thanks.

The Great War conjures up, trenches, horses and mud, mud, mud - bikes seem alien somehow...

[Currie]

Hello Wilma,

Just quickly, before I nod off. This page is interesting, it’s Australian, but I imagine the Scots would have been doing the same sorts of things on the same bikes. http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2011/03/23/t ... n-warfare/

This December 1914 issue of Popular Mechanics has a picture of three British soldiers of the Cycle Corps towing a machine gun. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=K98 ... 22&f=false

A couple of pages before that is a picture of three French soldiers wearing equipment that wouldn’t have been out of place several centuries earlier. The bright red trousers usually didn’t help either.

All the best,
Alan

[Currie]

Here’s a bit more.

An illustration from Popular Mechanics, April, 1916, of a bike being used as a stretcher. I suspect that’s more theory than practice.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ed0 ... 22&f=false

Wily Wheeled Warriers. Cyclists in training.
http://www.archive.org/stream/warillust ... 6/mode/2up

This lot are basically Mounted Infantry except they are mounted on bikes.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75473

This is probably taking the Cycle Corps thing a bit too far.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/letterlust/4101501522/

All the best,
Alan

[Montrose Budie]

for the history of the (British) Army Cyclist Corps, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Cyclist_Corps

mb

[garibaldired]

Currie wrote:

This is probably taking the Cycle Corps thing a bit too far.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/letterlust/4101501522/

=D>

Meg

[joette]

Meg that made me