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Remembered Today:

Where are the following places?


Rockdoc

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In January, 1918, there was an exchange of some 3-ton GS lorries for 30-cwt ones involving 95th AAS, based at Lembet, and a unit somewhere on the Struma. I can't trace the route, although several place-names are given.

13/1/1918: Three ton transport departed from STAVROS 08.40 hours, arrived BESHIK 11.35 hours.

14/1/1918: Three ton transport departed from TUMBA 08.15, arrived Section HQ 10.00 hours.

I presume Beshik is either the lake NW of Stavros, on the Birdcage line at a guess, or one of the towns on its banks. I can't find Tumba but it shouldn't be that far from Salonika as it only took 90 minutes to reach Lembet. The reverse journey is given as:

19/1/1918: 30 cwt transport left Section HQ for STRUMA 09.30 hours, arrived AJVASIL 19.10 hours.

21/1/1918: 30 cwt transport arrived ANO KEUSOVES 18.00 hours.

I can't find either of these stopping points, either.

17.30 Edit: I've now found Aj Vasilios and Tumba on Lake Langaza but still need help with Ano Keusoves.

Anyone got any ideas?

Keith

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Beshik = Bešik - two villages about 7 miles apart on the north shore of Lake Bešik (Volvi): Büjük Bešik and Küçük Bešik (Great & Little Besik = Mega & Mikron Bezikia, now Megali and Mikra Volvi).

Ajvasil - Turkish "corruption" of Greek Agios Vasilios (meaning St Basil, marked Aj.Vasilios on the Austrian map, Aghios Vassilios on Google Earth, south shore of Lake Langaza/Koronia).

Tumba - Probably the village just WNW of Ajvasil, but theoretically could be any place with an ancient tumulus (=toumba in Greek).

Could Keusoves be Krusovo(n)? There's Kato (Asagi = Lower) and Ano (Jokari = Upper) Krusovon on the eastern edge of the Austrian "Salonika" map near the mouth of the Struma, where Nea Kerdylia is now.

Adrian

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Thanks, Adrian. Keusoves turns out to be Krusoves - the original photo isn't completely clear but there's a later one that's very clear - so it seems likely that it is Ano Krusovon. 95th AAS HQ moved to "Ano" in May 1918, with its 'A' gun at Iviron and its B gun at Ano, which are close to each other. The Iviron gun moved to Kucos in August, 1918, but that's just down the edge of the lake.

Incidentally, the entry for 15th May tells us where 95th had been sited since early 1917, which it called simply "Lembet" up to then - nominally the 6.5 Kilo point on the Seres road. They must have been quite high at their actual site. They could see over the harbour, high angle fire in the direction of Guvesne and the tumulus at Harmankoj, where 99th was based.

Keith

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Adrian, I've confirmed that it's modern-day Krusovon, I think, because I've just found another reference to Kato Krusoves in the Diary.

Do you have any idea where Middlesex Bridge, Tasli, was? Tasli is mentioned earlier in the Diary as being one end of a road from Stavros and that 95th picked up picked up its supplies from the 15.5 km point along it. Looking at the Austrian map 41-41, the only likely spot is Kar Tasli derbend on the coast NE of Stavros but there's no village nor anywhere obvious for a bridge there.

Keith

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Keith,

Apologies for the late response, but I didn't notice your second reply!

I think it must be "Kar. Tasli derbend". If you look near the village of Logkari on Google Earth (40.76 23.76), there's a fairly large dry riverbed that comes down from the mountains there, crossed by bridges on the new motorway and the old coast road. It gets pretty full in winter! (We go that way several times a year on the way to Thasos.)

Taşlı is Turkish for stony/rocky, derbend is Old Persian for a "gateway" in the sense of a narrow pass/gorge (cf. the Derveni Pass on the Serres Road.)

Not sure what the "Kar." means. It's the one ?German geographical abbreviation on these Austrian maps that I haven't worked out yet!

Some others are:

Ksr. = Kaserne = barracks

Mgz. = Magazin = magazine/depot

Kls. = Kloster = monastery/convent

Sp. = Spitze = point/cape/headland

Hope this helps!

Adrian

EDIT: Aha! Kar. = Karaula, Slavic word for a watchtower or sentry post.

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P.S. Keith, with my limited French I've been rummaging through the War Diary of the French Aviation Park at

http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.go...26_N_I_e0011124

(only available up to 1/12/16 at present unfortunately) and apparently they had an airfield at Akbounar - in the hills above Daoutbali/Oraiokastro.

Looking at Google Earth, the only flattish area up there is the fields around 40.74693 22.92070. Could that be the French airfeld you were looking for near Daoutbali/Summerhill?

Nearly every day the Park at Kalamaria refuels the aircraft belonging to the squadrons at Samli, Topcin, Sedes and Akbounar (I suppose they land at the Park, refuel, they fly back to base?) and every few days the Park sends trucks of fuel off to the squadrons further afield (Karasouli, Sarigol etc.).

Adrian

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Thanks, Adrian. All good stuff, as always.

Keith

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Looking at Google Earth, the only flattish area up there is the fields around 40.74693 22.92070. Could that be the French airfeld you were looking for near Daoutbali/Summerhill?

It could very well be, though it's further north than I was expecting. If 95th's "Lembet" can be 6.5km along the Seres road, Summerhill camp was supposed to be about 8km so, again, you'd think the aerodrome would be nearer Salonika but there's no telling how the distances were measured. I don't think that 95th's guns were on the road itself but high up in the hills to the east of it, my guess being at 40°41'56.87"N, 22°58'37.45"E. That's east of the 6.5km point on the road but that spot fits far better with the snippets I get in the Diaries. By the same token, the quoted 7.5km for Summerhill Camp might only be the distance along the nearest main road.

Nearly every day the Park at Kalamaria refuels the aircraft belonging to the squadrons at Samli, Topcin, Sedes and Akbounar (I suppose they land at the Park, refuel, they fly back to base?) and every few days the Park sends trucks of fuel off to the squadrons further afield (Karasouli, Sarigol etc.).

It looks as if Allied planes patrolled a lot of the time because the AA Sections frequently fired shots in the general direction of a hostile plane that's out of their range as "directing fire for our aircraft." Depending on the patrol zones, it might make sense for the Park to refuel aircraft working in the area of the city itself rather than have them break off their patrol earlier to reach their bases.

Keith

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[quote Tumba - Probably the village just WNW of Ajvasil, but theoretically could be any place with an ancient tumulus (=toumba in Greek).

Adrian

Adrian - I had placed Tumba as Agios Vasilios at 40-39-54 N 23-08-50 E - it was on the Sarakli to Stavros railway built 1917

regards

John

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John, if you look on this map, you'll find Tumba to the NW of Aj Vasilios. These Austrian maps are very useful to any of us researching this theatre, even if they're less detailed that the later maps used by the Allied armies.

Keith

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Hi John, hope you're well!

The actual tumulus from which Tumba got its name is visible on GE at 40.689494 23.071771 (N40-41-22, E23-04-19), on the other side of Agios Vasilios, but still on the railway line. There used to be a small village around it, but now there's only some marble distributors and furniture warehouses on the main road.

Adrian

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  • 6 years later...
On 20/02/2010 at 22:59, Rockdoc said:

Thanks, Adrian. Keusoves turns out to be Krusoves - the original photo isn't completely clear but there's a later one that's very clear - so it seems likely that it is Ano Krusovon. 95th AAS HQ moved to "Ano" in May 1918, with its 'A' gun at Iviron and its B gun at Ano, which are close to each other. The Iviron gun moved to Kucos in August, 1918, but that's just down the edge of the lake.

Incidentally, the entry for 15th May tells us where 95th had been sited since early 1917, which it called simply "Lembet" up to then - nominally the 6.5 Kilo point on the Seres road. They must have been quite high at their actual site. They could see over the harbour, high angle fire in the direction of Guvesne and the tumulus at Harmankoj, where 99th was based.

Keith

information for chagezi and Mouth Struma - Kerdillia Serres - krusoves - ano Krusova - kato Krusova / Today name is Kerdillia. ΚΕΡΔΥΛΛΙΑ ΣΕΡΡΩΝ watermarked-041-kato-krusoves-village2.j

 

 

HOLOCAUST ANO KERDYLIA AND KATO KERDYLIA SERRES 

 

watermarked-P6080143.jpg

watermarked-P6080145.jpg

Edited by theoharidis
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  • 1 year later...

In late 1917/early 1918 267 Railway Construction Coy RE was working on the Sarakli-Stravos Light Railway in the Lanagvuk-Stronglos Section and mentions the following places Besik/Beshik Signal, Hot Springs and Gloucester Gully.  Besik Signal cannot not be on the north side of the Lake Besik, as the railway runs on the south side.  Does anyone have any idea where any of these places are?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Julian

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On ‎21‎/‎02‎/‎2010 at 16:50, Rockdoc said:

Adrian, I've confirmed that it's modern-day Krusovon, I think, because I've just found another reference to Kato Krusoves in the Diary.

Do you have any idea where Middlesex Bridge, Tasli, was? Tasli is mentioned earlier in the Diary as being one end of a road from Stavros and that 95th picked up picked up its supplies from the 15.5 km point along it. Looking at the Austrian map 41-41, the only likely spot is Kar Tasli derbend on the coast NE of Stavros but there's no village nor anywhere obvious for a bridge there.

Keith

Looking at Vol 6 of the RE Corps History it seems likely the Middlesex Bridge was constructed by 26th Middlesex Pioneer Battalion in mid-1916, and might well be on the covered approach road from Stravos to the Struma front.

 

Julian

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  • 4 months later...
On 20/02/2010 at 19:24, Rockdoc said:

In January, 1918, there was an exchange of some 3-ton GS lorries for 30-cwt ones involving 95th AAS, based at Lembet, and a unit somewhere on the Struma. I can't trace the route, although several place-names are given.

13/1/1918: Three ton transport departed from STAVROS 08.40 hours, arrived BESHIK 11.35 hours.

14/1/1918: Three ton transport departed from TUMBA 08.15, arrived Section HQ 10.00 hours.

I presume Beshik is either the lake NW of Stavros, on the Birdcage line at a guess, or one of the towns on its banks. I can't find Tumba but it shouldn't be that far from Salonika as it only took 90 minutes to reach Lembet. The reverse journey is given as:

19/1/1918: 30 cwt transport left Section HQ for STRUMA 09.30 hours, arrived AJVASIL 19.10 hours.

21/1/1918: 30 cwt transport arrived ANO KEUSOVES 18.00 hours.

I can't find either of these stopping points, either.

17.30 Edit: I've now found Aj Vasilios and Tumba on Lake Langaza but still need help with Ano Keusoves.

Anyone got any ideas?

Keith

NEW NAME " ANO KEUSOVES"  TODAY IS "ANO KERDYLIA (kerdilia - kerdillia ) SERRES -  (http://holocaustkerdilliagreece.blogspot.gr/) This photos is fron (ano krousoves - ano kerdilia)

Nea Kerdhilia - Κερδύλια (76).jpg

Nea Kerdhilia - Κερδύλια (7).jpg

 

Nea Kerdhilia - Κερδύλια (34).jpg

watermarked-P6080143.jpg

watermarked-P6080145.jpg

Edited by theoharidis
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  • 2 months later...

Does anyone know where Glouster Gully is?  I know that it is on  the Stravos-Sarakali railway but no more.

 

Thanks

 

Julian

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Hi Julian,

I had a look on the SCS trench maps; there is no Glouster Gully but Gloucester Post and Goucester Wood are between Jeni Mahale and Karaska and there is a Gloster Hill but it's to the north of Lake Beshik.   

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