Books on Salonika.

[armourersergeant]

After my first WFA meeting last thursday, which ironically was about Salonika i have a hankering to learn a tad more. The talk has wet the apitite and i have seen two books regarding this topic.

The 'Gardiners of Salonika' and the 'Salonika front' are both available on abebooks and i was wondering if anyone had read either as i dont want to buy a duff.

Ta

Arm.

[Greenwoodman]

Go for the Gardeners, Arm. Reputedly its the best.

[MartinWills]

Arm,

You should have asked the speakers!

The Gardeners of Salonika is probably one of the best general volumes, though it is of an age (1960s). I would recommend it to anyone as a starting place.

Books on Salonika are not that common but the Salonika Campaign Society provides a short but extremely useful bibliography on its web pages with a brief comment of almost every volume (except "Gardeners..."). Gardeners was highly commended by veteran Bernard Livermore who also wrote a volume of his own (Long 'Un - A Damn Bad Soldier)

You can find the site at http://www.salonika.freeserve.co.uk/

I have recently found a site by a Greek gentleman which is still under construction (much like our own railways...) but which covers the military railways which played such a key role on this front and this can be found at http://www.gregoriou.itgo.com/custom2.html

There are some useful unit histories once you start to get into detail (eg 7th OBLI and 2/20th Londons).

I must add a disclaimer that I did provide a couple of the entries for the bibliography. Nonetheless it's a good starting point for identifying books on Salonika.

Don't forget when searching that you will also see Salonika spelled as Salonica.

Martin

[armourersergeant]

I know i should have asked Martin, but i'm an idiot!!!

It wasnt till the following day that questions and interest settled in and now i want to know more. I have also looked at the site and your right it doesnt tell you any thing about the 'Gardiners of Salonika' but i had heard this was a good book to start, so i was checking.

At the moment i just want an overview of the campaign, as i have already got my fingers in a few pies but with Forestier-Walker running 27th div out from late 1916 till the end i thought i may pick up some info.

Ta

Arm.

[MartinWills]

Arm,

Glad the talk fired your imagination.

Kate and I have a fair selection of volumes on Salonika, so once you have finished "Gardening" so if you want to take a look at one or two we can perhaps arrange something before we next meet.

Martin

[awakefield]

Arm

With no one asking us about books on Salonika during our visit to Northampton last week, Simon and I did not get a chance to plug our forthcoming book! This is due for publication by Suttons around Sept - Oct 2004 and will be titled: 'Under the Devil's Eye - Britain's Forgotten Balkan Army 1915-1918.' The idea is to focus on the experiences of the British troops - detailed coverage being given to the major actions and subjects such as life in the line, the medical services and the RFC/RAF. The publishers are even allowing us up to 60 photos and 10 maps.

Our book will not be a replacement for Alan Palmer's 'Gardeners', which is still an excellent overview - especially of the tangled strategic and political situation. We are seeking to provide a history of the men and women who served in Macedonia, so issues of grand strategy and politics are being covered only in outline to serve as pegs on which to hang our study of the British Salonika Force.

ALAN WAKEFIELD

[armourersergeant]

Alan,

Can i take this oppotunity to thank you for an interesting topic and thought provoking session, it has fired me off in another direction. i shall be sending off my enrolement form etc in due course which at £3 has got to be a snip!!

I look foward to your book in 2004. Also if you know of any good 27th Division refernces any where please let me know.

Thanks again.

Arm.

[Dimitri]

Hi Arm-

This comes as a late reply to your post. The books reccommended above are worth while reading. If you feel like reading another book on the campaign try the following link:

http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/memoir/Salonica/salonTC.htm

From what I understand, the entire book is online!!! I have printed it and it is pretty hefty. It is not a bad account. Gardeners, however, is the best general book, even though with a strong emphasis on the political intrigue going on in the background. Hope this helps, best regards

Dimitri

[armourersergeant]

thanks Dimitri,

Have had a quick look and it does seem to be large and complete, will have a gander at it later on.

Thanks for the link.

Arm.

[Desmond7]

Which unit? And it's a half decent soldier's letter from the campaign. Comments welcome .. may be of some use to someone!

A Ballymena man’s experience at the Dardanelles and Serbia

LANCE-Corporal Samuel Law, son of Mr. W. J. Law, Alfred Street, who is only 19, was

formerly employed in the Bradiwater Mill, and joined the army prior to the outbreak of war.

He was attached to the (censored) and sent to Dublin to complete his training. Subsequently, he

was ordered to the Dardanelles. Many and varied were the experiences he had there withthe wily

Turk.

On one occasion, his Division - almost certainly the 10th (Irish) Division - had to go without

food for two days, as it was difficult owing to the desperate way in which the Turks harassed

them for the commiseriat to keep in touch.

From the Dardanelles, the battalion was sent to Serbia (the ill-fated Salonika expedition) to

reinforce the French and stem the tide which was sweeping the Serbians from their native land.

Many were the hairbreadth escapes he came through.

At times he thought his Division was lost, but they rallied and dealt some fine kncok-out blows

to the Bulgarian-German troops (Bulgaria had joined Germany, Austria and Turkey against the

Allies).

Times without number they attacked and hoped to cary the day but at last the order came to

withdraw and his Division had to bear the brunt of covering the main army when retreating to

Salonika.

At length, when all was clear, they were ordered to run for it: “You should have seen us go,” he

writes. “ Leaping to the parapet of our trenches we took to our beaters for the hills, which we

reached ins afety.”

Then, under cover, we prepared to make ourselves comfortable and enjoy a well-earned rest

after our long spell in the trenches.

“Our rest camp,” he says, “is christened ‘Devil’s Hollow’. I haven’t seen any white women for

months on end. One seems to be in th eheart of Africa. It is most depressing at times. One

doesn’t realise the exhilarating joy which comes from seeing a white woman in these desolate

and wild hills.

“More woman nurses are badly needed. I think they would only be too glad to make haste and

offer their services and come out to cheer us and make our lot a little brighter. You haven’t seen

our Division mentioned much in the papers in the fighting in and around Serbia but I may tell

you they were a credit to the (censored), for the way in which they caried the burden of the last

few days before leaving Salonika.”

Young Law has so far come through without a scratch. He was a member of St. Patrick’s

Church and was in the Boys’ Brigade (CLB?) attached. He was also a member of Harryville

Unionist Club.

Ballymena Observer, february 25 1916

[MartinWills]

Can I add to the list of books covering Salonika the following

Journal d'un Poilu sur le front d'Orient by Jean Leymonnerie

Edited by Yves Pourcher

Pub. Pygmalion (Editions Flammarion) Softback 2003

ISBN 2-85704-827.0 22.80 Euros

Jean Leymonnerie served both at Gallipoli and Salonika eventually loosing a leg and being repatriated to France. There is one possible difficulty for some readers - it is in French.

By the way, G Ward Price's book is listed on the Salonika Campaign Society web bibliography.

Martin

[robertb]

There are two further books about the campaign in Salonika that I have enjoyed. Both very different.

The first is a battalion history:

"The Cardiff Pals" Editors, K. Cooper & J.E. Davies, Published by Militaria Cymraeg, 33 Blossom Drive, Lisvane, Cardiff, CF4 5BE. No ISBN. This is a brief history of the 11th Battalion Welsh Regiment, with a lot to say about their ordeals in Salonika.

The second is a series of letters from Egpyt and Salonika by Octavius C. Moore Haines, who was a member of the RAMC during these campaigns. Its called "My Dearest Mamma & Papa. 1914 - 1918 War Letters" (1994) by Barbara Beck. Published by D. Brown & Sons Ltd., Cowbridge. ISBN 1 872808 28 X.

I hope this information is of some use.

Rob