Happy Year of the Horse!

Once again it’s time to celebrate the Lunar New Year – or Spring Festival, if you prefer – and this time it’s the ‘Year of the Horse’, which makes finding a Salonika-related photo remarkably easy! Before we look at that, it’s worth noting that in 2026 it’s a ‘Fire Horse’, something we haven’t seen since 1966. Apparently, after an introspective ‘Year of the Snake’, we are now galloping forward with vibrant and fiery energy, which symbolises adventure, vitality, and momentum. So hold onto your hat!

After that build-up, I’ve actually chosen a rather static photo of a mounted British soldier. He’s an unidentified corporal or bombardier from an unknown unit, in an unknown location on an unknown date – but that’s so often the case with photos from the First World War. This was an online purchase and is printed as a post card, although nothing is written on the reverse. The background hill and farm building do look very Macedonian, so I think we can be reasonably confident that it was taken during the campaign.

Although we don’t know who, where or when, this is a fine study of a soldier dressed for mounted duties in the cooler part of the year, wearing a service dress jacket with cord pantaloons, puttees tied at the ankle (note pale tapes – dismounted troops tied them at the knee) and a leather bandolier. The photo also gives a good view of the horse’s harness and saddle. The horse looks to have been clipped, so this may well be in the spring.

Let’s hope we soon have some more signs of spring soon and, if vitality, momentum and adventure are what you want, I wish you well with it.

Hi-Ho Silver … Away!