Army Service Corps WW1 German East Africa

[Alpineted]

I am looking to find out information about the Royal Army Service Corps during WW1:


1. Introductory information about the RASC, particularly in German East Africa. Any recommendations regarding reading materials, photos, details of dates they arrived and left etc.

2.What was their structure, e.g. the same as regular Army e.g. Company,Brigade,Battalion etc?

3.Would the RASC in German East Africa be allocated to a geographical area or support a part of the Army, for example the 2nd Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment?


4. Did the RASC complete War Diaries (or equivalent that I might reference) in German East Africa?


5. How were soldiers selected for RASC? - I will be making a separate post about Harry Ainscough (service number M2/188890), he was a Railway porter prior to enlistment and I am wondering if his occupation had anything to do with the ‘part of the Army’ that he was recruited to?
My husband thinks that a Railway Porter would have been considered as a reserved occupation - does anyone know if this was the case please.

Thank you for your help.

[Jomot1]

Some general reading on the Army Service Corps:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army...rst-world-war/
https://www.rlcarchive.org/Welcome

M2 before the service number means (M) Mechanical Transport, with the 2 possibly being 2nd Army.

There are some useful WW1 booklets and pamphlets available to download from the National Archives, including ones concerning reserved occupations. These would have changed throughout the course of the war, but the booklet I have (MH 147/142/1) says:

RAILWAY SERVICE [.....] Porter (Goods)

Later in the pamphlet it says:
RESERVATIONS IN PARTICULAR TRADES
RAILWAY SERVICE
Men to be treated as in a certified occupation in respect of whom the Railway Company have furnished the Recruiting Officer of the area in which the man resides with a certificate stating that he is indispensable to the company.

There are some war diaries specific to the Army Service Corps, but you probably need to know which company he was in: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...2+war+diary+WO

[Alpineted]

Some general reading on the Army Service Corps:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army...rst-world-war/
https://www.rlcarchive.org/Welcome

M2 before the service number means (M) Mechanical Transport, with the 2 possibly being 2nd Army.

There are some useful WW1 booklets and pamphlets available to download from the National Archives, including ones concerning reserved occupations. These would have changed throughout the course of the war, but the booklet I have (MH 147/142/1) says:

RAILWAY SERVICE [.....] Porter (Goods)

Later in the pamphlet it says:
RESERVATIONS IN PARTICULAR TRADES
RAILWAY SERVICE
Men to be treated as in a certified occupation in respect of whom the Railway Company have furnished the Recruiting Officer of the area in which the man resides with a certificate stating that he is indispensable to the company.

There are some war diaries specific to the Army Service Corps, but you probably need to know which company he was in: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...2+war+diary+WO

Thank you for your very helpful reply - I have followed your links and I am in the process of reading information.

I am going to make a separate post, hopefully today with more details about Harry Ainscough.

Thanks again

Lin