Who's who in Salonika, Xmas 1916

[trajan]

This Xmas 1916 Card from Salonika is causing some interest and discussion over at GBF (http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?871985-Serb-picture&p=7863809#post7863809 )... It is in the IWM collections (with no further details), and the discussion is focussed on the nationality of the chaps shown. Current feeling at GBF is for:

 

"Top Row - Left to Right
French Colonial Annamite Officer ~ British Infantry summer uniform ~ Serbian Infantry ~ Italian Alpini ~ French African Tirailleur ??? ~ British Infantry Indian Army ~ British Officer
Bottom Row - Left to Right
French Annamite Infantry ~ Russian Brigade ~ French Infantry ~ French African Tirailleurs ???"

 

But I reckon the 'British officer' is a Greek - possibly artillery? (but this is not my field!)

 

 

[apwright]

Back: Cretan gendarme - British infantry - Serbian infantry - Italian Alpini - Tirailleur Sénégalais (or maybe Malgache, tho' in most photos Senegalese tend to wear a red fez while the Malgaches wear khaki)  - British Indian (transport or artillery, no infantry before 1918!) - Greek gendarme (not army because Greece wasn't officially at war yet!).

 

Front: Indochinese (mostly Tonkinese; very few actual Annamites, but "annamite" was used as a generic term) - Russian infantry - French infantry - Not certain, but possibly French Creole (from the Creole battalion that fought at Gallipoli & was subsequently disbanded and distributed among the 54e and 56e Colonial Infantry regiments of 33e Brigade, 17e DIC. There are quite a few men from Martinique, Guadeloupe & New Caledonia in the cemeteries here).

 

Have you seen this? (The first 1m 10s)

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060005403

 

Adrian

[trajan]

Cheers Adrian - I guessed you would know! I was confused somewhat by the probale Greek as Greece was not in things then, but your ID as a Gendarme makes sense. I have re-posted your analysis on GWF with credit to you.

 

Julian

[CROONAERT]

The 'French Infantryman' (second from right, front row) is an Engineer (génie)

 

Dave

Edited 6 November , 2017 by CROONAERT

[Guest]

My grandfather was in Salonika 1916/7 as a staff officer, 60th Div. and left an album with this photo, annotated as : back row, L to R, Greek (Royalist), British, Serbian, Italian, Algerian (French), Indian, Greek (Venizelos). Front row, L to R, Annim (sic)(French), Russian, French, Senegalese (French).