W.D. 7th Battalion South Wales Borders, Salonika

[BIFFO]

Im looking for the wd of the 7th batt S.W.B,I know they sailed  from uk 5th September 15,after a short time in Marseilles 

they along with 8th batt sailed part of 67th brigade-22nd division sent to Salonika, for the life of me I cannot find war diary for 7th-8th-67th brigade-22nd division on a well known research web site,any gwf help?

[clk]

Hi Biffo,

 

Unfortunately Ancestry don't have any Salonika diaries, and it isn't currently available for download from TNA (link). I hope that a Pal will come to the rescue !

 

Regards

Chris

[Keith_history_buff]

This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded from The National Archives, but....

 

'The Museum [at Brecon] has recently started to sell an annotated copy of the South Wales Borderers 7th Battalion’s war diary, covering the period from September 1915 to October 1919. It contains information that provides extra context to the Battalion’s activities at this time, like maps and historical detail from other sources. It’s been prepared by a good friend of the Museum'

 

https://www.facebook.com/royal.welsh.museum/photos/a.1307568786018263/1793839937391143/?type=3&theater

 

The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh (Brecon):

The Barracks

Brecon

Powys

LD3 7EB;

info@royalwelsh.org.uk ;

Tel: 01874 613310

[kenf48]

Was there anything specific?

 

I can have a look in the History if there is

 

Ken

[BIFFO]

hello chaps,1st thank you all for your offer of help.

Chris,I have only just started to research Thomas Harris service number 15540,I believe not unusually he had malaria,a health check if poss would be nice.

Keith I had a  walk around the barracks in august,very not surprisingly "zulu"tho I did post that I met the relation of the most decorated welsh man of ww1(go check it out).

Ken,I will get in touch with Brecon and buy/download,BUT if you could find where he sailed From onboard what vessel that would be a brill start

 

Edited 20 November , 2019 by BIFFO

[Keith_history_buff]

If I remember rightly, the diary was a paper copy with a sage green cover. I don't think it was more than about £7, so it ought not break the bank, and it's extra money for the museum, too.

[BIFFO]

well Keith old boy,will tell you soon just contacted the museum,sounds just what im looking for,mind most other WD I  have read  are blurred,faint or intelligible

moneys like manure no good unless its spread around,

[kenf48]

5 hours ago, BIFFO said:

,I will get in touch with Brecon and buy/download,BUT if you could find wear he sailed From onboard what vessel that would be a brill start

 

They sailed from Marseilles in October 1915, nominally for Alexandria but had a 'fairly shrewd guess their ultimate goal was the Balkans'.

 

The History records,"the 8th arrived on November 9th, the 7th a few days later" but there is a footnote.

The footnote reads, "There was a rumour the 7th had been torpedoed.  The Lake Manitoba was very slow and had no escort."

 

The history notes there was a problem with transport which had mostly gone in separate ships and as a consequence:-

 

"Thus the 7th and 8th S.W.B. were first employed in Macedonia as navvies rather than soldiers.  Life was a succession of fatigues performed on half rations and punctuated by the end of the month with blizzards. The troops were very uncomfortable though a rum ration first issued on the 21st was greatly appreciated.  There were several shifts of camp, unending work to make the camps habitable, even more required on the roads, and scanty time for training."

 

'History of the South Wales Borderers 1914 -1918' C.T.Atkinson

 

Ken

[BIFFO]

top man Ken,I had a reply this morning from  Brecon,I have a copy of wd 7th reserved,just waiting  for the cost,I know im a bit slow but if lots of reg museums have volunteers-equipment they would be daft not to release there own wd,

thank you all for your help,while waiting for the wd I have 11th batt(2nd gwent) swb trio to keep me out of trouble 

[BIFFO]

the diary was a paper copy with a sage green cover. 

The 7th batt WD arrived this morning,it really is VFM at £8.00 including postage in UK,and jpy of joys a WD that you can read without getting eyestrain or an educated guess 

The SWB  museum couldn't have been more helpful

[Keith_history_buff]

On 18/11/2019 at 22:46, Keith_history_buff said:

'The Museum [at Brecon] has recently started to sell an annotated copy of the South Wales Borderers 7th Battalion’s war diary, covering the period from September 1915 to October 1919. It contains information that provides extra context to the Battalion’s activities at this time, like maps and historical detail from other sources. It’s been prepared by a good friend of the Museum'

I have heard good things about the person who has transcribed the Gallipoli diaries of 2nd Bn SWB, and made them available for a fee, because it was not just a transcription, but there was some added enhancements too. 

Did you find that the 'maps and historical detail from other sources' added more to the experience of reading the Salonika war diary of the 7th Bn SWB?

[BIFFO]

Hello Ken,as I said VFM WD-Maps,tho I did need a magnifying  glass cos im oldish,didnt know there was a wd of the 2nd batt,after sanity clause will gice "Richard"an e mail

Biff

[Keith_history_buff]

Hi Biffo,
The war diary of the 2nd Battalion at Gallipoli has nothing to do with the curator at Brecon, It was transcribed by a different person, and the transcriber, who is understood to reside is Sussex, sells kindle copies on Amazon. It got a mention by Alf on 31 October 2019.
https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/205943-south-wales-borders-in-gallipoli/

[BIFFO]

Thank for this Keith,I do have a kindle but to be honest I do not use it much,I have I think 3 ww1 books on it ,I likes to hold a book