The motor-bus in war : $b being the impressions of an A.S.C. officer during two and a half years at the frontBeatson, A. M.
History
The motor-bus in war : $b being the impressions of an A.S.C. officer during two and a half years at the front
Beatson, A. M.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English; World War, 1914-1918 -- Transportation
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
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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