Category: Meetings and events

Nick Ilic lecture on Sir Thomas Lipton and Serbia during WW1

Image source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45548495

Sir Thomas Lipton (1848–1931) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist best known for founding the Lipton tea company, which became one of the largest tea brands in the world. He was also a noted sportsman, famously competing in the America’s Cup yacht races several times, and made significant contributions to charity and education throughout his life.

During World War I, Lipton visited Serbia to offer humanitarian aid, moved by the suffering caused by the conflict. Recognizing the dire need for medical support, he donated substantial funds and medical supplies to assist Serbian soldiers and civilians, especially during the devastating 1915 retreat. His efforts helped establish field hospitals and provided relief to those affected by both the war and the widespread disease in the region.

This remarkable, and to me at least, largely forgotten story will be told with much more skill and knowledge by Colonel (Retd) Nick Ilic in a free online talk this week. As Nick explains, “It is a fascinating story and I’ve assembled a large number of photographs to try and bring it to life.”

The talk is on 11 February at 7pm and should last about an hour. You can join via this link:

Update !

Nick’s talk is now available on YouTube

Salonika: The Battle Against Boredom

Yesterday, Dr Jake Gasson1 presented ‘Salonika: The Battle Against Boredom’ online from the National Army Museum2. If you missed the talk, or would like to listen again, you can catch it below or via this link. The talk begins at 15 minutes 24 seconds.

1Dr Jake Gasson is a National Army Museum Fellow based at King’s College London, where he is a postdoctoral researcher. He obtained a DPhil from Pembroke College, Oxford, specialising in the Macedonian front of the First World War. He is also the first recipient of the Salonika Campaign Society’s Philip Barnes Bursary. Jake joined the Society’s 2024 battlefield visit to Greece, delivering two presentations to the tour party while there. We recently published his article on Searching for Scapegoats: The ‘unreliable Zouaves’ and the Second Battle of Doiran. Jake will also be writing a piece for the The New Mosquito in the future.

2The National Army Museum is a leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present, and has hosted many free online events in the past. You can support its work here.

Salonika: The Battle Against Boredom

Dr Jake Gasson is a National Army Museum Fellow based at King’s College London, where he is a postdoctoral researcher. He obtained a DPhil from Pembroke College, Oxford, specialising in the Macedonian front of the First World War. He is also the first recipient of the Salonika Campaign Society’s Philip Barnes Bursary. Jake joined the Society’s 2024 battlefield visit to Greece, delivering two presentations to the tour party while there. We recently published his article on Searching for Scapegoats: The ‘unreliable Zouaves’ and the Second Battle of Doiran. Jake will also be writing a piece for the The New Mosquito in the future.

Jake Gasson, battlefield presentation on SCS tour. Image source: @JakeGasson1918 on X

In the meantime, Jake is giving a talk on ‘The Battle Against Boredom’ on 13th December 2024, 12.00pm – 1.00pm where he “seeks to understand the endurance and morale of British soldiers serving in territory that today spans northern Greece and North Macedonia. While focusing on the psychological challenges presented by boredom, he will also explore the wider campaign and the nature of this often-forgotten front.”

The free-of-charge talk is available online, and in-person at the National Army Museum, but advance booking is required. For full details, please click here.

Image from NAM

Secrets of Salonika – online presentation

As part of the to the Great War Group‘s series on online talks, SCS Secretary, Chris Loader recently presented Secrets of Salonika – Insights from the battlefields of Greece & North Macedonia. That talk is now freely available at YouTube.

Chris also presents a podcast series, Salonika Secrets.

Service of Remembrance at Sandham Memorial Chapel

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.

RBL Field of Remembrance 2024

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.

The British Salonika Army (1915-1918) plot

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.

SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield, talks ‘Salonika’ to The Duchess of Gloucester

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.

SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield, with SCS members Darren Rolfe and Jonathan Saunders at the Salonika plot

‘Secrets of Salonika – Insights from the battlefields of Greece & North Macedonia.’

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.

French postcard: The European War in the Balkans (10) - British soldiers on the march in the snow

Special exhibition on November 12th at the Hellenic Residence

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:

  • Personal items and military paraphernalia from British troops stationed in Greece during WWI shedding light into everyday life and daily routines at the war front, but also speaking of the resilience and spirit of those who served.
  • Photographs and Maps: Visual documentation that captures the landscapes and faces of the era.
  • Medals and Decorations: Honours awarded to servicemen who fought at the Macedonian Front during WWI.

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.

Remembering the BSF

As is customary on the first Saturday after the anniversary of the Bulgarian armistice (30 September 1918), SCS members and friends gathered at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Saturday 5 October to lay a wreath and remember the dead of the British Salonika Force.

Continue reading “Remembering the BSF”