Yesterday saw a joint National Trust, Salonika Campaign Society service of Remembrance at Sandham Memorial Chapel. Our thanks go to the National Trust team at Sandham for organising the event, the Rev Mark Christian for officiating and to those members of the Society attending the service.
Thursday 7 November saw the opening of the Royal British Legion’s 96th Field of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey. The British Salonika Army (1915-1918) plot was in its usual position, opposite St Margaret’s Church, alongside the plot for The Old Contemptibles and not far from where a senior member of the Royal Family marks the opening of the Field by planting a cross. The Salonika plot is sponsored by the Society, which maintains the tradition established by veterans of the Salonika Reunion Association and carried forward in the interim by Philip Barnes, a former Patron of the SCS.
This year, the Field was opened by The Duchess of Gloucester, as the Queen was unavailable due to illness. The SCS was represented by Chair, Alan Wakefield, with members Darren Rolfe and Jonathan Saunders also attending. The Duchess of Gloucester took time to speak to the representative of each plot, with Alan Wakefield outlining the work of the SCS in keeping alive the memory of all those who served with the British Salonika Force in Macedonia during the First World War.
Thanks go to those members who either laid crosses of remembrance or forwarded details of commemorations to the Chair so these could be planted in the Salonika plot. We hope as many members as possible will avail themselves of the opportunity to visit the Field of Remembrance, which remains open until the evening of Sunday 17 November. The Field is always an impressive sight and an important part of Britain’s national act of Remembrance. That the SCS plays a role in this is a privilege and a mark that the Society continues with one of its founding principles, namely the remembering of all those who served with the BSF in Macedonia during the First World War, and particularly those who still lie in the soil of the Balkans.
Here’s a date for your diary: Thursday 14th November at 8:00pm, when the Society’s very own Secretary, Chris Loader, will be giving an online talk revealing, ‘Secrets of Salonika – Insights from the battlefields of Greece & North Macedonia.’
Hosted by the Great War Group, the talk is free to attend and with no need to register – simply visit https://t.co/BI41SvR2Zz at 8:00pm on Thursday 14th November.
To mark Remembrance Day, the Embassy of Greece in London is hosting a special (free) exhibition on November 12th at the Hellenic Residence, 51 Upper Brook Street, London .
“There, among the rotted sandbags, a flower had grown…” is an exhibition to remember those who served in Greece during WWI. It is also a tribute to the enduring friendship and long-standing alliance between Greece and the UK.
The exhibition will present a compelling narrative of the shared histories and sacrifice between Greek, British and Commonwealth personnel in WWI Greece. The exhibition takes its title from a line in “Life in the Tomb” by Stratis Myrivilis -a landmark war novel, and by far the most famous work written in Greece on the First World War.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore an array of artifacts and objects, some never seen before in the UK such as parts from the wreckage of Zeppelin LZ.85 which was shot down over Thessaloniki by the British battleship HMS Agamemnon on 5 May 1916.
Other artefacts on display include:
Visiting hours and Additional Information
The exhibition will be open to the public with free admission on November 12th from 12pm.-3pm. and from 5pm.-8pm., with guided tours available to provide further context and insight into the displayed items. Slots are bookable on the hour. Last entry is at 7.30 p.m. Click here for details and tickets.
I’m grateful to SCS member Nick Palmer for bringing this online article (Battling ‘General Malaria’ on the Macedonian front, 1915–1919) to my attention. It’s a very recent publication from Dr Laura Robson-Mainwaring at the National Archives.
The article takes a look at some of the medical case sheets from the 28th General Hospital, Salonika to reveal the impact of malaria and the efforts to counteract it; from quinine and mosquito nets, to importing fish to eat mosquito larvae!
The impact of the disease is considered at the macro level – and, poignantly, at the individual level through the sad record of Isaac Jones of the South Wales Borderers who caught malaria in May 1918 with recurring attacks over the next few months before his death on 14 September 1918.
It is a very appropriate day and time (this is posted at noon), to be thinking about the contribution and ordeal of those working and fighting in Salonika – as it was at midday on this day, 106 years ago, that the Armistice of Salonica came into force, having been signed the day before.
Listing 430 titles, Version 5 of the Salonika Campaign bibliography is now published and freely available here. As in the past, the bibliography has been compiled for the Salonika Campaign Society by SCS member Keith Roberts.
If you haven’t taken a look at the bibliography in the past, why not do so now? Keith helpfully lists links to texts that can be viewed online. For example, one item listed is Salonika Again, which Keith describes as an “interesting pamphlet telling of a return visit paid by two veterans of the campaign, and their visits to a school funded by the SCS and a village adopted by them. According to the Mosquito, the two veterans were Billy Reeves and G E Willis.”
Our thanks to Keith for his continued patience and persistence in this Herculean task.
Both new and old visitors to Great War Huts enjoyed an inspirational day of presentations, chat and site tours on Saturday 31 August. The venue, at Brook Farm Camp, Bury St Edmunds is a unique site in which to learn about the personal, military and social history of the First World War – and it was ideal for a study day focusing on the Salonika Campaign.
Ably chaired by SCS member, Keith Roberts, the day began with a welcome from military historian and Great War Huts founder, Taff Gillingham. SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield then spoke of ‘The British Way in Warfare – How the BSF Conducted Military Operations in Macedonia 1915-1918’. Alan focused on different geographical areas in Salonika and how the British army adapted to the terrain of each area, whether in the Struma valley or on the Dorain front.
Second speaker of the day was Colonel Nick Ilić MBE QGM on ‘The British who defended Serbia during the Great War 1915-18 – The story of Admiral Ernest Troubridge and the wider British contribution to the Second Serbian Campaign through to the end of the War’. I had no previous knowledge of who Troubridge was or his role in the campaign but Nick’s fascinating presentation brought to life Troubridge’s enormous contribution in a story that we shall surely return to on this site.
Lunch, provided as part of the day, gave visitors the opportunity to view exhibitions, to tour the site and appreciate the truly ground-breaking nature of the Great War Huts project.
Trench reconstruction at Brook Farm Camp. Image source Great War Huts
Refreshed, we returned to hear Taff Gillingham’s engaging and expert talk on ‘Uniforms and Equipment of the British Salonika Force’. Taff based his session on photographs from the time, pointing out features of uniform and illustrating these with real items of clothing to highlight the practical uses and implications for the men of the campaign.
Wendy Moore then gave us a moving and uplifting talk: ‘With the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in Serbia, Russia and Romania: the story of Vera ‘Jack’ Holme and Evelina Haverfield in love and at war’. This provided a shift in focus from the campaign and the activities of men, to the contribution of women in the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and, in particular, the personal lives of the remarkable Jack and Eve.
There was time for some scrumptiouus cake and tea before the final presentation of the day from none other than fellow author of these blog posts, Robin Braysher. Inspired by his grandfather Fred Braysher’s service, Robin gave a fascinating talk: ‘On Patrol with the Pneumatic Cavalry: innovation and adaptability in the Army Cyclist Corps in northern Greece, 1915-18.’ Who knew that a Lewis Gun could be carried on a bicycle, ready for instant use through its quick release clips!
The day concluded with a Q&A session, chaired by Keith, where all the speakers of the day faced questions from the audience. My key memory of this was an impassioned answer from Taff Gillingham on what had inspired his interest in the Great War. I only wish that I had recorded it as my notes and memory can in no way do justice to his reponse!
This was a truly special day and a great collaboration between the Society and Great War Huts. My personal thanks go to all those organising, speaking and contributing to the success of the day – not least to the GWH hospitality heroes Jane and Alan for delicious lunches, cakes and refreshments, and to GWH volunteer Mark for guiding us through the trenches at lunchtime.
Links
We are very pleased to announce a special day focusing on the the Salonika Campaign, at the Great War Huts site near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The date for your diary is Saturday 31 August.
Together with our friends at Great War Huts, we have planned a special study day featuring five talks on aspects of the Salonika Campaign with expert speakers – including our own Alan Wakefield and Robin Braysher. The day also gives the chance to learn more about the work of Great War Huts and to visit the reconstructed First World War huts and trench network on site.
All this for just £25 – and that even includes lunch! Tickets MUST be booked in advance.
Full details of the day, the location, and how to buy tickets can be found here.
In December of last year, we posted about a podcast series that featured an interview with Society member Chris Loader who had travelled with the Society on the September 2023 SCS Battlefield Tour to visit the grave of his great-great-grandfather, Henry Albert Obadiah Loader.
Inspired by a visit to Doiran Military Cemetery during the tour, Chris has now branched out to record his own podcast series: Salonika Secrets.
‘Salonika Secrets’ – a new podcast from Society member Chris Loader
The podcast tells of Chris’s search to identify an unknown British officer commemorated at Doiran. Without giving too much away, Chris has so far managed to narrow down the identity to an officer who served in the 12th Hampshire Regiment. You can listen to the podcast free on Spotify, Amazon and Apple and, no doubt, other podcast providers. Chris also posts updates and extra information on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) here.
Good luck with the search Chris!
We are very grateful to SCS Member, Rob Elliott for leading this project that attempts to compile a single record of the awards and honours given to those serving in the Macedonian Campaign. Full details of the aims of the project can be found here.
Rob, with some help from Society Chairman Alan Wakefield, and Members Harry Fecitt and Andy Siddall, has made remarkable progress in compiling this database of honours. A first release was made on 12th January, containing 1067 entries with 276 citations, and Rob has just published the second update , comprising 1960 names of which 283 have full citations. The database is available on the SCS Members’ Area here.
For a full explanation of the work and progress made so far, please read Rob’s report here.
If you are able to spare some time in helping Rob, please send him a message via the form below.
Salonika Campaign Society, 1915-1918 