The exact reasons which led to the formation of a. Machine Gun Company as a separate uni can not be ascertained, but there was some intelligent anticipation somebody's part and the Maxim Gun. Company, as it was then known, was called into being in 1903, with 50 officers and men and six guns, mounted on travelling carriages and with limbers. The machine-gunners that day were very proud of a little piece of boasting they could and with every justification. The story (a hint of which has been ven in another article) ought to true, for it is too good to lose. When Major Trueman was at Home, he attended the "Army musketry course and one day, in the course of the instruction, the Commandant imparted the information. that the Army Council were considering the advisability of brigading mackineguns instead of having a few attached to Battalions, "The Major could not help breaking in with the remark: "Oh, sit, we did that in the that very British officialdom, subjected by her to occasional contemptuously patronising disparagement. She was not allowed to travel up the Yangtze in a Chinese junk with her ious girl friend as sole foreign companion. If she had not been so restrained, it may be surmised that she would, for potent but distressingly tragic reasons. have avoided the error which her book embodies. onder for The Cars Appear The underlying idea always had been" that the machine-gun unit should constitute themselves, the strong point of the Settlemen's defensive scheme, and the developments in military science during the War resulted in armoured cars introduced, Tt was thought
devable to deal with the situation that on a vit cal, they even might alone, sv effective has the armoured car proved in street fighting, and thus prevent the disorganization in conn offices which must occur fon the whole Corps being suddenly called to. arms, The newly-equipped Company started with twelve. Vickers guns and six armoured ears, mounting one gun on each car and. having six Wheeled guns. The firet ears were not all they might be for effeiency, however imposing they appeared on, parade. but they were in charge of men who knew. what was wanted, the necessary alterations soon were effected and" the equipment was brought up to its prevent high state of efficiency.
In the course of further reorga~ nisation, the dismounted gun sec-was done away with, other of the Corps. forming their Lewis gun sections, so that individually they could attend to hing before expected of this particular group, and the Company took on the name of the Armou Car Company. It is equipped with ten armoured cars, each carrying one kers gun, and at ters about, 120 men. Though nearly three times as many og the original establishment, this is nowhere near the unit record roll, for has counted well over 200 at its dest. However, as previously explained, the idea is efficiency first.
A Sporting Unit weed Car Company which lime an all British personnel, and, as the Crie-Het Eh cit "principal oral ety closely allied to" the', Cricket ings ground, and the Rugby Club ie
Club, "the Cars" naturally is a unit very' keenly interested in sport. They "have somewhat of a pull over infantry units in the added attractions of the cars and machine guns, but the Company's record in sport probably is a still better recruiting gent. 'There have been ups and downs, of course, but the Company can boast of having been on top at cricket, both codes of football, and rowing' At cricket and Rugby they never have shown any, marked falling of and it is unlikely that they wil, The Company at present is commanded by Major H. F. Newton.
(Next Week: "A" Company.) hibited without permission.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.