WW1 Military Motors - 1916 set x 50 cards

[Lancashire Fusilier]

To cultivate the vast and then still growing acreage of the Western Front under the control of the Directorate of Agricultural Production, the DAP troops needed to utilize an array of farming vehicles and equipment, both horse-drawn and motorized.

Looking more like an English pastoral scene rather than the Western Front still at war, the attached photographs show DAP troops working on the harvest in the Summer of 1918 in fields around Amiens, using an American made ' Deering ' harvester. Although made in the U.S.A., prior to WW1, Deering had opened offices in London to handle the importation of their agricultural machinery into Britain.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

2

[GRANVILLE]

Completely fascinating!

David

[BSM]

LF, interesting to see the AIF Sergeant in one of the behind the lines agricultrual images not to detract from the content overall which is a great selection. Another topic poorly addressed but an indispensable aspect of the overall Logistic scheme of things etc. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the woodwork during the next four years. Rod

[Lancashire Fusilier]

LF, interesting to see the AIF Sergeant in one of the behind the lines agricultrual images not to detract from the content overall which is a great selection. Another topic poorly addressed but an indispensable aspect of the overall Logistic scheme of things etc. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the woodwork during the next four years. Rod

Rod,

I am not sure if AIF Units were selected for attachment to the DAP because of their strong farming experience back home, or if their selection was random. Either way, here are some more photographs of Australian troops attached to the DAP working on bringing in the harvest during the Summer of 1918 in the Somme region.

Regards,

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

2

[David Filsell]

They also serve who only thresh and carry!

[Lancashire Fusilier]

In addition to the motorized agricultural equipment and vehicles used by the Army units attached to the DAP., there was also a strong reliance on horse-drawn vehicles and farm equipment, as was the case with farms on the Home Front in 1918.

In the following photographs, soldiers attached to the DAP are seen working on the harvest in fields under the control of the Directorate of Agricultural Production around Bethune, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France, which previously, had been land bitterly fought over during the Battle of Arras.

Were it not for the uniforms and the Brodie helmets being worn by the harvesters, this could have been the idyllic scene of any harvest in Britain during the Summer of 1918.

LF

IWM These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

2

[Lancashire Fusilier]

An idyllic scene, showing British DAP troops working on the harvest in fields around Bethune in the Summer of 1918.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

The scenes are quite surreal if you think about it. Presumably within range of artillery, hence the helmets and presumably within earshot of some of what is going on at the front, all undertaken under a no-doubt hot August sun.

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The scenes are quite surreal if you think about it. Presumably within range of artillery, hence the helmets and presumably within earshot of some of what is going on at the front, all undertaken under a no-doubt hot August sun.

David

David,

Yes, surreal is a good description of those harvesting scenes, particularly the soldier sharpening his scythe, and had it not been for his Brodie helmet, he could have been a reaper working in any cornfield anywhere in Britain.

With several months until the Armistice, and with many thousands of men still yet to die on the Western Front, those DAP troops must have thought they were truly blessed.

Regards,

LF

[Dave1418]

Hi

from post# 2430 onwards with they are wearing Brodie helmets (except the French chap) would they also not be carrying the SBR in its haversack, if they are in artillery range then gas would/could be a problem. The only one with an SBR is the officer.

regards

[GRANVILLE]

It's possible they are wearing the helmets as a their only means of keeping the blazing sun off their heads. Either that or the distance from the front was such they it was safe to assume that any gas released would have dissipated long before it came in their direction?

David

[BSM]

LF, great pics partcularly the two with the AIF, thanks for posting. Note the comments re the helmets etc. but it is an interesting location in that all of the buildings in the background appear to be intact and these images are said to be 1918 which would tend to imply that the location is some distance from the trenches?? Rod

[Lancashire Fusilier]

LF, great pics partcularly the two with the AIF, thanks for posting. Note the comments re the helmets etc. but it is an interesting location in that all of the buildings in the background appear to be intact and these images are said to be 1918 which would tend to imply that the location is some distance from the trenches?? Rod

Rod,

The initial idea, was that the DAP would farm land which was at least 4 miles behind the front line, and with the ebb and flow of warfare, there were instances where land that the DAP had been farming was lost to the Germans and later reclaimed.

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The setting up of the Directorate of Agricultural Production units not only involved some 2000 officers and men, but also large stocks of agricultural vehicles and machinery.

Attached are two March 1918 photographs showing some of the vast stocks of farming equipment used by the soldiers attached to the DAP on a farm near Roye in the Somme region, Roye, had previously been the scene of bitter fighting during the various Battles of the Somme.

LF

DAP troops inspect a shipment of ploughs.

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

DAP troops, with a shipment of agricultural rollers at the DAP farm at Roye in the Somme region.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The ' Deering ' harvesting machine shown being used by DAP troops in post # 2425, was manufactured by The Deering Harvesting Company of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., which was founded by William Deering in 1874.

In 1906, Deering opened an office at 73 Southwark Street, London S.E., to handle the importation of their farming equipment into Britain, which included tractors and agricultural machinery.

The ' Deering Grain Binder ' as shown in post # 2425.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A trade advertisement for the ' Deering Grain Binder '.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A 1906 trade advertisement for the Deering Harvester Company Ltd., at 73 Southwark Street, London, S.E.

The Deering Harvester Company, subsequently became the International Harvester Company.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Directorate of Agricultural Production, in addition to cultivating previously abandoned agricultural land on the Western Front, was also given the role of reclaiming former Western Front battlefields for agricultural production.

The first step in the battlefield reclaiming process, was to have German Prisoners of War undertake the dangerous work of removing munitions, shells, grenades etc., from the area to be reclaimed. Having made the area safe for ploughing, DAP troops would then cultivate the former battlefield.

One of the DAP Tractors used for this work, was the American ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor produced by the International Harvester Company ( IHC ), which by 1915, was the world's leading tractor manufacturer.

Introduced in 1915, the ' Titan ' 10-20 model built on the experience of earlier successful IHC tractors, with a total of nearly 80,000 10-20s being manufactured .

The 10-20 was the smallest model produced by IHC with a total weight of 2,372 kgs (5,225 lbs). The engine was a kerosene ( Paraffin )-fuelled, two-cylinder horizontal unit producing around 14.8 kW (20 h.p.) at the belt with a two-speed gearbox.

The 2,600cc engine was started using petrol, and a handle turning the flywheel on the nearside. The Titan 10/20 had a speed of approximately 3 mph.

The large front-mounted 117 litre tank held water for engine cooling, which circulated water via a simple temperature differential thus avoiding the use of a water pump or radiator fan assembly.

Some 3000 ' Titan ' Tractors were imported into Britain during WW1, some of which were sent to the DAP on the Western Front.

The attached March 1918 photo shows a DAP ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor ploughing a reclaimed battlefield area close to old barbed wire in the Somme region of the Western Front.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

DAP troops reclaiming a Somme battlefield area using a ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor, in the foreground, DAP troops are filling in an old trench system.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The American International Harvester Company's ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor, 3000 of which were imported into Britain during WW1, some of which were sent to the Western Front to be used by the Directorate of Agricultural Production.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[GRANVILLE]

Brilliant stuff! I say again - surreal!

David

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Brilliant stuff! I say again - surreal!

David

David,

I am not sure who would have found this situation more unusual, the DAP troops stacking corn in a field around the village of Bethune, or the Royal Garrison Artillery gunners manning their 6 inch howitzer just a few feet away ?

This photograph was taken on 15th August 1918, just 3 months before the Armistice, yet still with time for many thousands of men to die during WW1.

LF

IWM9800 This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Despite the fact that German P.O.W.s were forced to clear former battlefields of munitions, shells, grenades etc., prior to the DAP troops commencing the battlefield reclaiming process, this work given to the DAP troops remained extremely dangerous.

In the attached photograph, we see DAP troops digging out a DAP tractor, probably a ' Thornycroft ' tractor, which has fallen into a shell hole in a former battlefield area being reclaimed.

In the second photograph, the stricken tractor is being pulled from the shell hole by a ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A DAP ' Titan 10/20 ' tractor being used to pull a ' Thornycroft ' tractor from a shell hole during a battlefield reclaiming process near the village of Roye in the Somme region. This photograph, is dated March 1918.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.