Much has been written on the exploits of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front but there is little mention of the supply infrastructure, and for four years the BEF had to be supplied with all its needs from ammunition to animal feed.
With the majority of the supplies being shipped to the French channel ports an intricate network of depots, railway lines, canals and road transport links were established which ensured and efficient and effective distribution chain.
An enormous labour force was needed to work the supply chain, and both the Army Service Corps and Royal Engineers had their numbers greatly increased to cope with demand – numbers that included men with motor and rail transport experience.
The railways at home were not only trying to run an ordinary service but also cope with a terrific increase in military traffic, and they found themselves under a great strain with a large percentage of the staff having ‘joined up’ which made it difficult for the railway companies to maintain their services and standards for which they were famed before the war. Although the railways at home were struggling, the ports and British run transport systems on the Western Front were at crisis point by the end of 1916. More roads and railways were needed, and with it men, especially railwaymen. The obvious source was the railways at home, but the situation was so urgent that railwaymen already serving with the BEF in the infantry or artillery were encouraged to transfer to the Royal Engineers.
Labour was also needed to build new roads and railway lines, or replace existing routes damaged or destroyed by enemy action, labour which was found within the British and Chinese labour units; prisoners of war were also used.
Many repair and maintenance depots were established in the north eastern corner of France and in Belgium manned by experienced mechanics and engineers, but it wasn’t always possible for transport to get to a depot for repairs so mobile units were established for light railways and road transport, there were even mobile units for the maintenance of artillery pieces.
Don’t be mistaken in thinking that it was only men who carried out work described here. Women were found dealing with such things as the mail, clerical work, even carpentry and motorcycle dispatch riders.
Troops, horses, equipment, mail, medical personnel and supplies, ammunition, food, fodder, mechanical spares, petrol, huts, coal, timber, stone were all transported around the area by road, rail and canal. Troops on leave would be trained to the ports, and the wounded would be taken to the many hospitals dotted along the French coast or inland at Rouenbefore, if they were successfully treated, taking a ferry trip back home to ‘Blighty’.
It is difficult to explain here the variety of work carried out, but briefly if it was available at home it had to be available for the BEF in Flanders. Those who carried out the work, be they military or civilian, did so much to ensure the eventual success of the BEF they deserve not to be overlooked or forgotten.
Sandra Gittins is a railway and First World War historian, researcher and writer who has been consulted for a number of documentaries, including those by the BBC with Dan Snow. She is the author of Between the Coast and the Western Front: Transportation and Supply Behind the Trenches, she has previously written The Great Western Railway in the First World War for The History Press. She frequently gives talks on her subjects and also enjoys photography. She lives in Devon.