Machine Gun Coy 1914 Hipflask

Machine Gun Coy-1914 Hipflask

Vintage glass bottle hipflask with contemporary engravings.

At the outbreak of the First World War (1914-18), the British Army had no specialist machine-gun unit, simply providing two heavy Maxim or Vickers machine guns for each cavalry regiment and infantry battalion.

By November 1914, as the Western Front slowed to a stalemate, this system needed supplementing. That month, a Machine Gun School was set up at Wisques in northern France and a Motor Machine Gun Service (MMGS) of motorcycle-mounted machine guns was established within the Royal Artillery.

The machine gun dominated trench warfare. Within a few months, it became clear that a new specialist unit was needed to further develop machine-gun tactics while also training more men in the weapon's use.

The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was established in October 1915 by subsuming the battalion Maxim/Vickers machine-gun sections from all infantry regiments. The withdrawn heavy machine guns were replaced by light Lewis machine guns that could be used by all troops.