Chapter 13
World War 1
Movements and Movement Control
Home Base 1914-19
Consequent on the Australian Government’s decision to dispatch two expeditionary forces to New Guinea and to the war in Europe in early August 1914, there was an immediate need for Movements Staff planning and Movement Control of the execution of the plans. This responsibility having resided in the Directorate of Supply and Transport within the Quartermaster General’s Branch of Army Headquarters since 1912, it now fell to the DST to take on this immense task of immediately launching a brigade sized force to New Guinea on xxx weeks notice, and a division and a half to the United Kingdom in xxx weeks, with every likelihood of more to follow. DST Capt J.T. Marsh, seconded from the British Army, was not slow to react. He convinced the AIF commander that, as the most experienced Army Service Corps officer available, he should join the AIF and command 1st Division Train. Moreover he took with him the other experienced member of his staff, leaving DST empty just as the real test of its reason for existence, and incidentally Marsh’s reason for being there, came into being.
From this inauspicious start the real men could be counted. There was no point in stripping the few permanent AASC officers from the military district staffs to fill the void, as success of the effort required to concentrate the units of the forces for training and embarkation depended on their being in place to plan, procure and control the movement. In consequence WO H.E. Heydt was detached from the office of the ADS&T 3 MD as acting DST, as an honorary lieutenant, later captain. However the higher level arrangements had to be carried by Quartermaster General Brig-Gen J. Stanley CMG, himself but recently appointed after his predecessor similarly moved into the departing force just as his presence was really needed.
That these forces got away as they did in fair order was a tribute to the character of those organisers and the cooperation and capacity of the others in support – the Military Shipping Officer, the Navy Xxxxxxvvxx and the Xxxxxxxx, It all stands in stark contrast to the lack of positive approach shown in support of the war in Vietnam and in operational planning in later years, where sea movement was virtually discounted as bureaucrats and military bureaucrats declined a positive approach to requisitioning shipping and making it work.
The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force raised to capture German New Guinea was xxxxxx
The transport fleet for troops and horses, comprised at its peak in 191xx 74 steamers requisitioned (including interned German vessels) and operating under Commonwealth control. For freight P&O and Orient Line mail steamers, and other opportunity vessels were used.
Supporting OS
Bringing them Home
German New Guinea
X
ANMEF
Middle East 1915-19
Movement in the Mediterranean was vested in the Director of Transport Middle East Expeditionary Force.
Organisation to receive, on-move, and repatriate.
Europe 1915-19
Movement to and from and in the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front was a matter for the British Army. Australian forces were, by mutually convenient arrangement, moved by water, rail and motor transport. Arranged and controlled by the Director of Transport of xxxxxxx. ln France and Belgium the Director of Transport xxxxxx xxxxxxxx.
Sea Transport Service
Once the centre of gravity of the AIF had switched from the Mediterranean to the war in Europe, the comings and goings from its base in the United Kingdom took on a dimension winch required a formal controI organisation to oversee its effective operation While the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Divisions, trained and passed as fit for battle in Egypt, moved directly to France in Xxxxxx and Xxxxx 1916, the 3rd Division was shipped from Melbourne to England for its training for the Western Front, where it had to he received and then dispatched to the front. And while the British Army provided the quartering, supply and transport infrastructure, for the AIF, to support the eventual five divisions at the Front, a system of Australian depots and medical facilities was established in southern England, through which the incoming and outgoing reinforcement drafts and those repatriated were circulated.
The sea terminal was Southampton, where reinforcements were received from Australia, through which the unfit were returned home and from which the final great repatriation was effected through 1919. The cross-Channel terminals were originally Folkestone to Etaples, then by rail forward through the base at Xvxxxxx. This was less then satisfactory as the Canadians were generally stationed north of I and II Anzac Corps, but had been allotted Xxxxxx and Xxxxxx forward through Rouen, the lines of communication for them being longer than necessary, and crossing the Australian one. This was rectified in Xxxxx 1 91xx by simply exchanging lines of communication, so two training/reinforcement bases were set up at Xxxxxx – an infantry depot and a general troops depot. When this was settled so was the disposition of the movement control organisation.
This organisation, which had grown up of necessity from the AIF base in Egypt, was formalised as the Sea Transport Service in Xxxx 191xx. in. It was a composite group of xxxx, xxxxx, xxxxx and a casualty evacuation group.
Table 13.1: Throughput of Men and Materiel 1914-1920
[ From http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+relevance+of+miscellany+administrative,+support+and+logistic...-a099746411
Sea Transport .Service. The Sea Transport Service grew out of the Military Transport Office, established in 1914 to arrange and supervise the movement overseas of the 1st Division and support troops. (122) The Service became regularised in 1915 and was tasked with organising the transport overseas of new units, reinforcement drafts, horses, vehicles, equipment and supplies. The Service was also responsible for transporting wounded, sick, convalescent and other personnel returning to Australia. (123) With the expansion of the AIF in the UK and Europe, the role of the Sea Transport Service was expanded to include the receipt and storage and redirection Diverting data from their normal destination to another; for example, to a disk file instead of the printer, or to a server's disk instead of the local disk. See virtual directory, symbolic link, shortcut, redirector and DOS redirection. of Australian supplies to AIF units. To facilitate this latter task, STS (Synchronous Transport Signal) The electrical equivalent of the SONET optical signal. In SDH, the European counterpart of SONET, STS is known as STM (Synchronous Transport Module). offices were established at Southampton and Harfleur. (124) Although responsible also for the transport of troops, horse and supplies to the Middle East, the STS did not have any offices established there, the AIF relying on an AASC staff officer attached to the British Sea Transport Office at Alexandria to oversee the receipt and distribution of AIF reinforcements and supplies. (125) A small organization, the Sea Transport Service was officer dominated although the "terminal function" performed at Southampton and Harfleur called for a small contingent of AASC WO's, NCO's and OR's. The establishment of the Australian Corps in December 1917 and subsequent reorganisation saw an almost total "Australianisation" of the supply function for the AIF with troops and supplies from Australia to the front.
Returning the AIF 1918-20
Germany's collapse and acceptance of an armistice in late 1918 came as something of a surprise to the Allies, who had expected that it would take another year to achieve this as the power of the United States contribution took effect. As a result, no serious consideration had been given to the mechanics of returning the AIF to Australia amid the obvious competition for shipping which could be anticipated from the contingents from the Americas, India and Africa.
Home Base 1914-19
Xxxxxxxx
Map 13.2: Australian Railways 1914
Xxxxxxx
Table 13.2: Australian Goods Rolling Stock Gauges 1914
RSGs
Egypt and Gallipoli 1915-16
The need for railway troops for the Australian expeditionary force for the war in Europe in 1914, like so many other specialist units not contemplated in the Kitchener Army, was not well understood. To ensure that the 1st Division would remain an entity, and not provide any excuse for it to be dispersed piecemeal in British formations, it was determined that it would have its full complement of divisional slice of lines of communication units. And when the British lists for these were examined, it was found that there was, as well as Depot Units of Supply, a Railway Supply Detachment. Accordingly 11 Coy AASC was raised to include both these elements. In fact an RSD was intended to be supplies conductors who accompanied the division’s supplies on trains from base to railhead to ensure they were not diverted, and to ensure their safe loading onto the divisional motor transport supply column for deliver to the replenishment points, where the divisional horse transport companies took them to units. The function was misconstrued as a railway operating rather than accompanying one, and so 1 RSD was raised from railwaymen of the New South Wales Railways.
The unit moved overseas in the second convoy, arriving in the interim training destination of Egypt in xxxxx 1915, where its skills were less than appreciated and, with no resupply trains to either drive or accompany, it was absorbed into the AIF supplies structure in the Maadi-Mena training camps. When the Gallipoli expedition was mounted in April, there was again no employment for the Detachment until the stalemate around the beach and the prospect of interruption of supply delivery by submarines and winter weather brought a decision to establish a lines of communication supplies depot on Xxxxxx Beach. 1 RSD landed on the Beach on the night of xxxxxx and for the next xxxxx weeks received the build up of supplies and ammunition for the August offensive, acting in a docks operating role at xxxx and xxxx piers, and building the reserve supply depot at xxxxxx.
By this stage depots of AASC, Ordnance, Engineer and Medical supplies and water were extablished at Xxxx, Xxxx and Xxxxxx, spread over xx kilometres, and the difficulties of moving the daily xxxx tons of maintenance supplies and stores between piers and depots along congested beaches was becoming increasingly difficult.
Operation of beaches by ….. Introduce Naval Bridging Train
Map 13.3: Gallipoli Logisitcs
Failure of the August offensive left the force facing a winter campaign, being supplied over exposed beaches in bad weather, so it was decided to use Suvla Bay as the port, and cover the xxxx km back to Anzac with a light railway.
At last the railwaymen had a role to their liking, but first had to build the railway before they could operate it, a matter which would have brought an instant strike at home. Construction commenced on XX Xxxxx, and by the time of the decision to abandon the Gallipoli campaign in Xxxxxxx, xx km had been built from Xxxxx north towards Suvla. Although their project was thus aborted, they had some satisfaction in operating the first section which was opened progressively to distribute supplies from Xxxxx to the North Beach depots by rail.
Slideshow: 13.1: Gallipoli Logistics
When the unit was withdrawn from Gallipoli on xx December, its capability was realised. Supply of the defensive line established in front of the Suez Canal from Xxxx 1916 was to be on the Western Front standard, with each division to be supported from the base at Xxxxxx by railway up to xxxxx, then tramway into xxxx areas. 1 Rwy Sup Det was given the task of operating the railways for 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions from xxxxx and xxxxx respectively. This was at least a completed task, although its operational viability under battle conditions was not tested as no Turkish attack eventuated. The two divisions were transferred to France in Xxxxx, to be replaced by the newly raised 4th and 5th Divisions, which themselves, after training, departed for the Western Front in xxxxx.
Map 13.4 Suez Logistics
Western Front 1916-19
1 RSD followed to France on xx xxxx, and there reverted to its advertised function, redesignated 1st Railhead Supply Detachment, a title which, if provided to the planners in Australia in 1914, would not have had the unit staffed with rail engine crews. However, while this more mundane work of rail terminal control became the norm, its railwaymen were progressively culled into actual railway operating units to meet the growing demand on the overstretched French and Belgian railway systems.
At the beginning of the war in Europe the railway system in France was taken over according to plan by the French military authorities, and its operating staff was mobilised into the army. France had undertaken to provide all railway support for the British Expeditionary Force, which provided 30 Deputy Assistant Directors of Rail Transport and Railway Transport Officers on the staff of the Director General of Communications for liaison with the French system. After stabilisation of the Western Front by Xxxx 1914 the consumption of materials and materiel increased dramatically, beyond the capacity of French rolling stock and personnel, so it was decided in January 1915 to raise British railway units to operate the Belgian sector railways in the BEF sector.
The Railway Operating Department, under the Director of Railways was now transferred to the Quartermaster-General at BEF General Headquarters, then to a Director-General of Transportation. It increased steadily as the French system deteriorated with personnel attrition and deteriorating locomotives and rolling stock. This resulted in a mid-1916 request from the French for a major British contribution, and came to a head when French commander General Joffre resiled from the undertaking of support by increasing requests for assistance to the French railway system, which cumulatively amounted to the BEF supporting itself. At the end of 1916, by which time the five Australian divisions were all deployed in France and Belgium, the BEF Railway Operating Department numbered over 5,000, operating 244 engines. The massive expansion thereafter brought the total in 1918 to 40,000 men, 1,400 locomotives and 54,000 wagons.
When the mid-1916 crisis in the railway system was assessed at the War Office, it was apparent that the British military and civil railway systems would have difficulty in coping with an obviously expanding demand. A request to Australia for assistance fell on stony ground after the decline in recruiting following the losses at Pozieres (and failure of the conscription referendum?), Cabinet deciding that no further units could be raised after the dispatch of 3rd Division. Minister for Defence Pearce did, however, authorise later that volunteers for railway service could be sought from the AIF already in Europe. With the increasing demands by the French as their system deteriorated, the British Government reiterated the request with a rider that men unfit for front line service would be acceptable for railway units.
In consequence, a railways operating section of three officers and 266 men was authorised in October 1916, and volunteers sought in Australia from drivers, firemen, guards, shunters, signalmen, stationmasters and fitters in the 19-45 age group. As an inducement, tradesmen were offered upgrading in level from firemen to driver, and cleaner to firemen, with about half to be NCOs to guarantee better pay rates. This brought a flood of volunteers, each State Railways offering to sponsor a unit. As a result, the offer of one unit was increased in December to four, accepted with alacrity by the War Office which, spurred by Joffre’s importunings, requested progressive dispatch as each group was assembled.
Rail operations – light and heavy
Map 13.5: Western Front AIF Logistics
Table 13.5: AIF Rail Throughput 1917-1919
Middle East 1915-19
Suez
UK and Europe 1915-19
X
Military Forwarding Organisation
Xxxxxxx
Home Base 1914-19
X
Infrastructure, Civil Postal Service
Supporting OS
Providing staff for OS
Postal services and rates
Exp Force telegrams
German New Guinea 1914-19
X
ANMEF
Services
Middle East 1915-19
X
DAPS, units
Services
Table of Throughput by years and types
Europe 1915-19
X
DAPS, units
Services
Table of Throughput by years and types
References