Quote:
Originally posted by Stellan Bojerud
Let us have a closer look at the ATS:
What I donīt understand are all these organizations. ATS = Auxiliary Territorial Service - Transport Service. OK.
But there were also Womenīs Transport Service (FANY) and Womenīs Motor Transport Corps (MTC).
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Quote:
Originally posted by Mark W. Tonner
I guess I'll have to post a break-down on the organization of the British - Auxiliary Territorial Service
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Stellan (and for you Karmen);
A basic break-down of the Organization of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (A.T.S.):
Formed: - under a Royal Warrant published In Army Order No. 199/1938, dated 9 September, 1938.
Ancestry: - the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (W.A.A.C.), which had been formed in July, 1917, which in 1918 was renamed the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (Q.M.A.A.C.), who by the end of the Great War, had a strength of approx. 40,850. The Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (Q.M.A.A.C.) was disbanded, effective 1 May, 1920.
Background: - after the publication of the Royal Warrant authorizing the formation of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (A.T.S.)(9 Sep 38), the forming of the A.T.S. rested with three voluntary women's services - the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (F.A.N.Y.); - the Women's Legion and the - Emergency Service. These three services provided the initial officer cadre for the A.T.S. and after the establishment of the A.T.S. itself, officers henceforth, were drawn from within it's own rank and file. By 1939, the A.T.S. had a strength of approx. 17,000 women, all ranks (914 officers and 16,000 other ranks). At it's peak strength during the Second World War, the A.T.S. had approx. 250,000 women serving within it's ranks.
In September 1939, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (F.A.N.Y.) was amalgamated with the A.T.S. Attached under the control of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (A.T.S.), during the war years were the: - Motor Transport Corps (M.T.C.); - the American Women's Ambulance Corps (W.A.C.) - and the Women's Legion
During the War years, there were some 80 different army trades that members of the A.T.S. served in, the largest numbers serving in the duties of office, mess and telephone orderlies. Next came cooks and cookhouse staff, drivers and postal workers, and then came storekeepers working in depots and other storehouses.
Other army trades that members of the A.T.S. served in were, as butchers, bakers, ammunition inspectors and military police. About a quarter of all A.T.S. served in Anti-Aircraft Command (A.A. Command), in anti-aircraft batteries where they came under fire but did not, in theory, fire the guns, because the Royal Warrant that had brought the A.T.S. to life, limited the women to non-combatant duties. Despite this, the Commander-in-Chief A.A. Command, General Sir Frederick Pile, described hos A.T.S. gunners as being "
the first women to take their place in a combatant role in any army in the world".
A.T.S. duties performed with the various Corps of the British Army:
Royal Army Service Corps (R.A.S.C.): - in order to relieve the manpower problems, the A.T.S. provided drivers, clerks and 'housekeeping personnel' in many of the static establishments.
Royal Signals (R. Sigs): - by war's end, approx. 15,000 A.T.S. peronnel had been employed performing various duties normally preformed by Royal Signals tradesmen. These duties included: staffing of signal and cipher offices, the operation of switchboards, line and wireless circuits of static and A.A. communications systems.
Royal Army Ordnance Corps (R.A.O.C.): - one of the earliest and largest of the A.T.S. (F.A.N.Y.) duties within the R.A.O.C., was the staffing of a large part of the vehicle side of the Central Ordnance Depot (C.O.D.) at Chilwell, to which all kinds of vehicles and spare parts were collected from industry. From the C.O.D., the A.T.S. (F.A.N.Y.), delivered these vehicles and spare parts all over the United Kingdom and to the posts of embarkation to bring units up to their mobilization scales. The A.T.S. took over the whole process, ie: - receiving unit indents, preparing the demanded vehicles for the road, preparing all paperwork (vehicles documents) and delivering the vehicles. Throughout the war years, the R.A.O.C. employed approx. 22,648 A.T.S. personnel, of whom 18,199 were tradeswomen, 6,212 were specialist 'Clerks RAOC' and 9,855 were trade-trained storewomen. Also, there were 294 ordinary storewomen and 1,983 drivers (non-tradeswomen) employed by the R.A.O.C.
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E): - approx. 6,208 A.T.S. personnel were employed by R.E.M.E., 2,643 of whom were employed in skilled trades, ie: - radio-mechanics, motor-mechanics, welders, turners, tinsmiths, electricians, draughtswomen (for machine drawing) and coachtrimmers
Corps of Military Police (C.M.P.): - the provost branch of the A.T.S. was formed in 1942, by 1943 their strength was approx. 752
Royal Army Pay Corps (R.A.P.C.): - employed both officers and other ranks of the A.T.S. in the Pay Services
Royal Army Chaplains Department (R.A.Ch.D.) - A.T.S. personnel were employed as Royal Army Chaplains Department Assistants, for service with the A.T.S. itself.
Approx. 24,121 A.T.S. personnel were employed within the A.T.S. itself, ie: A.T.S. schools and training units, and has P.T. Instructors, trailors, and hairdressers.
I think that pretty well gives you an idea of the A.T.S.
Cheers
Attached two photos:
Top: A.T.S. (F.A.N.Y.) Subaltern and a Private driver.
Bottom: an A.T.S. Section Leader (Sgt) and Sub-Leader (Cpl) fitting a recruit with boots, 1939