Andy Hutt

Remembering Lt John Jones Savin

Lt John Jones Savin was mentioned in an earlier post on the formation of 16 Corps Cyclist Battalion (09/12/2016). It was a name I was familiar with, having read the war diary of 28th Divisional Cyclist Company many times. Continue reading “Remembering Lt John Jones Savin”

British Regimental Museums

Regimental museums and collections can be a useful resource for those researching units of, and individuals who served with, the British Salonika Force. The Army Museums Ogilby Trust website enables you to search for army museums by regiment, region, museum or collection.

For World Poetry Day : Bill

On UNESCO World Poetry Day it’s good to be able to highlight a book which takes the Salonika campaign as its theme: Bill, by Richard Devereux. Richard is a Bristol based poet who has been widely published in anthologies and magazines. Continue reading “For World Poetry Day : Bill”

Faces of Salonika : Luigi Villari, Italian Army Liaison Officer

Luigi Villari (1876–1959) was an Italian historian, traveller and diplomat. He worked in the Italian Foreign Office and was later a newspaper correspondent. Villari served as Italy’s Vice-Consul in three American cities between 1906 and 1910. He devoted most of his life to the study of international problems, more especially to the relations between Italy and the English-speaking countries (Wikipedia). Continue reading “Faces of Salonika : Luigi Villari, Italian Army Liaison Officer”

The death of Lady Harley

Lady Harley, the sister of Sir John French, was killed in Bitola, Serbia, on 17 March 1917. The New Mosquito issue 17 (April 2008) contained an article – Lady Harley and her Gravestone in Two Languages – by Philp Barnes. This is an extract from the article giving the circumstances of Lady Harley’s death and subsequent burial. Continue reading “The death of Lady Harley”

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. Continue reading “Faces of Salonika : Refugees”

Mule Lines – “The Wisdom of Mules” on BBC Radio Four

Regular readers of The New Mosquito or The New Balkan News will know that at the start of the centenary the Salonika Campaign Society ‘adopted’ Muffin, a mule at Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk. This was in recognition of the vital part played by mules and other animals in the campaign. Continue reading “Mule Lines – “The Wisdom of Mules” on BBC Radio Four”

Remembering Edward George Thomas who died in Salonika on 4th March 1917

6/9115 Private Edward George Thomas of 3rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was killed on 4th March 1917 and is buried in the CWGC section of the Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery. He was just 19 and had joined the Battalion in France in August 1915. Continue reading “Remembering Edward George Thomas who died in Salonika on 4th March 1917”

‘Battle Honours’ tour to Salonika – September 2017

The well known battlefield tour company, Battle Honours is running a tour to Salonika in September 2017. The Salonika Walking Tour is from 24 to 29 September and is to be run with the assistance of SCS Chairman and joint-author of Under the Devil’s Eye, Alan Wakefield. You will find more details of the tour at the Battle Honours website. Continue reading “‘Battle Honours’ tour to Salonika – September 2017”

4th March 1917 : Air Raid!

As General Milne, for his part, began his preparations [for a major spring offensive] he was plagued by the German bombing squadron at Hudova. The RFC [Royal Flying Corps] dropped bombs on its aerodrome at dawn on 4th March [1917], but that did not prevent the German bombers from carrying out an attack against the base area later in the day, causing 64 casualties, mostly in No. 29 General Hospital, which had now been twice bombed.

Continue reading “4th March 1917 : Air Raid!”