801 MT COY ASC
Corporals
Corporal Astill
Corporal Astill is only mentioned in the war diary once, when he left the 801st for demobilisation in February 1919, ‘C/Cpl Astill proceeded to Base M.T. Depot to await passage to U.K.’ There are just 4 Medal Index Cards for ASC MT soldiers with the name Astill; M2/192395 Private John W Astill can be discounted as he served in East Africa, DM2/224518 Private Bertram Astill can also be discounted as he served in France, M2/223350 Private John F Astill is a possibility but his service record does not survive, finally M2/034541 Private Roland Astill served in Salonika but with 913 MT Coy. Private Roland Astill could be the Corporal Astill mentioned in the war diary but only if he was promoted after the armistice and transferred to the 801st but it wasn’t recorded on his service record, this seems unlikely.
Corporal Booth
There are 144 Medal Index Cards for soldiers with the surname Booth and with ASC MT numbers, by a process of elimination there are three likely candidates; M2/116252 Acting Corporal Robert L Booth, M2/182582 Corporal James Booth and M2/204935 Corporal Harold Booth. The first two of these numbers were issued in June and the latter in September of 1916 and most of the numbers allocated in the summer months of 1916 joined MT Companies that went to Salonika.
Corporal Booth might have been with the 801st from the start or he may have joined them from another company. When he was appointed acting corporal 20th September 1918 he was sent to the XVI Corps HQ to look after the Corps cars returning 20th November 1918. He survived the war and was probably demobilised in March or April 1919, when the company was disbanded.
Corporal Black
According to his service record, Duncan Black aged 23 was working as a Motor Driver for the British Petroleum Company in Glasgow and gave his home address as 34 Hansen Street Glasgow when he volunteered in June 1915. However he enlisted in Aberdeen and on one of his service record documents his wife is recorded as living at 3 Pierhead Torry Aberdeen. As a Motor Driver he was enlisted into the Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport section arriving at the A.S.C. depot Grove Park on the 23rd June. He was initially posted to 303 MT Company the Ammunition supply unit for 35th Division based at Chatham in Kent. In January 1915 35th Division began moving to France but Private Duncan Black didn’t go with them, instead he was transferred to the newly formed home based 650 MT Company at Wilton. Finally in November 1916 he joined the 801st MT Company just before they embarked for Salonika. In February 1917 he was temporarily attached to the 7th Mounted Brigade ammunition park before returning to the 801st. On the 17th June 1917 he was awarded the 1st Good Conduct badge for two years service with a clean record. Unfortunately he forfeited the badge along with 2 days pay just a month later for failing to wear a sun helmet while on active service. As 1st Albion Driver, Private Black spent the next 12 months moving supplies and materials along the Seres road to supply dumps in the Struma valley, then on the 28th May 1918 Private Black was appointed acting Corporal. In May and June 1918 sickness became a serious issue for the 801st when 13 men were admitted to hospital, one of them was acting Corporal Black who was admitted to the 27th Casualty Clearing Station with Malaria. Acting Corporal Black was discharged two weeks later back to the 801st and moving supplies once again, then on the 28th June 1918 he was promoted to Corporal. He continued to drive the companies Lorries during the autumn offensive when the 801st followed the XVI Corps through Kosturino and on to Strumica. Two weeks after the armistice was signed Corporal Black contracted Influenza , this is the first time he is mentioned in the company war diary; ‘Cpls Black Ptes Barton Thwaite Stuart Thompson & Reeves detained at 84th F.A.’, he was moved first to the 28th General Hospital and then to 49th General Hospital. Corporal Black was discharged from Hospital at the beginning of January 1919 and demobilised on the 22nd March 1919, returning to Aberdeen and civilian life.