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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 8 (February 1, 1933)

Sir Douglas Haig's Tribute to British Railway Organisation in France

Sir Douglas Haig's Tribute to British Railway Organisation in France.

Tucked away in an inconspicuous part of Sir Douglas Haig's final dispatch, dated 21st March, 1919, are some illuminating remarks concerning railroads in France: “Under the Directorate of Railway Traffic, the Directorate of Construction and the Directorate of Light Railways, railway troops of every description, operating companies, construction companies, survey and reconnaissance companies, engine crew companies, workshop companies, and light railway forward com
A German Mountain Railway. A picturesque section on the Zugspitz Electric Railway in Bavaria.

A German Mountain Railway.
A picturesque section on the Zugspitz Electric Railway in Bavaria.

panies, built or reconstructed during 1918 some 2,340 miles of broad guage and 1,348 miles of narrow guage railway. In the six months, May to October, 1918, a weekly average of 1,800 trains were run for British Army traffic, carrying a weekly average load of approximately 400,000 tons, while a further 130,000 tons was carried weekly by our light railways. The number of locomotives imported to deal with this traffic rose from 64 in 1916 to over 1,200 by the end of 1918, while the number of trucks rose from 3,840 to 52,600. Thus it was possible to effect great concentration of troops with a speed which, having regard to the numbers of men and bulk of material moved, has never before been equalled. On the two days, September 20 and 21, about 42,000 tons of artillery ammunition were expended by us. From the commencement of our offensive in August 1918 to the date of the Armistice some 700,000 tons of artillery ammunition were transported by rail and expended by the British Army on the western front.”

Truly the rail is mightier than the sword!