Who was at Mekes?

[Gardenerbill]

I recently purchased a photograph pasted to a postcard from a well known auction website. It shows a picture of a church and handwritten beside the picture it says Mekes Struma valley.

[Gardenerbill]

I found Mekes on the Orljak Military map (SCS trench map CD) about at ref 1803/1659 approximately 2.5 km east of K70 (Seres rd), the church is marked on a road to the south of the village.

[Gardenerbill]

I had a look on Google maps and Mekes would seem to be where the modern day village of Ampeli is today. On Google street view there is a cemetery (green area) roughly where the church would have been but no church is visible.

My question is which units were stationed in this area?

[AndyR]

Hi

IWM collections references a few photos from the service of Captain CH Budd

Unfortunately not digitized, but all captioned as being whilst the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers occupied the village between 28 March and 21 April 1917

HU 81019 - House used by the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers as a company billet and cookhouse in the village of Mekes, Struma Valley

HU 81020 - Officers of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers at the entrance to a house in the village of Mekes used as a company headquarters

HU 81022 - Slit trenches in the village of Mekes, Struma Valley

Andy

[Gardenerbill]

Andy,

Thanks, so the photographer could have been from the Royal Irish Fusiliers but equally any of the other 30th Brigade or 10th Irish Division battalions.

[wesleycj]

Just been reading the 10th Division,  31st Field Ambulance war diary.  They were at Mekes from 27 Aug- 26 Oct 1916.  They spent 2 days just cleaning a barn so the they could use it as an ADS.