When you think of ‘mounted infantry’, you probably think tanks, armoured personnel carriers, maybe even horses. Probably not a soldier riding a bicycle in a war. Well, think again!

During WWI, cyclists carried despatches and messages at all hours of the day and night, in all kinds of weather, and often traversing bad roads blocked to other transport. All the major combatants deployed bicycles, with NZ fielding the New Zealand Cyclist Corps, a mounted infantry unit that could move around a battlefield quickly and quietly. It’s thought that 100,000 British and Commonwealth troops used bicycles in some capacity, as they were an ideal means of transportation and were comparatively lightweight. As well as being ridden, the bicycle could be loaded with equipment and pushed. However, as the war dragged on, the bogging down of troops in trench warfare forced the reassignment of soldiers from cyclist to infantry units.

 

Our BSA Service Bicycle has the the NZD Broad Arrow and serial number stamped on the frame. It’s kitted out for a member of the NZ Cyclist Corps with a blanket roll attached to the handlebars, a canvas tool roll attached to the seat springs, and the 1908 large pack and helmet on the carrier. A kerosene lamp is fitted to the right front fork, and two steel brackets on the frame allow for carrying a rifle.