Charles Bell Craig
- Admin
- Nov 10, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
114536 Private
49th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), 49th (West Riding) Division
Age: 35
Date of Death: 29.4.18
Family history: Son of John and the late Isabella Craig, 5 Shaw Cottages, Carnock, Cowie, Bannockburn. He was born and lived in Stenhousemuir before the family moved to Bannockburn. He also had two brothers George and Alex. Charles was unmarried and was employed in the engineering department at the Carnock Colliery which was owned by the Alloa Coal Company.
He originally joined the Ordnance Corps, and the Royal Army Ordnance Corps from 1918, and was responsible for supplying weapons, ammunition, clothing, and general equipment, what is called logistical support. He transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and undertook his retraining at Grantham before going to France in September 1917.
The Machine Gun Corps was established in October 1915 by absorbing the Maxim and Vickers machine gun sections from all infantry battalions. These heavy machine guns were replaced by the lighter more mobile Lewis machine guns. The number of machine-gun companies in each division rose from three to four in 1917, and were grouped into a machine-gun battalion per division from early 1918. The 49th Machine Battalion were divisional troops and was formed from 254th Machine Gun Company from 1 March 1918. The units of the Machine Gun Corps were responsible for offensive and defensive fire support and were a prime target for enemy fire. The Machine Gun Corps was known as the suicide club as a result of the level of casualties, 62,000 out of 170,000 officers and men who served in the Corps. Charles would have known Private James Sorley from Bainsford who also served in the 49th Battalion and was killed in action on 15 April 1918.
The action leading to his death
On the 10 April 1918 the Germans launched the second part of their Spring Offensive in Flanders ‘Operation Georgette’ The attack was carried out the Sixth Army and part of the Fourth Army and had the objective of breaking through to Hazebrouck and to seize the complex of railways feeding the British Second Army in Flanders. A little further to the east the Fourth Army would also reach the Steenvoorde to Poperinge road along which supplies were moved to the British Second Army. The plan here was to annihilate the British forces and open the way to the Channel Ports of Calais and Dunkirk. The German advance caused the British to abandon the key railway depot at Borre, just outside of Hazebrouck, and the loss of Kemmelberg Hill an importance bastion of defence in Flanders, and also led to the reluctant but necessary withdrawal from the Passchendaele line won at such great cost in 1917. Involved in the desperate defence against the German onslaught was the 49th (West Riding) Division and the 49th Machine Gun Battalion.
‘C’ Company was ordered to join the 147 Infantry Brigade at Ouderdom with ‘B’ Company joining 148 Infantry Brigade and to take up defensive positions on the Cheapside Line near Wytschaete. On the 26 April an attack by the 147 and 148 Infantry Brigades with the support of the French was ‘not very successful’ according to the Battalion War Diary.
On the 29 April the War Diary reported that:
The Battalion casualties were reported as ‘5 O.R. killed. 14 O.R. wounded’ Charles being one of the killed.
Medals Awarded
British War Medal, Victory Medal
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