am eget ———— Sn ee cn Loe a Vigrorian | Mounted, pluianty < aSFor Autumn Sales Schedules of the An officers Bedfordshire following please contact Yeomanry lance-cap [ehsp) Sold at Christie's Pe: South Kensington Militaria for £3,300. Aubrey Bowden Vintage and Military Weapons Melvyn Gallagher Antique Arms and Armour David Willams CHRIS TIES SOUTH KENSINGTON 85 Old Brompton Road London sw7 a:b Telephone (01) 581 7611 BRITISH BATTLES AND MEDALS Completely redesigned, new format, much new information. Including: two indexes, one of medals in alphabetical order the other listing bars alphabetically by date. Format: 307 x 235mm. 324 pages. New colour chart of ribbons (4 pages) 200+ illustrations in the text throughout — all new. 2asebound ~ colour jack lable July 1988. ISBN 0 907605 In this new edition all of the medals are fully described numismatically giving details of obverse, reverse, size, bars etc. All the information is laid out in a much improved standardised form for ease of reference. This is followed by much historical detail and details of units present for each action Edited by E.C. Joslin, A.R. Litherland, B.T. Simpkin. Available from the Spink book department: £35 + £3 p&p. Access and Visa cards accepted. Spink * = Spink & Son Lid ing Steet, St James's, London SWIY 6QS. Tek: 01.930 7888 (hrs) Telex: 916711 ng Ping aed Wess Stee nd ape - Oa A an Mkt te Ban neMILITARY ILLUSTRATED PAST & PRESENT No.14 ISSN 0268-8328 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1988 6 The Vickers Machine Gun, 1914—18 MARTINPEGLER Paintings by PAUL HANNON 15 The London Trained Bands, 1588 (1) JOHN TINCEY Paintings by RICHARD HOOK 20 British Mounted Infantry (1) MICHAEL BARTHORP —_ Paintings by PIERRE TURNER 28 A Tale of Tivo Guardsmen PHILIP]. HAYTHORNTHWAITE Painting by BRYAN FOSTEN ate ence: 34 ae US Infantry Field Uniforms, 1898—1902 (1) Enlisted Men JOHN PHILLIP LANGELLIER 39 Sgt. Rice’s Kitbag MARTIN WINDROW 50 Gallery: Magoma IANKNIGHT Painting by ANGUS McBRIDE Editorial Classifieds .. (© s988 Mita Masteated LadEDITORIAL Ors garsteven to te 0 /roniversary of our preserva tion from the Spanish Armada isan drtcle on the organisation and {quipment ofthe units which would hive defended the. capital” had Parma’s terdos landed: the London ‘Trained Bands. Ie a the work of John Tincey; born in 1954, John is 2 history graduate of Lancaster University who curently holds 3 government job at Heathrow Air= pport. He pursues his interest in 16th and 17th century subjects, however: hhe isthe author of three books, and 3 een ‘black powder’ shor ‘We only just received in time the ‘mug shot of Martin’ Pegler, another first-time contributor — he recumed only days before se went to press from four months spent ‘meandering across the emptier bits fof the USA ina. temperamental feamper van, His article on the Vickers combines his tin passions as a rewarcher and collector: firearms, and the Great War Martin, ako bor in 1954, is 4 London University history graduate anda conthbutor to various journals, who is currently seeking 3 postin the museum field “The research historian for 3 new Wester heritage museum in Los Angeles, after many years in simile senior posts with US. Army. and Wyoming state museums, De. Joba P. Langellier is + graduate of the University of San Diego and EY John Tincey Martin Pegler @ John P. Langellier Kansas State University Ph.D. Hes the author of numerous publications rehted to the Old West Dollar prices Since our first issue more than two years ago we have managed to keep Subscription prices stable ut that period has seen the vale ofthe US. dolla fall by more than 25 per cent against the pound, We fear we ean ho longer avou! raising. prices for those -cantomens who deal_ direct with our London address in dollars From this isue onwards the US. dolla price fora years subscription 15 40,00 fortwo years, $68.0: fora single back-number, $5.50, and for 3 binder, $1.00. year's subscription to the French monthly magavines Miliais and Tradition is now $65.00 per tile, and a single ack-number OF citer, $6.00. Please note that these rates include airmail postage; and that they apply to payments in dollars only) sterling tates are unchanged Manchester Regiment Weare asked to nnounce that a new rmascum devoted to. the Reger, Territorial and Militia batalions of thin regiment, 1758-1958, has been opened in the Town Hall, Ashion- linder-Lyne, and open daily excepe for Sundays and Bank Holidays Errata We offer our sincere apologies forthe Lnampsition of 1987 for IRR deta in the advertisement for the London Arms Fair in MI No.12, We alo spolog fue forthe omission of red 10 fan R Sot, who drew the spear drawings on p.26, ‘MU No.13. We would point ‘ut that on p.28, "MAU No. 12, a free ‘colour ditrtion possibly awed by reaction benwcon dyer and lights ha Fnaodnced a strome purple cas into the Tight grey of Pate 2, top rw, forth item, and second row, fin tem — the true shade is lose tp row, tid iene Video Releases: “Hamburger Hill” (Vestron: 18) “The Heroes of Telemark” (Video Collection: U) “The Four Feathers’ (Central: U) “Silent Heroes — Battle for the Falklands’ (ABC Video: 15) “The Death of Adolf Hitler’ (GMH Encertainment: PG) fohn Levin's Hamburger Hi (1987) twas the second ofthe resent wave “oF films dealing with the Vietn War, and is unique in dealing with single operation that actually occure red. Ie deals with Operation “Apache Snow’, in which elements of the ist Abn. Div. were ordered to take Dong Ap Bia, designated Hill 937, ia the Ashaw Valley in May 1969. The hill was captured ata cost ‘of 70 per cent casualties among the assault troops: and was soon atcrwards abandoned once more The film begins with the 3rd Squid, Ist Platoon, Bravo Ce pny of an Airborne rife batalion being airfied from the Ashau Valley to atest arca aftr sustaining several casualties, There Sts. Feante (Dylan MeDermott) and: Worcestcr (Steven Weber) supervise the ntro~ sdaction of replacements who have jase arived “necountry” fs a bret respite: the squad soon returns tothe Ata, and their company is ordered to take Hill 937. The rest of the film shows their ordeal a6 they. make repented assaults on the heavily Fortified ill ON THE SCREEN Less concemed with the overall ategy than with the experience of ‘one particular squad, played by a largely unknown cast, the fl avoids the melodrama which chat acterised Platoon, while still making some pointed comments about rail discrimination, imensiive TV jour- nalts, and "uninformed. liberal political postures. Indeed, the anti- Wwar movement at home comes in for more criticsm than the NVA Regulars firmly entrenched at the top of the hill. The camaraderie of zen caught in appalling condi convinces by those small detail ‘which only come from experience Scriptwriter James Carabatsos (who also scripted Heartbreak Ridg) served swith the Ist Air Cavalry in Vietnam, and director John Irvin. made documentary there about combat photography, called Beautiful Peo- ple. The ‘combat sequences are Particularly realistic — even to the found track, which betrays. much expert attention to detail —and well convey how Hill 937 attained its tely nickname Anthony Mann's The Heroes of Telemark (1965) is based on the raid ide by Norwegians to destroy the heavy ssater unit in the Norsk Hydro factory at Vermork, which wae thought to be vit) to Germany's progress towards manu- facturing an atomic bomb. Richard Harris plays Knut Straud, leader of the group, and Kirk Douglas is cast 28 Dr. Rolf Pedersen, a scientist who is persuaded to accompany the tai ‘After an attempt to land British Commandos by "glider tails ds astrously, Strand decides to lead his to the factory. ‘The saboteurs successfully place charges by the vital electrolysis units, and escape before they detonate. As the ‘Germans repair the damage quickly, a second operation is devised 10 Prevent existing stocks of heavy Water being transferred to Germany, the imax of the film bang the sinking of the ferry “Hydro as msports the heavy water across lake Tnowitably, some facts and charac tees have been distorted to mect the demands of a high-budget war epic jowever, the fl is stil of interest through its use of the original Tocations “and such props as. the sistership of the Hythe. Unforn mately the characterisations traditional stereotypes: but some tense action seenes, and beautflly Photograplied snowscapes, provide Some compensation, Zoltan Korda's The Four Feathers (1939) was the fourth but by no. means the last version of A:E.W. Mason's classic novel to be filmed. The story concetns Harry Fever sham, 2 young officer in the “North Surrey Regiment’ eho resigns his commission on the eve of his regiments departure for the Sudan fn I882. After three brother officers, and his fiance Esine, ach send hi 3 White feather as. symbol of his supposed cowardice, he sets out for the Sudan to retrieve his reputatios Mason was less concemed sith smiltary exploits than seth the nature of heroism and unspoken emotion. The. seripewritersett- Soned the subtleties, however, and moved the action forwards to coincide with Kitchener's Omdar- man campaign of 189% ‘Much of the. film was shot on n the Sudan, and featured many thousands of extras, The spectcle was so successful that footage from the film has since reappeared in several inferior pro- ductions, including Kords's 1956 emake Storm Over the Nile, and Nathan juran's tof Sudan (1963) John Clements was adequate in the tle of Feversham, but the acting honours must be awarded co Ralph Richardson as Lt, Durrance, sender fof one of the featiers and a rival tor Ethne's affections Richard Driscoll’s low-budget Silent Heroes isthe frst British feature to deal with the Falklands War, and has been released directly ‘on to video, Martin Aylot plays a Times reporter, James Hammond, who conducts an investigation into the conduct of the war 4 shore time afi the cesation of hostilities, He erviews John Hardcastle (Robert bbumed member of the SAS, at his hospital bedside castle recalls being airlifted by Iheicopter to. harass Argentinian ‘unis car Stanley, and other actions at Goose Green and Bluff Cove, The incrview tiggers disturbing memories for both men. Hamond remembers mnceting “the Minister’ responsible for the war's conduct an attempt to obtain more informa tion than was available through daly press briefings. A fellow journalist provides him with classified photo- fraphs which reveal the grim nature Including the use of napalm, “The Minister’ is shocked bby these, and realises that he has been misinformed as much as the public at large. By contrast, Hardcastle finds himsc¥ reconsde ing hs ele inthe war and the effect his training has had on him. In a scene reminiscent of the end of Apocalypre New, Hardcastle encoun ters a bald Col. Kurt-like figure representing. himself in later life, who forces him to fice the truth about what he has become Combat sequences shot in. Wales are used sith documentary footage to convey the fighting in the__THE AUCTION SCENE ae on-going saga ofthe Fire Amendment Ball and the C minal Justice Bill continues to wend its weary way, with Tide comfort for the collector. inthe case of the ‘Criminal justice Bill, strong repre sentations to the Home Ofiee have brought the response that it is“ expected t0 affect the collector I only that were the case! Once the Bill becomes law its probably only a matter of time. before "some unfortunate collector runs foul of a sspicious or obstructive policeman, and is charged under the Act for having 4 bladed secapon in 4 public place ‘At the London Arms Fair which ‘ook place atthe end of April, and at Pistol #8 at Bisley in May, there were many knives being offered for sale, quite legally at present; bu this may well be the last time. Tt was toticeable that many dealers. and ‘other intrested parties were adopt ing a tather head-in-the-sand atti- tule, claiming that the new law would not really affecr ‘Others, more realistic, wete prepar= ing for the worst “The museums made strong repre- sentations to the Home Office, and they have fared a litle better: a tlause i to be inserted giving them ‘exemption from the - prohibition placed on certain types of Knives They will be able to. acquire oF Fests eects terest Taped ete ‘exemption will caver the vendor fo that particular transaction. INotallis gloom for the collector, however: amd for those with the ‘opportunity or the capital the falling ollar is making auctions inthe In Sotely's Suse sale of 27 April his Scotch hashed boadiword rea lied £550. The straight double-edged blade, with double narrow alles, is struck “Andres Foran United States very attractive. Some desks have been crossing the Atlantic t© bring home some very desirable pieces at not quite knock: down prices. (eis ironic that some 4 least, will probably be sold back to American’ collectors at British prices.) However, i¢ is not necessary © travel to the States to spend at auction, and the last few months have seen a number of good ones nearer home, It i noticeable that ingerest in arms and armour appears to be growing, and one or two auction houses are developing this side of their business. Bonhams are coming back into che field in strength; and the Prudential Com- pany’ expanding. from insurance ind property imo arms and armour auctions. ‘The well-established houses —_ Sotheby's, Phillips, isie's, Weller & Duly. and Wallis & Wallis — will find it more difficult to pu together good sales in the fice of the increased competi- ‘Sothicby’s experimented with their Apri sale by selling some lots in London and some at Dilingshurst in Sussex. The London section included «fine knightly sword dated. 1367; and bidding swarmed up to £30,000 in a very shore time. In the same sale the sell jacket and shirt of 2 Louisiana infantryman of 1864 realised the astonishing price of £3,600. One of the biggest surprises fn this sale came in the first lot — a sword with a Tipu Sahib connec ion, estimated at £350-{500, sold for $12,500, An demand, and a fine pair of Maximilian gauntlets realised ‘wo fairly convention= a1 morions went for 81,500. and 1,700 in the sale in Sussex only just over thee percent remained unsold, and there ‘seere some interesting, prices for a collection of British Army ‘numbered buttons, with each button averaging out at around G4 to 87; ‘while a Victorian officers eet of the North. Somerset Yeomanry realised £825. In the edged weapon ‘ction a kilo Turkish sabre made E770, and. a sharshir 2462, British military swords slo fared well, and Third "Reich daggers of the SA feched around £90, and of the Kreigsmarinc, 231, Painted trun= cchcons continue thir steady rise in value, 2 William IV example achieving £110, One of the top Falklands. However, the film i primarily a comment on the war hrough its effects om people's lives Although it does not achieve the Significance for which its bbvionsly striving, i is undoubtedly thought provoking, and worthy of consid. frat. Those interested should write to. ABC Film (UK) Led, 77 Merthyr Rd, Whitchurch, Catditt Cra IDD. The Death of Adolf Hier i a play made by London Weekend Televi- son in 1972, and is among the recent releases in GMH_ Entersinmnent Visions of War documentary series The play is mote of + dramatised documentary than fiction, the fruit ff seven years’ research by writer Girector Rex Fitkin. Frank Finlay won the Society of Film and Television Arts Best Actor award in 1973 for bis performance, conveying well Hider’ changes of mood through rage, melancholy and sentimentality daring the Lst dhays in the Berlin bunker ‘Stephen J. Greenhill prices, $935, was realised for 2 Frankenaw five-shot pinfire_ purse revolver: and the release of rinfite ivcapons from the restrictions of & Firearm Certificate has pushed prices for Derringer pistols sharply up- wards, In this se one example, a Colt No.1, fetched $176, anda Remington overcand-under, 4242 ‘Aveased Colt pocket revolver made 21,595 “There was fine sle of militaria at Christ's South Kensington on 20 May, with to. particularly fine hheaddresses: a "Waterloo" shako of the, Kent mila, and an officer's shako of the Yorkshire Hussars, 1840, The Kent militia shako made £5,500, while the more spectacular Inter example raised $5,000. At the fother end of the headdress market, a RAMC Home Service _ pattern helmet, post-I901, fetched £170. Shoulder belt plates scem to have steadied in price: one for an officer of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders made 104, and another foe a Scots et Guard fetched £180, it was 4 sid day for the Cavalry Club when they decided that they Inad co sell their library — but a delight for mulitary bibhiophles. The three-day sile at Sotheby's offered a wide range of manuals and text books: prices were, on the whole, ahove the estimates, but nota: high a some dealers had predicted. Frederick Wilkinson CLASSIFIED "A asics wil be inert in the nt vali sue unless rogues there Ait GuAssinebs MUST BE PREPAID, we tert ofr ametuer, Moke Cheese? Pos peraie 1s "tary hurate Las” uirane BOOKS SOUGHT aN soLD. SEND TULL beTALS OF YOUR BOOKS OF SA®. FOR My UIST (100 BOOKS| To Denk HAVLES MIUTARY BOOKS. 35'S MARES ROAD, MAIDENHEAD, BERKS SLE ORGINAL WATERCOLOUR. Brith sol ‘esimert ond ered formation fom the {eee ban Fer, Meudon Hous 2ULU WARS — HAVE OVER 50 OFIGINAL Zu “ems: "Shears. KNOBKERMS, ‘SELD3, MINIMUNTs0 YEARS OLD, SOME 1899 ANO BEYOND. ALL WITH AUTHENTIC 2ULU" Me. VGA EUROGARD ACCEPTED, GaVSIAL SPINS (SUITE 13), BEDFORD, Teas 721 USA, UNMADE Puasme Kits (ALL suBsects) AND MiLTTARVAWATIONNALTICAL BOOKS BOUGHT AND SOLD PROFLES SAE “FOR UST Mb ROLLING, 3? SHREWSBURY RELDS, SHHFNAL SHROP "Wat RECN — FREE Toaorant PamceS nk toy. Moreh Mostra Catster ooneten 12 teas tar oy oat ct FREE Sen ADRIAN ONAN 15 Waves re oF aaa) LU Tg Seemorecemeereame sr ‘AIRBORNEIELITE BOOKS VIETNAM & UNIT HISTORIES “Arras Lig Dat Ny aati Ga wa (Pac WS op $2.0 psi» pe ai a $200 FOR SALE — FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION ~ badges nfs, eocorat ant dls Reana Schacter, ekgatae 1 6058 REL W Germany Be COLOUR SHRCEANT DOFTABION FICHE PAINTING 75 Melbourne Road, Eastham, London E28. A COMPLETE SERVICE FOR WARGAME, S4mm-90mm. BASING AND DIORAMAS. Please send 2 * Ist Class Stamps for 2% IRC for price list and fll information, vn it xgina Not an Bt Uniterme, Hams. ‘Cop, Medal East Sureex N22 OR CALL AT OUR SHOPIN EASTHOURNE ‘Open Men, St tsa ty Thurs) "dom to 39m ‘MIITARY POSTCARDS. ‘eden etary alors ‘sree om gia ing Dy Sa Wouon Reimrtcttonon Sets) ‘Tenaya oomany Sets: Regiment of Canad See nn ance Sedan heapian Potee Set: Ae Clothing te RAF (2.25 pa ano postcards nung Uk pote). Overseas custo Desa 08d Ip por at on remit byMARTIN PEGLER Paintings by PAUL HANNON ‘ore than any other weapon, the machine gun has become synonymous with the mass slaughter of the First World War. In the public imagination the sound of that war is the staccato chatter of the machine gun, echoing across a smoke-wreathed battlefield as lines of men tumble like severed puppets. But what was the reality for the men behind the weapon? Is the idea of the machine gun as the ultimate in automated death a myth attributable to Hollywood: was it, as Haig commented testily, simply an ‘over-rated weapon’? How was it actually used; and to what effect? hile this article is ‘de- voted to the Vickers Machine Gun and its use, much of the information ‘Machine guamers ached 10 the 1st Br, Leicester Regiment ‘aptured second-line trend at Rihecowrt, 20 November 1917 ‘Numbers of ammunition boxes ard seater cans are stacked love. at hand, and book gums are set up with belts loaded, rendy for Immediate defensive fe which follows is applicable to the similar Maxim- derived weapons employed by the other major com- batane powers. Again, while our timeframe is limited to the First World War, when the tactics that were adoptes evolved through experience fon the Western Front, they were in many instances t0 remain unchanged until well afier the Second World War. Although this is not intended to be a technical treatise on the mechanical complexities of the Vickers, some descrip- of its evolution and function is warranted. Originally termed the Vickers-Maxim, the Mk | weapon used "during the Great War was a simplified descendant of the original gun designed by Hiram Maxim in. 1883. ‘The brass- jacketed Maxim was both heavy and cumbersome, but in a modified form it was adopted by the British Army in 189) on a scale of one per battalion. (ts use in conjune- tion with a wheeled carriage and limber severely limited its potential, however.) As a result of experience gained in colonial wars, and the Boer War in particular, the Maxim was redesigned. Under the aegis of the Vickers Com- pany, who had the manufac turing rights, the Vickers ‘Mk I went into production at Crayford, Ker Among the modifications were a fluted steclalloy jacket, and an inverted toggle mechanism which enabled the trigger to be mounted at the top of the rear casing, ‘The weight was reduced by some 12Ib.; and a tripod, the Mk IV, was provided for infantry use, the wheeled carriage being dispensed with ‘The mechanism itself re- mained basically unchanged, being a gas-operated, shore= recoil type utilising gases from the muzzle. The toggle joint employed resembles the human leg in operation. With the knee locked, con siderable weight can be placed on the foot with no ill effect; bend the knee and the entire assembly — foot, ankle, and leg — will fold up. Thus the locked toggle, as it slid back through recoil, was ‘broken’ by a cam, causing the joint to fold upwards, sliding back the breech block, ejecting the spent case and chambering a new one in a smooth motion, In fiction it was identical to the — German MG.08, although internal parts werener interchangeable, The gun owas wuter- cooled, holding seven pints in the jacket. This boiled after 600 rounds had been fired at half cyclic rate, around 200) rpm, and the boiling water set up convec- tion currents which created a very efhicient heat transfer, It also caused evaporation at the rate of ofe and a half pints per 1,000 rounds. Steam was passed from thie jacket, via a tube, into a condenser can, from which it eould be returned to rhe jacket. Ammunition was supplicd in 250-round webbing belts, and a theoretical maximum rate of fire of 550 rpm was possible — although rapid barrel wear would result if this was maintained for any length of time. A good machine gunner would fire in controlled bursts of perhaps 25 rounds: ideally, a rate oF about 5! rpm prevented unnecessary mechanical strain or over- heating. After 10,000 rounds (in theory, one hour of continuous firing — though a tactical scenario calling for this is hard to imagine) the barre! would require chang- mg. The original 303 m. Mk VII ball ammunition gave a maximum range of 3,500 yards and a velocity of 2.440) fps; but the streamlined Mk VIIZ introduced in 1916 increased the range by 1,000 yards, The .303 bullet at 2010 yards would penetrate Gf. Sin. of turf, 5it, of clay, 2ff, 6in. of sand or Ift. Gin. of gak (respectively, 2,032m; 1.52: 0. 76m; and 0.451). While the destructive energy of such a bullet was all too well understood by the experienced infantryman, less seasoned = observers sometimes made incorrect references to the use of ‘explosive’ bullets after seving their eftects on the human body. These depend on a large nuniber of more of less random factors; suffice it to say that with the large- calibre, high-velocity ammu- nition of that pertod, they could somenmes be gruc- some, TRAINING AND ORGANISATION If the British high command were dismissive of the machine gun at the outset of the war, their attitude under- went a radical change follow- ing the costly assaults of 194-15, when German machine gunners exacted a high prce for the very limited gains of Loos and Festubert, On the morming of the second day of the Loos battle. 4 12-battalion attack compnsing 10,000 trotps was reduced to 1,754 officers and men by Gernian machine guns. From 14 October 1915 the battalion machine yunners were gradually withdrawn from their parent regiments and formed into the Machine Gun Corps. Its trainurg centre was moved from Bisley in Surrey to Harrow- by Camp, Grantham. Train- ine Was arduous, ay Pte, Arthur Russell of 98th Coy, MGC recalled: ‘From 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 pam. the parade ground resounded to the sharp commands ..."Mount Gun, Fire, Fall Out, Dismroune” For hours at a stretch we would run for a distance of 25 to 50 yards with a 44Ib, tripod, 38lb. gun and boxes contaimng belts of ammiuni- tion weighing 211b. each. At the command “Cease Fire and Our of Action” we would dismount the gun and double back to aur start line. All orders were carried out at the double and,..all our mevements timed with 4 stopwatch’. A Machine Gun Company consisted of about a hywndred men divided into four sec tions, cach armed with four guns. In theory, cach seenon comprised an officer, who selected sites and targets; a sergeant, to assume com- mand in the absence of the officer, a corporal, responsi- ble for the packing and contents of the gun limbers carrying, parts, ammunition and = belt-hlhing = machmes; and six Other Ranks per gun, whose section number deter mined their tasks. No,1 carried the tripod, and fired the weapon; No.2 carried the gun, mounted it prior ta action, and ensured smooth feeding of the ammunition. Nos.3 and 4 were aniuniun ton carriers, as Well as being responsible for water sup- plies and spares. Nod was section scout or miner, and No.6 was the range caker and ‘odd bed’, All the section members were fully trained in the hing of the Vickers; and in practice, under trench conditions, such mgid de- markation seldom occurred. THE VICKERS IN USE The Vickers machine gun was an expensive amd com- plex prece of machinery, In 1915 it cost LINN per weapon t) manufacture. cach gun cemiprising over 130) parts, each of which was machined ro extremely fine tolerances out of high-grade steels. A recent assessment by a prou- fessional engineer of the manufactiring cost of such a weapon at today's prices was in the region of 43,5(X), allowing for certam parts such as lock and feed block to be cast instead of machined from a solid billet of steel. Accusations that it was toa complex for the condinions of the First World War are not borne out by the facts. Machine gun crews served in every theatre of war [rom Gallipoli to Russia, from France to Mesopotamia, and the weapon continued te function im a wide vanety of climatic conditions. Despite irs internal com- plexity and demanding maintenance (the balancing of the fusee spring, and the packing of a barrel with asbestos string, were only two of the delicate and comphcated maintenance tasks, and even Jearning stoppage drills expertly could take months of mstruc- tion and practice), the gun ts simple enough to bring into operagvon, Jercresnag pomerit of an MCM tlijantey) lanece-corporal, 1917 Note VMGC! shonliler tithes: saltive hadge juse visiile, sew to upper slefde — possihly 240h Division sign, «het imap MG Qoys, alae nsed — saltine shape; “ertis-cross” weeave Of rank shevrons: Minas machine cumier's proficiency hddge, gard conduct cherron, and wound stripe. The brttans hear the same device as the cap bite,Group of longservice machine gunners photographed in summer 1918. The Mb Vides is a seariant with smoot jacker casing md conical muscle cap. This fxcllem view of the Mk IVB tnipod should be compated withthe arly Mi IV in our colour Photographs; mote the “much Fede siz of the naversing rine To load and fire, the brass tag of the belt is inserted from the right hand side into the feed block, and the cocking handle is pulled once while the tag. is pulled sharply through the feed block. This grips cartridge No.1 at the top. of the extractor. The crank is then pulled and released a second time; this withdraws the cartridge from the belt and drops it into the chamber. The gun is now cocked and ready to fire. ‘The gunner sits behind the weapon, with knees drawn up to allow his elbows to rest on his thighs, and grips the ‘spade’ handles with both hands, as illustrated in accompanying photographs. ‘This enables the spring loaded safety catch bar to be raised clear of the trigger by the second fingers. (The forefingers are curled around the top of the spade handles, out of the way of the second. fingers; on those rare occa sions when a ‘swinging traverse’ was used, usually at close quarters and as_a last resort, the forefingers helped guide the traverse.) The gun is fired by thumb pressure on the trigger. Firing a machine gun of the Vickers type isan interesting experience. It can be likened to hanging on to a pneumatic drill or ‘jack hammer’, while the nose is assaulted -by cordite and oil fumes, and the cars are deafened by the numbing 8 clatter of the report. For all that, itis an undeniably exhilarating experience. “Traverse is governed by a clamp located at the front upper part of the tripod; this could be locked tight, left fice for a swinging traverse, or — normally — clamped loosely enough to allow the gun and the tripod crosshead to be ‘tapped’ right or left by striking the spade handle a couple of sharp blows with the palm of the hand. This produced a series of ‘overlap ping’ bursts of fire, creating a beaten zone at the receiving end. Loading and cocking can be completed in a few seconds once the weapon is mounted; a skilled crew could mount, load, lay, aim and fire the Vickers in 30 seconds from scratch. When in the line, and under circumstances dictating a possible need for rapid deployment, the gun was often. left "mounted, half cocked and camouflaged. fantry battalion, which did a regular turn of trench duty — usually six days in the front line, six days in reserve and a period of ‘rest’ — machine gunners tended to occupy static positions, with crews taking a ‘twelve days in, four days out’ rota, Guns would. be spread along a_ battalion frontage (often in the support line, or between the front and support lines), with the crews occupying dugouts close to their weapon, ‘The comparatively static nature of the machine gun- ners’ life in the trenches had its advantages: reasonably comfortable dugouts could often be constructed, andLefe Loading the Vickers ‘The gui at ranking the cooking. handle her cand efficient scrounging could procure timber, coal and extra rations. To some extent this was a_necessity since, unlike an infantry battalion, a machine gun section might not be in constant contact with its HQ, and deliveries of rations and other supplies could be erratic. A resident crew of a corporal or lance-corporal_and four or five others, only one or two of whom would man the gun at any one time, would be visited by their sergeant and officer whenever possible, but these visits depended upon circumstances. Crews ‘were not expected t under- take trench fatigues or any of the other hated and usually nocturnal activities which agued the infantryman in the line. The main disadvantage of this static existence was that Below left: The come rip for firing Pickers The forefinger ae cued out ofthe sway, round the tops of the spade handles; the second fingers rest behind the sprang “afey er, ready lift out of the way! the thins tet on. the cr Although i Tooks some what contrived, this is jn fact @ Comfortable arngement. Below centre: The side cover removed 10 show the fusce spring: immensely powetialy th forts tee beg aicenlly fosardapetl ait ell has blown it backwards, Discon eon of the spring before removal Of the breech lock As the ahr hat fund to sot fhe cocking handle i released for ‘instant the ite action slams a, neatening traumatic ampuaton of unwary fogers. Bottom: once its position was reg- Farand tp cover ened show istered by the enemy, 2 feedback mechan machine gun post could expect to be the target of all sorts of unpleasant missiles during the daytime. Daytime fire was often impossibl except when actually under infantey attack. Machine gun crews might theoretically enjoy a unique opportunity to relieve the frustration of enduring hostile fire without being able to retaliate; but the MGC soon eamed the nick- name of ‘The Suicide Chub’ by the attention their posi- tions attracted from enemy artillery, trench mortars and snipers. For every gunner engaged in harassing fire who might be exhorted by passing infantrymen to ‘Give Jerry one for me, chum!’, there were a dozen who were urged to consider the advan tages of sex and travel by Tommies all too aware that machine guns (like mortars) drew rapid counter-fire. The gun would not neces sarily be left mounted, but the tripod would be left in situ, well weighted with bags and camouflaged as carefully as possible. The great strength of the Vickers, in contrast to the Lewis gun or to simple musketry, was that it could be set up in advance for fire tasks on fixed lines. Targets could be registered during the day by reading off the direction markings on the right of the tripod’s traverse ring, and the graduations on the cle- vating wheel beneath the rear of the crosshead. By night, or in fog or smoke, the gun could be mounted and laid ‘blind’, and effective fire brought to bear out to all ranges. The forward edge of the wire entanglement could be set up on a bearing from a machine gun position, so that the gun could enfilade troops as they encountered the wire; and gaps left in the wire for patrols could also be covered the same way Tactics Machine gun tactics came full circle during the Great War. Prior to 1914 there had been a tendency to use the machine gun as an arm of the artillery, usually with dis- astrous conse machine gun crews were shelled out of existence Even in 1914 many senior officers were still dismissive of the potential of the weapon. The gradual accept- ance of the machine gun by the British high command was due in no small part to the efforts. of | Lt.ColTop left: No.1 view over bare of go sited in supp trech ena a sation of British wine in nt of Frontline trench (A), ‘postion in lower A) Win, @B) parapet; (C) parades: (D) fre Step (E) dg, ander pape (BMG portion, cite fonoard ‘lee of enih: (G) ombresine Bottom: Vickers MG position in « support tren, sited to enlade wire bn frontline as at tp left, a well as for other tasks within ee ad range. (A) 19 (G)_ key as ilusravion top right. Nove wer ada: laid iu embrace at (G) reduce effets of muzzle bast, Injping 16 conceal positon. (HB) ‘Cave spare pats nos, cored by Not. Q) Range card recording ranges, clevation and bearings 10 region fre take — rong taken by Barr & Stroud rangefinder. () MG spare parts bag for cleaning iatrals and od The gun, with three hover of betes condenser ca, i shown on Mk IV” tripod with the ‘Mounting, Overbank, MG, Mi 1, te tpad legs seored by Fill sandbags. Thi mounting ‘allowed the gum 10, be swung frail and oped. From the pectin shoien thew fing, Beat heating he emresrepersel fd tobe retracted afterwards. The Tine of the bane woken ii is indicted by the date one N. McMahon, Chief In- structor at the School of Infantry, Hythe. His lectures ‘on Fire Tactics and the use of the Vickers-Maxim were so impressive that they were incorporated into. Army training manuals, Neverth less, in 1914 a battalion was equipped with only two weapons, usually situated i the front line defences to provide fire in the face of direct assault The Machine Gunner's Handbook of 1915 illustrates ontemporary attitudes all too clearly: it states, in bold type, that “The machine gun is a weapon of opportunity particularly adapted for sur Prise effect but not for sustained fire action’. By the end of 1915. this was obviously no longer the case: German mastery of machine gun tactics, especially of enfilade and long-range harassing fire, had convinced both line and staff officers of the need to widen the réle of the machine gun. Prior to the 1916 Somme offensive Vickers teams be- gan to be employed to provide high elevation bar- rage fire to. supplement the artillery's ‘softening up’ pro- cess behind German. lines With the new MK VIZ streamlined bullet, crews could place fire more than twice as far out as the sighted maximum range of 2,000 yards, At these long ranges, before the appearance of the econd World War dial sight, accuracy would de- pend either on — direct 10 observation of strike, or a clinometer; and given that the MK VII round rose 71\ft. above the line of sight at a range of 2,800 yards, and descended at an angle of 26 degrees, itis clear that claims of accuracy in this sort of firing have sometimes been exaggerated. The practical value of such fire cannot be established; but Private Dietrich Haase of the 10th Wurttemburg Reg- iment, for one, was not keen ‘on the experience: ‘We were on a carrying party well behind our lines, about 4km. The whole time we had bullets dropping around us from the British machine guns. They had the roads taped, and we lost two killed and four wounded out of party of 20, We hated those guns’. (Ironically, Pte. Haase was carrying machine gun ammunition up to the line at the time.) The crews providing such sustained harassing fire were scarcely popular on. eitherside of the lines, for obvious reasons, ‘The experience of Sgt. Barton of 132nd MG Coy. was not untypical Dug in near La Boisselle, his team was ordered to provide 18,000 rounds of indirect fire to enfilade the ground be- tween German. front and support lines. "We had been spotted by Jerry's artillery, and we were being peppered by whizz-bangs. One close ed the rivets hold- ing the fusce spring cover, so the No.2 held it in place with his hand. We fired as fast as we could, and when the ammo was gone we aban doned the post at the double. Ten minutes later it_ was utterly destroyed by a 5.9in. [shell).” The return to a semix artillery réle for the machine gun was by no means universal, of course. During, the Somme battles MGC (Infantry) crews accompa nied attacking troops to provide close range barrage fire. ‘The first recorded instance was on 24 August 1916, when the 19th and 100th MG Coys. provided close covering fire for troops attacking High Wood. One lesson. to emerge — often quoted since it was recorded by Lt.Col. G.S. Hutchinso1 then the captain comman ding 100th Coy. in 33rd Division — was confirma- tion of the reliability of the Vickers. During 12 hours of continuous firing, ten guns fired 999,750 rounds be- tween them; one gun alone fired 120,000 rounds. There were no malfunctions apart from the occasional faulty cartridge. There is no reason to doubt that many other units achieved similar re- cords. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Opinion as to the efficiency of the Vickers with the source consulted and the particular definition of efficiency. (For all practi al purposes, the many thousands of enemy soldiers killed by Vickers guns would seem sufficient answer) Despite claims to the contrary, the medium machine gun of the Maxim type is not truly an ‘accurate’ weapon. When facing frontal tacks, its limited speed of traverse made it possible for attacking troops to advance in short rushes — a techni which the Germans _per fected. The use of enfilade fire from systems of mutual- ly supporting machine gun nests’ or Blockhouses, which ensured that advancing troops had to walk through a constant stream of fire from both left and right flanks, far more effective, and such positioning of machine guns became the norm. The weapon was, in fact, at its most effective when firing at 800 to 1,200 yards, when it formed” a ‘beaten zone’ within which, theoreti~ cally at least, nothing could survive. This phenomenon was due to the recoil of the weapon jerking the barrel up and down on the tripod, allowing alternate shots to rise and fall slightly. ‘The bullets from any one burst strike the ground in a pattern shaped like a leaf, or a Zulu shield; and disciplined bursts, regularly traversed, overlap to form a large area of swept ground, However, experienced gunners could achieve re markable feats of accuracy when the occasion deman- ded. One such was Pte. ‘Tom Hall of the 200th MG Coy whose team, having adv- anced into enemy trenches ‘on the Aisne, were troubled bby asniper in a reserve trench 200 yards away. Careful observation pinpointed the man; and as he bobbed up to fire again, Hall silenced him with a single round from a Vickers. Subsequent inspec tion showed that one bullet had struck the sniper in the forchead. The Vickers did suffer from a number of operation- al problems that were never entirely overcome. Its high profile was difficult to camouflage in trench war fare, though this was to some extent solved by the appear- ance of the —‘overbank mounting’ show in the accompanying illustration. At night it emitted an awesome stream of flame One attempt to hide this involved the issue of a “stovepipe’, a piece of 4in.- diameter piping 20in. long which fitted over the muzzle and blanked out the flash. In practice it filled with unex- ploded gas, which was ignited by ‘every twelfth round fired with a blast which was visible for miles. Gun crews usually managed to lose the ‘stovepipes’ More serious problems were apparent in cold weath- er. Once the water in the jacket boiled it emitted a plume of steam which hung in the cold air like a low cloud. Firing short bursts and not allowing the weapon to overheat was one solution, as was wrapping empty sandbags around the water can to absorb the moisture. A greater problem in freezing conditions was the water in the jacket turning to ice, or the mechanism seizing, upas the oil became gummy. Above: Front and. rear ofthe pad ‘waistoa sued Nos. tad 2 of Vickers teams for protection when carrying the sy gun and tipo (Paul Hannon) Left: re team on the Somme, wnmer 1916, Both No.1 aad No.2 weer the padded ‘waite’ ‘and DH gas hemes. The gu hss ‘mall omengency’ tripod ited 19 ‘the jake, ts eg held pout of the way with sro. This wes provided 10 enable the team to get ‘he gu nt runt ion the Mk tripod. (Imperial War Museum)Devember 1915, and. served at Ypres, the Somme, and. Arras i 1917, alongside the other MC tenpenies of the division (10th, 12th and 234th Service, original Ip; reorganised into letered com panics of 4h Bu, Machine Gun Cons on 26 Feiuery 1918), “He swears the standard officer's SD tonic; butions and collar dees could be either gilt or bronzed. Cuff ranking hears a Single‘pip!. The company badge of ‘adsl yellow cloth was worm on both upper sleeves by all ranks The holsterel Webley Aik Vi revolver is wor on the wide ‘08 pattern webbing belt offices were Inctncted 10 acquite thee, fom wounded men to save expen, 45 rarly as December 1914. The generously-cut Baki twill, breeches, with paler buckskin lenee-rip reinforcement, are con fined in one of severl popular pattems of heavysoled tren Boots, thi version seared by laces and a buckled ef. He cares heavy askplant walking stick Secured under hi belt the cotton nll bag containing his PHL gas helmet. His shrapnel helmet, recognizable asthe frst patter by tt two-part chinsap, painted ‘iucish ‘apple green as frequently seen on erly helmets — tte ones toere usually painted hab or ‘lives i beare'« painted MGC Badge, though brazed cap or collar badges were not infreently (B) Sleeve badge of the 218 The Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915, Initially MGC Companies took the number of the infintry brigade which they served: ©. 100th Coy. MGC, mentioned in the text, supported 100ch Infantry Brigade in 33rd Divi- sion. Later each division re- ceived a fourth compa tesully numbered in the 200 Eatly in 1918 the companies within’ cach division | were formed into a battlion which took the number of the division: e.g. the 10th, 11th 1th and 2th Coys. within 4th Division became A,B,C, and D Coys., 4th Bn., MGC The Cavalry section of the MGC, also formed in October 1915," also took their unit Glycerine added to the water was not a totally effective solution. As one officer noted, the only way to censure that the gun was kept in usable condition under these circumstances was for 12 MG Co., which joined the 8h Div. on 33 Febriary 1917, (C) Seve badge, 127th Bde. MG Co., #2ud Die., formed in Egypt on 14 Merch 116 (D) Slee had, 8th MG Brn, fonned 20 January 1918. () Shoulier tile in use fom October 1915 by ali Motor MG @) Royal Navy MG Detach- ment, 190th Bde,, 63rd RN Dis formed May. 1916 (G)_ Shower le, 6th oF Machine Gun Regt. of Foot Guards. This ad four batalions plus one rere; serie halons were Ist Life Guards Ba, 2nd Life Guard; Bn. (his tite), 3d Royal Horse Guards Br, ad th oat Guards Bn. The regiment served in the Guards Division, and twas formed in May 1918, ight: Reconstruction of Noe 1 and 2 of qu team carrying the tripod Gnd gum. No.1 wears the padded twasteoat; note holtered pttol — “455 Webley, or Calor Smith & Wesson — issued 19 No.ts and acquired by amy other cam member who coud scrounge one, in place of 4 rifle. Nove tha ipod ts early ‘Mk IV Maxim, fied with large Brass traversing ving: later Mle IVB dispensed with this, had ‘hte rear leg, an weighel about ‘th less. The brass cevating wheel ca be sen unde he end of the crosshead, andthe traverse locking handle unde the fant part of the traversing ring. Lacking testo, this No.2 olde the eas 50 as 1 heneit from the minimal protection of his Inoad webbing “holder brace. THE MACHINE GUN CORPS ummbers from the brigades they supported. They were formed in squadrons rather than companies — c.g. 6th Cavalry Brigade MG Squad- ron. Eventually there were 26 ff these squadrons; but they were not formed into regini~ cents an parallel with practice in the MGC() in 1918, ‘While infantry machine gun companies matched, with lim bers, for their equipment, cavalry squadrons rode — also ‘with equipment limber, Motor Machine Gua units rode im motorcycle combinations, which also carried theie equip= In all 170,500 men of all ranks served in the Machine Gun Corps; of these, 62,089 became casualties it to be dismounted and kept warm by human body con- tact. Sleeping with a Vickers gun was, presumably, low On the list. of recreational priorities for the average MGC soldier.MG team of Hh Br. MGC; the ‘oxporal No.1 swear the small ackhohite checkerboard sign of 34th Division on his. shoulder, ‘ove the let Cle Machine Ginmerproficeney badge wom as part of is badge of rank, possibly Indicating a tntrator In hot weather shortage of water was a continual prob- lem. Nature provided a limited supply in emergen- cies, and Pte. Coppard recalls filling the gun with urine; the main drawback was the appalling smell. Ifthe jacket were holed by enemy fire, a Vickers would soon become unserviceable as it _overhe ated — one of the reason that it was not suitable for use in the early tanks, where a high volume of enemy return fire was inevitable, (As a point of interest, the old story of machine gunners firing off belts to heat water for tea seems to be unfound- ed. Apart from having to explain away the expenditure of three belts of ammunition, they would certainly have found the taste atrocious, since the cooling water was full of mineral oil, cordite and rust particles. Pte. Tom Hall, who admitted trying it against the advice of his comrades, suffered the con- sequences for 24 hours thereafter). Mechanically, the weapon was strongly made, and there were few breakages that could not be field-repaired, drawing upon the _lar supply of spares kept. Faulty ammunition or poorly filled belts were a recurrent prob- Jem, and much spare time ‘was spent in checking belts to ensure smooth function- ing. By and large, veterans who used the Vickers are positive in their praise of the gun. Its weight was a curse, particularly under Great War conditions; but in a static rdle its capabilities, both offen sive and defensive, were considerable, The réle of the medium machine gun—a term which in fact post-dates the First World War — was not seriously challenged by the more mobile doctrines which shaped tactics from late 1918, and throughout the Second World War. The appearance of efficient and plentiful squad light automatic weapons among the infantry did not invalidate the heavy, tripod-mounted machi gun's place in the battalion's support elements; and in the British Army the Vickers was not officially declared obsolete until 24 August 1964, But even though, in modified if basically un altered form, the Vickers soldiered on for more than 45 years after the 1918 Armis- tice, it is probably inevitable that the Maxim-type machine gun retains its lingering image as the grim of Great War bat elds. Its mastery was fer again to be quite so brazen as on those first killing-grounds; and _count- Jess war memorials bear mute witness to the impartial cfficiency with which it ruled them: wa 14 Technical information: Cre: 303 in. Gun weight (dy): 33 Bo. Gun weight wer): 401 ‘Mk IVB tripod: 50th. ‘Amumuritions Mic NIL o¢ VIZ. ball ‘Method of fed: 250-14. webbing belt two ply, ivewed with brass eyelets Basel emmniton Geigh: 21 Tb. Sights: Font blade, rear graduated ro 2,000 yards with 40Qyard bate sight Length: 43 in, Mussle velocity Max. eytie rate 40 fs D rpm Bibliography: CE. Crutehley, Machine Guaner 1914-18 (Bailey Bros. & Swifen) G. Coppard, With « Machine Gun to ‘Cambrat(lmperial War Masur) ‘A. Russell, The Machine Gunner (Roundwood Press) FWA. Hobart, Picoral Hisiony of the Machine Gun (Ian Allan) The “Machine Gumer’s Handbook (W.H. Smith & Son, 1915) The Vickers Machine Gun (HMSO, 1918) Acknowledgements: ‘The author wishes to record his thanks for assistance in preparing this article eo: Tom and Nobby Hill of the Great War Society: (GB) 191418; ‘Michael Chappell; Paul Hannon: John Woodrutt the stat of NRA Bisley for permission to photograph on ste; and all veterans quoted, who provided priceless firsthand accountsThe London Trained Bands, 1588 (1) JOHN TINCEY Paintings by RICHARD HOOK a victory of the English navy — and English weather — over Spain’s Armada spared the kingdom from invasion; and as her land defences were not tested, historians have disregarded Elizabeth’s military preparations, or have dismissed them as rudimentary and chaotic. However, an examination of the surviving records shows that for at least a decade the Queen's Privy Council had been working to construct a militia of over 150,000 men to defend England’s shores ORIGINS OF THE — 2nd other gorgeous Attire, TRAINED BANDS __ with long gilt Halberds"” Ali males between the ages Inthe reign of Henry VIII the of 16 and 60 were expected to militia was capable of putting serve in the militia, Their 120,000 men into the field to equipment and training were guard against invasion from paid for by the populace France. London played a organised on a county basis, large part in these defence but once the militiamen arrangements; and in 1532 joined the Royal Army they the city militia paraded ‘came on to the payroll of the through the streets in order monarch. King Henry had to impress foreign ambassa~ the resources of the con- dors. Stow records their fiscated. monasteries to pay his armies, but his successors ‘A General Muster in Lon- found the treasury empty don; wherein were taken the The complexity of military names of all Men within the technology, particularly. th City and Liberties, from the rise in popularity of firearms, Age of 16, unto 60, the made the militia increasingly Harnesses, and all sorts of obsolescent; and in 1573 the Weapons of War being also Trained Bands were created. taken Account of. They then sd men were trained to drew out only such able Men use weapons which the as had white Harnesses”; property-owning classes and caused them all to appear provided according to their in white Coats and Breeches, wealth. ‘This was intended to and white Caps and Feathers. provide a small, but properly 1, Recorder, trained and equipped force to s, and all thathad been defend against foreign inva~ iffs, had white Hamess; sion and internal unrest and over that, Coats of black Velvet, with the Arms of the ‘The London Trained City embroidered thereon: Bands cach one a great Gold chain, The trained bands were and well mounted on Horses raised in each county by the with rich Trappings: on eheir Lord Lieutenant and his, Heads Velvet Caps, and in deputies, but it was London their Hands Battle-Axes gilt. that produced the best and Each Alderman and the strongest Trained Bands. Recorder had four Halber- ‘These were organised around dicts in white Silk or the wards of the city, so that Buff-Coats, waiting on them neighbours would serve in with their Halberds gilt. And the same company, under the the Lord Maior had sixtcen command of the merchai tall Men apparclled in white whose control of the city’s Sattin Doublets, Caps and commerce made them natu- Feathers, Chains of Gold, ral leaders of the community 15 By the time of the Armada the London Trained Bands were organised into the East, West, South and North regiments, cach consisting of ten_ companies”. The first four companies of the East Regiment, for instance, were based on Portsoken, Allgate and the Tower wards. Portsoken contributed 146 men and borrowed four from Allgate both the Tower and Allgate furnished whole companies of their own Trained Bands- men, but combined their surplus to form another company. The aim of all this shuffling of manpower was to achieve standard com- panies of 150 men, Muster returns for 1588 state that all companies were equipped alike with 15 musketeers, 60 calivermen, 60 pikemen and 15 halberdiers, In support of the 6,000 Trained Bandsmen were 4,000 men who were un~ trained but armed. As well as commanding a Trained Band company, each officer_was also listed as commanding a company of 100 untrained men armed with 30 calivers, ¢ Loorumtenens>> . Lt Mn Lewid « Onfies of the Hon Company. ihe ye Armas appeer ih the ‘Foner Sir Philip Sidney” by Thome Lut Among those piel the fuera cone of the Eglh hero are “Cytse Londo paced Are ond it eos camel that these firs ot the Honour Arley i. The fer leading the dented os Thoma Sith, wh apart in 1588 1a? captain fhe Bishopsgate nt Trained Bond, ond i poste that the tli depicted fre Trained Bandon rather than the HAC. Unforimutely, the fiers tof 138 does a cord the names ofthe company Teatenans 9 oot Ko Willa le, dep nthe Lan Rol, served inthe Bishops ete company; the ack ofa lit of je ofthe HAG for the evod prevents ws from. refeenng. One ofthe Shr of the cy, and an Ese capone the tie of the al of Ese stomped ring sn 1600, Smyth managed to kes his hed, bu not is poston: 1600 ist of the Tamed Band ofces noes that se is curently prison. (The Brash Libary) 40 pikes, 20 bows and 10 halberds. All 10,000 trained and untrained Lon- don militia were called on t0 serve during the Armada crisis; so it may be that eachHalberiers of the HAC. The tess of the Honourable Anillery Company's halberdiers and pike men is uch the same. The Lant Fell showes al the armour, words, ‘muskets, halberd and calves of the other solder as being of set pattems, 50 it may be thatthe fompuny purchased i egpment and: weapons in ull "The erlinary Trained Bands man was reid by law to atend for military training, ort provide 4 suitable substinie. Ciizens, incuding those who had nt been selected for Trained Band service were asiesed acording 10 their means and had to provide weapon for Trained Band use Ac ‘might therefore find. himself perorming his dil person but ting equipment provided by Several eter people: or he might provide the ejuipment for several fier me, tat pay a substitute to perform hie own Trained Band Sevice, This could led 0a solder being badly tured eu by miserly reighbows, or to 4 Trined Bandsmon” sending an inexper enced prosy tothe war in hs place. Preventing this kind of abuse ook pt great del of the authorities’ time, and. documents prove that thecks were made and. dfoulters prowcutd. (The British Library) the London Trained Bands. In 1588 the musket was 8 relatively new weapon, having nly been introduced by Spanish Army of Flanders in the arly 1570s. lis chief advantage er the caliver was that fired the much larger bullet nocesary 0 piewe contemporary armour. Us reat disadvantage tas ts weigh, thik eguired a resto support the wel while aiming. ‘The rit increased the alewandness of the Toading dl, even when suspended on ond around the wrist (just se, tailing fom the forked tnd, ths pcre), and proper traning in loading postures became ccsenial, (The Brash Lary) two companies were in tended to combine to form a 250-strong. unit, In addition to the London Trained Bands, 1,100 men were drawn from the 26 ‘outliberties’ of the City such as Hounsdyche, High Hol- bume and the parishes of Southwark. They were formed into five companies of various sizes, and unlike the London ‘Trained Bands boasted three colonels amongst their officers. Their individual equipment alloca- tions are not known, but they toralled 750 calivers and 350 pikes In 1585 an English expedi- tionary force was sent to support the Dutch in their war of liberation against Spain. It became increasingly clear that in the near future England would find itself under attack, and the activi- ties of the ‘Trained Bands took on a more serious note. Some 5,000 men from the London’ Trained Bands camped on Blackheath for six t© cight days. inside specially constructed en- trenchments, and were re- viewed by the queen. Stow in his chronicle of the City records that: ‘Many of these Men put themselves volun- tarily to Charges, in making new Coats and providing themselves Scarfs and Feath ers, and such like"® ‘A manuscript exists which describes the arrangements made for the marching watch fon the night of St John the Baptist and St Peier. This sa form of torchlight military parade through the city, involving morris dan- cers and boys in paper armour engaging in mock 16 combat, The Trained Bands ‘were to supply 1,200 men for the occasion, and the re- quired standard of dress and equipment was carefully noted: “Souldicrs 408 weaponed with callyvers & the furni- ture thercof as flaske, touch- box, match, powder, mo rion, cote of male, sword daggar, & cleanlye hos for de & faulte of cote of male, some clenlye Jerkine, with sleves of male, & that their morrions be made fast under their chynnes.soldierlike “Bowemen 312, with bowes & shefles of arrowes covered wit red leather, swordes, daggers, sculles in red scottishe capps & their armoure to be brigantynes or Jacks covered with black fustian & clenlye hose. *Pykes 408. tulle men armed in. bright corsets, burganetts, swords, daggars, & clenlye hose the tacies of their Armour to be made fast to their thighs and. their burganetts under their ch nes soldicrlike Halberders bright corsletts, fayer bare ganctts, swords, daggars, & clenlye hose, their tacies and burganetts ¢0 be made fasta aforesaid." The Trained Bands were not provided with uniform clothing by the authorities until they were called to serve in a Royal Army. Itis obvious that they were some way behind the _ soldiers depicted in the Lant Roll” in their ideas on military fashion; but improvements were made, and by 1588 the bow had disappeared from the Trained Bands and the ‘musket had been introduced. armed in ‘The Honourable Artillery ‘Company London had the major advantage that it was the home of the 300-strong Honourable Artillery Comt- pany. This was a voluntary society that practised weapon-handling and mili ary drill at its own ‘Artillery Ground’ near Bishopsgate The company conferred so- cial and business advantages upon its members; but thei interest in military affasTargtier of the HAC. Despite thie combat service in the Low Countries, evor-and-buckler men had been vendredbsaete by the Increasing use of irears by 1588, When the plkeman had reigned supreme the trgetir — who could dp betwen or under the massed pikes — had been weil; bat with rusher and caver t0 bast away the tanks of pikemen, the ulnerable aygeter lost his em ployment. The shield lapsed imo eine like more than staus symbol for ofcars. Only thre lameter: appear among the 250 {older who marched in the Sidney fimeral procession, and they may ‘beam honorary escort tthe captain and lewenant inthis ceromonial Tile a targeier appear a Late as the 16305, among the sates of ‘oldies at Cromell House, (The Brisk Library) was real, for they met every Thursday to practise their drill, and they took it in turn to carry out the duties of all the ranks from corporal to captain, At this time the term ‘anillery’ referred to all hand-held missile weapons, so that bows were as much in evidence as primitive hand guns”! ‘The security of the City Aside from their duty to serve against invasion and rebellion, the chief obligation of the Trained Bands was to maintain the security of the city. A document drawn up in 1586 lists 17 articles to protect the city from ‘the Traiterous _ and sudden Attempts of all Conspirators and ‘Traiterous whatso- ever“, Firstly, the Alder men were to examine their wards and list the names of those householders, their servants and children who LONDON TRAINED BANDS, 1588 Martin; ‘Argent and Camation panes Cross Ruge in chic A list of the Trained Bind companies of London in 1588, taken from panes Cross Ruge pout, 7. Cordewaner (88) Dowgate (62); Robinson's Survey, or Muster. oF 16H) — sce Note 3. Each entry shows the 2. Faringdon Within (150); John Thomas, Dobson: “Argent and ‘company eumber within the regiment; one or more of the Wards of London: Martin, "Argent and Vert panes Maydenhayre panes Cross Ruge the number of men they supplied to that company, in brackets; the Cross, Ruge pout Prout, ‘Capteynes's and a heraldic description ofthe “Ensignes' or lags— these will, Faringdom Within (150); Anthony 8: Vynctce (150); Michael Poullysn; be discussed in slightly more detall and examples illustrated, m Part 2 ofthis Wilcock: “Azure and Or panes Cross “Argent and Sable panes Cross Ruge aces and it should be noted that Robinson's usc of heraldic tems is often Ruge tout in fede’ Argent chsh incorrect. 4. Cheapside (65) Faringdon Within 9. Wallbroke (150); Willyam Cham= (46) Castchaynerd (9) John Meg” bers: ‘Argent and sable waves Cross LONDON’S FAST. LONDON'S NORTH = ps, ‘Argent and ruge panes cross Ruge ptoat REGIMENT WARDES REGIMENT WARDES av. peur 10. Cindlesek. Se (150): Willy A, Portsoken (146) Allgate (We 1. Combill (14) Brodst 26) 5."Farinadon Withoute (150); Wile Keble; “Argent and Sable panes one Gowen Simi: "Argent, Crone Bshopygate (10), John Howsen, art Behn “noent ant’ tage lle square Vee in chet loss Rage eure, Por Or in Ch. with these ‘Argentand Sable waves CrostRuge Paty Got Tage Wiaue pew! Ieters PORTSOKEN. Or. in bells Argent che Pr ataetoc” Shane (1505 2 Allete within (150), Benjamyn 2. Brodurect (150; Thomas Bares, Gone Leyte "Aaure and. Or IN THE OWTELIBERTYES Daye Vere Aes ud Oreos ‘Angeccaléchicwares Config: Gotten eran or \NERE AND ABOUTS Gone Rage’ in Argente Belde in fee Argent chic in met ‘THE CITY OF LONDON Gir 3, CollnanSe (113) Brodie. (17:3 Fanmgdon Without (10) Henny 1: Easte Smithil/ St Katheryn! 3. Tower (8) Allgate (142); Thomas George Bares; ‘Azure and Or See Paris Argent and. Sable panes The Minores; Robt. Wrath; ‘Argent waves Cross Ruge in field Argent Cogs Ruge in field Argent chief and sable panes Cross Ruge p'tout fares, Cros Ruge in Argent field chit 8. Faringdon Withoute (150, Tho- 2. Whyte’ Chappell” Hounsdyche/ Get 4. Bassingha (73) Brodst_ (31) mas Loe ‘Azure and Or panes Cross Shordyche/ Grubstret/ Whytecross 4 Tower of London (150); Nicholas Cripplegate (46), Robe Ofley: Rage on fell Arpoat chet Sv" St John. Sv Turmole St Stokderd, “Argent and Sable waves “Argent and Oringe-awney waves 9. Faringon Withoute (130); John Clarkenwell/ Colonell Robt. Wrath spure Rowells Or, Crosse Ruge in Cross Ruge in field Argent chie?- Swincrsons Argent and Sable waves Captain Rich. Weath; ‘Both having field. Argent Chie 5. Cripplegate (150); Gerard Gores Crpgs Ruge in held Argent chief one Ensigne Argent and sable Tong, 5. Billigsgate (142) Tower (8); "Argent and Sable waves Cross Ruge 1g: Castebaynerd (150) Tlughe Les; panes for the rivet Cross. Ruge Willams Towrson; "Argent and in field Argent chic ‘Argent and Watcher panet Crow. pout Ruge waves Crosse Ruge in field 6, Cripplegate (150); Baptist Hazell; page pour 3. The City of Westminster! St Argent Chiet ‘Argent and Ruge waves ted Gyles inthe ficlde/ St Martyn in the 6. Billingseate (77) Bridg (73); Argent in chic LONDON’S SOWTHE —_flde/ High Holburne/ Grayes lane Cristofer "Webb; "Azure and or 7. Cripplegate (150); Ambon Galle; REGIMENT WARDES, Lane/ St Clement Danes parti The waves Cross Ruge p'tout ‘Argent and Vert panes Cross Ruge 1. Castcbaynard (112) Queenehythe Savoy parish with the Strand; Wm 7. Bridge (147) Langbura @): in fielde Argent chict (8); Edmond Pershall: “Argent and Fleetwood (Colonell & Capt.) Richard Morice; “Argent and Ruge 8. St. Martin (39) Cripplegate (58) Ruge panes Cross Ruge p'tout’. “Azure and Or panes Cross Ruge in pes Cross Ruge im fielde Argent Farringdon Within (3), James 2. Queenehythe (150); Ammold field Argent chit hi. ton, “Argent and Sable panes Rutter, “Argent and Azue panes 4, The Borough of Sowthwark! St R Langbarn (150); John Jolles: Cross Ruge in fickle Argent chie?. Cross Ruge i field Argent chic? Thomas Hospitall parish! St "Angent and Sable waves Cross Ruge 9, Aldersgate (150); Martin Bond; 3. Bredstrect (98) Queenchythe (2: Georges parish in Sowthwark, prout’ ‘Vert and Or pancs, Cross Ruge Willyam Powell: “Argent and Sable Poyninges Heme (Colonel); "Azure 5. Lyme St G9) Langbum (66) panes cross Ruge tout’ and Or waves Crosse Ruge in ficld Bishopsgate (35); Thomas Ferrys 4. Bredstreet (122) Vynctree (28): Argent Chi "Argent apd Sable panes Cross Ruge stall; ‘Argent and Sible panes Crom Baptist Hickes; ‘Azure and Or half 5," Bankside of St Mary/ Bate in Argent field chet Rage i ficld Argent chit dyamonds cross Ruge in field Bridge! St Mary Magdalens parish 10. Bishopsgate (150): ‘Thomas gent chet. in Sowthwark/ Kentish St/ Smith; "Azure and Or dyamnonds LONDON’S WEST 5. Doweyate (150); Henry Cam- Hlorseydowne: Thomas Gardner; Gross Roge in Bld Argent chie REGIMENT WARDES yon: ‘Azure and Or Panes Cross ‘Argent and Azure. panes. Crosse 1. Faringdon Within (150); Richard Ruge ptout Rage in field Argent hie 0); Nicholas Hesthe; ‘Sable and Or 6. Cotdewaner St (110) Vynetoe 17Sercams of the Lendon Tein Bint. The ee fe areon trainings compony ws, laid doom be 1562. come icine sees os well by sine othe, Framed, by word id ded hens tot, march and we themes inal pois ecning tothe signs circa a bs epg nal Gi hs shoulder marco forth the Cepany dong tee, onetncs ete the some o0 te ground, time ee 0 oho, se Ts xe tovars the eemie, some Times nde il ede is fon high, he compen ning sll giv see, and sect o evey ten by hi Seamed they do the lie Any toler eng himself to. the Caner, ort heping is ro, fe repoveh,.acoding te We thon hex wn wear peaely highounel version of the hat toe net enly by the Toned Bands at alt by other sles ed cas in the Sidney cree The sf cl be worn wrapped ‘equipped with mattocks and font hea tae, rigs shovels ; trailing down the back. Tt seems 10 In the event of an alarm, ‘have been a point of high fashion the Trained Bandsmen, led for offers ofall ranks 10 wear ‘lou sashes over their right Shoulders. (The British Library) by their leaders of 25 men, were to hurry to. their appointed assembly places were able to bear arms and and, forming into their ‘were considered to be loyal companies, await orders and hostile to false religion. from the mayor. Two com- ‘The most apt were t be panies were appointed to go made the leaders of 25 of directly to the mayor’s house their neighbours; and ten of to defend him from any these groups were to. be attempt by traitors or spies to placed under a captain of the kill him before he could band and his ensign. A place organise the city’s defences. to assemble in an alarm was If the alarm came at night, to be appointed, and every every householder was. to householder was to. have hang a lantern outside his ready ‘in his Howse all door to illuminate the way Weapons and Furniture for the city’s defenders. necessarie for himself and Whatever the time of night those of his Howsc, to be or day anyone (and particu- appointed in this service’. larly any servant) who was Every city gate was to be not involved in the defence guarded from nine o'clock at _of the city was not to go out night until six in the morning of doors once an alarm had in winter, and from ten to been sounded. five in summer, and the Those who did not attend porteullises at every gate the Protestant Church were were to be checked and suspected of treasonable in- repaired. A special guard was tent, and powers were re- to be placed on the “Engine served to exclude them from that serveth the Cyttie with the city. It was especially Water’ for fear that it would feared that those whose be sabotaged and the city set houses were on the banks of on fire. Chains were to be the Thames might welcome stretched across important an invader coming secretly streets to impede any attack- up the river. mE er; and. 1,000, trustworthy persons were to be ready To be continued: Part 2 will with ladders and leather describe the events of 1588 and buckets to fight fires. Tren- its affermath, and will illustrate ches and ramparts were to be further costumes and weapons, constructed by 500 pioneers ‘together with company ensigns 18 i London militia arquebusier ‘ac the time of Henry VII, 1530e-40s. iit and green were the colours of the Tudor fai tn whit as offen wed hy Howry VUE 10 cotke Wis courtiers and solder. The London militia were tell tamed out when they marched ast ther king in 1532, and before Fring allowed to join ther ranks this arquebuser would have ben thoroughly inspected by the alder ‘man of the ward where he lived His cap — which may cover 4 protective metal sulesp — is Inexpensive version of the head- ‘ress worm by all lates, A source of 1544 tells us that soldiers reco Ihe equipped with “a cap to be ‘made 10 put his sue or salle fins. which William Taylor, ‘capper within Ladgate doth make for'me, where you may have as ‘many of them ase Tyt for eight pence the pace’. Tei tied around With «piece of arguchus match- ford. Hie coat te made of eton then a more substantial material than the sath of today, and 1s Slashed to. reveal the more expensive lining. Hit under outers secured by oo batons at the eff and is tght 1 the elbow, where it expands ino 4 plod sleeve for ease of shoulder ‘movement, and fashion. The short Sleews of his rngmail hares” oF body armour are visible. His Ineches are curiously padded, ‘more asa mater of fashion than of protean; he wears plan stock Ings and simple slip-on shoes, The ngucbus had ¢ shore barrel and aller bore tha the mace that twas to supercede it Unlike the Calvert ould not be relied upon to take the same sie ale a8 oy her anquebus even if they had both been produced hy the same ‘manufactarer Tit man wears no “handolier of boxes’, bu caries all his powder ina single flask: this ‘means that he cannot accurately measure the charge, and has no Finer-qualiy powder for sei the priming pan 2 London Trained Band archer, 1585. The description of the marching watch contained i the Haren MSS provides us Notes: () Hamesse = body armour "White" harness = armour made of polished metal, as opposed to black br brows armour, which was given an antirust coating or treatmen G4 Geet Str Lando 1720) roey or Muster of the Armed and Trayned Companies in Landon 1588 and 1599 (London, 1608): see JSAHR, Vol Wy pas () Flarleian MSS_168 (6) Robinson, ibid (6) Sinpe's Stow (7) Harleian MSS. 3741: ‘A Booke ‘onteyning the aver seaihe 1 be ase i he C tipo the even, at Night of Saint Joh Baptist ard hath bene accustomed. (8) Lant, Thomas, & Ponpa Bauer, (©) Goold Walker, G,, The Honorshle Arillery Company (London, 1926) ‘and Dafene ‘sins! the Triterous and sudden Anempts of all Canspiators and Traierous wharsoever, in Stype' a Wik are wonkpioure of wl Of the London Tried Bods It tea cael the alors of the dlc form iso ue Tag ee poe the arangemonts Jot eviion fost. Tahoe at le under hs oth cap and ek detalles eet tisk tion cose, hi, tulle ote thn Lodo he ipo he Bw es ude i 1845 fone of 1200, Twine Bendomen contained 312 aches (258) hat by 1588 the ow no ope eel ore Trae Bands, and only 20 ont of {One en marcel oa were arr Although the Pry Comal hed cred hat tts tuo ite, Tet Bante volte wih so whererer Paste te Conroy ore al ‘alae ofthe bow cell Sl aisay Seon Kal cage trang: the Eure og Seer ee ee franibe; bat te Somnewe eneraton of the met ballet Foaly deve te iu Jaron of be gu 3 London Trained Band bale terdier, 1585. The halberd wa a sapere f the tual by most coy Trin Bands etch wat cesply nd fen ally mae sialon he tne rmowry. The nah {Tein eld adn Se anal ly 72 on of Bon Ith od 13 pp (Soman owpeny i 1508, te inset be exc boa the injom end eeupmont ofthe Tamed Bans xp tne of trey worth br ating, iid wer tall tines rapa rth parte of her ars Flower, the design of the marching wath spe the sms tnd erm that ech man ad iting the poe and thi proves wth ov exe pire of thet a wel-nmedou Trained Pandomon should have led Ties The dy of the hei bate wes 0 prote he company ign and 1 alr wp « roel nem 10 complete i dit. fea, the mary thors furl the bth ele, ba Aa finde fone elite by the Teined Band Peter asin tyme pst The Manor of ordering the ens of London, 10 the safe Keeping that hey Majesty's City,British Mounted Infantry (1) MICHAEL BARTHORP awn. es Paintings by PIERRE TURNER . aseby, 14 June 1645. As Prince Rupert led the Royalist Horse of the king’s right wing against the Parliamentary left, the ranks were suddenly thinned by a fusillade of musketry from a hitherto unseen body of dismounted horsemen concealed behind hedges which flanked the Royalist advance. The firers were neither Horse nor Foot, but men of Colonel Okey’s Dragoons of, the New Model Army, trained to fight on foot but given horses for greater mobility ust later, in South Africa, the Boers on Di- “mond Hill had resisted the best efforts of the British cavalry and infantry throughout a long day's fighting. Towards evening a perceptive British colonel spotted the key to the Boer position. He sent troops galloping forward across the bullet-swept ground to the foot of a spur, where they dismounted and took up fire positions. Behind them came more mounted men who, covered by the first party, also. dismounted, fixed bayonets, scaled the spur and drove the Boers from the ridge above. Their action secured the Boers’ total abandonment of the Di- amond Hill position. These troops were the 6th Bn., Regular Mounted Infantry and the New South Wales Mounted Riftes Having lh their mots 16 ther Ge earcediacaneie These two incidents, two damentally a mounted infan- War (1677) described them, from hedges Dre Supers anda half centuries apart, tyman and raised as such, in surprisingly — moder pies Ae eae pe roughly demarcate the use of possibly as carly as 1560 in terms, as ‘infantry with CGorcgraund), dur the Bate f —ouneed men as foot soldiers France, and used by both horses to enable them to Ruchy, 1645. Desi! Jom py British arms in battle — sides in the Thitty Years’ make more rapid move: Sprigee’s Anglia Rediviva, although it could perhaps be War and the English Civil ments, They were thrown 142 (P.. Haythorshwat) said that the current use of Wars. As the New Model forward to feel the way, APC-mounted infantry is a was Britain's first standing or skirmishing behind ditches as revival of an earlier tradition. regular army, Okey’s Dra- they advanced or cov The designation Mounted goons must rate as the first retreat in the same fashion; ‘ Infantry, or MI, is a purcly regular MI of the British one man held ten horses in ior to the salt 19th century term, adopted — service. rear while his comrades, Donmuwerh, 1704, Dee Jong after dragoons like Col. Two 17th century quota- their riders, fought.” John Be De tee (ire Okey’s had been tured into tions give conflicting views Lacey, a "dramatist "and : cavalrymen; yet the 17th on the merits of these carly Royalist officer of Horse, century dragoon was fim- MI. Lord Orrery in his Artof gave a typically jaundiced 20