At the beginning of WW1 each infantry battalion was equipped two Maxim Machine Guns served by of an officer and twelve other ranks. This was increased to four guns in February 1915. However, production of weapons did not keep up with the expanding army, and the BEF was still 237 guns short of the full establishment in July 1915. The Vickers Company could, at most, produce 200 new weapons per week, and struggled to do that. The experience of fighting to date had proved that machine-guns required special tactics and organisation. The BEF established a Machine-gun School at Wisques, SW of Calais to train new regimental officers and machine gunners, both to replace those lost in the fighting to date, and to increase the number of men with MG skills. A Machine Gun Training Centre was also established at Grantham, Lincolnshire. On 2nd September 1915, a definite proposal was made to the War Office for the formation of a single M.G. Company per Brigade, by withdrawing the Vickers guns from the Battalions. They would be replaced at Battalion level by Lewis guns. The Machine Gun Corps was created by Royal Warrant on October 14th, 1915, followed by an Army Order on 22nd October. The MGC would consist of infantry machine-gun Companies, cavalry machine-gun Squadrons, and Motor Machine Gun Batteries. The pace of reorganisation depended on the rate of supply of Lewis guns. It was completed before the Battle of the Somme. The Base Depot of the Corps in France was established at Camiers, close to the Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.
Yeah and one of the most advanced loveable to commanders, light-middle weight war machines been introduced, adopted as well as used widely in those days .. even gave birth to a Very New to military secs, 'The Machine Gun Crps'.
The first Tanks were incorporated into the Machine Gun Corps as the "Heavy Branch" MGC, until mid 1917 when the Tank Corps was created.
Undoubtedly and as I've seen through my own pov that these Systems had been Forced every war office to redefine the automatic light, middle and heavy weaponry into their probable and estimated combat zones ... Begining of a Very new era for the military history of automatic weapons!
