Royal Army Service Corps

The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was initially known as the Army Service Corps (ASC), Royal being added to the title in 1918. The first ASC units were sent to India in May 1916 (arrived June 4th) at a time when it was thought that the Indian equivalent, the Supply and Transport Corps, was not up to scratch – "The war in Mesopotamia quickly proved the shortcomings of the organization … for a campaign of this magnitude where the conditions differed from the accustomed ones. It was just after the fall of Kut el Amara that it was decided to send some Army Service Corps units to India." Army Service number prefixes With the renumbering of the Army in 1920, RASC numbers were prefixed S (Supplies), T (Transport), [Horse Transport], M (Mechanical Transport) or R (Remounts).

During the First World War, there was a wider range of prefixes. The same prefix could have different meanings, but those relating to the Army Service Corps included M: M - Army Service Corps: Mechanical Transport; M1 & M2 - Army Service Corps; M2 - Army Service Corps: Electricians; MS – Army Service Corps: Mechanical Specials; MT – Army Service Corps: Mechanical Transport. R: R - Army Service Corps: Remounts; RS & R/TS - Army Service Corps: Remount Specials; RX - Army Service Corps Army Remount Section. S: S - Army Service Corps: Supply Branch; S - Army Ordnance Corps; S1, 2, 3, 4 - Army Service Corps: 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Supply (S4 Labour); SS – Army Service Corps: Supply Special (butchers, bakers, clerks etc); SRMT – Army Service Corps: Special Reserve Motor Transport. T: T - Army Service Corps: Horse Transport; T - Army Ordnance Corps; T1 & 2/ (SR) - Army Service Corps: Enlisted Special Reserve for New Armies; T1, T2, T3 & T4 - Army Service Corps: Horse Transport; TS – Army Service Corps: Transport Specials (trade); TSR – Army Service Corps: Transport Special Reserve.

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