Army Service Corps ... what does an M2 prefix mean on number?

[Jim Hastings]

Afternoon all,

Looking through some posts on ASC numbers I can see they are a bit of a minefield, so don't expect CSM Flint's number to highlight when he joined up, I know he went to F&F in late 1915 from his MIC, I was just wondering though what the prefix M2 stood for? He served in 33 Auxiliary Petrol Company (681 Company A.S.C.), so could it stand for 'M'echanical ASC unit soldier?

Poor chap was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1917, his front forks snapping and he crashed into an ambulance, dying instantly.

Appreciate any guidance on M2

Many thanks

Jim

[Waggoner]

Jim,

You are correct. The "M" indicates Mechanical Transport and the "2" may indicate the 2nd New Army. You could confirm this by determining which "army" 681 Coy was part of.

All the best,

Gary

[Jim Hastings]

Brilliant, thank you Gary, that fits together very nicely indeed!! Role and Army

Does the number indicate anything to you? Just on the off chance ...

Thanks a lot, have a good weekend, Jim

[Waggoner]

Jim,

Sorry, probably just a random number in the sequence, as far as I know. Perhaps someone else has more information?

All the best,

Gary

[Jim Hastings]

No worries Gary, thought I'd ask just on the off chance, just grateful to learn what the prefix indicated

All the best

Jim

[johnboy]

M Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport M1 Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport M2 Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport

Don't know what the difference between them is.

[ss002d6252]

As far as I'm aware - M would have been the standard ASC usage which then morphed to M1.M2 etc for the 'Kitchener Men' of the New Army so any men on a M1, M2 prefix etc would generally be short service men for war service only and men with just the M prefix would be regulars.

Craig

[Waggoner]

Actually, there were two "M" prefixes in use. The first referrered to a pre-war regular while the second was used post 1916 (?) when they stopped using the differeniating numbers. The quick way to tell the difference is that the second use numbers usually have six digits.

All the best,

Gary

[Jim Hastings]

Hi All,

CSM Flint has no other number on his MIC, and a six figure number, so if I'm reading this right was probably a Kitchener man who got some sort of accelerated promotion (it has been so far impossible to work out his civilian trade, but maybe it was motor fleet based, maybe buses (?), to get such a rank so quickly? )

Thanks for all your help, learn something new every day and this forum makes that even more so

My gratitude, Jim

[johnboy]

What his rank whe he went to France?

[Waggoner]

Jim,

I understand that Ancestry.com is free this weekend. Have you had a look for his service papers? If they survived the Blitz, they should provide the answers to all of your questions.

All the best,

Gary

[Jim Hastings]

Hi all,

Service papers did not make it sadly (but I will double check again in a mo' Ancestry has caught me out like that before once!!) and his MIC has him as CSM only, landing in F&F 1st Oct 1915 ...

Checking now again for service docs ...

Jim

[Jim Hastings]

No, sadly no service docs ...

[Phil Evans]

Jim,

To give you some idea:

Frederick King M2/105941 joined at Grove Park on 15th June 1915. He was a motor driver by trade.

19th August 1915 he was in France with 307 Company.

Phil

Edit typo amended to show 307 Company

Edited 20 April , 2014 by Phil Evans

[Jim Hastings]

Good evening Phil,

Thank you very much, that gives me a whole new perspective on things... I wonder if he had some experience in fleet management or something. I was listening to the IWM podcast just the other day on Logistics and a bus driver on there said he was asked to take his bus to France and before he knew it he was whisked away and in uniform and off to F&F. Williams was brought up by his uncle, I'll see what trade he was in, maybe a link ...

He could have been a CSM rank within four months enlisting!! (Know rarer things have happened in the GW, but be nice (if highly unlikely) to find out why/how!!)

Thanks again

Jim

[johnboy]

Grove Park , SE London was an ASC Depot and Transport Training was done there. He could have been trained to drive army vehicles there and passed his proficency test there. I think a man had to be able to drive 4 or 5 different makes of vehicle. Most in those days were identical!

[jay dubaya]

681st Coy was formed on 30th June 1916 and served on the Western Front with the 5th Army (war diary avaiable in WO95/570), so he must have served with another unit prior to this given his DoE as 1st October 1915.

Jim,

To give you some idea:

Frederick King M2/105941 joined at Grove Park on 15th June 1915. He was a motor driver by trade.

19th August 1915 he was in France with 308 Company.

Phil

Not nit picking Phil but he served with the 307th Coy,

[J Webb]

My Great Grandfather Archibald Hounsell was a driver in the ASC and had the service number M2/10355. The ‘M2’ means Mechanical Transport. He was in the 3rd Cavalry Division Supply Column and arrived in Belgium on 7 October 1914. If you can get hold of the war diary for your soldiers unit it will tell you a lot of information. From the diary of my G Grandfather's unit I learned that the unit was quickly assembled in September 1914 and recruited anyone who could drive.

The long, long trail has a page on service number prefixes and what they mean.

[ss002d6252]

He could have been a CSM rank within four months enlisting!! (Know rarer things have happened in the GW, but be nice (if highly unlikely) to find out why/how!!)

When the new Armies were formed there was a huge need for NCO's so men who were deemed capable or had suitable skills were often quickly promoted to fill the gaps.

Craig