Salonika 90 Years After

[apwright]

In the morning of 29 September 1918 an Armistice was signed between the Allies of the Entente and Bulgaria. Fire ceased at noon on 30 September, and the Great War was effectively over on the Salonika Front.

Every year on the last weekend of September, the end of the First World War on the Salonika Front is commemorated at the great Allied Cemetery (Zeitenlick/Lembet Road) in Thessaloniki and at the Five Nations Memorial outside Polykastro. Delegations from Britain, Greece, Serbia, France and Italy gather to commemorate the great sacrifice and honour the fallen.

Mass at the Serbian Memorial

The flags of the Allies outside the French Chapel at Zeitenlick

French Secretary of State for Defense and Veterans' Affairs M. Jean-Marie Bockel at the French Memorial

[apwright]

Serbian Defense Minister Mr Dragan Sutanovać at the Stone of Remembrance in the British Cemetery

Philip Barnes and Henry Webb of the Salonika Campaign Society

The Italian delegation in the Italian Cemetery

[apwright]

The Five Nations Memorial near Polykastro (Karasouli)

We will remember them.

Adrian

More photos in my Flickr album here here

[Paul Reed]

Thank you for posting those photos - nice to see that 'Muckydonia' is not forgotten there, even if it is here.

[Stephen Nulty]

Great pictures, Adrian, thanks for posting them.

[awakefield]

Paul

The Salonika Campaign is 'almost' forgotten here (UK). The Salonika Campaign Society will be having its annual wreath laying at the Cenotaph on the morning of Saturday 11 October. This is followed by a meeting at the Civil Service Club at which forum member Charles Fair will give a talk about the 60th (London) Division's involvement in the campaign.

The SCS is one of the five societies that takes part in the commemorations in Thessaloniki and Polykastro each year. As Chairman I try to attend every couple of years, diary permitting. I was out there with a group last year and hope to return next year. This time round we were represented by Philip Barnes, who kept the whole Salonika commemoration going alomost single handed from the 1980s until 2000 when the SCS formed.

In November this year I will be flying out to Skopje in Macedonia and then travelling down to Doiran to attend the rededicatiopn of a memorial to the 22nd Division who fought in the 2nd Battle of Doiran (18-19 September 1918). The project has been financed by the British Embassy in Skopje and has generated much local interest.

ALAN

[Paul Reed]

Glad to read that, Alan.