Faces of Salonika : John Henry Gibbon – Methodist army chaplain

The John Rylands Library recently accepted on deposit a collection of diaries written by a Methodist army chaplain John Henry Gibbon (1880-1933), who served in Salonika with the 67th Brigade of the 22nd Division between November 1916 and June 1917. Continue reading “Faces of Salonika : John Henry Gibbon – Methodist army chaplain”

Remembering ‘Dad’, Flo, Nell and Jack Middlehurst

I generally buy postcards related to the Salonika campaign on the basis of the image depicted, whether it’s a landscape or pictures of soldiers. If there’s a message on the back, then that’s an added bonus – although those I have with spidery French writing are rather a challenge – and one with a nice clear message in English is a treat.

Continue reading “Remembering ‘Dad’, Flo, Nell and Jack Middlehurst”

Remembering 180629 Sapper Harry Ernest Wilkinson, Royal Engineers

Some months ago the Society was contacted by Harry Wilkinson’s granddaughter who wanted to know more about his war service. Little is know about it, except that ‘he fought both against and later with the Bulgarians’ and ended up in Constantinople. Happily, he returned home safely.

Continue reading “Remembering 180629 Sapper Harry Ernest Wilkinson, Royal Engineers”

Kiwis in Salonika

Having been taken by surprise by Anzac Day and with nothing appropriate prepared, I will simply share this link to a fascinating series of articles about the New Zealand contribution to the campaign in Macedonia:

I know I have some interesting material on Australians in the campaign, but that’s for another day!

1st Garrison Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment in Salonika

If you look though our order of battle of the British Salonika Force you will not find any mention of the Northamptonshire Regiment. This being the case, I was puzzled to receive an enquiry from Simon Gale who has documentary evidence that his great-grandfather, of 1st Garrison Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, had been in Salonika. Continue reading “1st Garrison Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment in Salonika”