206192 Pte. Joseph Brunton McNally MM.British Army 149th MGC Machine Gun Company from:Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Joseph McNally was born in the Walker area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne enlisted as No 5/1334 in 1/5th Nortumberland Fusiliers
On the outbreak of War in August 1914 the Regiment consisted of the 1st Battalion at Portsmouth in the 9th Brigade, - 3rd Division,
- the 2nd Battalion at Sabathu, India,
- the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, which mobilised to train recruits, and
- four Territorial Force Battalions,
- The 4th at Hexham,
- 5th at Walker, Newcastle-upon- Tyne,
- 6th at St George’s Drill Hall, Northumberland Road, and
- 7th at Alnwick.
By November 1918 the Regiment had raised a further 44 Battalions, earned 67 Battle Honours, won five Victoria Crosses and sustained an estimated 16,000 casualties
Joseph served in the 1/5th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers, on the outbreak of War was at Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne part of the Northumberland Brigade, Northumbrian Division, (later called the 149th Brigade, 50th Division) . On Tyne defences until April 1915 and then sent to France.
The 50th (Northumbrian) Division
The Northumbrian Division, a pre-war Territorial Force formation, was drawn from Northumberland, Durham, North Riding and East Riding of Yorkshire. The Divisional HQ was at Richmond Castle. Brigade HQs at Newcastle, Malton and Durham, and titled Northumberland , York & Durham and Yorkshire Brigades. The Infantry came from Alnwick, Newcastle (2), Hexham, Stockton, North-Allerton, Scarborough, Hull, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham and Bishop Auckland.
The Artillery Brigades, No I Northumberland concentrated at Newcastle, - No II at Hull,(a battery at Scarborough),
- No III at Seaham Harbour (batteries at Durham and West Hartlepool),
- No IV Howitzer Brigade at South Shields (a battery at Heburn) and the
- Heavy Battery from Middlesborough.
The Field Companies their HQ and No 1 Signal Company were at Newcastle. The Field Ambulances were at Newcastle, Darlington and Hull. The Divisional Transport and Supply Column companies were at Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Hull.
On the 3 August, units returned from their annual training camps. On 4 August orders to mobilise were received, the Division became part of the Central Force, Home Defence; it garrisoned the Tyne Defences and trained for war.
Early April 1915 the division was informed it would be sent to France, embarkation orders were issued 5 April. 16 April units began to entrain for the ports of Southampton and Folkestone. After crossing to France the 50th Division completed its concentration in the vicinity of Steenvoorde on 23 April 1915. The next day, units of the division were under fire.
The 50th (Northumbrian) Division was engaged in the following actions in France and Belgium.
1915
Battles of Ypres
4 April/3 May
Battle of St Julien (V Corps, Second Army until 28/4 then Plumer’s Force
“The St George’s Gazetteâ€, the Regimental Magazine of the Northumberland Fusiliers, reported that Joseph was wounded in action in April 1915. There are no further details recorded. Thus we do not known when (or if) Joseph returned to his Battalion on recovery, or indeed if he was required to leave the Battalion.
11/13 May Battle of Frezenberg Ridge (V Corps, Second Army)
24/25 May Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge (V Corps, Second Army)
16 June Bellewaarde (149 Bde) (V corps, Second Army)
1916
149th Brigade Machine Gun Company formed in the 149th Infantry Brigade from the machine gun sections of the 1/4th, 1/5th, 1/6th and 1/7th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers on 6 February 1916.
Joseph was a founder member of this unit. He transferred, willingly into the Machine Gun Corps and allotted the number 23981. The following incomplete list is of men with similar numbers who therefore transferred at the same time:
23962 Pte Walker J NF 1645 Disch 050918
- 23963 Lcpl Irwin J NF 1751 Kia 031016 149 Co, 50 Division
- 23964 Pte Robinson J NF 1035 Dismb 150119
- 23965 Cpl Gordon FH NF 1744 Dismb 110319
- 23967 Pte Callender G NF 19 Battalion, A Co
- 23968 Pte Simpson S NF 50 Battalion
- 23969 Pte Turnbull J NF 1942 Demob 250219
- 23970 Pte Lowrey W NF 558 Dismb 030219
- 23973 Pte Robson J NF 2733 Dow 190916 150 Co, 50 Division
- 23980 Pte Nesbitt C NF 2616 Dismb ??0119 5 Battalion
- 23981 Pte McNally J MM NF 1334 Dismb 110319
- 23982 Pte Bly J NF 1371 Disch 14??18
- 23983 Pte Fox A NF 1890 Demob 090319
- 23984 Pte Oldham A NF 2357 Demob 100219
- 23985 Sgt Gascoigne J MM NF 2373 Died 030118 218 Co, 18 Division
- 23986 Pte Bell WJ NF 2471 Dismb 190219
- 23987 Lcpl Douglas J MM NF 2988 Dismb 150319 50 Battalion
- 23988 Lcpl Plumb C NF 2994 Dow 271016
- 23989 Pte Young A NF 3172 Dismb 150419 50 Battalion
- 23890 Cpl Wilding JH NF 2495
Battles of The Somme:
15/22 September Battle of Flers-Courcelette (III Corps, Fourth Army)
25/28 September Battle of Morval (III Corps, Fourth Army)
1/3 October Battle of the Transloy Ridges (III Corps, Fourth Army)
In mid May 1917 the 245th Machine Gun Company disembarked in France from Grantham and joined the Division on 30 May 1917.
1917 Battles of Arrass:
11/14 April First Battle of the Scarpe (XVIII Corps until 11/4 - VII Corps, Third Army
13/15 April Capture of Wancourt Ridge (VII corps)
23/24 April Second Battle of the Scarpe (VII Corps, Third Army)
Battles of Ypres:
26 October/9 November Second Battle of Passchendaele (XIV Corps until 29/10 XIX Corps Fifth Army
50th Battalion Machine Gun Corps formed February 1918, with the unification of 149th, 150th, 151st and 245th Machine Gun Companies, which then became “A†to “D†Companies, of the battalion.
1918 Battles of The Somme:
21/23 March Battle of St Quentin (Fifth Army Reserve til 21/3 - XIX Corps, Fifth Army)
23 March Actions at the Somme Crossings (XIX Corps,)
26/27 March Battle of Rosieres (XIX Corps, Fifth Army)
Battles of The Lys
9/11 April Battle of Estaires (XV Corps, First Army)
12 April Battle of Hazebrouck (XV Corps, First Army)
Friday 26 April the Division entrained for the Aisne. 28 April detrained joining IX Corps, under the Sixth French Army. Monday 6 May moved into the line taking over the Beauriex Sector from the French.
27 May/6 June Battle of Aisne (IX Corps, Sixth French Army until 29/5 Fifth French Army)
Between 3 and 5 July the Division returned to the British Zone, by 14 July it was in the Dieppe area, where it reorganised. (Due to the heavy casualties sustained whilst under French command. For example, 21 officers of the 50th Battalion were captured during this action).
The Advance to Victory:
Battle of The Hindenburg Line
1 October Battle of the St Quentin Canal (XIII Corps, Fourth Army)
3/5 October Battle of the Beaurevoir Line (XIII Corps, Fourth Army)
8 October Battle of Cambrai (XIII Corps, Fourth Army
11/12 October Pursuit to the Selle (XIII Corps, Fourth Army)
The Final Advance in Picardy
17/18 October Battle of the Selle (XIII Corps, Fourth Army)
The London Gazette published the award of a Military Medal to 23981 Pte J McNally on 21 October. No citation was published at that time.
4 November Battle of the Sambre (XIII corps, Fourth Army)
After crossing the Sambre the division remained in the line until it was relieved on 10 November. By this date it had fought its way forward to Solre le Chateau. 11 November in billets between Flourcies and Monceau. On 2 December HM the King accompanied by Major General Jackson visited le Catelet where the division had crossed the St Quentin Canal in October. On 3 December His Majesty visited the division in its billeting area. In the middle of the month the division moved back to billets in the le Quesnoy area.
Demobilisation started in December and continued steadily until units were reduced to cadre and ceased to exist in France.
Joseph was transferred to the Army “Z†reserve on 11 March 1919, a veteran of the Corps.
A VETERAN OF THE CORPS
|