70th Company ASC, 38th Ammunition Park

[Mike_n_Tracey]

HI,

Re 70th Coy, 38th Ammunition Park

I have been researching an officer from the above unit who died in the hospital unit besides Dozinghem Military Cemetery on 8th September 1917. Whilst I have what I want regarding his death, I am keen to learn more about the 70th and if anyone knows of a war diary for this unit as I have never seen an ASC diary.

I have seen this elsewhere on here:

70 Pre-war. Ammunition Sub-Park for Meerut Division. When Indian Corps left France, became Sub-Park for 38th (Welsh) Division.

If they do exist, there are another couple of officer's ASC units I am interested in too.

I have service records for two of the officers.

Is there a war diary please? I haven't got anywhere searching the NA.

Michael

[GraemeClarke]

Morning

The War Diary is here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/searchresults.asp?CATREF=WO+95/893&SearchInit=4&SearchType=6&j=1

I keep championing this web site

http://www.arcre.com/wdsearch

Put it in your favorites !!

Regards,

Graeme

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Mike_n_Tracey, and welcome to the Forum!

Colonel Mike Young's book "Army Service Corps 1902-1918" includes a list of all the ASC companies serving in the Great War, with a brief summary of their allocations and the reference of their War Diary at Kew. Your local library may have a copy, or be able to get one for you. The list is in "Annex Q".

I can recommend this book if you want to know what the various bits of the ASC were doing, although it does not give much detail on the activities of individual companies, of which there were over a thousand.

Ron

[Mike_n_Tracey]

Hi both,

Thank you very much for the help and advice.

Graeme I have joined the Acre site and I was amazed to find this diary straight away when several searches on the NA site found nothing.

Ron I will get the book as one of the other officers was in around five different companies of the ASC and some 'special' work for a period. - EDIT Just saw the price for this book so may be not

Thanks again.

Michael

[Ron Clifton]

Michael

That's why I suggested the library!

Ron

[charles222]

Kia ora, I was wondering if anyone would know what ASC . British 3rd Army MT company was in France 1915 - 1920. My G/father J Cain was in France 3 Oct 1915 to 1920 .Did they volunter to stay or had to stay on in France under orders .In the RSA cemetery here , he has RASC on his head stone. The R Royal which was added after the war i have read. Next to him there is N Z ASC on the headstone which i guess the person ended service at the end of the war. There is no M Young ASC book in the library service at the moment here in NZ. My G /Father was a Blacksmith it seems funny he was a MT driver.

Many thanks.

charles

[David B]

Charles,

Nor here is Oz unfortuately. C urrently there is a reprint of the book floating around. I got mine

from Amazon, think it was about 48 pounds St. Worth it if you are strongly interested in the ASC. Prior

to the reprint the only way to obtain a copy was via Ebay, with somewhat astromical costs.

[charles222]

Thaks very much for that David, Does M, Youngs book go past 1918 . from 1918 to 1920. there were also german soldiers there with the RASC MT 1919.

regards.

Charles

[David B]

Charles,

There are certainly references past 1918, like the dates that units were disbanded and a few minor mentions,

but in the. main the book cuts off in Decemer '18. Another book on the ASC is The Royal Army Service Corps by

Colonel R. H. Beadon which does cover events past 1918. Personally the Michael Young is better in some respects

in that it lists all the units of the ASC much more clearly. One of my G/fathers was a driver (motor) and he stayed

on until well into 1919. I believe he was driving in Germany during the after war period.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Charles

If your grandfather was a blacksmith he may have been trained as a vehicle mechanic, and possibly as a driver MT as well.

371 Compant ASC MT was Third Army Supply Column and was renamed Third Army MT Company in early 1918. Its War Diary is at the National Archives at Kew in this file:

WO 95/428 Troops Supply Column (371 Company A.S.C.). 1915 Aug. - 1919 Mar.

There were also some othe ASC MT Companies with Third Army and their diaries are in WO95/426 and 427. I don't think any of them have been digitised yet so avisit to Kew may be necessary, or you could wait until the digitisation programme is complete.

Ron

[David B]

Ron,

I think you are on the right track there. My Southend rels were originally wheelrights and blacksmiths and made carriages/carts etc right up to the early 1900's then changed

over to garage operations. Must have been a common thing with people seeing the writing on the wall as far as horse and cart was concerned.

[charles222]

Kia Ora David, My g/father was still in France 1919 july at Candas. The only markings on his truck( which i have a photo of which i have tried to put on post and cant get it down to size for the forum site.) are 7181 B which is 3 army no i was told. the 3 has - M above it .3 Army RASC MT.France. 1915 -1920.

IT is very hard to trace ASC as i guess they were all over France carting supplies ect.

regards Charles.