THE ARMY’S PETROL SUPPLY
In the early part of the war the petrol needed for the motor transport of the British Expeditionary Force was shipped from England in tins, ready for use. When the growth of the Army made more exacting demands on shipping, it was decided to economise sea transport by making, filling and packing the tins in France.
Transplanting a Works.
To do this, it was necessary to transplant the existing works from England to France. But it was also necessary not to interrupt the supply; for, without petrol, a modern army would be like a modern nation without coal. So one half of the plant in England was dismantled and re-erected in France, the other half undertaking the whole work of supply until the first half was in working order in France. Then the second half followed across the Channel. The whole migration took twelve weeks.
Of course, the Army does not run the risks of having only one base depôt of petrol. At each of its depôts every process is carried out that is needed for the transfer of a gallon of petrol from a tank steamer lying at a port to the divisional lorry or staff car by which it is used. The first thing to do is to make receptacles for its conveyance. At each depôt there is one factory for making tins and another for making the cases or boxes in which the tins are packed. A single depôt employs more than 200 men and boys on these two kinds of work.
The photographs will suggest the power and precision of the machinery which they use—one machine for cutting out the tin, another for shaping the cans, a third for rolling the edges on, a fourth for soldering, a fifth for stamping, and so on. A leaky tin is, of course, worse than useless, so every can has to be tested by air.
Filling the Tins.
The finished and tested can is placed on an endless belt at the factory, and travels upon the belt to the filling-house. A French woman, girl, or boy takes a tin in each hand and fills them with petrol, which has been conveyed in pipes from the tanks at the port to the tanks at the depôt, and thence flows by gravitation to the filling-house. These Frenchwomen are extremely industrious and cheerful workers, and deserve the good wages they get.
Packing.
From their hands the filled tins pass to another endless belt to be packed in wooden boxes. The photographs show some of the men and machines employed in making these boxes. As soon as the boxes are filled with tins the covers are nailed down, an elevator transports the boxes to a “gravity conveyor,” on which they descend to the “loading platform.” Thence lorries take them to the store, where they are stacked until their time comes to go up by train to the front.
Returned Empties.
The rule is that every empty tin or case must be returned to the depôt. About seven out of every ten do return. Of the rest, a few may have been lost or destroyed by accident; a few may have become casualties of war; a few may have been diverted by human frailty into some other service, as company water-jars; and a few may have found their way to some other part of the front and be still serving the cause there.
Wherever they go, near the Front, the eye of desire is cast on the wooden cases. Either as building material, as furniture, or as firewood, they are treasures that would tempt a saint.
Repairs.
When a tin returns from the Front it is first superficially inspected. If damaged past repair, it has the brass screw in the opening removed, and then the tin may be used for making paths or for building up tiers of seats in an outdoor lecture theatre at a training school, or in some other secondary occupation. If apparently sound, it is first cleaned by one more machine, and then filled and stacked upside-down for 10 minutes, with other returned tins, in order that small leaks may be detected.
If it leaks it goes to the can-testing workshop, is tested under pressure, has the defective spot marked on it in white chalk, and goes forward to the soldering shop. After repair here it is tested again, and, when perfect, is issued for re-filling. A typical can-repairing shop employs 26 men, 126 women, and 67 boys.
The men who do the box-making and tin-making were, and still are, employees of the company who supply the petrol. They have been enrolled in the Army, and wear khaki, but are still paid piece rates. The women who fill the tins are also employees of the company.
The line across which the petrol passes from the company’s hands into those of the Army is just outside the doors of the filling sheds. Here the Army Service Corps men take the full cases over, and give a receipt for each case, in the form of a brass disc, to the company’s representatives. Conversely, the Army Service Corps hand in the empty cases and tins to the company’s men, and receive similar receipts for them. A balance between these two sets of receipts is struck at the close of business by the officers on both sides.