Robin Braysher

It’s St George’s Day!

Having celebrated the Welsh battalions of the BSF on St David’s Day and the Irish ones on St Patrick’s Day, how should I mark St George’s Day? I feel writers’ cramp coming on just thinking about typing out the names of the 52 or so English battalions of the BSF (see NM 11, April 2005) so, instead, will go for an easier option. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was formed on 23 April 1968, celebrates St George’s Day and, indeed, has an image of St George slaying the dragon on its cap badge. It was created by amalgamating four English fusilier regiments: Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and Lancashire Fusiliers. Three of these regiments provided battalions for the BSF.

Thanks Andy – you beat me to it!

I was just typing an announcement about the April 2023 issue of The New Mosquito when I saw that the ever efficient Andy has beaten me to it!

Erin go Bragh!

Having celebrated the Welsh battalions of the BSF on St David’s Day, I can hardly do less for St Patrick’s Day. So here are the Irish battalions that served with the BSF, in order of seniority.

‘Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus’

… or, for non-Welsh speakers, that’s ‘Happy St David’s Day’! St David’s Day seems the perfect opportunity to remember the six Welsh battalions which served in Macedonia with the British Salonika Force.

A narrow squeak …

Today is my grandfather’s birthday. Were he still alive, Fred would be 133 years old! Back in 1982 I was working abroad, but took the opportunity of a short trip home to spend some time with Fred and we talked about his army service and I made notes. I am so glad I did as he died a few months later. Whilst there is so much more that I could have found out, I am pleased that I do have some first-hand accounts and it’s one of these I want to share with you today.

Another church …

… another memorial. On a recent jaunt to London I found myself in St Mary’s Church, Battersea, for a jazz gig. It’s a fine Georgian Church right by the Thames and is the burial place of Benedict Arnold, general of the American Revolutionary War who had the ‘distinction’ of serving on both sides!

Celebrating a Salonika VC Winner

The Victoria Cross was first introduced on 29th January 1856 to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Two VCs were awarded in the Macedonian campaign, one in 1916 and one in 1918. It’s the first of these, to Private Hubert William Lewis of 11/Welsh, that I want to celebrate today.

The Jews of Salonika

Modern Thessaloniki seems a quintessentially Greek city but, during the First World War, it was a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city which, just a few years before, had been part of the Ottoman empire. It was especially a Jewish city.

A little bit of Salonika in … Brussels

Taking advantage of a Eurostar ticket sale, Mrs B and I recently enjoyed a jaunt to Belgium, with a few days in Brussels and a few in Ieper (Ypres). Our last night found us in a hotel close to Bruxelles-Midi (Zuid) station, where we would be taking the Eurostar home the next day, and where we had ended our train journey from Ieper (train from Poperinge, changing at Gent-Sint-Pieters for Brussels).

New Book Out Today!

You may recall that back in September I alerted you to the promised publication of a new book about the Macedonian campaign, written by Jon Lewis and published by Helion & Company. I am pleased to say that, since then, I have been in touch with Jon who is a member of the Society. Jon tells me that the book is being released today. We congratulate him on the culmination of many years of research and hard work and wish him well with the book.