Delivering The Goods

by Bob Butcher

Last month we examined the BEF's bases and the personnel who worked there. Now it's time to think about how the material handled by them got to the fighting troops. This, of course, involved transport and it is as well to remind ourselves that in those days if anybody or anything moved more than about thirty miles by land, it would almost certainly be by rail. In fact in the BEF, road transport was limited to that distance. Transport over longer distances was therefore by the French railways (principally the Nord Line) but to a much lesser extent, inland waterway was used especially for materials in bulk when speed was not important.

When the Director General of Transportation (DGT) started to regulate all movements from Home factory or camp, shipment, landing, rail carriage in France and distribution from railhead, the previous capacity of the line was increased by 50%. Eventually the British were requested to provide everything and do everything necessary to carry their own traffic over the Nord Line which meant that the Railway Operating Department (ROD) of the Royal Engineers became virtually a complete railway company in all its many facets.

Every day supply wagons were sent forward from base for each division without requisition. These contained all the food, forage and fuel requirements of the division for twenty-four hours based on full establishment-- roughly 20,000 men and 5000 horses or mules for an infantry division.

Divisions sent consolidated lists of requirements for items in frequent demand such as clothing and blankets to base ordnance depots, different items on different days of the week. Ordnance then despatched the required items in a wagon to a regulating station (marshalling yard) where it and the supply wagons from various depots and bases would be formed into a divisional 'pack' train.

At railhead ASC or AOC controlled the unloading of the contents of the wagons onto lorries of the divisional supply column which delivered them to the divisional refilling point. There unit horse transport took over. There was also an extensive system of light railways forward of the railheads. The last leg to the troops in the trenches was, of course, by carrying party.

Ammunition supply was kept separate from ordinary stores and full train loads were sent forward as necessary to special ammunition railheads. When unloaded the ammunition was then taken by motor transport to the divisional refilling point from where the divisional ammunition column took over and distributed it as required to units, parks or dumps. (A depot was a permanent storage area, a park was a mobile one and a dump was temporary collection of ammunition close to gun positions.) Huge shell dumping programmes over several weeks were necessary to make the vast quantities of shells necessary available for the prolonged preparatory bombardments for major offensives.

THE PRICE OF FREE SPEECH

by J. P.Lethbridge

On Friday 31 December 1915 a Newport, Monmouthshire, dockyard clerk, Thomas Morgan, was tried by two magistrates Mr Martyn and Mr Mordey at Newport Police Court for allegedly making statements that would cause disaffection to His Majesty King George V, and prejudice recruiting. The accused was prosecuted by Mr Dauncey and defended by Mr Lyndon Moore.

Mr Dauncey opened the prosecution saying that Morgan and about twenty-five others were in the bar of the 'Great Western Dining Room' at about half eight in the evening of Wednesday 15 December 1915. There was a general conversation about the war and Morgan allegedly said that “the King was a bastard, so were all his ancestors, and that England's constitution wasrotten ”. The accused allegedly concluded that he was a socialist and did not care who knew it.

The first witness Albert Bailey said that he had been present and had heard the accused use the alleged words including a swear word that the MONMOUTHSHIRE EVENING POST refused to print. The witness admitted that he had only heard the accused talk about the 'King' and not the 'King of England' Owen Rees, a Newport draper, testified that he had heard Morgan say that he would fight for his country but not for the King, and that the Royal Family were all a bad lot. William John Rees a foreman painter supported s evidence.

Thomas Morgan testified in his defence that he had been talking about Salonika and referring to the King of Greece and the Greek Royal Family whose behaviour had put British troops at Salonika in great danger. Mr Keene and Mr Clements who were fellow employees of Morgan at Habberfield and Williams, described him as a good patriot, and the firm's accountant Mr Jolliffe supported this evidence.

The magistrates retired. After about fifteen minutes Mr Martyn returned and said that since the evidence was unclear the accused would be acquitted but would have to pay five pounds five shillings court costs about five hundred pounds in modern money.

 

STEEL HELMETS

by Bob Butcher

The worrying number of fatal head wounds in the BEF led to consideration being given to issuing the French Adrian steel helmet to British troops. Indeed a number of British officers, including Winston Churchill then serving in France with the Royal Scots Fusiliers, had privately obtained French helmets for their own use.

However a model patented by John Brodie in August 1915 was preferred as it was considered that it gave better protection from a shrapnel shell bursting overhead and was more suitable for mass production. This type 'A' helmet was stamped out in one piece from mild steel and was of the familiar shallow 'bowler' shape. In October 1915 though, type 'B' was adopted. It was made of hardened manganese 'Hadfield' steel, had a slightly narrower brim and the dome was slightly more rounded. Even this tougher model was not bullet proof but it did offer protection against a shrapnel ball travelling at 750 feet per second.

Small trial quantities started to arrive in France in September 1915. At first fifty were allotted to each battalion position as trench stores and had to be handed over to the relieving battalion. It was found that the rate of head wounds among men wearing a helmet was reduced by at least 75% and further supplies were therefore requested. In fact Ordnance issued one million in the first six months of 191E enabling a personal issue to commence. In May a slightly modified version with a two piece liner, the 'Mark 1', was introduced and remained standard for the rest of the war.

 

DID YOU KNOW

Another dip in Bob's bag of (more or less) useless information. That

at the beginning of the war: The RFC had four operational squadrons, sixty-six serviceable planes and a mobilised strength of 1,260 all ranks. The RNAS was not at first organised in squadrons but possessed thirty-nine aeroplanes, fifty-two sea planes and seven air ships, about half the planes being ready for immediate use. Personnel numbered approximately 818 all ranks.

At the end of the war:The RAF had 188 operational squadrons fifteen flights at Home and overseas, had 2264 planes, 103 air ships and 291,170 all ranks including about 13,000 pilots. It also possessed a considerable number of 'kite' balloons.

The Bulletin of the Birmingham Branch of the WFA

Compiled by Bob Butcher

June 2008