Motor Machine Gun Core (MMGC) - WWI

My grandfather Edward Atkins volunteered in WWI at the Coventry Offices to join the MMGC and was attached to the Royal Artillery at Ypres aged 17. Does anyone know how many men joined that unit in Coventry as I believe it was mainly joined by motorcycle enthusiasts. In later years he did test drive for Triumph. Thanks if you can help.

An interesting article on 1914-1918.net states that "...Men were found from volunteers or by special enlistment of men known to be actively interested in motorcycles (such as cycle club members). The Coventry offices of the enthusiasts magazine 'Motor Cycle' was listed as a recruiting office for the MMGS." It goes on to state that the Coventry Motorised Machine Gun Battery… "Landed at Le Havre 9 March 1915. Operated in the Lestrem area. Disbanded October 1915" It appears that the addition of becoming "motorised" prompted a name change from Machine Gun Corps (MGC) to Motorised Machine Gun Service (MMGS) BTW, there's currently a 1931 copy of the Motorcycle Magazine (3d) on sale here on eBay for £14.99!

Hi houghton1854 and TonyS.
Seems like a good start TonyS, wouldn't have even known what the MMGS was if you hadn't have started off this topic and included a link in your post; so I've learnt something.
It seems difficult to estabilish how many people were enlisted through the Coventry magazine office / recruiting office, this may be due to the damage of service records during WW2 bombing or the info just hasn't been put online. There is however information on how many people were in the whole unit, nationwide, by late 1915; apparently about 3,000 men (see second page in link). Also found another interesting link about the Motor Machine Gun Service here, on that page it mentions a Gnr Walter William Atkins from Coventry who joined this unit, any connection? Luke. Edited by member, 29th Jul 2014 4:47 pm

There appears to be regular "Recruitment Lists" in the local newspapers. I found an "E. Atkins" listed in the "Coventry Evening Telegraph" on Wednesday, 18th August 1915. I only inserted the men that were recruited for the MMGS but in fact there are 170 men in all that enlisted in the one week in Coventry. Anyone that subscribes to "Find My Past" can access the Coventry newspapers.

Hello. Thank you all who have put on information about enlisting in Coventry for the MMGC and general enlisting in newspaper in WWI. This has been a great help. My granddad, Edward Atkins' photo, was used on ITV Central News on 4th August as a soldier who survived. We were very proud. I can go forward now with your information. Thank you.

Hello, myfirst post here. The "The MotorCycle" magazine started recruiting for the 5 Motor Machine Gun Battery (also known as "the Coventry Battery") in November 1914: Source: The MotorCycle, November 19th 1914 By the end of November the Battery was complete. The men marched through the streets of Coventry and they set of for Bisley, the Machine Gun training camp. Source: The MotorCycle, December 3rd 1914 I'd love to have a complete list of all the 5MMGB members. So I was wondering, would anybody have the newspapers' recruitment lists from November 1914? And would anybody have photographs of the 5MMGB Coventry "parade"? Thanks for your help with my research! Jan

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