586 M.T. Company A.S.C.

[Vlaamse Verhalen]

Although this unit is not (yet) listed on the excellent Long, Long Trail website, its creation on 19th September 1915 is confirmed, via official documents.

 

I'm aware that it was an Army Artillery Ammunition Park, and later became the 1st New Zealand Ammunition Sub Park (assigned to the B.E.F. from 22nd April 1916 onward).

 

Would anybody happen to know where this unit was located, in England, before its embarkation to France? I have a reference to Calne, Wiltshire, via a medical record, but that's not definitive, in terms of where the unit's base was located.

 

Many thanks in advance for any pointers.

 

 

[charlie962]

WO95-5494 has this: I've always wondered what the Box Numbers refer to ?  (in that they are the box numbers containing the War Diaries.)

 

For 586 MT Coy it is noted - broken up see 610 Coy.   Box Nos  979,1044

For 610 MT Coy it is noted NZ Div MT Coy France, Disbanded 14/5/19.   Box Nos 740, 1042

 

 

Charlie

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

The diaries are filed under those reference (box) numbers at Kew, ie:

WO95/1044 & WO95/979. Have a look at these links, you can decide to download them if they fit your needs (free, while stocks last)

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/f0cdbd00f8f040d0a33e382752a73903

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/136082d6e16643f2982e5b87220dd364

 

586 was formed 19 Sept.1915 and absorbed into 610 Coy 13 Mar 1918.

610 diaries are under  WO95/1042 &WO95/740

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/f788b28a01934a109116249e8bcecb68

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/b1e5e00bd0684c1c9e117e71d9d97c1a

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/312e2f1b46344ed7b5d56a2e2982bdee

 

Edited 23 June , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr

[charlie962]

6 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

The diaries are filed under those reference (box) numbers at Kew, ie:

As simple as that! thanks for the explanation.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

1 hour ago, charlie962 said:

As simple as that! thanks for the explanation.

Yes.

The War diary boxes are a little bigger and much stouter than your average box file and holds paper folders containing piles of foolscap sized papers

A file of about 1/2" thickness is generally what you get in a download for £3.50. It varies.

For example In the box WO95/1044, you get the following 4 files:

• WO 95/1042/1 1915 Apr - 1916 Dec Corps Troops: 49 Divisional Supply Column (349 Company A.S.C.)
  Details
• WO 95/1042/2 1916 Dec - 1917 Dec Corps Troops: 49 Divisional Supply Column (349 Company A.S.C.)
  Details
• WO 95/1042/3 1916 Apr - 1917 Apr Corps Troops: New Zealand Divisional Supply Column (610 Company A.S.C.)
  Details
• WO 95/1042/4 1917 Jan - 1917 Dec Corps Troops: New Zealand Divisional Supply Column (610 Company A.S.C.)

Some boxes contain more, up to 8 or 9 is not uncommon

Some boxes are two boxes etc.

This is what they look like:

You'll see they have WO95 on them, and also the number of the box within the series.

[charlie962]

Thanks for that further explanation. I now see why my search on Discovery for  " WO95 ArmyServiceCorps 586" did not work- they have it abreviated as A.S.C. which is unusual for war diaries, I think. I'll know better next time.

 

charlie

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Less is more.

WO95 586 would  give you 2 hits from a list of 13

[Vlaamse Verhalen]

Many thanks for your input & suggestions, regarding this, gentlemen: much appreciated.

 

I had already taken advantage of downloading the earliest war diary, for free, which, although rather interesting, only covers the unit's activities from 23rd February 1917. It also confirmed that no war diary for the unit was kept, until that point in time. Cross-checking with the holdings of the New Zealand MoD's catalogue of files, it looks very much like they have the same war diaries held there, as the starting date is given as March 1917 (as with those at the National Archives). So the 586th M.T. Coy.'s activities in England may well remain forever a mystery.

 

The Driver that I'm specifically interested in served with the A.S.C. between 2nd June 1915 & 13th June 1916, when he was discharged, due to illness, so he didn't embark when his unit went to France. His discharge also gives rise to a further snippet of information, that's also proved impossible to reconcile thus far: the unit is simply shown as "No.2" with the location given as Woolwich Dockyard.

 

I'm making an assumption that "No.2" is likely to have been an M.T. Depot of some description, although I've yet to find confirmation of such. With the 586th being assigned as an Artillery Ammunition Park, I'm tempted to conclude that the link between the Arsenal at Woolwich & its dockyard may come into play here, but that's pure assumption on my part.

[JOVE23]

Can we get his name and number please?

[PRC]

24 minutes ago, Vlaamse Verhalen said:

I had already taken advantage of downloading the earliest war diary, for free, which, although rather interesting, only covers the unit's activities from 23rd February 1917.

 

Might be long-winded and gain nothing approach, but presumably officers are named in the war diary - not least the unit commanding officer who signed off the war diary. Some of those could have been with the unit from the early days - so if you can't identify them and track their whereabouts, (officers files & google, etc), then that could serve as a proxy for where the unit was located. Any other ranks mentioned in the diary as they just might have surviving service records that would shed some light.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[Vlaamse Verhalen]

10 hours ago, JOVE23 said:

Can we get his name and number please?

 

Absolutely: the man in question is one of the latest CWGC acceptances, for commemoration

 

Walter Leonard ('Harry') Bacon M2/103110

 

He died, at home in Aldborough, Norfolk, on 31st July 1916.

 

 

[Vlaamse Verhalen]

10 hours ago, PRC said:

 

Might be long-winded and gain nothing approach, but presumably officers are named in the war diary - not least the unit commanding officer who signed off the war diary. Some of those could have been with the unit from the early days - so if you can't identify them and track their whereabouts, (officers files & google, etc), then that could serve as a proxy for where the unit was located. Any other ranks mentioned in the diary as they just might have surviving service records that would shed some light.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

 

That's a very decent shout, Peter; cheers. It was actually a change in c.o. that instigated the War Diary being kept, evidently. So, although he was brand-new to the unit, I'll have a look through & check for any other mentions. The diary itself is rather perfunctory, in that it's something more akin to a logistics record of the number of lorries dispatched from the unit's depots.

 

Best wishes