Bicycles and the Military

[Michael Dobbs]

I have received the following from new Society member André Scheer:

[color=maroon]My brother Martin is a thematic philatelist, he collects the theme of bicycles, and is especially interested in related military units.

He has read an article about John Parr of the  4th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment (attached). He wonders if anyone has information (or material) related to the Regiment, preferably of 1914, or even better August 1914.[/color]

Anyone able to offer information on this or any other military-related bicycle items ?

Thanks, Mike  ;)

[Chris Weddell]

Hi,

      There is a very good page on wiki, army cyclist corps which tells you all about them. I will add a scan of a 1902 postcard i have. I happen to think this is a Canadian Army Cyclist Battalion. 

                                                                    Chris S-W.

[akennedy]

There was a Barry Camp in Scotland which opened in most summers in the 1900s
Alistair

[Chris Weddell]

Alistair,

          Thanks. That may fit. When i was looking for camps of that name and time with a Cyclist Battalion was Canada. Do you know much about this camp, i will try and find out about it.

                                      Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Alistair / Chris

I did a quick search yesterday on Barry Camp 1902 and my results came back to suggest Scotland rather than Canada - but I have so many other things to do at the moment I didn't progress it any further, sorry.

Mike

[Chris Weddell]

Mike / Alistair ,

                      Do we know who trained at Barry camp in the Summer. The only Scottish Regiment to have a Cyclist Crops was the Black Watch as far as i can find so far. The card does have a Scottish cancel to verso which i have only just noticed and i have had it for five years !!!!

                                                          Chris.

[akennedy]

Barry Camp was located between Dundee and Carnoustie. It seems to have been associated with Buddon Camp in the same area, the latter apparently being the Scottish equivalent of Bisley.
Barry Camp was open at least 1-2 August 1902.

Alistair

[ChristchurchPS]

The NZ Army in WWI had a Cyclists Corps - had their own badge - and if you go to the website www.armymuseum.co.nz their item of the week is one of the badges.  It has handlebars, but I think there is another with a cycle wheel. 
The cycle coprs will have been attached to some group that will have postal markings.
they also have a bicycle that was modified to carry a rifle on the front forks [pointing downwards] - There is a video online somewhere of this bicycle.

regards

Robert Duns
Librarian
ChCh NZ Philatelic Society.

[Ingo Egerlandt]

Hi Mike,
please contact Mr. Hans-Werner Salzmann. He wrote a book about bicycles in the Army. But it is in german.

hws-nrw@t-online.de

Ingo

[Michael Dobbs]

Ingo

Good to hear from you again - many thanks for the information, which I duly passed on and received the following response:

[color=maroon]thank you very much for your kind mail, my brother has the book of mr Salzmann in his possession. I think he will contact mr. Salzmann, thank you. André Scheer.[/color]

Once again many thanks,

Regards, Mike  ;)

[Graham Mark]

Hello readers
Naval & Military Press, Booklist No.152 offers a book in English language  "The Troop Bicycle of the German Wehrmacht" by Pauk Louis Johnson and John Fuller Ryan.  90+pp, sb, £27.50.
The code for ordering is 22727.  (NO I am NOT an agent on commission !)
Some British Infantry Regiments has Cyclist Battalions at the begining of WWI - eg 10th Royal Scots, 6th Norfolks, 6th Suffolks, 5th E Yorks, and seven others.  Other regiments s had cycle Companies.
I have a very poor photo of the Lancashire Fus marching past Shepheards Hotel, Cairo, sent in April 1915, by Maj FA Woodcock, 5 LF, to a family member in Bury.  The marching troops are led by a dozen to fifteen cyclists, pushing their bikes, then the band.
I believe that bikes were taken to Gallipoli but when and how they would be used is a good question.
Graham

[Frank Schofield]

Mike

According to my database there were 15,863 members of the Army Cyclist Corps during WW1, of these 67 Officers and 766 OR's were KIA, hope of some use

Frank Schofield

[Michael Dobbs]

Thank you to Graham and Frank for this latest information.  I will notify André Scheer so that he can log onto the forum and see this latest information - there is much more to bicycles in the army than one first imagines.  Many thanks guys.

Mike  ;D

[Frank Schofield]

Mike

I might get it right one day, the KIA in my last post, should read

lost their lives, including KIA, D.O.W and illness etc

Frank Schofield