From Tottenham Court Road to the Trenches.
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The Y.M.C.A. and Motor Transport. Night and Day Work by all Classes of Vehicles horn the Four-ton Lorry to the Small Car.
A chance inquiry for aid in the selection of a heavy-vehicle chassis for use Overseas, which reached us from the headquarters staff of the Y.M.C.A. served to remind us of a desire oelong standing, to investigate from the motoring point of view the work of that association. That a report of such an investigation would prove useful to our readers we had long surmised. A few remarks dropped by the head of the motor transport of the association in France concerning the behaviour of vehicles in his charge seemed to strengthen our conviction.
Primarily our intention was in the main to deal only with that department of its activities which was generally concerned with commercial rnotordom. However, after .a few minutes chat with Mr. Slater, who is the head of the motor department at headquarters, Tottenham Court Road, our interest was roused, and we felt that we should do less than justice to the organization if we did not at the same time touch upon the other branches of motor work in which the association is engaged.
The scope is wide, and the classea of work diversified. Each section. moreover, from the nature of things, and owing to several causes, is liable to overlap all or any of the
others. It is consequently very difficult to classify the work into various divisions. Broadly speaking, perhaps, we may say that there are really three main departments, London, Provincial and Overseas. Of the first and last of these we were able to obtain information on the occasion of our interview. The fact, however, that the headquarters staff deals only with London and Overseas, and that each Provincial centre acts entirely on its own in regard to the matter of transport, rendered it impossible for us to get much detail of the working of the second of these departments.
Headquarters actually deals with 150 vehicles, 60 of which are in London and 90 Overseas probably m France, Egypt, or dallipoli. The work of those in London is that of conveying both goods and men, the former in the daytime, the latter at night. What is described as the night motor transport column is a particularly interesting and useful 'branch of the association's work. It. is a source of wonderful help to Tommy, arriving in London very
i late at night, or n the small hours of the morning, at one of the principal termini and needing either rest for a few hours before proceed.
ing on his way, or means of transport from one station to another. At the time when he arrives, no tubes, nor buses nor trams are running. In many cases, this may be the first occasion on which he has visited London ; even did he know the way, the distanoe betweeu stations often entails a wearisome tramp for a man who, perhaps, has had neither rest nor food aince leaving the trenches many hours before. To him, therefore, this night column comes as an inestimable boon.
Its use is further extended in order to relieve congestion at some of the Y.M.C.A. huts, and transfer the temporary occupants to other establishments less crowded or having greater accommodation. If work of neither of these two classes is available, then the cars patrol the London streets along certain specified routes touching at certain points to which wandering soldiers are directed ; there they are picked up and transferred either to station or hut, as their desires tend. For this work voluntary help is utilized, and owners of cars give both their services and their vehicles to this end, consequently, as may be realized; the column is composed of various makes, and with their upkeep the association has little or nothing to do.
The number of men who slept in the Y.M.C.A. London huts per evening in September was 1100; by the time these words are in print that number will almost have doubled. It is expected by Faster that the association will be dealing with 4000 men per night. It is, therefore., almost unnecessary to state that greatly increased aid needed. Work can be found, we understand, for at least 50 more cars.
In the daytime the work cf the motor department is concerned Chiefly with the transport of stores for the various canteens attached to munition works.
The motor departnaent conveys the stores from the places at which they are purchased to the different canteens and performs other work of a like nature. For this purpose one or two lorries and a number of Fords have been purchased, and in addition use is made of a number of souring-car chassis which has been presented to the Association. Mention was made to us in this regard of a Whiting-Denby 1-ton van' and the Garford 30-cwt. machine. Both of these types are giving excellent service., the. former notwithstanding that it is handicapped by a heavy body, the weight of which approaches the net useful load for which the chassis was built.
In this department the Association suffers, in common with all other users of transport at the present time, from a shortage of capable drivers and mechanics. For this we fear no alleviation is possible, or lihely. It will be necessary for them to carry on as best they may with the material at hand. It is perhaps for thii:•reas,on, amongst others, that the Ford chassis has found favour for this class of work, on account of the ease with which it may be repaiaed. The availability of spares, too, is an important asset in respect of this chassis.
We illustrate on these pages the type of bodywork which has been standardized for use both at home and overseas. It is a double-purpose body made by suitably altering a Standard Ford commercial vehicle superstructure. Referring to the illustration, the reader will observe that portions of the sides have beers removed and replaced by curtains having mica windows. A similar curtain, also provided with windows, closes the rear of the van. Along each side are ranged hinged seats, and the tailboard when dropped serves as a step. It is thus convertible at will for either goods or passenger service, the conversiOn occupying a few minutes only. The fittings for either of these purposes do not interfere to any degree with those for the other.
In France the canteen work is carried out in the same way, but, as might be imagined, on a more severe and dangerous scale. There are no fewer than. 250 Y.M.C.A. huts which serve also as canteens, as entertainment rooms, and as rest houses, at the Front. Many of these huts are actually in the trenches. Some idea may be gathered of the amount of work to be done, when it is realized that 1000 tons of inate rials are handled from the base depot.
The work is carried out oy a few heavy vehicles and a number of Fords. Two four-ton Hallfords take the lion's share of the work. Such has been the service rendered by these chassis that. the Association were greatly disappointed recently on finding the need for an increase in their fleet that the War Office would not permit the release of another 47f thase chassis. .It was
on this account that our assistance as regards the selection of a suitable vehicle was asked. Of the Hallfords we understand that one has been in continuous use for more than 12 months, during which time it has averaged SO miles a day, seven days a week, and has not yet been taken down. The only trouble which has arisen in the course of more than a year's service has been in connection with the front springs, -which have proved too weak. In this respect thellallford is in good company, as the rough shell-torn roads : of France have discovered this point in not a few chassis. It is perhaps a failing that. would not have come to light on ordinary roads as we know them in peace times. Another. lorry which has been in. use under the same arduous conditions for a lengthy period is the one-ton Bessemer. As for the Fords, we can only refer readers to the remarks concerning this make of chassis, which we made earlier in this article, in reference to the work of the organization in this country. We are informed that they are considered the chassis phr excellence for van work.
• The 'other work carried out by the Y.M.C.A. in Franca is of conveying soldiers coming home on leave from trench to station, and station to hut, or hut to station, and providing them with refreshment, rest and entertainment en route. Another and particularly useful branch of its activities concerns the carriage of relatives of soldiers seriously wounded and lying in hospital in France from the stations on the coasts to the hospitals.