AP AND THE
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PAST ONE
A Comparison, Bridging 25 Years, of Experience in Training Drivers for Military Service
By A Technical Officer
I N 1914, when I joined the Army in the past war, I was young, single and enthusiastic, without worries or responsibilities, and giving but little real thought to the future.
In this war I am 25 years older, married, with two children in the process of being educated, and cannot, therefore, say that I • am without ressonsibilities or thought for the future. I have one quality, however, which has not altered; and that is— enthusiasm. In many respects I like the Army life, and I am keen to do my job to the best of my ability, to be a good officer also, as, indeed, I hope I was in the past war, Like many other men of my age, I registered last year with the Officers' Emergency Reserve, and, after waiting some time, received a request to present myself at the War Office, where I was courteously received and asked to say what I " did " in the past war.
After this there was another period of waiting, and I was beginning to think that, in spite of my technical training and experience, my services would not, after all, be required, and I resigned myself to settling down to my business in London.
Offer of Appointment as Technical Instructor
Suddenly there arrived one morning that familiar-looking envelope bearing the impressive letters 0.H.M.S., which I hurriedly opened and read therein that I was offered an appointment as Technical Instructor at an R.A.S.C. Driver Training Centre, somewhere in England. This appointment was to be subject to my passing a medical examination, which, however, presented no difficulty to myself or to the medical officer who examined me.
The rank I was to be given was that of second lieutenant, as officers called up from the Emergency Reserve, unlike those of the Regular or Territorial Reserve, are not gazetted at the rank held in the past war, as they were then merely " temporary" officers.
I had only about eight or nine days in which to order, and be fitted with, my uniform, and this, together with attending to some of the more important of business matters, kept me very busy during that time, and I was not sorry to take my seat in the train en route for my destination.
The appointment carried amongst its duties the testing of lorry drivers who are taught to drive at the Training Centre—young men of the Militia who have never driven before. Of course, the need for a far greater number of drivers for the present war is obvious, and the Driver Training Centres are coping with the problem in an efficient manner.
Now it happens that in the past war I had, amongst others, a similar appointment to my present one at the Motor Transport School of Instruction at St. Omer, in France, and as I tested a large number of officers and men in driving cars and lorries, it is interesting to compare the laults made in learning to dsive then and now.
Effect of Age on Driving Ability
Having already passed a round 100 men here, I am in a position to do so. First of all. I should explain that last time the men sent to us for training as drivers were all older, some even almost elderly, and I used to feel sorry for some of them whom I liad to turn clown as unlikely to become drivers of W.D. vehicles.
This time, however, they are all young men who have only just been called up, and they are all, with few exceptions, keen to learn to drive.
Well, then, here are men making exactly the same mistakes in learning to drive as those of 25 years ago (and the system of instruction was substantially the same then. as it is now) , some would be too heavy on the clutch or change-speed lever, whilst others could not co-ordinate successfully the movements of the clutch pedal and gear lever when changing; others failed to accelerate the engine while double de-clutching when changing down.
In fact, so vividly did it all come back to me that I had to pull myself together once or twice at the beginning to assure myself that I was not living in 1916 again! Now the driving instructors say that the men are " a bit nervous " with an officer sitting beside them—precisely as the instructors said in 1916!
Another thing that at first made me feel I was in France again was the strange dialect of the civilians in this part of the country, and I felt that they must be foreigners, with the result that I found myself being, unconsciously, very polite to them and bidding all and sundry a cheery " Good-day," In fact, I felt that I ought to be saying " Bon jour "! I suppose the psychologists would say ,that this was due to the association of events.
Now to refer for a moment to the driving instruction itself. In 1916 our vehicles were all cormnandeered lorries and cars in various conditions, but mostly more or less bad. It is just the same to-day, and it seems that " anything" will do to teach on, than which,' in my opinion, there is no greater mistake; but that is another story.
The course lasts officially two months, divided so that the men receive an equal period of driving instruction and military training each day; but I am not concerned with the latter, as there are special officers who deal with that side of the course.
Driving Instructors with Considerable Experience
In the past war we had a mixed lot of driving instructors, but here we have a squad of L,P,T,B. coach and bus drivers—men of considerable experience in driving London's public-service vehicles. These men volunteered for this particular job, at. I understand, the special request of Lord Ashfield; they have all been given the rank of corporal and form a fine body of men, The " trainees," as the Militiamen are called, should consider themselves very fortunate in being taught to drive by these experienced men. In addition to the L,P.T,B. personnel, we have a few other driving instructors to complete the establishment.
Finally, a word about the Militiamen themselves—they seem to be a good set of fellows and quite keen to become good soldiers. Those among them who do not much care about Army life are sporting enough to admit that there is a job to be done and that they are going to see it through. There is one thing, though, in which they are all agreed, and that is the food—" It's line!" they say.