A Gold Medal Cyclist

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A Gold Medal Cyclist: the story of Sergeant Michael Henry Margiotta

It is not widely known that the British Army used many cyclists during the First World War. At the outbreak of war there were fourteen Territorial Cyclist Battalions in Britain with a coastal defence role. The infantry divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in France with a cyclist company each which, alongside a cavalry squadron, provided an integrated mounted component for reconnaissance and patrolling.  It is true that in the stalemate of trench warfare cyclists were of limited use and ended up in working parties and on other labouring duties, which has led to them being dismissed as an irrelevance. However, when given the chance, such as in the mobile opening and closing phases of the war cyclists showed themselves to be useful and versatile soldiers.

Apart from the 60th (2/2nd London) Division, which left its cyclist company in France, all the divisions of the British Salonika Force (BSF) had a cyclist company. During 1916 the decision was made to merge cyclist companies into corps cyclist battalions which, alongside a cavalry regiment, would provide ‘Corps Mounted Troops’. It was not until late in that year that the development came to the BSF which gained two corps cyclist battalions. The 12th Corps Cyclist Battalion on the Doiran front was formed from the 22nd and 26th Divisional Cyclist Companies and the 16th Corps Cyclist Battalion on the Struma front, formed from 10th, 27th and 28th Divisional Cyclist Companies.

This is the story of how a small cyclist patrol from the 28th Divisional Cyclist Company in northern Greece obtained vital intelligence on enemy intentions during the Salonika Campaign.

Early life

Michael Henry Margiotta was born in Fulham, London in 1888 to Antonio, a labourer from Italy, and Eliza Jane (née Baker), from Chelsea. Antonio and Eliza had 9 children, 5 boys and 4 girls, but 4 sadly died in childhood. Antonio died in 1899 and by the 1901 census, Eliza was living with her children and her elderly mother in Fulham. The only members of the family in paid work were Eliza herself, who worked as a ‘Ladies Lavatory Attendant’, and her 15 year old son, James Luigi who was a ‘Linen Draper’s Boy’. Records show that at that time Michael and his younger brother Philip were at Putney St Mary’s Boys’ School, having transferred there from a Catholic school in Roehampton. Life at St Mary’s School for the boys was probably typical for that era. Many of the 10-13 year old pupils could work part time. A ‘half-time’ system had been devised to allow children to continue to work, whilst also attending school. For those children it meant working from 5am until 9am, then going to school and then returning to work from 5pm until 10pm. The boys and girls were taught in different classrooms. The girls did housework, raffia and needlework and the boys did woodwork and reading. They learnt the names of Kings and Queens and learnt about everyday objects from a box; these were called ‘Object Lessons’. The cane was in regular use. To encourage attendance at school, prizes were awarded as shown in the photo from that period.

Before the war

Whether Michael worked whilst he attended school is not known, but he was certainly in work by 1904. He gave his employment as a Carman (i.e. wagon or cart driver) when he joined the Army in May 1904, following the example of his brother James who had enlisted in 1902. Although only 16, Michael successfully enlisted in the 3rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Regt number 9820), claiming to be 18 years and 1 month. Fortunately, his service records survived the 1940 Blitz, albeit rather scorched around the edges. The records show that he served in South Africa, China, Singapore and India. He was not always an exemplary soldier, with various misdemeanours in his records but by 1914 he had made significant improvements, and a report described him as ‘A sober, honest and very intelligent man. Clean and civil’. By then he was back in the UK on furlough, intending to return to India for a further two years’ service but the outbreak of war brought his regiment back to the UK.

 

Michael’s war

The 3rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment was one of a number of regular battalions returned from the further reaches of empire in late 1914, which were organised into three improvised Infantry Divisions, the 27th, 28th and 29th. The 3rd Middlesex was part of the 28th Division. The Division required a Divisional Cyclist Company, so volunteers were called for from the infantry units to be ‘re-badged’ as the newly created Army Cyclist Corps. Bicycles were issued on 8 January 1915, four days later the Division was inspected by HM King George V and on the 18th it sailed for France. Michael Margiotta, by now a Sergeant, sailed with 3rd Middlesex but in March he signed a form and volunteered for the Army Cyclist Corps and 28th Divisional Cyclist Company (Regt number 3381). The Company was kept busy on the Western Front, undertaking a variety of duties, especially patrols and working parties, but showed its worth in the confused fighting of the Second Battle of Ypres (April – May 1915) and later at the Battle of Loos (September – October 1915). After that they sailed for Egypt and then for Salonika, disembarking there on 2 December 1915.

After a short spell in camp, the Company rode out with a squadron of the Surrey Yeomanry to reconnoitre advanced positions for the Division. Then, along with the rest of the British Salonika Force, they began the job of digging the famous ‘Birdcage Lines’ to defend the city from a possible Bulgarian attack. It wasn’t until early summer 1916 that British troops started to advance out towards the Greek frontier, with 28th Division providing part of the force for the defence of the malarial Struma Valley, to the north-east of Salonika. They were a bit late, as a Bulgarian division had crossed the border and entered the Struma Valley at the end of May 1916 and occupied Rupel Fort. The Greek troops were ordered not to resist and further advances would not be challenged. British troops took up their positions along the River Struma and then only had one enemy to face, the malarial mosquitoes.

Intelligence mission

It wasn’t until mid-August that Bulgarian forces began their advance into the Struma Valley. With the news that the Bulgarians were on the move came an order for 28th Divisional Cyclist Company to send out a patrol to get information on their positions. On the 19 August the order was given to a detached cyclist platoon in the village of Marian close to the river. At 10:30am, Sergeant Margiotta, the NCO in charge, with one corporal and two other cyclists set off towards the town of Seres. Taking a circuitous route through various villages across the river, they finally arrived in the town at 1pm. Fortunately the Bulgarians had not yet arrived, although they were close. Margiotta found a cooperative Greek lieutenant and discovered that the officer had just withdrawn his troops from a village less than two miles to the west. That village was occupied by a regiment and a half of Bulgarian cavalry who were intent on occupying Seres. Michael and his patrol spent an hour in the town, noting that the streets were deserted except for a number of armed civilians. At 4pm Michael and his patrol were back at their post in Marian where he reported the findings.

Gold medal and promotion

Michael had done a good job. The General Officer Commanding 28th Division was ‘appreciative’ and on 23 October 1916 Michael was rewarded for his resourcefulness and initiative with a Gold Medal from the King of Serbia ‘… for Distinguished Service rendered during the course of the campaign’ (Supplt to the London Gazette, Issue 29945, 15 Feb 1917, p.1611). In the meantime, Michael had been promoted to Colour Sergeant and appointed Company Quartermaster Sergeant of 26th Divisional Cyclist Company on the Dorian Front. At the end of 1916, the Company became part of XII Corps Cyclist Battalion, whilst his former comrades in 28th Divisional Cyclist Company became part of XVI Corps Cyclist Battalion, actively patrolling in the Struma Valley until the final Doiran offensive in September 1918.

On the rather more static Doiran Front during 1917, cyclists found themselves facing many of the issues of cyclists on the trench-bound Western Front, albeit with mountains and mosquitoes too. Cyclists manned fixed positions and provided manpower for the inevitable working parties, at one point being issued with rock hammers! Only with the final pursuit of the Bulgarians did they take to their bikes in action. Whatever Michael thought about this change of scenery, we know that he was fortunate in one respect, he was granted 21 days home leave in early 1918; he travelled by the mainly overland route, through Italy and France. However, tonsillitis, something he had suffered from before, saw him admitted to hospital in England, but as this was in Fulham he was at least close to his family for a short time.

Early March saw him back with the Battalion on the Doiran Front. He would have been involved in the preparations for the September offensive, but further sickness in September, diarrhoea this time, prevented him from taking part. He was first admitted sick to the 86 Field Ambulance on 14 September, then he was treated at the 21st Stationary Hospital. On 25 September Michael was transferred to 42 General Hospital with dysentery, by 5 October he was described as ‘dangerously ill’ and on 6 October 1918, six days after the Bulgarian armistice, he died. Michael Margiotta, aged 30, was buried in Lembet Road Cemetery in Thessaloniki.

 

 

Missing wrist watch

That Michael died after the cessation of hostilities was tragedy enough, but there was to be further sadness for his bereaved mother. His service record contained a list of his few possessions which were sent to his mother nearly a year later: ‘3 handkerchiefs, wooden box, shaving brush, prayer book, 2 razors, artificial teeth (broken), leather belt, sponge, wrist watch and strap’. All were received except the watch, which prompted a lengthy correspondence between a distressed Mrs Margiotta and the War Office which lasted into 1920, although to no avail. There was further correspondence into 1921 as Mrs Margiotta attempted to obtain Michael’s medals and memorial plaque, some of which were initially sent to the wrong address despite Eliza having informed the authorities of her move. They were eventually received, but the watch remained missing.

Michael’s family after the war

Michael’s older brother James Luigi who had served with the 3rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment for 13 years, went on to serve in the First World War. He returned home safely and stayed in the Fulham area with his wife and family until his death in 1945. It’s not clear what eventually became of Michael’s younger brother, Philip Peregrini Francis, who had been charged with theft of jewellery from his mother and sister in 1908.  Philip had enlisted with the Dragoons of the Line (1st Dragoon Guards) on 10 July 1911 but was soon discharged for misconduct on 14 Dec 1911. Mary Louisa Anna, the eldest child lived until 1950, although she had a disability and was widely reported in the newspapers to have visited Lourdes in 1911. Michael’s youngest brother Antonio John died in 1933 aged 34. Eliza Margiotta is known to have moved to Eastriggs, near Dornock in Dumfries during her correspondence about Michael’s watch in 1920. She may have been attracted by the call for workers, often single women, to work there in the government’s newly created cordite factory. She had returned to London by the next year, outlived all of her children and died in 1953 at the age of 90.

 

About the Researchers

Robin Braysher’s interest in the campaign comes from his grandfather, Fred, who served as a cyclist with the BSF from 1915 to 1917, mainly in the Struma valley where he caught malaria and dysentery. Like Sgt Michael Margiotta, L/Cpl Fred Braysher served with the 28th Divisional Cyclist Company, having volunteered from 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Robin joined the Salonika Campaign Society in 2003 and served on the committee for 18 years as journal and then web editor and continues to contribute to their website.

On behalf of ‘Away from the Western Front’, Lyn Edmonds would like to thank Robin for sharing this story. Lyn supplied additional research into Michael’s early life and that of his family.