Man uvre Conclusions.
Page 4
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We may perhaps be excused if we inform our readers that we have been the recipien s of quite a number of unexpected congratulations from readers, with regard to the promptness with which we were enabled to report and to illustrate practically the whole of the transport operations during the Grand Manceuvres of last week in the issue which had to be "on the machines" on the Wednesday. By the use of an organized body of correspondents and motorcyclist messengers, we were able to get the necessary information either over the congested wires or the often-crowded high roads in good style.
In the pressure which resulted on our space, we were unfortunately unable to complete the information with regard to the list of machines employed ; we may therefore usefully now include that list of vehicles which comprised the Blue Army's third division T. and S. Column. The machines were as follow:—(L) Leyland, A.S.C. ; (2) do., do. ; (3) Halley, S. Etchells, Manchester ; (1) Milnes-Daimler, E. Rochford (5) Commer Car, J. M. Higgs ; (6) Commer Car, Orpington Agency ; (7) do., do. ; (8) Leyland, A.S.C. ; (9) Commer Car, S. S. Nrvill ; (10) Leyland, A.S.C. ; (11) do., do. ; (12) Coijimer Car, Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd. ; (13) Leyland, A. S. C. ; (14) Commer Car, S. S. Nevin ; (15) do., Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd. ; (16) Leyland, A.S.C.; (17) Commer Car, Warings ; (18) Leyland, A.S.C. ; (19) Dennis, Frernlin ; (20) Commer Car, Warings ; (21) do., C. G. Hibbert and Co. ; (22) G. Halley, S. Etchells ; (23) Berns, Furlongs, Woolwich ; (21) Leyland, A.S.C. ; (25) do., do. ; (26) do., do. ; (27) Straker bus, Bath Electric Tramways Co., Ltd. ; (28) do., do. ; (29) do., do. ; (30) do. (single-decker), do. ; (31) Berna, Ed_ Paul ; and (32) Leyland, Milner, Gt. Eccleston.
The six last-mentioned machines were in reality Territorial transport, and for the first day of the operations they were engaged in carrying troops between Cambridge and Ely. Captain Organ was in charge of the repair plant for this column, whilst Captain A. M. Cockshott, A.S.C., was in command of the whole column.
We should correct an amusing error in transcription which appeared in the first column of page 47 of our last issue. "Cavalry column repairs are executed first" should read "Cavalry column repairs are executed by the First Division!'
Last year none of us, civilians or military experts, were afforded any opportunity to judge of the important part which motor transport is destined to play in connection with army tactics. At one time, in August of this year, it. again looked very much as if unpropitious weather conditions would deprive us of an opportunity of practical experiment and careful observation in the field. Fortunately, however, conditions became favourable, and we have now before us a great amount of data which will prove of undoubted benefit to all those who are interested in the various branches of modern motor transport. It is now certain that the horse will play a smaller and smaller part in connection with the transportation of food and other supplies to the troops at the front in future years, and it is even more definitely decided that the type of machine which will be used almost exclusively is the internal-combustion lorry of medium power. Many of those in use by the armies last week were too large and all were underloaded. We ourselves had opportunities to converse with officers of many different branches of the service last week, and we were impressed to a remarkable degree with the astonishment which these men showed concerning the practical performances of the mechanicaltransport supply columns, which did such yeoman service for both Blue and Red armies in the manceuvre area.
Never had he seen the roads so clear of the usual jumble of lengthy horsed transport trains, was the remark passed to us by a field officer of many years service. He was astonished to find that the transport officers were enabled, by the use of suitably-chosen railheads far to the rear of the fighting lines, and of compactly-organized motor transport columns, to keep sufficient stores on the move to supply the troops for at least two days ahead, and with the possibility of extending the routes to anything up to, say, 100 miles, on emergency. We may perhaps, in conclusion, record our appreciation of the manner in which both officers and men assisted us whenever our correspondents required information or help, and we may finally set down the undoubted conclusion that almost everyone concerned was more than pleased with the way in which the vehicles, both subsidized and regular Government machines, carried out their duties, which were, it should be remembered, often less onerous than those which normally fell to the lot of many of the units in the course of their ordinary business routine.
There was undoubtedly a considerable amount of grumbling on the part of the civilian drivers in regard to the way in which they were messed, but we believe steps were taken later to improve matters in this respect. As might be expected, the regular column of army mechanical transport, which was, as a matter of fact, attached to the cavalry division of the Red or
invading force, kept wonderful distance, and was an object lee son in the manner in which plant of this kind can be manceuvred over the roads of the country with precision and certainty. The subsidized lorries were, of course, not driven so accurately, and in some cases, where the columns consisted of machines .which differed very much in type, the intervals on the road were, to say the least of it, appreciable.
As standardization of subvention types becomes more general, and, later still, as the need for hired wagons diminishes, the employment of regular columns of mechanical tram sport vehicles will undoubtedly add to the efficiency of armies in the field to a very remarkable extent. Much has now been taught to the "powers that be."