We are very grateful to SCS Member, Rob Elliott for leading this project that attempts to compile asingle 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.
The Salonika Campaign Society is proud of its twice-yearly printed journal, the New Mosquito. Our members say that they look forward to receiving it and that it’s an essential part of their membership. We are now looking for a new editor to play a pivotal part in curating and telling the stories of those who served in Salonika during World War I.
This is an important voluntary role, in which you will be warmly welcomed and have the full support of committee members. And, because this is a desk-based role, you could be living anywhere in the UK – or beyond!
What would you have to do?
Commission interesting and varied articles
Establish and maintain a publication style for the journal
Prepare draft copies for review prior to publication.
Liaise with printers and balance the budget
Publish the journal on time each April and September
Generally, to ensure that the New Mosquito continues to be a valued and important part of the Salonika Campaign Society.
What will you need?
Access to and experience of using software such as MS Word
The ability to work to deadlines
It would be great if you have an interest in World War 1 and, specifically the Salonika Campaign.
How can you find out more?
Please email our Secretary John Taylor. John will be happy to chat about the role and give more details. Thanks for reading this – we look forward to hearing from you.
The Salonika Campaign Society is delighted to announce The Philip Barnes Bursary. This new initiative is offered to postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers undertaking research that will contribute to knowledge of the Salonika Campaign fought across Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria between 1915 and 1918.
The successful candidate will be awarded a subsidised place on the Society’s 2024 battlefield tour. The tour of 9 days (8 nights) will run from Sunday 22 until Monday 30 September and will start and finish in Thessaloniki.
The bursary, named after Philip Barnes, SCS founder and pioneer traveller to the First World War battlefields across Macedonia, will cover accommodation, food and travel within Greece and North Macedonia for the duration of the tour. Travel to and from Greece will be at the candidate’s own expense.
Members and visitors to this site, please forward to anyone you think might be interested or who could promote the Bursary to others. Thank you.
Further details of the Bursary and how to apply are here.
As a result of a remarkable piece of work researched and initiated by SCS Membership Secretary, Keith Edmonds, we are pleased to provide a new file to aid research and understanding of the Salonika Campaign.
The Trench Maps Indexis a .pdf file which lists approximately 8,500 place names from the Salonika theatre, in alphabetic sequence, together with their corresponding coordinates. The names, and their respective Easting/Northing, have been determined from the collection of maps available from the Society and show:
Place Name
The map from where the location reference (Easting/Northing) was taken
The map scale
The Easting and Northing and
The calculated, corresponding Latitude and Longitude.
Where a location reference has been provided on the respective map, the place’s location is shown in italicised blue text in the index, as in the following example.
An entry from the Trench Maps Place Names Index.
But here’s the thing… clicking on any name shown in blue text will load Google Maps at that locationas indicated by a red ‘pin’!
The location of Arthur´s Seat in Google Maps
This ability to locate campaign locations in Google Maps is a remarkable innovation made possible by the research begun by Keith leading to collaboration with Professors Clifford J Mugnier and Gábor Timár. As a result, Professor Timár presented a paper on the subject, Georeference of the Allied Trench Maps of the WW1 Salonika Front at the 16th ICA Conference, Digital Approaches to Cartographic Heritage at the Faculty of Geography, Babeş–Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania on 22nd-24th September 2022. The co-authors of the paper are listed as Gábor Timár, Keith Edmonds, Clifford J. Mugnier.
On Saturday 11th November, members of the SCS, including the Society’s Patron, The Hon. Ann Straker, SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield, Secretary, John Taylor and Treasurer, Ray Brownson, gathered with National Trust staff and volunteers and representatives from the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, including Trustee, Brigadier David Innes to remember those who have died for their country in war and conflict, particularly the men and women of the British Salonika Force. Thanks to Alison Lazarus of the National Trust for organising the service, The Reverend Mark Christian for officiating and Darren Rolfe for the photographs.
SCS Patron, The Hon. Ann Straker after laying the wreath on behalf of the SCS.SCS Secretary, John Taylor, planting crosses in remembrance of 38218 Acting Bombardier James Thornley and 38368 Bombardier John Edwards.The Sandham Memorial Chapel with the well dressed and ready for the Remembrance service.
On the morning of Thursday 8 November, SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield, represented the Society at the Opening of the 95th Field of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey. SCS members Jonathan Saunders and Darren Rolfe were also in attendance. The Field is organised by the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Factory and the SCS is very lucky to have its plot in a prime location opposite the west door of St Margaret’s Church, which stands alongside the Abbey. This year the Field was opened by Her Majesty Queen Camilla who is Patron of the Poppy Factory.
SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield, Her Majesty Queen Camilla about those who served with the BSF during the Salonika Campaign.The British Salonika Army plot, a tradition started by BSF veterans of the Salonika Reunion Association and continued today by the SCS.Crosses of Remembrance in the Salonika plot commemorating those who still lie beneath Balkan soil.
The Salonika Campaign Bibliography (with thanks as ever to Keith Roberts) is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the campaign or researching an aspect of it. It’s freely available for members and non-members alike.
Each year we aim to publish an update to the bibliography, as close as possible to the anniversary of the Bulgarian Armistice in late September 1918. And so, we are very pleased to announce the arrival of Version 4! You can find it here.
Issue 48 of The New Mosquito was mailed to Society members by our printers this week. This issue features a fascinating in-depth piece about the 26th Divisional Company Theatre Company and has articles ranging from the Italian Regia Marina to the Society’s innovative ‘Trench Maps Place Names Project’. Not to be missed!
UK members should receive their copy by September 25th, overseas members a little later. If you haven’t received yours, do please let us know and we’ll get a copy to you asap.
After the success of the 2022 Salonika Battlefield Tour, the SCS offers another chance to visit a number of key sites linked to the history of the British Salonika Force.
If you have not visited the ground once trodden by the BSF, we encourage you to come along as there is nothing like walking the ground to help get a better understanding of the campaign and the experiences of the men and women who served in the Balkans during the First World War.
The tour, starting on Sunday 24th September and finishing on Monday 2nd October, will be led by SCS Chair and co-author of Under the Devil’s Eye, Alan Wakefield. The plan is for the tour to cover Thessaloniki, The Birdcage Line, The Struma Valley, the Doiran battlefield, the Krusha Balkan Hills and the Roche Noire Salient. The tour group will also attend official ceremonies of Remembrance connected to the Salonika Campaign and visit a number of the CWGC cemeteries.
For further information, please contact SCS Chair, Alan Wakefield by email here.
Proposed Itinerary
Sunday 24th September Tour group meets at the airport in Thessaloniki at 11.10am Visit to Birdcage Line defences Overnight in Doiran Monday 25th September Visit to the Doiran Battlefield – Grand Couronne, The Hilt, Hill 340 Overnight in Doiran Tuesday 26th September Visit to Doiran Battlefield – La Tortue, Petit Couronne, Pip Ridge Overnight in Doiran Wednesday 27th September Visit to the Doiran Memorial & CWGC Cemetery A trip into the Krusha Balkan (‘Cushy Balkan’) Hills Overnight in Kilkis Thursday 28th September A drive through the Krusha Balkan Hills to the Struma Valley Visit to the village of Mavroplagia (formerly Karamudli) once sponsored by the Salonika Reunion Association. Paleokastro Bulgarian trench network Skotoussa (Prosenik) village – site of 4th Rifle Brigade ambush in 1918 Overnight in Serres Friday 29th September Visits to various locations in the Struma Valley including: Monokklisia and Provatas (The Karajakois and Yenikoi) BSF Outpost line river defence line positions CWGC Struma Cemetery CWGC Kirechkoi-Hortakoi Cemetery Overnight in Thessaloniki Saturday 30th September Visit to Lembet Road Allied Military Cemetery Visit to Monastir Road Indian Cemetery Visit to the site of the former BSF GHQ Overnight in Thessaloniki Sunday 1st October Attend ceremony of commemoration at the Allied Five Nations Memorial near Polykastro Visit to CWGC Karasouli Cemetery Visit to the Roche Noire Salient Overnight in Thessaloniki Monday 2nd October End of tour and return home
Salonika Campaign Society, 1915-1918 