The aim of the Society is to perpetuate the memory of those of all nations who served, whether they were members of the armed forces, medical services or civilian staff. The Society does not seek to glorify war and is neither politically nor commercially motivated.
Regular contributor to these pages, Robin Braysher, first wrote about Michael Margiotta on 6th October 2018 – the 100th anniversary of Michael’s death in Salonika. You can now read a much fuller account by Robin of Michael’s life and service and how he was honoured by the King of Serbia to become “A Gold Medal Cyclist” at the excellent site: Away from the Western Front.
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.
…. as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
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”My thanks go to David Gallon for sharing a letter from today’s Daily Telegraph, alerting readers to the delights of visiting northern Greece and – in particular- sites associated with the Macedonian campaign.
Continue reading “Salonika recommended!”South Asian Heritage Month seems as good a time as any to consider the, often overlooked, South Asian contribution to the Macedonian campaign. Indeed, had the campaign continued into 1919, this contribution would have been even greater as plans were well underway to “Indianize” the BSF as had already happened in Palestine, but on an even greater scale.
Continue reading “South Asian troops in the BSF”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!
My thanks go to David Jenkins who – rather longer ago than I am prepared to admit – shared the story of his grandfather, along with some fascinating photos.
Samuel Jenkins enlisted in the 6th (Service Battalion), Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on 1 September 1914, the Battalion having been raised in Omagh during the previous month. Samuel’s service with The Skins is a little hazy, but we know he sailed from Liverpool in early July with the rest of 10th (Irish) Division, with his overseas service commencing with his disembarkation on 11 July 1915, probably on Lemnos. One (!) of his National Archive medal index cards give this date with the note ‘(2B) Balkans’, meaning ‘Balkan Theatre – Gallipoli and Aegean Islands’. This made him eligible for the 1914/15 Star. Four weeks later, the Division landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli.
Continue reading “Remembering Samuel Jenkins and 6/Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers”Continue reading “Remembering Great Uncle David and 11/Welsh”It was five o’clock in the morning on the edge of hell. Captain Jimmy Eynon looked up through the goggles of his gas mask at Grande Couronne, cursed savagely, and kicked a rugby ball high into the air. Before it fell, a Welshman had been shot to pieces … and another … and another.
from ‘Now the Agony!’ by Gareth Bowen in ‘The South Wales Echo‘, 1964
