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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Trench Line on approach to Horseshoe Hill, Doiran Front


alistair_m

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The screen shot below shows the GPS positions of a few hundred metres of trench that we discovered whilst wandering around the SW slopes of Pip Ridge and Horseshoe Hill. The line does continue up to Horseshoe itself, however, as the Greek Border Patrol Tannoys were blaring away, we though it prudent to return back to the car!

I would imagine, from the topography, the trenches were facing NW - the gentle slope behind them would have given little view of anyone moving in that direction - however the view NE certainly provides an excellent view of Pip Ridge and Krastali (Korona).

The trenches are no more than maybe 2' to 3' deep now, but the zigzag pattern is very obvious once your'e on top of them.

Im wondering if anyone has any further detail about these particular trenches - what period of the war would they have been dug, and who would have been in them at any given time. I'm particularly interested in the period September 1916 to November 1916, which is when my Great Uncle was killed at Horseshoe Hill.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very interesting shots, from a rarely visited site. I roamed around Lake Doiran several years ago and, owing to the lack of clear trails, got lost trying to make my way to the Devil's Eye. Almost didn;t get out before dusk. Scary!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you for starting this thread. My great uncle, Lance Corporal Harold Bull (7th Ox & Bucks RN 14082) was killed on the night of 18 August 1916 during a recce up towards Horseshoe Hill. I have compiled a story about him but unsure how to pass it on to this media. He is buried at Karasouli. I would hope some form of commemoration for this forgotten area of war is conducted amidst all the populist work being given out by the various media.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alistair_m I am surprised you weren't arrested on the Greek side of the border - it is a very sensitive area and much watched for smugglers of all varieties. I have walked on the Fyrom side of the border, where you should advise the local authorities in advance, though a good guide will usually sort this out for you.

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As Martin knows, each year during the last weekend in September official ceremonies of commemoration take place in Thessaloniki and at Polykastro to remember the fallen of the Salonika Campaign. The ceremonies are lead by the remembrance organisations of Britain, France, Greece and Serbia, with reps also coming from Italy and Russia. As Chairman of the Salonika Campaign Society, I head thyings up from the British side. Representatives from the various governments, usually DAs, are also generally present. The SCS usually run a battlefield tour to coincide with the ceremonies. These tours, using local guides, are the best way to see the Salonika battlefields without getting into trouble - although even then events can happen! The Centenary period will see increasing activity out in Greece and FYROM as the British Embassies in both Athens and Skopje are keen to mark events. I was at Doiran just over a week ago and we were joined by the British Ambassador and DA from Skopje as well as three senior chaps from CWGC who wanted to discuss potential Centenary events and to get an idea of the Doiran battlefield by walking the ground. Anyone interested in going out to the Salonika battlefields should have a look at the Salonika 1915 - 1918 Facebook page - plenty of photos, info etc.

ALAN

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Naivety very nearly did cost us in actual fact! It was a bit of a short notice trip and a guided tour wasn't available in the time frames we had. So having looked at Google Earth and various trench maps, we whittled down the approximate area for Horseshoe Hill. We drove up to Karona and parked the car in an area where it appeared other cars had been. There wasn't a sign or fence in sight so we assumed it would be OK to wonder along the edge of fields and over the hills. There were plenty of goat herders about and a guy with a few bees who warned us to keep away from the swarming masses, but other than that, no sign of any warnings to keep away from the hills. After a hour climbing around, we heard a distant Tannoy message, but both being completely incapable of speaking or understanding Greek, it was rather wasted on us. With no visible sign of life, other than the village, we assumed it was some kind of activity going on there.

Having found our objective, we decided to return back to the car and then hotel. No one approached us and not a sign of any border guard or official personnel. Back at the hotel we met up with the knowledgeable Adrian Wright who explained the folly of our ways, and the fact that the Tannoy was infact the Border Guard! Memories of aircraft spotters and Greek prison hospitality came flooding back. So I guess we were lucky.

However, my objective was to pay my respects to my Great Uncle Arthur Lawson both at the location he was killed and at the Cemetery where he was buried. My brother and I have been the only members of family to have managed that in the 98 years since he died - the risk was definitely worth it.

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  • 2 years later...

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