World War 1 HQ Company

JCM6395

Sergeant
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Location
Southwest Indiana
doing some digging on my grand uncle of the 6th Marines. I found out he was in the Headquarters Company of the regiment. My question is what all did a HQ Co. do? Would he have been a runner during engagements? He was wounded at Belleau Wood.
 
Have you obtained your great uncle's service record?

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I am not a WWI expert but, in the modern era, a HQ company would have administrative, communications, logistical (supply), possibly maintenance, and other similar support functions
 
doing some digging on my grand uncle of the 6th Marines. I found out he was in the Headquarters Company of the regiment. My question is what all did a HQ Co. do? Would he have been a runner during engagements? He was wounded at Belleau Wood.

He could have been a lot of things. I have done a little research on the subject. Have you checked Ancestry for their records? They have many of the rosters posted, that may give his assigned duties.
 
If an American HQ company at battalion level was similar to its WW1 British counterpart, then the company could include:

The Regimental Sergeant Major
Quartermasters
Cooks
Pioneers
Drivers
Signallers
Stretcher Bearers
Officers Batmen

Other possibles were shoemaker, armourer, orderly room clerk, padre.

The nominal strength of aBritsh battalion was 1007 in 1914. American infantry regiments had three battalions, which were slightly larger than the British battalions. This gave a nominal strength for an American regiment of 3832. Similar in size to a British brigade. In the British Army there were 4 battalions to a brigade (3 from early 1918 due to 'wastage')
 
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