Two wheels to the Front Line
During the First World War the bicycle was a significant item of military equipment, yet it is often overlooked by historians. On 10 March 1916, AIF Headquarters in Cairo issued ‘AIF Circular Memorandum No. 32’ to establish the Cyclist Companies. The key details of the memo were:
1. Approval is given for the organisation of a Cyclist Company in each Australian Division. The Company will be of the establishment laid down in Part VII War Establishment 1915.
2. The Company will form a distinct organisation, but Officers appointed to it will be seconded from units, and their promotion will be regulated accordingly.
The Cyclist Companies were deployed to the front line as well as undertaking cable burying, traffic control and reconnaissance work. They were used in many major battles, including Messines in June 1917 and Passchendaele July 1917. However, before the official formation of Cycling Companies, bicycles were being used for transportation and other military needs as can be seen by this photograph taken in Serapeum, Egypt c. 1915. Here the Signal Section of the 13th Battalion, AIF, is ready to march off to a ceremonial parade with their bicycles and signal equipment.
The standard issue Army bicycle during the First World War was the BSA, made by the Birmingham Smalls Arms Company, a major British arms and ammunition manufacturer since the Crimean War, and a builder of bicycles since the early 1880s. The British Army in 1901 adopted the BSA Mark 1 as standard issue, and then over the next decade a number of improvements and modifications were made.
By 1911, the Mark IV model, , was in production, fitted with a ‘coaster’ rear hub that enabled the rider to ‘coast’ and also to back-pedal to slow the bicycle. But the Australian cyclists in Egypt had to persevere with a variety of BSA bicycles, ranging from the Mark I to the Mark IV models. It was not until July 1915 that the Mark IV was introduced, now fitted with hand-operated rear brakes, plus a free-wheeling hub in place of the coaster hub. Shortly after the Australian cyclists had reached France, this bicycle became the standard issue.
Both the Light Horse and the Cyclist Companies were issued with the Short Magazine Lee–Enfield .303 calibre rifles. Troops in the Cyclist Companies had two options for carrying the rifle. It could be slung over their shoulders, as worn by 827 Private Jack Bambury and 830 Private Herbert Davis at Henencourt, 12 May 1917. Alternatively, the soldier could use the carrying clips which would enable the rifle to be attached to the down-tube of the bike (the diagonal tube just behind the front wheel).
All cycling units had colour patches and badges. The colour patches were square with a white background and a superimposed red middle square. These were positioned at the tip of each sleeve of the tunic. These patches can just be seen in this photograph too.
The AIF Cycling Companies have often been forgotten in military history, but the humble bicycle played a very important role in the logistics of warfare.