Although the White Tower would have been familiar, my late grandfather would not have recognised modern Thessaloniki – the vibrant Greek city rebuilt after the great fire of 1917 and developed in the decades after that. To him and other members of the British Salonika Force who passed through it was very much an eastern city – not always remembered fondly – populated by a multiplicity of different peoples. Notable among the inhabitants was the strong Jewish community, but the fire of 1917, subsequent upheavals and the appalling events of the Holocaust changed the city forever.
However, Salonica and its people are beautifully captured in these colour images from 1913:
And, in case you missed this addition to a previous post from Rob Elliott, is another offering from YouTube. It is a performance of a song about the 1917 fire by David Saltiel, a Sephardic community leader and cantor born in Thessaloniki in 1931.
Rob also shared this fascinating web page about Salonica’s Jewish community and the migration of many to the USA, which also includes several Sephardic songs. Thank you Rob!
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Salonika Campaign Society, 1915-1918 
My late Father Henry George PERKINS (dob 11 Apl 1892) a resident of Birmingham was called up into the Royal Flying Corps in 1916. He was not a flier: I have a single picture of him with his lorry. Is there any way I can find out more?
Michael Perkins michael.perkins5023[AT]gmail.com
Hello Michael,
Thanks for your comment. You will find a lot on our website about the British Salonika Force and their experiences of the campaign – although I admit that the RFC is rather poorly covered – but for advice on researching your father’s army service, I strongly recommend ‘The Long, Long Trail’ website:
– https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/
The National Archives – which hold a lot of the relevant records – also provides useful guidance:
– https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/?research-category=first-world-war
Best regards,
Robin