801 MT COY ASC
May 1917 to July 1917
Whilst XII Corps were suffering horrendous casualties at the first battle of Doiran, the 801st were sowing lettuce, cress, broad beans, peas and turnips in the relative peace of the hills above the Struma valley, and building a dam across a ravine at the head of the camp to supply washing water.
During the month of May, the Corps cars start to come in for repair, the 801st had a workshop lorry (see vehicles) equipped to fabricate their own spare parts as required. The company began moving stores and rations to the 143rd and 287th A.T. Companies R.E. The weather, after a fine start to the month, deteriorated with rain and snow falling, once again causing problems for supply on the muddy roads, as can be seen in the picture on the left.
An order came through to the effect that all Corps motor vehicles to be repaired by Corps ASC MT units. The 801st acquired spares from 28th F.A.W.U. and inspected the lorries of the 27th and 40th C.C.S. as well as the 6th Armoured Motor Battery and the Anti Aircraft sections based near Marian and Nigrita. On the 11th May, 3 men report for duty followed by another the next day, one of these men is almost certainly my Grandfather William Hodgson who transferred from the 9th East Lancs.
In June the company provided transport for Corps HQ, 28th Division HQ and 10th Division HQ to move to summer quarters out of the mosquito infested Struma valley. A series of road reconnaissance trips were carried out: Lahana, Hadji, Baramli, Misova, Mozgul, then Nigrita, Humkos, Dzindos, Monuhi and finally Nigrita, Patrik, Garghula, all roads found to be passable for lorries carrying day traffic.
The company started moving Decauville (light railway) material to K74, where a line was being constructed running north along the western edge of the Struma valley to supply the main front line. Judging by the following dairy entry they are attempting to build locomotives: ‘To LIKOVAN in the petrol tractor on Decauville Rly, made by Lt Waithman with 10 H.P. Austin w’shop engine & Ford axle with a view to seeing if petrol tractors could be made to supersede rail traction pulled 22 men & large bogie truck but came off road several times as railway very badly ballasted’.
In July a detachment of 1 officer, 15 NCOs and men, along with a similar detachment from 685 Coy, preceded to Nigoslav to start moving hay collected from the plain. Hay moving would continue right through July, the Salonika army had over 200,000 mules and horses to feed. The only other notable event in July was when a Flying Corps lorry carrying 500 gals of petrol was struck by lightning on the Seres road, burning for two and half hours, the gear box was melted and only the front wheels survived undamaged.