Faces of Salonika : Refugees

Refugees fleeing conflict are rarely out of the news today, but this is not a new phenomenon. With the Balkans facing its third war since 1912 it is hardly surprising that there were communities of refugees across the region, although they are rarely mentioned.

On their arrival in the Struma valley during the summer of 1916, British cyclists found themselves in a very modern-sounding scenario as they manned checkpoints on bridges over the river, dealing with refugees keen to escape the advancing Bulgarians. They had to persuade the refugees to carry on towards the coast and confiscated rifles, ammunition and petrol (28th Divisional Cyclist Company War Diary WO95/4907).

The War Diary of 12th Cyclist Battalion (WO95/4827) describes another encounter with refugees in the Struma valley, on 16 March 1917. The Battalion’s Intelligence Officer travelled from their headquarters at Badimal to the village of Ilidze. He found the village to be occupied mainly by gypsy refugees. He described them as friendly, but not interested in anything outside the village.