mud at the side of the road are not unknown, though, of course, during
the succeeding winters they were less prevalent than in 1914, through
greater expertness, born of continued practice and more experience on
the part of the drivers in handling their lorries. Still, the liability
to stick in a convenient ditch is always present in bad weather on
narrow country roads, and during the temporary pause of the lorry thus
caused, the greater the effort exerted by the driver and engine to
extract it, the more briskly the rear wheels revolve in the mud without
advancing the lorry, and the worse becomes the "ditching." Non-skid
chains that can be easily fitted in such an emergency have proved
themselves an invaluable aid. With these securely fixed on the
offending wheel or wheels and another lorry in front, attached to the
defaulter by towing chains, the latter is soon on the crown of the road
once more and able to continue its journey.
All convoys are run strictly in accordance with orders, and the cardinal
principles are briefly that lorries running in convoy must keep
twenty-five yards, approximately, apart and not travel at a greater
speed than ten miles per hour, even this being reduced on passing troops
on the march or going through a village or town. Since the convoy must
keep together, its speed must therefore necessarily be the speed of its
slowest vehicle, and the method of keeping a convoy together and thus
preventing lorries taking a wrong road or getting lost is a very simple
one. In addition to the driver, each lorry has a driver's mate, who
rides inside the body of the vehicle just behind the tailboard, and as
soon as the vehicle immediately in rear of him stops, he signals to his
driver to pull up. Thus the driver of the lorry immediately in front
will receive the same message from his mate, namely, that the lorry
immediately behind him has stopped, and in a very few minutes the whole
column of vehicles will be at a standstill. Instances of such a
stoppage occurred in the event of a lorry in the column suffering from
any mechanical breakdown during the course of its journey or meeting
with a mishap of any kind on the road. It is also the job of the
"look-out" man in the back of the lorry to warn the driver, by means of
the communication cord, when vehicles approaching from the rear desire
to overtake the convoy, so that the driver can be immediately warned to
pull off the centre of the road and thus enable the faster-moving
vehicle to pass. The idea of the communication cord is a good one; on
these occasions it makes outbursts of fiery language from Staff officers
in cars, who are in a hurry, superfluous.
The tendency of drivers of all forms of motor vehicles is, and I suppose
always will be, to drive too fast, exceeding the speed limit, whether
the nature of the road and other circumstances allow or not. The
condition of the roads within the war zone is such that to drive too
fast spells broken springs, to mention only one result. Severe
disciplinary action has become necessary, and with this in view
Assistant Provost Marshals have a way of employing military police with
stop-watches in the old and approved method of the Portsmouth and
Brighton roads. I heard of one trap which was set on a little stretch
of road that was within view and under enemy observation. At this
particular spot the military police made some easy captures. All roads
are under the supervision of the military police, who direct all
traffic. Each army issues a Traffic Map of the area in which it is
operating, and this is in possession of all officers in charge of
convoys. On it, roads over which, owing to their broadness, traffic is
allowed to travel from both directions are marked in a certain way;
narrower roads, over which it is only allowed to proceed one way, are
otherwise indicated on the map. This road control, though often an
inconvenience, necessitating a long detour, in some cases, to reach a
certain place, in order to avoid going against the orders, is absolutely
essential. Without it, blocks in the traffic, ditching in narrow roads,
and consequent delay, would be of frequent occurrence.
All lorries are, of course, inscribed with a W.D. number, duly
registered at G.H.Q., and from this their histories can be immediately
traced. Different supply columns and ammunition parks choose and
register distinguishing marks of their own--almost like trade-marks: the
Bee, Bluebird, Black Cat, Bulldog, are all to be seen, to give only a
few examples. The origin of these distinctive marks is a matter of some
interest. When the 1st Indian Cavalry Supply Column arrived in France
in November 1914, there were, of course, far fewer lorries in the
country than there are to-day. At this time there was a General Routine
Order to the effect that all motor-lorries were to have affixed to the
outside of their tailboards a large white card, 15 inches square, with a
red danger bull's-eye, 6 inches in diameter, in the centre of the card.
Cards of this size and description were accordingly issued, one to each
lorry, to be nailed on the back, the idea being that, at night
especially, the driver of a lorry would be able to distinguish a lorry
in front by the aid of his headlights shining on to the bull's-eye and
thus avoid collision. The idea was a good one, but the inventor did not
take into account the weather conditions that prevailed during the
winter of 1914 in the North of France, for in less than no time the
cards became pulp, destroyed by the constant rain. We therefore did
away with the cards and painted lasting facsimiles in red and white
where the cards had been. But even this was not everything that was
required, as the lorries of our Supply Column were not easily
distinguishable from those of others. To overcome this, a special mark
was painted over the bull's-eye and square. This was the origin of all
the distinguishing marks in existence at present amongst the various
---- Supply Columns and Parks.
Every lorry and car is equipped with a complement of tools, necessary
for adjustments and the carrying out of roadside repairs. The tools are
all entered up in the log-book with which each vehicle is provided for
the purpose, the driver signing a receipt for them in it, when taking
over the vehicle, and having to make good any deficiencies that can be
traced to his own neglect when he is transferred to a different vehicle
and "hands over" to the driver succeeding him.
The multifarious duties of the motor-lorry convoys continue in all
weathers and at all times of day and night. Carrying as they do every
imaginable material, from bread and meat to stones and coal, they do not
work by time-tables, nor do definite hours end and begin their day's
work, so that a high-pressure state of readiness has to be constantly
maintained, this being only possible by perfect organization and the
closest attention to the most minute details, which can alone pave the
way to thoroughness.
The duties of the Army Service Corps in peace-times are many and
various, and the inauguration of hundreds of mechanical transport units
since the outbreak of war has multiplied in every possible way the
duties which previously existed, and considerably enlarged its scope of
action and power of assistance to the armies in the field. Its many
phases, and the important part that it plays in the commissariat of our
armies, cause the Army Service Corps to be an integral part of the
fighting machine. From a Departmental Corps it has become an army in
itself, with many thousands of officers. Its spheres of operation with
the Expeditionary Force in France alone are of such a magnitude as could
never have been adequately realized before the war. It will be seen,
therefore, that thousands of mechanically propelled vehicles, from
motor-cycles to huge tractors, are employed in this vast undertaking.
This necessitates supply depots, where are kept stocks of tyres, spare
parts, tools, and reserves of all kinds of stores, such as oil, petrol,
etc., essential to the maintenance of this huge system in the desired
state of efficiency, so that it is capable of promptly satisfying the
many and constant demands which are made daily by officers commanding
mechanical transport units in the field. The organization now existing
does credit to its originators. For the original Expeditionary Force,
motor-vans and such-like suitable vehicles were hurriedly impressed, and
of them Supply Columns, Ammunition Parks and such-like units were
rapidly formed and dispatched to France. So one would, in those early
days, frequently meet on the road a convoy composed of miscellaneous
vehicles of various makes, brewers' drays, grocers' vans, etc., still
bearing the names, in blazing letters, of their former owners, and the
nature of the load they had previously carried. The London General
Omnibuses and their drivers, which were previous to the war subsidized
by the Government, continued for some time to run along the roads of
Flanders loaded with troops, still displaying their former route through
London. "Piccadilly-Strand-Bank" routes were to be seen, whilst many of
them continued to advertise the Revue at the "Empire" and the fact that
it started at "8.30 p.m. every evening."
But times have changed, and convoys are now composed, not of
miscellaneous subsidized or impressed vehicles, but of standard
motor-lorries; each convoy made up of vehicles of the same make, each
painted a uniform colour, and all of exactly similar appearance, groomed
and turned out like a regiment on parade.
_*Chapter VI*_
_*THE WORKSHOPS*_
Any account of the working and organization of a unit in the field,
composed of mechanically propelled vehicles, would be incomplete unless
it contained a description of the mobile repair workshops which form
such an important part of it. So vital are they that without their aid,
and the skilful application of the tools they embody, the Supply
Column--if such, for example, be the nature of the unit--would become
hopelessly crippled and inefficient as a natural course of events. The
question will possibly arise in the reader's mind, "How are the two
hundred odd motor-lorries, cars, ambulances, and motor-cycles attached
to a Division whilst on service at the front, and which from the
General's car to the machine of the motor-cyclist dispatch rider are all
of necessity subjected to such hard wear and tear, maintained in a state
of efficiency and 'running order'?" I have alluded briefly to the
workshops of the ---- Indian Cavalry Division Supply Column, and in this
chapter I shall endeavour to give a more or less complete description of
them--the work they perform and the results they achieve in the general
scheme of things. The workshop section of a Cavalry Supply Column has an
artificer personnel made up of fitters, turners, blacksmiths,
electricians, and carpenters--the latter known in Army parlance as
"wheelers." The equipment consists in four mobile workshops and four
store lorries. Dealing firstly with the workshops themselves: the type
of lorry employed is usually a Silent Knight Daimler or Leyland,
propelled by a 40-h.p. engine. Surmounting the chassis is a platform, on
which is erected a four-sided and closed-in body; the two sides are made
so that they can be opened out at will and secured horizontally by wood
supports. The top half of each side, opening upwards, forms an
extension to the roof, and the lower half, being let down, extends the
platform or floor-space. The back and front are fixed vertically
upright, the latter immediately behind the driver's seat. Inside the
body on the wooden platform are mounted a lathe, drilling machine,
tool-grinding machine, also fitter's bench and vices, together with the
accompanying small hand tools. A petrol engine direct coupled to a
dynamo drives the lathe, drilling machine, etc. Such, briefly, is the
arrangement of the standard mechanical transport mobile workshops. Our
Workshops Officer, however, was not satisfied and sought to improve upon
it. This he has accomplished in the following way. In the first place
he has made structural alterations to the workshop lorry bodies so as to
take fuller advantage of the possible floor-space. To do this he has
extended the front end of the body from the back of the driver's seat to
the dashboard of the lorry. Secondly, he has eliminated the stationary
petrol engine, and instead employs the engine in the lorry chassis to
drive the lathe, drilling machine, and other machine tools. The system
of driving the machine tools from the lorry engine is by means of a
triple set of whittle belts to the dynamo, and thence the power is
transmitted to the machines. The speed of the engine is maintained
constant by a specially designed centrifugal governor. Imitation being
the sincerest form of flattery, this system of drive in one form or
another has since been copied in many workshops of the mechanical
transport units in France. In addition to the workshop lorries, O.C.
Workshops has a two-wheeled "trailer" of his own design and
construction, which when the column is on the move is coupled up to one
of the workshop lorries and towed by the latter. It is designed to
carry two spare engines complete. When stationary, it acts as a
fitting, erecting, and engine-testing bench, and on it all lorry engines
are overhauled and refitted as occasion requires. On the trailer is
fixed a crane, which enables the engine that is to be overhauled to be
lifted direct from its lorry chassis and placed on the trailer.
Conversely, the crane replaces the reconstructed engine into its
chassis, time and labour occupied by the operation being considerably
reduced by the use of this device as compared with manual labour and
pulley blocks. The time during which the lorry is out of action is
appreciably reduced; it becomes a matter of hours instead of days, for
the engine that is removed from the chassis for overhauling purposes is
replaced for the time being by one of the engines which is in running
order carried on the trailer. Moreover, without the mechanical
advantage gained by the use of the trailer and crane, the operation
would naturally take very considerably longer and the lorry be out of
action for a proportionately longer period.
The O.C. Workshops has also designed and constructed numerous other
time- and labour-saving appliances; for example, he has made extensions
to lathes, enabling almost any part of a lorry to be machined in them
when required.
To enable the blacksmiths to tackle any job that might be required, he
has made and fitted up an electrically driven "Roots" blower. Thus it
is only necessary to build up a hearth of bricks and mud, set up the
blower, switch on the electric current, and a roaring welding fire
within a few minutes is the result. Although these workshops are
designated "mobile," and only intended for the carrying out of simple
and "running" repairs, the blacksmiths have literally forged axles by
the roadsides. Amongst other appliances must be mentioned the brass
furnace, in which is melted up all old scrap, such as used up phosphor
or bronze bearings, etc., and from such metal, when poured, castings are
made of every conceivable brass part of a car or lorry that could be
required. It is not uncommon for 2 cwt. of metal to be "run" in a day
from this furnace and cast into moulds, the necessary "patterns" from
which the castings are moulded being also made by artificers of the
workshops.
The net result of such well-equipped workshops is that during the whole
time that the column has been in France it has not been found necessary
to return a single vehicle to the Base Depot for replacement. Every
repair has been carried out "in the field" by the column workshops. The
non-evacuation of a single lorry is a record held by the ---- Indian
Cavalry Division Supply Column, and the fact is the more remarkable
since over half of the lorries are, as I have previously stated,
ex-London General buses.
It will be seen at once from the brief description I have given of the
workshops appliances that at any time, day or night, and in any place,
be it even by the roadside, it is only necessary to start up the engines
and the whole unit is set in motion, and is immediately in full working
order--at night, illuminated throughout by a blaze of electric
incandescent lamps, the current being generated by the self-same
workshop lorry engine.
The workshop artificers are all specially enlisted and skilled workmen
at their particular jobs, and with the tools and appliances at their
disposal, there is no job that they would not be prepared to tackle.
One of the difficulties of mechanical transport vehicles and motor-cars
has been the question of road "springs." Owing to having to carry heavy
loads on rough roads, these were found to occasionally break a leaf or
two, and thus put the vehicle out of action. For this reason the O.C.
Workshops not only makes sets of springs, but hardens and tempers them;
an operation which, being an art in itself, requires considerable skill.
He has constructed a special hardening furnace for this purpose.
Apart from the many jobs necessary to keep all the motor vehicles of the
Division, the Supply Column motor-lorries and cars, all the motor
ambulances, motor-cycles and Divisional Staff cars, the total number
amounting to over two hundred in the case of a Cavalry Division, in a
state of running order and constant efficiency, the following, to
mention only a few, are samples of the jobs which have been undertaken
and accomplished: the making of 3-inch shells, hand grenades, "discs"
for motor-car wheels, automatic barbed-wire cutters, and last, though
not least, a silver christening cup, which was presented by the officers
of the column to one of our number, as a gift from them for his son and
heir, who was born very shortly after our arrival in France. In order
to make this cup, first of all a wooden pattern was made; a quantity of
old silver spoons, forks, and other articles were then melted up in the
furnace, and the cup cast from the pattern. It was then turned up and
polished in a lathe, the result being a handsome goblet, 18 inches in
height and weighing 1 1/2 lb. The O.C. Workshops and his artificers
delight in making any special article which calls for exceptional skill
and ingenuity; there are sometimes days when possibly the workshops are
not particularly overburdened with work, and "fancy" jobs such as the
above serve to keep the artificers' hands "in," and the efficiency of
the tools and machines up to high-water mark.
As I have already explained, although the workshops are designated
"mobile," which term implies that they can be moved from place to place
as the position of the column changes, and also suggests that they are
only intended for carrying out "running" repairs, they are now the most
complete and up-to-date engineering works for the size that it is
possible to imagine. They are able to carry out all the operations of
any engineering works, from the preparation of designs and drawings,
patterns, castings, and forgings, etc., to the fitting together of the
complete article. Every workshop tool and appliance is marked with a
number, which identifies the workshop lorry to which it belongs, so that
in the event of the column receiving an order to suddenly move, which
is, in fact, frequently the case, the entire equipment can be packed up
and the workshops are on the road in less than a couple of hours from
the time the order to move is received. There is a place for everything,
and everything has been designed and constructed to fit in its place.
It is, of course, necessary to have always at hand a considerable
quantity of workshop stores in the form of spare parts, tools,
sparking-plugs, bolts, nuts and the like; these are carried in the store
lorries, which have closed-in bodies, the interior of the bodies being
fitted out with pigeon-holes and compartments for the purpose. The
store lorries are four in number; they also serve as offices for the
storekeepers and clerks, and in them all office work connected with the
organization of the workshops is carried out. In order to enable this
to be done, the O.C. Workshops has fitted them with an office table
apiece and large side windows to admit light and air, two necessaries
which the original designers must have overlooked! The lorry which
serves as his own office he has fitted up with an office-chair and
table, cupboards, an aluminium wash-hand basin, which was cast from
scrap aluminium, a gas stove, and hot-water supply apparatus, the whole
equipment having been made throughout in the workshops. The interior of
the lorry is also, of course, lit with electricity, and thus the O.C.
Workshops is enabled to carry on his work in comfort day or night,
summer or winter.
_*Chapter VII*_
_*LIFE BEHIND THE LINE*_
During our stay at Fouqtiereuil, which was not, however, of long
duration, we saw and heard things that to most of us, at any rate, were
quite new. In the distance artillery was continually booming away, and
at night the brilliant flashes of the star-shells over the trenches
beyond us lit up the sky. It was not uncommon any day to see an
aeroplane in the distance, followed in its passage across the sky by
little puffs of white smoke, the phenomenon caused by shrapnel shells
loosed off by our anti-aircraft guns on land at a hostile Taube,
bursting all around it.
Our next move was to Lillers, where we remained only for a short time
also. Of our journeys and convoys from this railhead I give some
account in a following chapter. A few days before the end of December,
railhead was again moved, this time to Berguette, and here we spent our
first Christmas Day. Our mess was a room in a small empty house, which
certainly looked cheerless enough when we first saw it, but the O.C.
Workshops very soon, with the assistance of his able artificers,
produced a table and forms, rigged up a thoroughly efficient acetylene
lighting plant and also a fire-grate; this latter was really a
masterpiece of blacksmiths' art.
With these and many luxuries in the form of Christmas puddings and cakes
sent by fond relatives at home, not forgetting a turkey locally acquired
by the C.O., and some champagne of doubtful vintage, we managed to do
ourselves proud. In all the different places in which we have been
stationed, whether our mess has been a brickyard, a deserted house, a
barn or a tent, the ingenuity of O.C. Workshops and his contrivances to
produce light, heat, and such-like cardinal comforts have never failed
us. A man who has spent years in the wilds of Africa and is accustomed
to making himself always comfortable and thoroughly at home amid the
most unpromising surroundings--even amongst the haunts of the man-eating
lions of Tsavo or the snowy summits of the Klondyke--and who is also an
engineer and an inventive genius, is a distinct acquisition to any unit
on active service.
The artistic touch also we do not usually omit, for whenever possible we
decorate the faded wall-paper of the messroom with a selection of
Raphael Kirchner's fair "Parisiennes"--those charming vivandieres of the
trenches, dressed with that economy which is so very French!
A day or two before the end of the year railhead was again moved. This
time to Aire-sur-la-Lys, where we were destined to stay for some months.
Aire is one of those quaint, old-fashioned little towns of which there
are so many in the Northern departments of France, with its large _pave_
Grande Place or open market square bordered by shops, and squared off at
one end by an imposing Hotel de Ville. I must not forget that here also
is the Cafe du Commerce, which in due course became a recognized
rendezvous for officers between the hours of six and eight every
evening, and where Madame and Mdlle Chermeux dispensed many delectable
_aperitifs_.
Aire contains one or two good examples of sixteenth-century Spanish
architecture, and a large, square-towered and massive cathedral, which
has been restored and added to until it seems to embody many types of
architecture, and incidentally contains some very fine and beautifully
coloured stained-glass windows, the interior effect of these in the
long, dark nave being somewhat nullified by the amount of cheap and
gaudy decoration, gilt paint and such-like, on walls and pillars, alas!
so noticeable in many cathedrals and big churches in France.