801 MT COY ASC

At the beginning of the month winter clothing was distributed, but the most significant event for the 801st in November 1917 was the appointment of a new commanding officer Captain H.N. Holland. Captain Patton must have had mixed feelings about being posted to the Base Mechanical Transport Depot at Kalamaria, he had set up the company, brought it out to Salonika and established it as an essential part of the Salonika army’s supply chain, on the other hand a base posting would be more comfortable for a man who had been hospitalised a month earlier. At the end of November the Ford Tractors began pulling supply trains along the light railway line from K70 to Kopriva and Gumus Dere, at the northern end of the Struma valley. The companies Karrier lorry was towed back to the B.M.T.D. for repair.

 

In December 1917 the company was moving a new commodity, charcoal, to the Corps Cavalry and the Y.M.C.A. at K70, it seems most likely that charcoal was being used for cooking; coal was scarce and had to be brought in as there were no coal mines in the area. Orders were received from 16th Corps H.Q. for the special additional establishment for running the Ford tractors on the Decauville railway.

 

The light rail transport section, under the command of  2/Lt A.E. Metcalfe Gibson, was brought up to strength in January 1918 when 8 drivers were transferred from 287 A.T. Company R.E. to join one who had arrived in December, making a total of 9 drivers, along with 10 other ranks from the 801st.