29,525
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
Officers and men who arrived in Mesopotamia as members of No. 3 Burma M.T. Company and who had no other qualifying service did not qualify for the award of the British War Medal or Victory Medal. Most officers and men of No. 784 (Burma) M.T. Company would have qualified for the General Service Medal (1918), with either or both of the Iraq and Kurdistan Clasps; medal rolls have been located on www.ancestry.co.uk for the enlisted men, but for only one known officer (CONDER). For some reason the entitlements have been indexed as ‘7th Mechanical Transport Company.’ One record shows service with 784 Company until 15th September 1920, indicating demobilization on that date.</blockquote>
==No 4 Burma MT Company==
Noel Clark has provided the following summary. <blockquote>
No. 4 Burma M.T. Company (No. 4 Burma Ford Van Company, No. 1017 (Burma) M.T. Company R.A.S.C.
Less is known about this Company than the other four. It disembarked at Basra on 18th March 1919. On 14th April 1919 a detachment of this Company consisting of one British officer, two British other ranks and 101 Burmese other ranks arrived at Fathah (now Al-Fathah, Iraq) to begin driver training with 1024 Company. Training commenced on 16th April, but the War Diary for 1024 Company makes no mention of the detachment after 19th April.
On 29th May 1919 Companies 784, 1023 and 1024 are all mentioned in the War Diary of No. 5 Mechanical Transport Column, and on 30th and 31st Lt.-Col P. WEIR, Commanding Officer of the Column was summoned to 18th Divisional Headquarters to explain why 1015 and 1017 Companies ‘…were so bad.’ His explanation was that the Burmese had little experience as drivers, and his suggestion was that ‘…the two new Burma companies should go on an easier line for work.’ These diary entries indicate that by this time all five Burma companies had assumed their new identities and were in No. 5 Mechanical Transport Column. There are subsequent references to each of the five companies in the War Diary of No. 5 MT Column, which finishes on 30th October 1919.
Officers and men who arrived in Mesopotamia as members of No. 4 Burma M.T. Company and who had no other qualifying service did not qualify for the award of the British War Medal or Victory Medal. Medal rolls for the enlisted men of No. 1017 (Burma) M.T. Company have been located on www.ancestry.co.uk showing the award of the General Service Medal (1918) with the Iraq Clasp, but no entitlements have been found for the officers of the unit. The medal rolls are endorsed ‘Baghdad 14-9-20.’ This date may indicate demobilization. </blockquote>
==No 5 Burma MT Company==
