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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

ASC in East Africa


Miniliz

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I have recently discovered that my Great Uncle Ernest Priest was in East Africa with the ASC.

This is his service record:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=Vi...amp;pid=1632078

It's very sketchy! The second page says that he went to East Africa and has 'spares' in brackets.

On the RASC forum I have discovered (through someone else's enquiry) that the DM2 in the top left means 'Driver Mechanical Transport' with the 2 meaning Kitchener's 2nd Army.

Also, after the ASC stamp on the top right of the first page there's a mark that looks like 'M1' - could this be MT and also be indicating that he was with Mechanical Transport? Are there any other clues on this record that will help me find out which MT company he was with?

Any help very gratefully received!!

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Are there any other clues on this record that will help me find out which MT company he was with?

As you state the detail is very sketchy but there are two images (#88275 and #88283) that possibly give a clue as to the MT Company he was with for at least some of the time.

Image #88275 is his conduct sheet and has 648 Jan'y 1918 written on it.

Image #88283 is signed by his Commanding Officer on 16/05/1918 which states 648 MT Coy.

I don't know enough about ASC MT Companies but 648 MT Company was definitely in East Africa for some of the time Ernest was there, it looks like it might have been formed in June 1917 according to the following list elsewhere on the forum;

"The following ASC Companies served in East Africa up to 1918:-

570 from 17 Sept 1915 (Brigade supply column MT) absorbed into 648 MT Co 21 June 1917

599 From 320 Oct 1915 Advanced MT Depot

618 from Jan 1916 18 Motor Ambulance Convoy

622 absorbed into 648 MT Co June 1917 Naval Kite Baloon Section MT

632 ditto Ammunition column MT

633 ditto Ammunition column MT

634 ditto Divisional Ammunition Column MT

635 13 Jan 1916 Brigade Supply Column MT

699 17 April 1916 29 Motor Ambulance Column

816 absorbed into 648 MT Co July 1918 Supply Column MT (long distance moves)

817 ditto ditto ditto"

On your post in the other thread you stated "they reveal he was with ASC and went to East Africa from 26.12.16. There's no 'until' date", the detail is in fact there but very feint.

It shows he was in East Africa from 26/12/1916 to 24/08/1917, en route 25/08/1917 to 04/09/1917, South Africa 05/09/1917 to 30/01/1918, en route 31/01/1918 to 03/03/1918 and home from 04/03/1918 onwards.

Regards

Steve

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There are two references to 648 Coy ASC, this may be a renumbering of an earlier unit. However, he landed in East Africa around the time that operations were to begin from Kilwa and would probably be based there or in Dar Es Salaam. He left around the time other troop detachments did in early 1918 after Von Lettow had crossed the Rovuma into PEA.

Roop

You beat me Steve!

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Thank you for your help!

I must admit to being an idiot - when I first found it Ancestry stated that there were 2 pages - so based on that I hadn't looked further than the 2nd one. Feeling a bit of a fool right now..... :rolleyes: You can tell I'm new to this!

But it is still faint so I would have found it hard to work it all out - I'll print it out in a bit and see what else I've missed!

I had found the list of companies on the Long Long Trail site, I'll revisit that later and see what else I can piece together.

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648MT was based at Kilwa and was involved in stores and supply to the force in the field. It appears to have originated as 570MT, no war diary exists for 648MT.

Roop

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