BosunAl Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Would vehicles near the front lines have window glass removed to prevent shattering and the resulting maiming of personnel? One would think that the concussion from shelling would blow them out in short order. Bosun Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Larkin Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Would vehicles near the front lines have window glass removed to prevent shattering and the resulting maiming of personnel? One would think that the concussion from shelling would blow them out in short order. Bosun Al Lorries never had glass, except for a few modified by companies on in France, usually by stealing windows from buildings. Cars and ambulances kept the glass intact and replaced broken windscreens when they went into workshops. Buses had side windows boarded up by lost more glass through soldiers backpacks than from shelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Roy, in all my research of Australian artillery I've never actually come across anyone who travelled in a bus! Various diaries suggest that the Australian heavy artillery had continuous use of a fleet of trucks, the odd car, and motorcycle. While the field artillery marched everywhere, including to rest, with a fleet of horses pulling wagons. I know which brigade I'd have volunteered for! So I'm interested to hear about bus travel. Were buses attached to the ASC and shared across divisions; how were they organised? Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Larkin Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Roy, in all my research of Australian artillery I've never actually come across anyone who travelled in a bus! Various diaries suggest that the Australian heavy artillery had continuous use of a fleet of trucks, the odd car, and motorcycle. While the field artillery marched everywhere, including to rest, with a fleet of horses pulling wagons. I know which brigade I'd have volunteered for! So I'm interested to hear about bus travel. Were buses attached to the ASC and shared across divisions; how were they organised? Robert Robert, Too big a topic for here really. Destination Western Front has sold out, although the RLC Museum still have a couple in their shop (http://www.rlcmuseum.co.uk) although you might need to email them as I'm not sure it's listed in their on-line shop. Second edition of Destination Western Front should be coming out later this year, so probably best to wait. First buses into France/Belgium were some single deck B-types though there is no record of what happened to them. I suspect they went to the Belgians. The RND took a company of buses with the Marines to Antwerp which appear to be the first used to carry British troops. These were later absorbed into the ASC in August 1915. Four ASC companies (90, 91, 92, 93 Coys ASC) were formed in October 1914 using London buses, though only 2 of these (90, 91 Coy) remained as bus companies in France, the other two being converted to lorries on arrival. Several more bus companies were formed and were administered by individual armies until the reorganisation in 1916/17 when they came under the administration of the Auxiliary Bus Park. By 1918, 339, 405, 563 & 588 Coys ASC had also been formed. They had a variety of roles, from large troop movements, mainly around Flanders and for returning fit troops from hospital to the front and auxiliary roles in back areas. I would need to dig deeper, but given the areas they worked, I feel sure that Australians would have been carried at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Roy, Have sent RLCM an email just now. The more you read about the western front, the more you realise the shear workload going on behind the front; away from the limelight. The drudgery of it, the long hours, the footslogging through the mud; and with no glory attached. I admit to being intrigued about just how they managed under such chaotic conditions, and for so long. My grandfather returned to his unit near Albert from leave in England to discover they had moved north to near Bailleul. He was routed there in a roundabout way via Abbeville - Boulogne - St Omer etc. There must have been method to this - just how did logistics overcome the loss of train lines and junctions - buses? I have got the sense that men in transit were looked after by their respective messes, and perhaps these were a center of communications for the lost... look forward to reading 'destination western front'. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minesweeper Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 ... look forward to reading 'destination western front'. Robert You will enjoy reading it - a great dedicated work by Roy! Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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