AFO191519 Posted 4 June , 2022 Share Posted 4 June , 2022 Hello everyone, I am currently doing research about the French “Armée d'Orient” during the Serbian Expedition conducted from October to December 1915. As part of this, I am also trying to gather information on the 10th Irish Division, and in particular on the fighting it did around Kosturino in early December and the subsequent retreat to Doiran. I have tried to gather as many sources as possible about these events, starting of course with the detailed accounts provided in Falls' Official History, Palmer's The Gardeners of Salonika and Wakefield and Moody's Under the Devil's Eye. In addition, I have found some published histories of the battalions of the 10th Division: - Record of the 5th (Service) Battalion. The Connaught Rangers from 19th August 1914 to 17th January 1916, by H. F. N. Jourdain ; - The History of the Prince of Wale's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), by Frederick Ernest Whitton ; - A Short Record of the Services and Expériences of the 5th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers in the Great War. Finally, I am aware of four published accounts of the Battle of Kosturino: - Gun Fodder, The Diary of Four Years of War, A. Hamilton Gibbs ; - The Boy with the Guns, George W. Taylor ; - A Subaltern in Serbia and Some Letters from the Struma Valley, A. Donovan Young ; - The First World War Diary of Noël Drury (recently published by the Army Records Society and which I have not yet had the opportunity to consult). These texts already provide a lot of information, but I am still looking for more details about the events at Kosturino. Would you have any other books, diaries or sources to recommend to me? Thanks in advance for your answers to my first post on the forum ! FV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 5 June , 2022 Share Posted 5 June , 2022 Welcome to the GWF. There is a bibliography of published books in English on the website of the Salonika Campaign Society that is free to download. I'm not aware of other titles that relate specifically to Kosturino to add to your list, but you might wish to browse that. The A Hamilton Gibbs volume was not listed there and will be included in the third version which we aim to release at the end of September. The war diaries of the Salonika Campaign have not been digitised and can only be found at The National Archives although a few regimental museums have copies. If this thread, or your research finds titles not included in the bibliography we would be delighted to hear of them for inclusion in the future. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFO191519 Posted 5 June , 2022 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2022 Hi Keith, Thank you for your reply, I'll go check that bibliography, I'm sure I'll find other useful books there. At the same time, I discover the existence of The New Mosquito, whose back issues seem to be full of interesting information about the 10th Division. It is a pity that the War Diaries devoted to the Salonika front have not been digitised. I don't know if a digitisation campaign is planned in the future. And it does not seem that facsimile reprints are available... FV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Stripes Posted 5 June , 2022 Share Posted 5 June , 2022 Issue 27, April 2013 of the New Mosquito , Prisoner of the Bulgars , has an account of the action at Kosturino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFO191519 Posted 5 June , 2022 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2022 4 hours ago, Sgt Stripes said: Issue 27, April 2013 of the New Mosquito , Prisoner of the Bulgars , has an account of the action at Kosturino. Thanks for this information, unfortunately it seems that this issue is no longer available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 6 June , 2022 Share Posted 6 June , 2022 Check your personal messages. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 31 July , 2022 Share Posted 31 July , 2022 Wasn't there an autobiography of a Pte with the 32nd RAMC? Irish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 1 August , 2022 Share Posted 1 August , 2022 (edited) I'm aware of this book : 1914-1919 Memoirs of the 32nd Field Ambulance (Irish Division). The author was a C Midwinter and it was published in 1933 by G E Foulger of Bexleyheath. I think that this was effectively privately published. It seems to be a very rare publication. There are copies in the Leeds University Library, and the Imperial War Mueum. It has apparently 75 pages. There may be copies in a few other major libraries but it MIGHT have escaped the copyright libraries as there is no copy in the Bodleian. I would be delighted to get access, and might have to visit the IWM library despite the limited hours. If anyone has become aware of other copies, or of any other related title I would be delighted to add the information to the SCS bibliography. Keith Edited 1 August , 2022 by keithmroberts Correcting the name of the author mentioned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 1 August , 2022 Share Posted 1 August , 2022 15 hours ago, keithmroberts said: aware of other copies, The Leeds copy is the only one showing in Worldcat; I tried the library service local to the place of publication, and there's not one there either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 2 August , 2022 Share Posted 2 August , 2022 Hi jane, Yes, I tried that and Jisc with no other joy. There has to be a chance that some other libraries not affliated to either have copies, but life is too short. Eventually I will get to read the IWM copy, unless I manage to fit in Leeds with one of my my increasingly infrequent returns to the West Riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 5 August , 2022 Share Posted 5 August , 2022 I had a copy and gave it to a charity shop! Argh!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 5 August , 2022 Share Posted 5 August , 2022 I hope you're not within arm's reach of Keith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 5 August , 2022 Share Posted 5 August , 2022 I don't feel well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 7 August , 2022 Share Posted 7 August , 2022 Noooooo. Now I know how the guy who threw away a laptop with £150 million in bitcoin feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 7 August , 2022 Share Posted 7 August , 2022 Let's hope it went to a good home. I have almost come out of shock now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 7 August , 2022 Share Posted 7 August , 2022 10 hours ago, KGB said: Noooooo. Now I know how the guy who threw away a laptop with £150 million in bitcoin feels. I suppose it's not still in the charity shop .... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 9 August , 2022 Share Posted 9 August , 2022 The only other thought that I can offer for Kosturino, is the original Mosquito, the complete run of which is published on DVD by the Salonika Campaign Society. There may be some original memories in that, but it would need searching carefully and from my occasional dips into it most of the members were based in England, whick might make relevant contributions less likely. Atkinson's History of the Hampshires deals with Kosturino in only a few pages, and the slim "Battle Story of the Hampshire Regiment covers the involvement of two Hampshire battalions in the campaign in just over a single page, without mentioning Kosturino. I doubt if either is worth your time. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 10 August , 2022 Share Posted 10 August , 2022 On 07/08/2022 at 21:36, seaJane said: I suppose it's not still in the charity shop .... ? Well, the shop is in Greenwich and I am in Derry;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 10 August , 2022 Share Posted 10 August , 2022 1 hour ago, KGB said: Well, the shop is in Greenwich and I am in Derry;) I think that ship has sailed. These days it seems that it is the short print run items, often printed using local stationers and the like, that have almost vanished. There are quite a few items such listed in the the SCS bibliography that I have never seen, not even on ABE, ebay or the like. I have bought a couple over the years, but they can command very high prices from professional dealers. I save a few titles up for an occasional visit to Oxford* and the Bodleian which can be less expensive than a single purchase, but when a limited run item never reached the copyright libraries life gets challenging. Keith * There's a campsite just outside Oxford which makes a few days visit quite affordable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFO191519 Posted 10 August , 2022 Author Share Posted 10 August , 2022 20 hours ago, keithmroberts said: The only other thought that I can offer for Kosturino, is the original Mosquito, the complete run of which is published on DVD by the Salonika Campaign Society. There may be some original memories in that, but it would need searching carefully and from my occasional dips into it most of the members were based in England, whick might make relevant contributions less likely. Hi Keith, Yes, there may be memories in the original Mosquito. After all, it seems that many of the reinforcements received by the 10th Division in October and November 1915 came from England rather than Ireland. Some of these newly landed soldiers may have left writings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 12 August , 2022 Share Posted 12 August , 2022 On 10/08/2022 at 18:49, keithmroberts said: I think that ship has sailed. These days it seems that it is the short print run items, often printed using local stationers and the like, that have almost vanished. There are quite a few items such listed in the the SCS bibliography that I have never seen, not even on ABE, ebay or the like. I have bought a couple over the years, but they can command very high prices from professional dealers. I save a few titles up for an occasional visit to Oxford* and the Bodleian which can be less expensive than a single purchase, but when a limited run item never reached the copyright libraries life gets challenging. Keith * There's a campsite just outside Oxford which makes a few days visit quite affordable. I do have a First Edition of Masefield's "Gallipoli". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 12 August , 2022 Share Posted 12 August , 2022 5 hours ago, KGB said: I do have a First Edition of Masefield's "Gallipoli". Ditto - I think. Certainly an early printing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 13 August , 2022 Share Posted 13 August , 2022 Not a Great War item, but I have a copy of his History of Brasenose College, also a first, and I'm not sure whether there was a later edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staunton Posted 23 November , 2022 Share Posted 23 November , 2022 A 2015 work by Stephen Sandford on the 10th (Irish) Division https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/the-latest-wwi-podcast/ep-88-the-10th-irish-division-dr-stephen-sandford/ https://www.amazon.com/Neither-Unionist-nor-Nationalist-Division/dp/0716532603 1964 account by 10th Div RAMC at Suvla https://www.amazon.com/Suvla-Bay-landing-JOHN-HARGRAVE/dp/B0000CM1ED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staunton Posted 23 November , 2022 Share Posted 23 November , 2022 Chindwin to Criccieth;: The life of Godfrey Drage Hardcover – January 1, 1956 for 7th Munsters, 10th (Irish) Division through Kosturino https://www.amazon.com/Chindwin-Criccieth-life-Godfrey-Drage/dp/B0006E3OD0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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