With the MT in Mesopotamia

[Gardenerbill]

The author of 'With the MT in Mesopotamia', Lt Col F.W. Leland was appointed an ADT in Mesopotamia in 1916 and spent the rest of the war there mostly based at Basra. The book was written in 1919 while he was still there and approved by high command. This is essentially a text book account of the running of Mechanical Transport in support of an expeditionary force, as such it covers all aspects of MT including; maintenance and repairs, road conditions, effects of extreme weather and support of the major actions. As well as a year by year account, it contains comprehensive lists of the MT units, their vehicles, their officers and honours awarded. There are maps, illustrations and tables of statistics, but it is also full of amusing anecdotes. Anyone researching a soldier who served in Mesopotamia with the ASC should have this book at the top of their reading list. For someone like myself researching MT in other theatres such as E, Africa, Palestine or in my case Salonika, it is a useful reference for helping to understand how the supply chain was maintained and organised to support an expeditionary force.