A photograph believed to be of J.B. Patterson taken in 1917.
An often overlooked area of conflict during World War One is East Africa. The Wolseley helmet in this article was purchased by me in 2004 from a relative of the owners’ family.
John Burnsall Patterson, was born in Preston Lancashire in 1896. His occupation was a motor driver, a reasonably unusual occupation I would have thought in pre-World War One Great Britain for a young lad from Preston. He was called up in 1917 at the age of 19 and probably due to his driving ability was signed up for the Army Service Corps, Motor Transport at No 1 Reserve MT Depot, Grove Park at Preston on the 29th March 1917.
John Patterson’s Medal Index Card.
After initial training he was embarked on board the troopship“SS CORINTHIC” at Devonport on the 25th of July 1917 bound for South Africa, landing at Durban on or around the 11th of September 1917 where he was transhipped on board the “SS PRINCESS” bound for Kilwa in modern day Tanzania on the East Coast of Africa, there disembarking at Kilwa on the 19th of September 1917. According to his Service Record, it seems he contracted Dysentery less than a month later in the field while transporting troops, and was subsequently transferred to Dar-es Salaam, where he was confined to camp for recovery. J.B. Patterson was stationed at the Mechanical Transport Depot, No 599 Company, Army Service Corps in Dar-es Salaam for the rest of his Army Service as a Motor Transport Driver.
The Base Mechanical Transport Depot No. 599 Company Army Service Corps incorporated a workshop, the total strength being two hundred and one all ranks. Disembarking at Mombasa in April 1916 it was first installed at Nairobi. Advanced Mechanical Transport Depots were opened at Mbuyumi Mombo and Handeni during the summer as the advance proceeded. In September the base depot was transferred to Dar-es- Salaam, and from thence onwards various sub-depots were established as the movements of the troops dictated.
The helmet itself is pretty unremarkable in that it is a standard British army issue Wolseley Helmet, although in common with a lot of WW1 Wolseleys the owner has written details of his service inside.
Private J.B.Patterson was discharged from the Army Service Corps on the 11th February 1919 and transferred home on board the troopship “H.T. Salamis” having contracted Malaria on the 19th January 1919. He lived out the rest of his life in England and died aged 85 at Preston, Lancashire in1982.
Benny Bough
Sources:
The Long, Long, Trail:http://www.1914-1918.net/asc.htm
History of the ‘ASC 1902-1918’ by Col Michael Young
National Archives, Kew, London.