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OTHER    RECORDS   OF   THE   GREAT   WAR. 

OUR  ITALIAN  FRONT.  Painted  by  Capt.  Martin 
Hardie,  A.R.E.,  and  described  by  H.  Warner  Allen.  With  50  full- 
page  Illustrations  in  colour  and  a  Sketch  Map.     Demy  8vo.     Cloth. 

Price  355.  net. 

The  experiences  of  the  British  Expeditionary  Force  in  Italy,  from  the  moment  of  its  arrival 
in  a  country  which  had  never  before  seen  a  British  Army  down  to  the  Victory  Offensive,  are 
described  by  Mr.  H.  Warner  Allen,  who  was  attached  both  to  Italian  and  British  General 
Headquarters  as  Correspondent  to  the  Morning  Post  and  other  London  newspapers. 
Capt.  Martin  Hardie,  fifty  of  whose  drawings  are  reproduced  in  colour,  was  Head  Censor  to 
the  Base  and  Line  of  Communication  in  Italy.  His  spare  time  was  devoted  to  the  making  of 
drawings  of  places  and  subjects  of  special  interest  to  the  Expeditionary  Force,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  final  "push"  in  October  1918,  he  was  given  special  facilities  by  G.H.Q.  for  making 
records  of  the  battered  area  on  the  Piave  and  beypnd.  All  lovers  of  Northern  Italy  will 
appreciate  these  water-colour  drawings :  but  they  are  of  special  value  and  importance  as  a 
unique  historical  record  of  our  close  association  with  Italy  in  the  field  of  war. 

BOULOGNE:    A  WAR   BASE   IN   FRANCE.     By 

Capt.  Martin  Hardie.  Square  demy  8vo.  Containing  32  repro- 
ductions— 8  in  colour  and  24  in  sepia — from  Drawings  completed  on  the 
spot.  Price  7s.  6d.  net. 

Some  Press  Opinions. 

"  These  drawings  are  of  unique  interest  and  value.  Each  has  a  quiet  dignity  of  its  own  : 
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souvenir. " — Record. 

"A  book  that  we  shall  all  be  glad  to  possess,  and  that  to  English  women  and  men  will 
recall  memories  grave  and  gay." — Artny  and  Navy  Gazette. 

THE  IMMORTAL  GAMBLE,  and  the  Part  Played  in 

it  by  H.M.S.  "  Cornwallis."     By  A.  T.  Stewart,  Acting-Commander, 

R.N.,  and   the   Rev.   C.   J.   E.    Peshall,   Chaplain,   R.N.     With   32 

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is  absorbing  because  the  truth  shines  out  everywhere,  and  you  feel  that  for  once  you  are  really 

getting  first-hand  information  as  to  what  did  happen. 

In  Preparation, 
CANADA  IN  CASQUE  AND  JERKIN,  a  Book  on 

the  Canadian  Corps  at  the  Front.  By  Inglis  and  Ralf  Sheldon- 
Williams,  M.M. 

This  is  the  work  of  two  Canadian  brothers,  sons  of  the  late  artist  Alfred  Sheldon-Williams, 
both  of  whom  have  fought  for  the  Empire,  and  it  promises  that  "difference"  in  manner  and 
matter  so  valued  by  the  discriminating  reader. 

This  book  is  the  story  of  the  Canadian  Army ;  the  part  played  by  it  in  the  drama  of 
Armageddon.  It  is  told  by  the  younger  brother,  Ralf,  and  illustrated  by  Inglis ;  the  latter 
was  commissioned  by  the  Canadian  Government  to  assist  in  immortalising  Canada's  great 
part  in  the  Great  War.  The  paintings  for  this  book  have  in  themselves  a  luminous  truth  and 
poetry  which  are  unique  in  illustrations  of  the  battle  area. 

THE  NAVAL  FRONT.  By  Lieut.  Gordon  S.  Maxwell, 
R.N.V.R.,and  illustrated  in  colour  by  Lieut.  Donald  Maxwell,  R.N.V.R. 

A  book  dealing  with  the  world-wide  front  held  by  the  British  Navy  throughout  the  war. 

Published  by 
A.  &  C.  BLACK,  Ltd.,  4,  S,  &  6  SOHO  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.  i. 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


BALKAN   FANCIES 

AND  OTHER  POEMS 

BY 

Captain  A.  J.   MANN,   R.A.F. 

S<IUARE    FCAP.    8vo, 

PRICE    2/6    NET 

{By  Post  25.  M. ) 

THE  IRISH  TIMESj  in  reviewing  this  book,  says  : 
**Such  a  spirit  never  can  have  known  what  boredom 
means  even  amid  the  fever  -  stricken  plains  around 
Salonika.  It  is  this  unconquerable  optimism,  this  zest 
of  life,  which  give  to  these  poems  their  power  to  stir 
some  of  the  deepest  chords  in  the  reader's  heart." 


Published  bv  A.  &   C.  BLACK,  Ltd. 
4,  5,  &  6  SoHo  Square,  London,  W.i. 


America 


Australasia 


Canada 


India 


AGENTS 

The  Macmillan  Company 

64  &  66  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

The  Oxford  University  Press 
Z05  Flinders  Lane,  Melbourne 

The  Macmillan  Company  or  Canada,  Ltd. 

St.  Martin's  House,  70  Bond  Street,  Toronto 

Macmillan  Sc  Company,  Ltd. 
Macmillan  Building,  Bombay 
309  Bow  Bazaar  Street,  Calcutta 


>    >      >• 


•      r 


•  *    •      • 


LAST  PHASE  OF  THE  GREAT  FIRE  AT 
SALONIKA,   SEEN  FROM  THE  AIR 


>  1   >     '    > 

>  ,   1»    >   » 


'     '       '   ' ,    ,     1  •   »  »  »  »  » 


THE 

SALONIKA  FRONT 

PAINTED   BY 

WILLIAM  T.  WOOD,  R.W.S. 

DESCRIBED  BY 

A.  J.  MANN,  M.A. 

(CAPTAIN }   LATE  RECORDING  OFFICER,  22  BALLOON  COMPANY) 

WITH  PREFATORY  NOTE  BY 

LT.-GEN.  SIR  GEORGE  FRANCIS  MILNE 
K.C.B.,  K.C.M.G.,  D.S.O. 


A.  &   C  BLACK,  LTD. 
4,  5  &  6  SOHO  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.l 

1920 


n 


sU 
?. 

w 


TO 

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL 

SIR  G.  R  MILNE,  K.C.B.,  K.C.M.G.,  D.S.O. 

WHOSE  UNTIRING  VIGILANCE  ENABLED  THE 
BRITISH  SALONIKA  ARMY  TO  ASSUME  AND 
MAINTAIN  ITS  PART  IN  THE  ALLIES'  BALKAN 
EFFORT,!  AND  WITHOUT  WHOSE  FINAL  SYM- 
PATHY THIS  ATTEMPT  TO  OUTLINE  SOME  OF 
THE  MAIN  FEATURES  OF  THAT  EFFORT  WOULD 
NEVER  HAVE  BEEN  COMPLETED/ 


528551 


PREFATORY   NOTE 

A   PERUSAL  of   Captain   Mann's  account   of  the 

doings   of  the   Allied   armies   in   Macedonia   will 

assist  the  reader  to  pierce  the  supposed  veil  of 

mystery  with  which  popular  fancy  has  enshrouded 

these  forces,  and  to  form  his  own  opinion  as  to 

their  weight  in  the  scale  of  the  military  operations 

which  eventually  led  to  the  debacle  of  the  Central 

Powers  and  their  allies. 

The  army  of  Salonika  was  an  offshoot  of  the 

army  in  France,  hurriedly  despatched  to  stem  the 

tide  of  the  Serbian  retreat,  but  it  unfortunately 

arrived  too  late  to  be  of  any  immediate  use.     The 

conditions  of  service  in  the  two  theatres  of  war 

were  far  from  similar,  as  was  to  be  expected  in 

two    countries    in    such    divergent    conditions   of 

civilised  development.      For  the  first  two  years 

vii  b 


viii  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

of  the  campaign  communications  were  the  main 
difficulty,  but  like  the  work  of  the  Romans  of  old, 
roads  of  the  British  Army  in  Macedonia  will  long 
remain  the  best  memorial  of  its  presence. 

The  difficulties  and  the  disappointments,  the 
tragedies  and  the  glories  of  the  campaign  of 
British,  French,  Greek,  Italian,  Russian,  and 
Serbian  troops  are  vividly  described  by  the  Author, 
who,  as  a  member  of  the  Army  was  able  to 
appreciate  the  deeds  of  the  Allies  in  the  Balkans. 

GEO.  F.  MILNE, 

Gen. 


NOTE 

Throughout  the  book  "  last  year  "  refers  to  1918. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Prefatory  Note     .         .         .         .         .         .         •         .         vu 

iCHAPTER    I 

Introductory '       •  ^ 

CHAPTER   II 

Lines  of  Communication 2" 

CHAPTER    III 

Historical  and  Political 42 

CHAPTER    IV 

Operations      .........         ^9 

CHAPTER   V 

The  French  and  Russian  Effort  .....         79 

CHAPTER    VI 

The  Italian  Effort 94 

ix 


X  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

CHAPTER    Vn 

PAOB 

The  Serbian  Effort 110 

CHAPTER    Vm 
The  Greek  Effort .128 

CHAPTER    IX 
The  British  Effort .143 

CHAPTER   X 

Three  Further  Factors 162 

INDEX 185 


LIST  OP  ILLUSTRATIONS 

By  WILLIAM  T.  WOOD,  R.W.S. 

Owner  of  Original 

1.  Last  Phase  of  the  Great  Fire  at     Imperial  War  Museum 

Salonika,  seen  from  the  Air ....    Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

2.  Salonika  from  Petit  Karabou    .     Major  Walter  Waring, 

M.P..         .         .  4 

S.  Burnt-out  Shops  after  the  Fire       Imperial  War  Museum        8 

4.  Ruin  and  Desolation.    Salonika 

after  the  Fire 12 

5.  From  a  Minaret  of  St.  Sophia — 

Part  of  the  Burnt-out  Area  .     Ministry  of  Information    l6 

6.  On   the  Verge   of  the   Fire's 

Devastation  .......         20 

7.  Mount  Olympos  from  Mikra    .     Lt.  -  Col.  G.  Windsor- 

Clive  ...         24 

8.  Mount  Hortjac  from  the  Gulf 

of  Therma    ........         28 

9.  From  an  Observation  Balloon 

—  Struma    Valley,     looking 

towards  Lake  Tahinos  .         .     Canadian  War 

Memorials  Fund .         32 
10.  Doiran  Town  and  Lake  .         .     Major  Walter  Waiing, 

M,P,.         .         .         42 
xi 


Xll 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Owner  of  Original,    facing  page 


11.  Across    the    Struma    towards 
Demirhissar,from  Gumusdere 

-All 


Maj.'Gen.  G.  N.  Cory, 
C.B.,  D.S.O.      . 


1 2.  Basilica  of  St.  Demetrios- 

that  the  Fire  left 

13.  Turkish  Farm,  Gorgop    . 

14.  Ruined    Turkish     Stronghold 

at  Vergetor  .... 

15.  Gerbasel  Church 

16.  Rupel  Pass  and  Struma  Valley 

Villages,  from  Gumusdere     . 

1 7.  Hostile  Air  Raid  on  the  British 

12th  Corps  Headquarters      Col.  J.  B.  Gaskell,  C.B.E. 


46 

Imperial  War  Museum      48 
,  .  52 

54 
56 


Imperial  War  Museum      62 


18 


and 


19. 


'  Vardar-Doiran  Front,  from  an 
Observation  Balloon    . 

Junction  of  Butkovo  and 
Struma  Valleys,  from  an 
Observation  Balloon    . 


68 

76 
►and 

77 


20.  Beles    Range   from    Sal    Grec 

de  Popovo    .... 

21.  Vardar    River,    Lake   Ardzan, 

and  Dragomir  Village  . 

22.  British    Military   Cemetery  at 

the  Cross  Roads,  Dragos 

23.  House  Interior  at  Gorgop 

24.  After  the  Fire 

25  j  Seres    Town    and    Bulgarian 
andl      Positions  along  the  Struma 

26.  [  Mikra  Bay 


Imperial  War  Museum 

Imperial  War  Museum, 

Imperial  War  Museum      80 

86 

92 

98 

Imperial  War  Museiun    1 04 

Peter  Davidson .         •  1  n  o 

Lt.-Gen.   Sir    Charles  I  „„,! 
/.  B?iggs,  K.C.B.A 
K.C.M.G.     .         .J 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  xiii 

Owner  of  OriginaL    facing  page 

27.  British-Serbian    Hospital    and 

Serbian  Camp,   Mikra  (Oct. 

2,  1916) 120 

28.  Rupel  Pass 128 

29.  Dreveno.       The    first    Greek 

Field  Hospital 

30.  Piton     Rocheux,     Beles,    and 

Krusha  Balkan 


M.  Venizelos  . 


132 


31.  The  "Pip"  Ridge  . 

32.  Lake  Doiran,  Eastern  End 

33.  Vergetor  Church 

34.  Sunset    Effect    on    a    Quarry 

near  Vergetor 

55.  Scottish     Women's     Hospital, 

Mikra  (1916) 

56.  Headquarters   (First    Site)   of 

17     Kite     Balloon     Section, 
R.A.F.,  Orljak  Ravine  . 
37.  British   Aerodrome    and    Air- 
craft Park,  Mikra  Bay  . 

38    Brought  down  in  Flames 
39.  Dragomir  Village    . 
40    Kretchovo    and    Trans-Vardar 
Mountains    .... 


Imperial  War  Museum  1 S6 

Capt.  G.  Knowlcs    .  140 
Canadian  War 

Memorials  Fund .  144 

Jose  A,  Gandarillas  148 

Capt.  A.  J,  Mann  .  152 

.  156 


160 

Canadian  War 

Memoiials  Fund .  l64 

Imperial  War  Museum  I68 

H.  Ballantyne  .  172 


180 


Sketch  Map  at  end  of  Volume. 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTOKY 

/ 

Mr.  William  T.  Wood's  drawings — Origin  and  scope  of  this  book — 
Salonika — Approach  to  the  city  in  war  time — Overland  and  air 
routes — Sea  route — The  gulf  and  bay — Morning  A. A.  guns — 
^^M.L.O."— First  impressions  on  landing — Inhabitants — The  city, 
old  and  new — Streets,  churches,  mosques — Before  and  after  the 
Fire — After  war  reconstruction — The  Turkish  quarter — The  Greek 
quarter — The  Levantine  quarter — Quartier  General  and  G.H.Q. — 
Social  and  military  clubs — The  White  Tower  music  hall — Night 
life — Short  leave — Returning  to  the  front. 

The  full  significance  of  England's  tribute,  for  over 
three  and  a  half  years,  to  the  Balkan  Minotaur, 
cannot  without  the  help  of  pictures  be  thoroughly 
appreciated  by  those  who  have  never  been  to  that 
part  of  Europe.  Its  pictures  are,  then,  the  back- 
bone and,  as  it  were,  vitalising  chord  of  this  book. 
Reproduced  from  drawings  by  Mr.  William  T. 
Wood,  R.W.S.,  who  was  not  till  long  after  their 
execution  officially  recognised  as  one  of  our  war 
artists,  they  are,  perhaps  unfortunately,  confined  in 


2  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

their  range  of  subject  to  that  portion  of  the  Allies 
front  in  Macedonia  occupied  during  1917  by  Greek 
and  British  troops. 

After  midsummer  of  that  year,  owing  to  the 
sympathetic  efforts  of  his  Commanding  Officer, 
Mr.  Wood,  then  an  acting  corporal  of  the  Royal 
Flying  Corps  and  on  the  strength  of  the  Salonika 
Balloon  Company,  was  first  permitted  in  his  spare 
time  to  paint  pictures.^  A  late  autumn  exhibition 
of  these  pictures  held  at  Salonika  won  him  useful 
friends.  Thanks  to  them,  he  was  soon  afterwards 
granted  permission  to  bring  his  work  home  to 
London,  where  it  was  exhibited  during  June  and 
July  1918  at  the  Leicester  Galleries. 

As  the  collection  was  being  divided  up  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  reproduce  a  representative 
selection  of  these  pictures  in  the  way  now  seen 
in  this  book ;  for,  apart  from  their  intrinsic  value 
as  works  of  art,  they  record  faithfully  the  scenic 
setting  of  our  British  Salonika  campaign.  They 
are  also,  in  a  broad  sense,  typical  of  the  main 
features  of  Balkan  scenery  along  the  whole  of 
the  Allies'  front  from  Valona  to  Stavros.     As  on 

1  Until  then  his  time  had  been  taken  up  by  R.F.C.  duties,  which 
included  the  making  from  observation  baUoons  of  detailed  drawings 
of  the  main  enemy  sectors ;  a  work  for  which  he  was  mentioned  in 
despatches. 


INTRODUCTORY  3 

that  front  occurred  last  autumn  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  surprising  victories  of  the  war,  it 
cannot  be  altogether  futile  to  attempt,  side  by  side 
with  this  pictorial  record,  a  brief  shadowing  forth 
in  words  of  some  of  the  main  facts  connected  with 
our  occupation  of  Macedonia. 

Other  writers  have  already  several  times  pointed 
out  that  the  physical  obstacles  to  any  extensive 
advance  on  that  front  were  almost  too  great  to 
be  overcome.  It  is  now  proposed  to  show  the 
manner  in  which  the  Allies  did  overcome  them, 
not  neglecting  the  contribution  of  each  nation 
towards  what  was  at  least  a  very  fine  example  of 
successful  concerted  action.  The  events  themselves 
are  unfortunately  too  recent,  and  too  many  details 
are  still  lacking  for  any  profound  critical  judgement 
to  be  passed  upon  them,  but  an  attempt  can  at  any 
rate  be  made  to  describe,  before  they  are  forgotten, 
some  of  the  main  aspects  of  the  campaign. 

Incomplete  a  work  of  this  kind  must  necessarily 
be,  for  to  treat  at  all  adequately  a  subject  so  vast 
demands  not  one  but  many  volumes.  The  utmost 
that  can  be  hoped  is  that,  by  virtue  of  its  pictures, 
and  its  attempt  to  set  down  in  words  a  few 
personal  impressions,  this  book  may  interest  all 


4  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

who  have  been  condemned  to  pass  the  greater  part 
of  their  active  w^ar  service  in  the  Balkans,  as  also 
those  whose  cruel  fate  it  has  been  to  lose  a  near 
relative  or  friend  on  that  front ;  enabling  them  to 
form  a  general  idea  of  the  total  output  of  energy 
expended  by  each  Ally,  the  final  fusion  of  which 
resulted  in  the  victory  of  our  arms. 

Had  we  but  realised  at  home  a  little  earlier  the 
importance,  in  the  general  strategic  plan  of  the 
Central  Powers,  of  this  theatre  of  war  much  w^aste 
of  human  life  might  have  been  avoided.  At  any 
rate  the  survivors  from  our  long  vv^atch  in  the 
Balkans  are  conscious  of  having  participated  in  a 
campaign  as  essential  to  the  winning  of  the  war  as 
w^as  the  Gallipoli  adventure,  knowing  well  that 
their  perseverance  in  the  face  of  huge  obstacles 
finally  achieved  its  full  measure  of  success. 

Whoso  set  out  from  England  during  the  Great 
War  for  the  city  of  Salonika  had  before  him 
several  alternative  routes.  After  a  not  wholly 
unadventurous  Channel  passage  he  might  start  by 
train  across  France.  Touching  (if  fortunate 
enough  to  travel  by  the  speedier  line)  at  Paris,  he 
would  embark  again  at  Marseilles.  Forewarned 
against  mine  and  submarine  dangers,  he  would  be 


SALONIKA  FROM  PETIT  KARABOU 

The  modern  residential  portion  of  the  old  walled 
city  as  it  appears  from  the  lesser  of  the  two  eastern 
headlands  which  form  Salonika  Bay.  To  the  left 
is  the  famous  White  Tower,  and  from  there  to  the 
ancient  boundary  wall  on  the  right,  clustering  along 
the  water's  edge,  are  the  headquarters  and  dwellings 
of  consular  and  other  representatives  of  the  Western 
World.  As  the  fire  was  stayed  at  the  White  Tower 
this  part  of  Salonika  remained  unburnt. 


INTRODUCTORV  5 

then  conveyed  by  a  circuitous  sea  route  south  of 
Italy  and  through  the  Aegean.  Or  again,  he 
might  be  permitted,  as  the  majority  were  later  on, 
to  proceed  by  slow  troop  train  into  Lombardy ; 
thence  down  Italy's  east  coast ;  halting  through 
long  days  at  picturesque  mediaeval  townlets  and 
seemingly  interminable  rest  camps ;  being  shelled, 
on  occasions,  by  Austrian  submarines.  At  Taranto 
he  would  embark  once  more  and  sail  by  night 
on  a  crowded  troopship,  bound  for  an  unknown 
port  in  the  Gulf  of  Corinth,  or,  more  often 
than  not,  by  a  very  eccentric  course,  for  Salonika 
itself. 

The  few  favoured  souls  who,  armed  with  a 
special  permit,  entered  the  Italian  closed  fortress 
of  Brindisi,  and  were  allowed  to  brave  the  Adriatic 
on  a  destroyer,  troopship,  or  much  way-worn  cattle 
steamer  till  they  entered  the  zealously  guarded 
harbour  of  Valona,  had  before  them  an  adventurous 
four  days'  land  journey.  Descending  at  length  by 
precipitous  and  sharply  looping  mountain  roads  to 
the  great  plains  beyond  Fiorina,  they  came  to  the 
arrow -straight  Roman  highway  that  led  south- 
wards from  shell-pitted  Monastir.  Along  this,  if 
in  a  good  car,  they  sped  tranquilly  till — covered 
from  head  to  foot  and  lung-lined  with  the  dust  of 


6  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

ages — they  entered,  by  the  way  Alexander  must 
have  entered  it,  the  city  of  their  dreams. 

It  was  proved  possible  also,  although  owing  to 
war  s  remorseless  requirements  no  regular  service 
was  instituted,  to  travel  out  the  whole  way  from 
England  by  air.  Those  who  attempted  the 
journey — they  were  not  many — rose  from  off  some 
convenient  south -coast  aerodrome  and  saw  the 
white  margin  of  cliff  and  wave  that  was  England, 
with  its  miniature  harbours,  fade  rapidly  away, 
giving  place  to  a  sea  of  glass  that  merged  mysteri- 
ously on  all  sides  into  cloud  and  haze.  With 
nothing  to  guide  them  but  a  compass  and,  below, 
a  chain  of  diminutive  steamers,  or  "blimps"  and  toy 
craft  intent  on  submarine  spotting,  they  clove  the 
wind,  the  noise  of  their  engine  drowning  all 
speech.  In  five  minutes  the  grey-green  coast  of 
France  appeared  ahead,  and  in  ten  more  they  were 
circling  rapidly  towards  large  camouflaged  hangars, 
till,  suddenly  and  with  ears  that  sang,  they  felt 
the  ground  bump  rhythmically  beneath  their 
under-carriage,  and,  slowing  down,  soon  taxied 
in  between  the  hangars. 

A  cigarette  and  a  cup  of  tea  in  the  mess,  a 
friendly  word  or  two,  and  then,  at  about   three- 


INTRODUCTORY  7 

thirty  (assuming  they  had  started  after  lunch)  the 
travellers  remounted  their  Pegasus,  and  climbing 
in  circles  above  a  thin  ground  mist  reached  the 
lower  strata  of  cloud,  while  far  beneath  northern 
France  unrolled  itself,  a  tangled  mesh  of  mead  and 
boscage,  white  roads  and  clustered  townlets,  that 
dwindled  with  but  half  perceptible  gradation  to- 
wards a  horizon  of  mingled  cloud  and  sea. 

Yes,  there  is  Gris  Nez  and  there  is  Boulogne ; 
there  too  is  the  mouth  of  the  Somme.  Over  there 
to  the  left,  hidden  in  a  mist  of  shell  bursts,  lie  the 
greatest  battlefields  of  the  war.  The  sight  of 
them  draws  like  a  magnet.  It  is  hard  to  remember, 
whilst  journeying  onwards,  to  keep  the  Somme 
estuary  constantly  in  view. 

What  are  those  little  black  dots  floating  north- 
wards ?  Like  small  twigs  carried  on  by  a  stream 
they  glide  nearer  through  the  translucent  ether, 
growing  larger  each  instant.  They  resemble  fish 
swimming  steadily  through  turbid  waters.  They 
are  too  rigidly  persistent  for  birds.  Suddenly,  as 
they  pass  high  on  the  left,  it  dawns  on  the  mind 
that  they  are  aeroplanes  in  formation  flight. 

Are  not  those  very  like  trenches  beneath  ? 
Was  not  that  a  shell  burst?  Yes,  for  there  are 
one,  two,  three^more  farther  on.     That  dark  streak 


8  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

far  off  to  the  left  ?  Is  it  still  the  Somme  estuary  ? 
Or  has  their  machine  got  into  a  wind  drift,  and, 
travelling  at  the  rate  of  a  couple  of  miles  a  minute 
out  of  its  course,  is  it  already  above  No  Man's  Land  ? 

A  sharp  bank,  a  swing  round,  a  steep  dive  west- 
wards and  the  great  guiding  highways  of  France 
stand  out  once  more,  until  a  halt  for  petrol 
becomes  necessary.  They  descend,  as  before, 
between  camouflaged  hangars,  are  given  a  similar 
kindly  greeting  and  sent  on  the  journey  again  with 
fresh  maps  and  abundant  advice.  After  a  flight 
of  about  an  hour  and  a  half  they  see  the  rising 
smoke  of  Paris  and  come  to  earth  towards  sunset 
at  a  suburban  aerodrome. 

A  whole  book  could  be  easily  written  about 
experiences  on  such  journeys,  for  they  vary  as 
infinitely  as  do  the  heavens  themselves.  Paris 
would  be  but  the  first  stage.  There  remained,  for 
the  second  day,  a  choice  of  routes  through  southern 
France  and  into  Italy,  skirting  or  surmounting  the 
Alps.  Then,  for  the  third,  if  the  weather  were 
still  favourable,  came  an  adventurous  sea  crossing 
to  Albania,  and  a  halt  for  lunch  at  a  triangular 
aerodrome,  the  base  of  which  faced  a  large  islet- 
bound  harbour,  its  two  sides  being  backed  by 
barren  and  precipitous  highlands. 


BURNT-OUT  SHOPS  AFTER  THE  FIRE 

The  fire,  fanned  by  the  Vardar  wind,  swept  on 
relentlessly  till  it  had  turned  prosperous  shops  and 
dwelling-houses  into  heaps  of  tangled  girders  and 
debris.  After  it  was  extinguished  and  superfluous 
rubble  had  been  cleared  away,  the  former  owners 
of  shops  established  temporary  stalls  in  the  ruins, 
endeavouring  to  carry  on  trade  as  before. 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

Throughout  the  sweltering  afternoon  a  siesta, 
then  tea  and  a  flight  of  over  two  hours  across 
mountain,  lake,  and  river  until  there  appeared, 
framed  off  by  rich-tinted  clouds,  what  looked  like 
earth's  farthest  limit,  the  tiny,  three  -  tongued 
promontory  of  Chalcidice. 

One  could  scarce  believe  those  miniature  splashes 
of  water  between  each  tongue  and  the  even  more 
diminutive  kink  that  formed  the  bay  to  the  north 
of  them  were  each  at  least  twelve  miles  wide  and 
from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  long.  It  seemed  laugh- 
able, too,  to  reflect,  from  such  a  vantage  height, 
that  a  mere  pin  prick  beside  that  splash  of  water  was 
renowned  Salonika.  To  see  the  splash  broaden  out 
rapidly  to  a  vast  land-locked  harbour  with  toy 
battleships  at  anchor  in  it,  and  to  behold  the 
ruined  city  grow  orange  and  then  purple  as  the 
sun  dropped  behind  Olympos,  then  to  skim  on 
above  Kalemaria  and  land  at  twilight  beyond 
Mikra  was  an  experience  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Most  Englishmen,  however,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  campaign,  were  sent  out  by  the  long  sea  route 
via  Gibraltar  and  Malta.  The  time  taken  varied 
between  ten  days  and  a  month  according  as  the 
enforced  halts  in  protecting  ports  were  of  long  or 


10  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

short  duration.  Very  eccentric  were  the  courses 
chosen.  Many  found  themselves  conveyed  to 
Alexandria,  and  from  there,  after  several  days' 
rest,  started  on  a  zig-zag  northern  voyage  through 
the  Aegean.  The  memory  of  the  slowly  narrowing 
Gulf  of  Therma,  its  western  coast  outlined  sky- 
wards by  glistening,  snow-capped  mountains,  of 
the  ship  threading  its  way  perilously  under  escort 
through  anti-submarine  nets  at  nightfall,  and  ot 
the  final  anchor-dropping  beyond  Karaburun  as 
the  lights  of  Salonika,  five  miles  across  the  bay, 
broke  forth  one  by  one,  must  live  ever  vividly  in 
the  mind  of  most  who  approached  the  city  by  sea. 
To  walk  on  deck  the  next  morning,  ere  the  sun 
rose  to  full  strength,  and  see  the  gleaming  city 
spread  out  on  the  water  like  some  Levantine 
Venice,  to  distinguish  for  the  first  time  the  White 
Tower,  the  hospitals,  the  quays  and  clustering 
minarets,  produced  on  any  normal  western  mind 
a  most  startling  effect.  The  yellow  tents  of  the 
Allies,  the  green -brown  aerodromes  and  fields, 
with  their  background  of  rugged  hills  that,  from 
"  Gibraltar "  to  Hortjac,  form  what  has  been 
called  the  "Bird-cage"  defence  line,  contributed 
an  additional  note  of  light  and  colour  to  this  truly 
oriental  panorama,  while  a  further  note — one  of 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

animation — was  struck  by  the  feverish  activity  of 
picket  boats  and  miniature  launches  that  rushed 
hither  and  thither  on  various  errands  among  the 
vessels  anchored  around. 

An  element  of  excitement  often  entered  into 
this  first  arrival,  for  as  the  morning  advanced  it 
was  almost  certain  that  a  hostile  aeroplane  would 
make  reconnaissance  of  the  harbour.  A.A.  guns 
on  all  sides  would  then  at  once  get  busy,  and  a 
series  of  "bangs"  from  the  ground  would  be 
followed  by  a  series  of  "burr  ....  pops"  in 
the  air,  which  immediately  afterwards  festooned 
the  sky  with  chains  of  white  and  black  shell-bursts. 

Next  came  the  raising  of  the  anchor  and  the 
approach  to  one  of  the  quays.  Soon  a  tall,  blue- 
tabbed  captain,  bearing  on  his  arm  the  red  brassard 
of  the  A.M.L.O.,^  came  aboard.  What  home- 
sick Englishman,  landing  at  Salonika  for  the  first 
time,  has  not  felt  grateful  for  the  kindly  welcome 
of  this  officer,  who,  from  his  striking  personality 
and  long  service  in  the  same  capacity,  became 
perhaps  the  most  familiar  figure  among  British 
officers  at  the  Base?  Towards  late  afternoon  a 
landing  for  certain  favoured  ones  might  be  effected. 
That  is  to  say,  a  small  boatload  would  be  rowed 

^  Assistant  Military  Landing  OflScer. 


12  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

to  the  landing  stage  by  the  White  Tower,  or  the 
ship  herself,  having  waited  her  turn,  might  be 
moored  alongside  the  so-called  "  English  "  quay. 

A  run  down  the  gangway  and,  after  some  jostling 
from  Musulman  porters,  a  hasty  inquiry  from  a 
British  military  policeman  for  the  office  of  the 
Base  Censor.  Approached  along  a  street  thronging 
with  the  most  diversely  garbed  individuals,  and 
smelling  of  all  the  vilest  odours  of  the  East,  Base 
Headquarters,  behind  the  old  Bains  Botton,  was 
at  length  discovered.  After  the  mystic  rite  of 
censoring  had  been  performed,  a  hurried  rush  to 
the  post  office  with  the  proposed  cable  resulted  in 
a  lengthy  conversation  in  French  or  Greek  with  an 
official  behind  a  ticket-window.  When  he  assured 
the  anxious  sender  that  there  was  no  hurry,  and 
that  a  letter  would  probably  reach  England  just  as 
quickly,  the  unfortunate  one  would  perhaps  resign 
himself  to  the  inevitable,  and,  becoming  accustomed 
in  some  measure  to  the  unsavoury  smells,  might 
settle  down  to  enjoy  the  fine  cosmopolitan  flavour 
of  the  place.  Sampling  ices  at  the  most  vaunted 
cafe,  Floca's,  or  tea  with  goat  s  milk  in  the  Winter 
Garden  at  the  top  of  the  Olympos  Palace  Hotel, 
had  indeed  its  charms.  Both  these  places,  and  the 
still  more  pretentious  Splendid  Palace  Hotel,  were 


RUIN  AND  DE:S0LATI0N.     SALONIKA 
AFTER  THE  FIRE 


LNTRODUCTOHY  V6 

completely  gutted  by  the  Great  Fire.  Only  Floea, 
the  perennial,  rose  phoenix-like  from  its  ashes  and, 
though  there  remained  but  the  charred  shell  of 
the  house  it  once  was,  continued  its  existence  as  a- 
rendezvous,  starting  afresh  amidst  its  ruins  almost 
the  day  after  the  conflagration. 

Conveniently  situated  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
small  square  that  forms  the  seaward  embouchure 
of  Venizelos  Street,  this  cafe,  from  seven-thirty  in 
the  morning  till  late  at  night,  during  the  Allies' 
occupation  presented  a  scene  of  vivid  colour  and 
animation  scarcely  ever  equalled  by  other  establish- 
ments. A  traveller  had  only  to  sit  on  one  of  the 
cane-bottomed  chairs  outside  such  a  cafd  to  be  at 
once  assailed  by  a  small  mob  of  mendicant  children 
in  rags,  and  an  army  of  diminutive,  wistful-eyed 
shoeblacks,  two  of  whom  very  frequently  provided 
a  lightning  "shine"  by  working  at  frantic  speed 
one  to  each  boot  of  some  kindly  disposed  Allied 
officer. 

Amidst  the  mingled  costumes  that  passed  be- 
fore the  observer  in  ever-changing  kaleidoscopic 
pageantry  were  distinguishable  first  of  all  the  uni- 
forms of  French,  Russian,  Italian,  Serbian,  Greek, 
and  British  officers  and  men,  also  members  (chiefly 
women)    of  the   various   Red   Cross  contingents. 


14  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

These,  and  a  few  over-dressed  civilian  ladies  who 
aped  the  European  style,  walked,  drank,  and  talked 
side  by  side  with  a  crowd  of  other  races,  among 
whom  many  orientals  in  rich -tinted  costumes. 
Tsiganes,  Vlachs,  Albanians,  Serbs,  Bulgars, 
Rumanians,  Armenians,  Deunmehs,  Macedonian 
women  with  their  peculiar  red  and  green  head- 
dress, veiled  Turkish  ladies  passed  and  repassed,  and 
with  them  mingled  the  veriest  dregs  of  humanity, 
men,  women,  and  children  for  whom  begging 
seemed  to  be  the  primary  object  in  life. 

Before  the  Great  Fire  the  none  too  wideVenizelos 
Street  continued  straight  on  from  Floca's  up  a  hill 
that  increased  in  steepness  after  it  crossed  Via 
Egnatia,  the  oldest  thoroughfare  of  the  city.  Ere 
it  reached  that  point  its  character  had  changed. 
From  an  open  roadway  with  shops  on  each  side 
it  became  the  main  promenade  of  a  tortuous  and 
elaborately  covered -in  bazaar,  which  enticed  the 
visitor  to  wander  in  search  of  curios.  On  all  sides 
British  officers  and  men  were  greeted  by  cries  of, 
"  Wadie-waan  ? "  the  local  variant  of  the  old-time 
pedlar's  cry,  "What  d'ye  lack?"  If  the  object 
of  these  cries  preserved  a  stony  countenance  and 
chose  to  continue  on  up  the  steeper  part  of 
Venizelos   Street,   crossing  the   Via   Egnatia,   he 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

once  more  came  out  into  the  open  and  went  on 
mounting  the  hill  until  he  reached  the  Prefecture. 
Thence  another  road,  running  parallel  to  Via 
Egnatia,  led  right  and  left. 

Turning  to  the  right,  one  could  penetrate  to 
the  upper  and  more  purely  Turkish  portion  of  the 
city  and  mount  the  Seven -Towered  Acropolis; 
from  beside  the  **  Chain-Tower "  of  which  could 
be  seen  a  magnificent  panoramic  view  of  the  whole 
city  and  harbour.  To  rest  in  the  shadow  of  this 
tower  on  a  hot  summer  afternoon,  in  company 
with  some  somnolent  skin- clad  Macedonian  whose 
flock  of  mingled  sheep  and  goats  wandered  over 
the  neighbouring  hillside,  made  one  realise  the 
true  mediaeval  significance  of  this  definite  limit  to 
the  ancient  city.  Within  the  wall,  extending  right 
down  to  the  sea,  stretched  a  rich  profusion  of  white 
minarets  and  towers,  domed  edifices,  crumbling 
habitations,  gardens,  and  green-decked  balconies. 
Beyond  the  wall  the  desolate,  parched  moorland 
looped  on  from  gully  to  gully  towards  a  distant 
background  of  rugged  mountains,  fit  haunt  for 
the  brigands  and  barbarians  who  in  former  days 
constantly  harassed  the  city. 

Descending  thence  by  a  more  direct  route  that 
skirted  the  old  N.E.  wall,  and  turning  to  the  right. 


16  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

one  came  to  the  beginning  of  the  wide  thorough- 
fare now  known  as  the  Boulevard  of  National 
Defence.  Along  this  Boulevard  were  the  main 
Venizelist  public  offices,  and  between  it  and  the 
N.E.  wall  lies  the  more  purely  Greek  portion  of 
the  city.  It  touches  the  seashore  at  the  point  of 
junction  between  Victory  Street  (which  skirts  the 
harbour)  and  George  I.  Avenue.  At  this  point 
stands  the  most  typical  of  all  mediaeval  monuments 
of  the  city,  the  White  Tower,  a  construction  said 
to  date  from  1431,  and  known  formerly  as  the 
Tower  of  Blood,  because  there  were  massacred, 
in  1826,  by  order  of  Sultan  Mahmoud  II.,  the 
Janissaries  stationed  at  Salonika. 

On  August  18,  1917,  an  old  woman  in  the 
Ilan  Mermer  quarter,  whilst  frying  an  early  after- 
noon meal,  set  fire  inadvertently  to  her  kitchen 
and  house,  and,  thanks  to  the  strong  "Vardar" 
wind,  started  the  great  conflagration  that,  burning 
for  a  week,  despite  all  attempts  to  stay  it,  wiped 
out  the  more  densely  populated  portion  of  the  city. 
About  one-third  of  the  whole  normal  population 
of  180,000  was  rendered  temporarily  homeless  by 
this  catastrophe.  There  is  no  doubt  whatever  in 
the  minds  of  all  who  dealt  officially  with  it  that 
the  fire  was  due  solely  to  these  natural  causes. 


FROM  A  MINARET  OF  ST.  SOPHIA— PART 
OF  THE  BURNT-OUT  AREA 


INTRODUCTORY  17 

It  did  not,  as  some  have  asserted,  start  at  seven 
places  at  once.  Lack  of  adequate  water-supply, 
together  with  the  general  inflammable  nature  of 
the  property  destroyed,  were  the  only  reasons  why 
it  could  not  be  extinguished  earlier.  A  very 
heroic  fight  was  put  up  by  representatives  of 
the  Allied  troops  stationed  at  the  Base,  and  an 
even  more  praiseworthy  effort  was  made  to  cope 
with  the  great  distress  of  the  populace.  Refuge 
camps  were  at  once  started  at  convenient  places 
outside  the  city,  and  there,  rationed  and  tended 
day  and  night  by  the  Allies,  the  poor  homeless 
wanderers  found  rest  and  protection.  Throughout 
the  period  of  this  great  emergency,  to  use  the 
words  of  an  officer  in  charge  of  most  of  the 
arrangements,  "every  British  Tommy  behaved 
like  an  ambassador." 

Although  much  that  was  picturesque  was 
destroyed  by  this  fire,  sufficient  of  the  most 
ancient  monuments  remain  to-day  to  make  the 
city  still  a  treasure -store  of  antiquities.  For 
example,  the  N.E.  wall,  the  Byzantine  Seven- 
Towered  Acropolis,  the  White  Tower,  and  Arch 
of  Galerius.  The  greatest  loss  of  all  is  perhaps 
the  churches,  synagogues,  and  mosques,  which 
were  one  of  the  chief  glories  of  the  place ;  nearly 


18  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

all  the  synagogues  were  burnt — St.  Demetrios,  a 
basilica  of  five  naves,  that  dated  back  at  least  to 
the  fifth  century,  was  almost  totally  destroyed,  as 
also  the  famous  mosque  of  Hamza  Bey.  Very 
ambitious  plans  for  reconstruction  of  the  burnt 
portions  have  been  drawn  up,  and  if  these  are 
ultimately  carried  out  Salonika  will  be  one  of  the 
most  perfectly  built  cities  of  modern  Greece.  The 
main  idea  of  the  proposed  reconstruction  is  to 
have  wide  roads  radiating  from  all  the  most  ancient 
monuments  of  the  city.  At  present,  however, 
many  of  the  former  denizens  of  houses  in  the 
burnt  quarters  sit  from  morn  till  eve  among  the 
ruins  and  offer  for  sale  such  merchandise  as  they 
have  been  able  to  procure,  a  pitiful  reminder  of 
their  once  well-stocked  establishments. 

The  fire  burnt  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
purely  Turkish  quarter.  The  upper  and  unburnt 
portion  still  retains  its  picturesque,  old-world 
aspect.  Mounting  thither  a  day  or  two  before 
the  signing  of  the  Bulgarian  convention,  three 
officers  from  G.H.Q.  visited  the  house  of  the 
most  respected  Turk  in  the  whole  city.  Pro- 
ceeding by  steep  and  tortuous  cobble  -  stoned 
roadways,  and  passing  through  a  crowd  of  curious 
children,  they  entered  a  shady  garden  courtyard 


INTRODUCTORY  19 

which   was   surrounded   by  over-hanging,  heavily 
latticed   windows,    and   a   creeper -hung    balcony. 
Greeted  at  the  garden  doorstep  by  their  white- 
bearded  host,  who  kissed  his  principal  visitor  cere- 
moniously on  both  cheeks,  they  were  escorted  up 
the  steps  that  led  to  the  balcony  and  from  it  entered 
a  spotlessly   clean,  white-washed  inner   chamber. 
Having  seated  themselves  on  a  comfortable  divan, 
they  were  served  with  coffee,  sweets,  and  cigarettes. 
After  the   coffee  had   been   imbibed,  the   Sheik 
produced  book  after  book  of  ancient  lore  :  treatises 
on  geometry,  alchemy,  astronomy,  and  the  casting 
of  horoscopes.     He  referred  to  the  earliest  known 
dwellers  on  the  site  of  Salonika,  fire  worshippers, 
who,   at  least  3000   B.C.,   according    to    Turkish 
chronology,  lived  there.      He  spoke  of  the  wall 
that  formerly  surrounded  the  White  Tower,  and 
of  many  other  things  of  local  interest.     Finally, 
after  introducing  his  very  shy  little  grand-daughter, 
he  expounded  the  pictures  on  the  walls   of  his 
room.     They  were  texts  from  the  Koran,  worked 
in   silk  on   a  brilliantly  coloured   background   in 
such  a  way  that  the  script  formed  a  ship  in  full 
sail,  a  bird,  or  a  house. 

Interiors  such  as  this  exist  in  every  Macedonian 
Turkish  village.      In  most    you   find   the   same 


1 
jeo  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

scrupulous  cleanliness,  the  same  natural,  quiet 
courtesy  towards  British  visitors,  in  whom  the 
Turks,  at  least  in  Macedonia,  have  implicit  faith 
as  in  their  natural,  hereditary  friends. 

To  leave  this  Turkish  house  and  visit  a  Greek 
one,  m  the  Greek  quarter  which  lies  on  the  north- 
east side  of  the  Boulevard  of  National  Defence, 
though  it  took  but  twenty  minutes,  seemed  to 
transport  the  visitor  to  a  totally  different  era  of 
civilisation.  The  dwellings  in  this  quarter,  as  also 
those  of  the  so-called  Levantine  district  along 
Queen  Olga  Avenue,  are  constructed  more  or 
less  after  Austro-Italian  models.  Their  interiors 
are  furnished  mainly  in  Austrian  style.  Unwieldy 
stoves  in  porcelain,  with  enormous  lengths  of  piping 
that  disappear  through  the  ceiling,  heavy  plush 
upholstering,  Viennese  verrerie,  with  perhaps  a 
statuette  or  bust  of  some  notability  standing  in 
a  recess.  Always  in  the  most  prominent  wall 
space  is  displayed  a  portrait  of  the  chief  Greek 
political  luminary  of  the  moment,  to-day  of  course 
Mr.  Venizelos,  yesterday  King  Constantine. 

Charming  was  the  cordiality  of  reception  given 
to  officers  of  the  Allied  forces,  many  the  terms  of 
flattery  bestowed.  Yet  ever  in  the  background 
lurked  the  feeling  that,  as  a  general  principle,  our 


ON  THE  VERGE  OF  THE  FIRE'S 
DEVASTATION 


INTRODUCTORY  21 

intrusion  was  resented.  In  certain  extremely 
Anglophil  households,  however,  the  restraint  due 
to  the  presence  of  this  feeling  almost  altogether 
vanished.  The  visitor  was  greeted  at  the  door- 
step, and  being  invited  in,  had  one  single  cigarette 
specially  chosen  and  handed  to  him  with  ceremony. 
The  eldest  daughter  of  the  family  would  bring 
him  a  glass  of  some  liqueur  or  Turkish  coffee, 
water,  and  preserves.  He  might  be  invited  to 
stay  for  the  evening  meal,  at  which  a  Greek 
variety  of  Imam  JBaildi,^  a  typical  Salonikan  dish, 
consisting  of  aubergines  cooked  in  oil,  might 
be  served.  After  the  meal  a  guitar  or  mandolin 
would  be  produced,  and  while  the  household  and 
their  guest  enjoyed  the  cool  evening  air  in  a 
miniature  moonlit  garden,  popular  songs  would  be 
sung,  the  whole  family  swaying  to  the  lilt  of  the 
music. 

In  the  Levantine  quarter,  that  is,  among  the 
houses  of  foreign  representatives  resident  at 
Salonika,  the  manners  and  customs  of  course 
varied  in  accordance  with  the  nationality  of  the 
inmates,  Salonika  being  as  it  were  a  microcosm 
of   the   whole  world.      Intermingled   with   these 

^  Translated,  this  means  "  The  priest  faints,"  several  variant  versions 
of  the  cause  of  the  disaster  being  current  at  Salonika. 


«2  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

polyglot  establishments  were  many  houses  which 
were  temporarily  taken  over  by  the  Allies  as 
headquarters  or  base  hospitals.  The  French 
Quartier  G6nSral,  situated  first  of  all  in  a  street 
that  ran  at  right  angles  to  the  "English"  quay, 
was  ultimately  distributed  among  several  of  these 
houses.  British  G.H.Q.  started  in  the  former 
residence  of  the  Turkish  Minister  and  was 
not,  until  near  the  end  of  the  war,  removed  to 
more  commodious  quarters  at  Papafi.  Its  first 
shelter,  when  abandoned,  developed  into  the 
British  Officers'  Rest- House,  which,  towards  the 
end,  vied  in  popularity  with  the  French  Cercle 
Militaire.  The  latter  was  situated  next  to  the 
White  Tower  restaurant  and  music  hall.  It  was 
cleverly  constructed  by  the  French  Intendance, 
and  mainly  decorated  with  odd-and-end  wicker 
material  which  had  previously  served  for  other 
purposes.  Upon  its  cool  wave-washed  terrace  or 
in  its  side  arbours  officers  of  all  the  Allies,  on 
short  leave  from  their  duties  up  the  line  or  at 
the  Base,  quaffed  drinks  of  every  description  and 
watched  the  incoming  or  outgoing  ships.  Russians 
entertained  Frenchmen,  English  fraternised  with 
Greeks  and  Serbs ;  the  whole  atmosphere  was  one 
of  jubilant   cordiality  and   put  up  a  magnificent 


INTRODUCTORY  28 

barrage  against  that  terrible  home-sickness  which, 
sooner  or  later,  was  bound  to  afflict  all  who  served 
at  Salonika.  What  officers  found  in  these  military 
clubs  and  in  the  quiet,  pre-war  premises  of  the 
Greek  club  (unfortunately  destroyed  by  the  fire) 
the  other  ranks  had,  to  a  lesser  degree,  in  their 
Y.M.C.A.  and  E.F.  Canteens.  It  was  on  them, 
perhaps,  far  more  than  on  their  less  restricted 
superiors,  that  the  burden  of  the  "ennui"  fell. 
Their  cheerfulness  in  the  face  of  countless  draw- 
backs was  truly  remarkable. 

Adjoining  the  Cercle  Militaire,  and  supplying 
a  pleasantly  distant  strain  of  music  to  that  institu- 
tion, was  the  garden,  music  hall,  and  restaurant  of 
the  White  Tower.  Wishing  to  cater  for  all  tastes, 
the  proprietors  of  this  establishment  probably  ended 
by  really  pleasing  none,  although  the  overcrowded 
state  of  Salonika  made  the  money  flow  into  their 
tills.  About  one-third  of  the  garden  was  reserved 
for  the  overflow  from  the  dining-rooms  of  the 
restaurant,  the  remainder  being  crammed  each 
evening  by  civilians  and  representatives  of  the 
Allies,  who  imbibed  inferior  beer  and  other  drinks 
at  exorbitant  prices,  and  listened  to  whatever  band 
happened  to  be  playing.  After  the  sun  had  gone 
down  behind  Olympos  this  orderly,  music-haunted 


%4,  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

garden,  thronging  with  the  most  diverse  types  of 
humanity,  was  very  interesting  to  contemplate. 

Those  whose  natures  required  something  more 
than  mere  tranquillity  could  enter,  if  they  chose, 
the  adjacent  music  hall,  where  bad  dancing,  bad 
singing,  bad  beer  or  even  worse  champagne  at  an 
extortionate  price,  and  a  general  racket  of  inter- 
ruptions from  an  audience  composed  mainly  of 
officers  in  a  very  after-dinner  mood,  could  be 
enjoyed  or  endured  for  as  long  as  the  place  kept 
open.  This,  the  largest  music  hall  of  its  kind,  was 
typical  of  the  Greek  estimate  of  the  Allies'  taste 
in  such  matters.  Certainly  it  was  always  full,  as 
were,  before  the  fire  burnt  most  of  them,  the 
lesser  establishments  that  swarmed  along  by  the 
shore -skirting  Street  of  Victory.  But  to  those 
who  allowed  themselves  a  moment's  reflection,  the 
throng  of  raucous-voiced  women,  most  of  whom 
had  lost  their  last  vestige  of  feminine  charm,  and 
the  general  air  of  ribaldry  that  pervaded  the  place, 
while  it  occasionally  disclosed  quite  an  unlooked- 
for  chameleon  trait  of  adaptability  in  the  British, 
could  not  fail  to  be  distasteful  in  the  extreme.  It 
was,  however,  almost  the  only  evening  antidote  that 
Salonika  afforded  the  tired  officer  who,  after  a  long 
spell  of  service,  was  sent  on  short  leave  to  the  Base. 


MOUNT  OLYMPOS  FROM  MIKRA 

Nightfall.  The  dark  line  of  land  in  the  middle 
distance  is  "Grand  Karabou,"  the  promontory 
which  separates  Salonika  Bay  from  the  Gulf. 
Mount  Olympos  ie  about  60  miles  away. 


INTRODUCTORY  35 

Such  a  one,  if  lucky  enough  to  command 
a  place  in  a  car,  might  start  back  late  on  the 
last  night  of  his  three  days'  leave  with  a  light 
purse  and  a  satiated  soul.  For  months,  amidst 
sweltering,  rocky  ravines  and  shrapnel -haunted 
trenches,  he  had  watched  his  wounded  or  fever- 
stricken  comrades  dwindle  one  by  one ;  he  had 
longed  for  some  respite.  At  last  leave  had  come, 
and  he  had  plunged  deep  into  the  sights,  sounds, 
and  odours  of  the  Base;  had  perhaps  had  the 
extreme  good  luck  to  meet  and  speak  with  a 
woman  who  was  not  like  those  mere  semblances 
of  womankind  he  had  just  seen  at  the  White 
Tower.  He  would  return,  refreshed  in  mind  if  not 
in  body,  and  as  he  sped  onward  through  the  night 
his  thoughts,  diverted  maybe  by  the  beauty  of  a 
star,  or  the  rising  of  the  full  moon  above  a  rich 
oriental  landscape,  would  speed  back  towards  those 
lost  friends  with  some  of  whom  he  hoped  one  day 
to  be  reunited,  until  a  small  "  strafe  "  of  guns  along 
the  distant  hills  and  a  Very  light  or  two  reminded 
him  of  the  duty  he  was  about  to  resume. 


CHAPTER  II 

LINES   OF   COMMUNICATION 

Transport  difficulties — Via  Egnatia — Monastir  to  Seres — To  Fiorina 
and  Koritza — To  Tepelen  and  Valona — To  British  12th  Corps — To 
British  16th  Corps — Through  the  Krusha Balkan — The  Independent 
Brigade.  Topographical  Details:  Lakes — Mountains — Rivers — 
Harbours — Mineral  wealth — Flora  and  fauna — Climate — Towns — 
Villages — Population. 

Night  journeys,  such  as  the  one  just  alluded 
to,  or  less  comfortable  trips  by  train,  did  not  give 
the  traveller  much  opportunity  for  studying  the 
physical  features  of  the  country,  or  the  transport 
difficulties  against  which  the  troops  who  occupied 
each  sector  of  the  Allies'  front  had  to  contend. 
At  the  outset  the  one  existing  highway  of  any 
consequence  was  that  very  ancient  Greek  one 
which,  under  the  name  of  Via  Egnatia,  had  been 
developed  into  a  main  channel  of  communication 
by  the  Romans.  Starting  from  modern  Durazzo, 
it  continued  on  through  Monastir,  Vodena,  and 
Salonika ;  thence,  joining  up  with  Seres,  it  looped 

26 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  27 

round  to  Kavalla  and  Constantinople.  When  the 
Allies  started  to  adapt  the  part  of  this  road  under 
their  control  to  heavy  motor  transport  they  found 
that  it  needed  almost  entire  reconstruction ;  also 
constant  subsidence  of  the  soft,  underlying  strata 
made  it  necessary  for  repairs  to  be  carried  on 
throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  campaign. 
Always  miles  of  it  were  lined  with  Macedonian 
men  and  women  workers,  or  French,  Italian, 
Serbian,  and  British  labour  companies,  and  at  all 
places  where  roads  such  as  this  were  under  repair 
traffic  was  forced  to  side  track  right  and  left,  a 
very  perilous  undertaking  in  the  wet  season. 
%  (Any  one  who  left  Salonika  by  car  in  the  morning 
with  intent  to  visit  the  western  portion  of  our 
Balkan  front  passed  along  this  wide,  dusty  road, 
which,  bordered  at  first  by  slowly  dwindling 
habitations,  transformed  itself  at  length  into  the 
main  transport  artery  between  a  series  of  large 
**  dumps,"  each  of  which  was  interesting  as  a  proof 
of  the  immense  amount  of  reserve  stores  found 
necessary  by  each  Ally.  The  importance  of  these 
reserves  of  food  and  material  was  not  overlooked 
by  the  enemy,  as  frequent  hostile  bombing  expedi- 
tions proved. 

Soon  after  passing  Dudular  railway  station  on 


28  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  left,  a  sharp  turning  branched  off  to  the  right 
and  provided,  as  it  were,  the  final  boundary  line 
of  the  last  and  largest  "dump,"  the  British  Reserve 
Ammunition  Depot.  From  there  onwards  Via 
Egnatia,  or  Monastir  Road,  as  during  the  occupa- 
tion it  was  usually  called,  continued  for  several 
miles  in  a  straight  line  across  the  flat  plains  of  the 
Vardar,  until  after  crossing  that  river  it  reached 
what  remained  of  ancient  Pella,  and  from  there 
looped  round  to  Ostrovo,  through  the  picturesque 
Turkish  townlets  of  Yenedze-Vardar  and  Vodena. 
Before  Lake  Ostrovo  was  reached  the  scenery  had 
gradually  altered  from  a  flat  alluvial  plain  to  a 
country  of  woods  and  hills,  which  afterwards  be- 
came more  and  more  mountainous.  Then  followed 
a  steep  descent  to  Fiorina  at  the  south-west  corner 
of  the  Monastir  plateau.  There,  throughout  the 
latter  part  of  the  war,  the  French  established  the 
headquarters  of  the  western  section  of  their  army. 
To  climb  the  heights  beyond  this  town  by  the 
magnificent  slowly  zigzagging  road  constructed  by 
French  engineers,  and  to  continue  round  the  edge 
of  precipices  and  through  richly  wooded  gorges  as 
far  as  Biklista  or  Koritza,  brought  one  to  the  limits 
of  French  influence  and  the  beginning  of  Italianised 
Albania.     It  was  just  possible,  by  travelling  all 


MOUNT  HORTJAC  FROM  THE  GULF  OF 
THERMA 

The  wreck  in  the  foreground  represents  one  of  our 
enemies'  very  rare  submarine  successes  in  these 
waters. 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  U'J 

day  in  a  good  car,  to  arrive  at  this  place  before 
nightfall.  The  journey,  if  continued  the*  day 
following  through  the  remainder  of  Albania, 
became,  with  one  brief  respite,  more  and  more 
mountainous,  until  at  last,  by  way  of  stately 
Agirocastro  and  rugged  Tepelen,  the  Italian  main 
headquarters  at  Valona  and  Kanina  were  ultimately 
reached. 

Seldom  did  Fortune  favour  individual  travellers 
sufficiently  to  allow  of  their  completing  this 
journey  to  Valona  in  two  days,  for  although  the 
road  was  kept  in  good  repair  punctures  and  tyre 
bursts  were  unavoidable.  Lucky  indeed  were  they 
who  had  the  good  chance  to  break  down  near 
some  Italian  post-station,  where  rest  and  refresh- 
ment could  be  obtained,  and  whence,  if  necessary, 
the  journey  could  be  continued  next  day  by  postal 
omnibus  or  ammunition  lorry.  Otherwise  they 
would  be  forced  to  spend  a  night  or  two  by  the 
roadside,  in  close  proximity  to  all  the  unknown 
perils  of  the  mountains. 

The  sharp  turning  which,  as  has  been  said, 
branched  off  to  the  right  from  the  Monastir  Road 
after  passing  Dudular,  developed  into  the  new 
Sarigol-Kukus   line   of  communication,  the   con- 


30  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

struction  of  which,  early  in  1917,  was  entirely 
carried  out  by  British  supervision  and  enterprise. 
This  road,  which  was  our  main  means  of  access 
to  the  Dou-an  front,  led  to  the  British  12th  Corps 
headquarters  at  Janesh.  After  running  for  some 
distance  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Galico  and 
skirting  *'  Gibraltar,"  the  western  outstanding  pro- 
montory of  the  "  Bird-cage  "  defence  line,  it  crossed 
the  river  and  looped  round  by  way  of  Amberkoj  to 
Sarigol.  Thence,  turning  sharply  again  to  the  right, 
it  led  on  to  Kukus,  the  most  important  town  of 
the  sector,  once  a  main  rendezvous  of  both  Bulgarian 
and  Greek  revolutionary  activities,  and  right  up 
to  the  beginning  of  the  war  an  important  centre 
of  the  tobacco  industry.  As  is  the  case  with  all 
these  Macedonian  towns,  more  or  less  pretentious 
edifices,  their  walls  plastered  with  dung  cakes  (the 
chief  article  of  fuel)  or  hung  with  festoons  of 
drying  tobacco  leaves,  intermingled  here  with  the 
veriest  hovels.  Another  sharp  turn,  this  time  to 
the  left  and  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  swung 
the  main  road  round  northwards  again,  where  it 
passed  close  behind  the  French  convent  school, 
and  finally,  with  a  sort  of  switch-back  railway 
effect,  wound  on  across  the  hills  to  Janesh,  the 
headquarters  throughout  the  latter  part  of  the  cam- 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  31 

paign  of  the  British  12th  Corps,  the  front  of  which 
stretched  from  the  Vardar  to  Lake  Doiran.  The 
dominating  heights  of  the  so-called  '*  Pip  "  Ridge, 
the  seemingly  impregnable  Bulgarian  stronghold  on 
that  front,  the  taking  of  which  by  British  troops 
was  an  important  episode  in  the  Bulgars'  retreat, 
were  also,  on  normally  clear  days,  distinctly  visible 
from  this  point. 

To  set  out  from  Salonika  for  the  British  16th 
Corps  it  was  necessary  to  travel  by  the  only  other 
available  road  which,  being  the  old  caravan  route 
to  Seres,  started  off  from  the  Vardar  Gate  of 
the  city  (Piccadilly  Circus)  and  passed  through 
a  cutting  in  the  Derbend  or  "  Bird-cage "  ridge. 
Leaving  Lake  Langaza  well  to  the  right  this 
road  mounted  the  highlands  towards  Likovan 
and  Lahana,  two  of  the  most  healthy  stations  of 
this  unhealthy  campaign,  and  the  centres  of  main 
supply  activities  for  the  16th  Corps  front.  Soon 
after  passing  Lahana  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
Balkan  views  opened  up  before  the  eyes  of  the 
traveller.  The  whole  Struma  and  Butkovo  valleys, 
with  their  picturesque  winding  rivers  terminating 
to  the  right  in  the  great  Lake  of  Tahinos,  and 
dotted  here  and  there,  among  richly  varied  verdure, 
with  white  minaretted  towns  and  villages,  stood 


SS  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

forth  in  marked  contrast  against  the  rugged  back- 
ground of  the  Beles  range.  The  continuity  of 
this  range,  except  at  one  point,  was  preserved 
throughout  That  point  was  the  famous  Rupel 
Pass,  beyond  which  could  be  seen,  on  clear  days, 
a  glorious  vista  of  snow-capped  mountains.  To 
descend  by  zigzag  and  precipitous  turnings  to  the 
16th  Corps  headquarters  near  Orljak,  almost  on 
the  level  of  the  plain,  and  to  slowly  realise  the 
strength  of  the  enemy  positions  on  the  other  side 
of  that  plain,  was  an  experience  that  could  not  fail 
to  remain  very  vividly  impressed  on  the  minds  of 
all  who  visited  that  portion  of  the  front  for  the 
first  time. 

A  journey  north-westwards  from  Orljak  by  way 
of  Gumusdere  and  Paprat  to  Snevce,  or  from 
Paprat  to  Kurkut  and  thence  to  Kukus,  could 
be  quite  easily  effected  by  car  in  fine  weather, 
although  the  roads  for  the  most  part  were  little 
more  than  tracks  improved  by  British  and  native 
labour.  Such  a  journey  opened  up  an  ever- 
changing  spectacle  of  gorgeously  varied  scenery, 
and  at  the  same  time  enlightened  the  curious 
on  the  main  features  of  that  large  front  occu- 
pied by  the  British  Independent  Brigade,  the  head- 
quarters of  which  were  at  Paprat     In  this  least 


FROM  AX  OBSERVATION  BALLOON  — 
STRUxMA  VALLEY,  LOOKING  TO  - 
WARDS    LAKE    TAHINOS 

The  bridge  in  the  foreground  is  Gudeli  Bridge. 
Beyond  the  wood  to  the  left  are  the  beginnings  of 
the  Bulgarian  lines,  and  Jn  the  distance  to  the 
right  is  the  extreme  southern  limit  of  our  British 
lines. 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  33 

disturbed  of  all  British  war  areas  game  was 
plentiful,  and  the  numerous  villages  passed 
through  thronged  with  shy  yet  curious  chil- 
dren, whose  Moslem  mothers  had  run  to  hide 
themselves  in  an  inner  chamber  on  the  approach 
of  strangers. 

The  country  the  Allies  found  themselves  forced, 
to  hold  consists  of  a  series  of  bleak,  mountainous 
highlands,  mainly  of  crystalline  or  schistose  for- 
mation, and  vast  sedimentary  or  alluvial  plains, 
interspersed  occasionally  by  lakes,  and  everywhere 
else  cut  into  by  countless  intersecting  torrential 
nullahs,  which  render  wheeled  traffic  even  in  fine 
weather  extremely  difficult. 

The  chief  lakes  of  this  region  as  they  lie  in 
succession  across  the  country  from  west  to  east 
are :  Ochrida,  the  largest,  on  the  much-disputed 
Albano- Serbian  borderland,  approximately  nine 
miles  wide  and  twenty  miles  long ;  Prespa  and 
Mala  Prespa,  which,  it  is  believed,  are  connected 
with  Ochrida  by  a  subterranean  channel ;  Ostrovo, 
due  south  of  the  famous  Kaimactchalan  peak  in 
the  Morichovo  range ;  Ardzan  and  Amatovo,  to  the 
east  of  the  Vardar ;  Doiran,  to  the  right  of  the 
"  Pip  "  Ridge ;  Langaza  and  Beshik,  north  of  the 


34  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Derbend  Ridge ;  Tahinos,  at  the  south  end  of  the 
Struma  valley. 

The  most  important  rivers  are  :  the  Scumbi  and 
Voyussa,  in  Albania ;  the  Vardar  (ancient  Axius), 
which,  rising  in  the  Shar  Mountains  near  Kostovo, 
flows  past  Uskub  and  Veles,  through  Demir-Kapu, 
and  then,  after  a  long  course  over  the  plain  north- 
west of  Salonika,  does  its  best  to  silt  up  the 
narrow  entrance  to  Salonika  harbour ;  the  Galico 
(ancient  Echedorus),  of  little  more  than  historical 
importance,  which  adds  also  its  tiny  quota  of 
detritus  to  the  harbour ;  the  Struma  (ancient 
Strymon),  which  springs  from  Mount  Vitosha  and 
runs  through  narrow  gorges  into  the  low-lying 
plain  south-west  of  the  Belashitza  range,  where, 
turning  south,  it  expands  into  Lake  Tahinos  and 
through  it  finds  way  into  the  Gulf  of  Orfano. 

Of  the  harbours  which  were  available  for  the 
Allies'  use  during  the  war,  the  one  that  proved 
of  greatest  practical  importance  to  the  forces  based 
on  Salonika  was  that  on  which  the  city  itself  is 
situated,  and  which  is  bounded  on  the  south  by 
the  Vardar  Delta  and  Karaburun  headland  {Grand 
Karabou),  In  another  fifty  years,  experts  have 
predicted,  this  magnificent  land-locked  harbour 
will,  if  left  to  itself,  be  transformed  into  a  lake 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  35 

with  no  navigable  outlet  to  the  sea,  so  great  is  the 
amount  of  alluvial  deposit  brought  down  annually 
by  the  Vardar.  To  avoid  this  disaster  it  will  be 
necessary  to  carry  out  extensive  and  costly  dam- 
ming and  dredging  operations,  the  object  of  which 
would  be  to  move  the  main  Vardar  outlet  more  to 
the  south. 

There  was  also  from  the  first  Mudros  harbour, 
and,  later  on,  Volo,  Corfu,  and  Itea ;  the  last  two 
being  much  made  use  of  in  conjunction  with  the 
overland  route  through  Italy.  In  marked  contrast 
with  the  Salonika  base  the  harbour  at  the  Italian 
main  base — Valona — had  a  wider  outlet  to  the 
sea,  and  had,  in  consequence,  to  be  protected  by  a 
very  elaborate  system  of  mines,  which  were  strung 
together  in  the  form  of  a  triple  boom.  Once  inside 
this  boom  there  were  excellent  facilities  for 
anchorage,  the  harbour  being  almost  completely 
encircled  by  steep  mountains  rising  straight  up 
from  the  water's  edge.  They  scarcely  left  room 
for  the  dizzy,  zigzag  windings  of  a  wonderfully 
constructed  road  the  Italians  cut  round  them  to 
link  up  Valona  with  Pie  di  Monte  and  Santi 
Quaranta. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  this  portion  of  the  Balkan 
Peninsula,    though   well   known   to   the   ancients, 


36  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

remains  in  modern  times  practically  unexplored. 
Gold,  silver,  iron,  copper,  lead,  zinc,  nickel,  mercury, 
manganese,  graphite,  antimony,  arsenic,  sulphur, 
coal  and  lignite  probably  exist  locally  in  consider- 
able quantities ;  but  hitherto,  owing  to  instability 
and  lack  of  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  various 
governments  concerned,  no  organised  mining  of 
these  deposits  has  taken  place. 

The  country  abounds  in  wild  animals.  Prior  to 
the  occupation  wolves,  deer,  boars,  bears,  badgers, 
jackals,  foxes,  wild  cats  and;  dogs,  wild  goats, 
hares,  and  rabbits  lived  and  hunted  or  grazed,  each 
after  its  kind,  over  the  moorlands  and  moun- 
tain sides.  Cats,  dogs,  hares,  and  rabbits  are  all 
that  continued  to  coexist  with  the  occupation. 
Tortoises  are  found  everywhere;  also  lizards, 
scorpions,  snakes,  toads  and  frogs  of  various 
species.  Among  birds  eagles,  vultures,  falcons, 
owls,  crows,  jays,  magpies,  storks,  quails,  thrushes, 
doves,  geese,  and  duck  occur  in  large  numbers. 
To  the  insect  collector  the  place  is  a  rich  hunting- 
ground,  swarming  with  beetles,  hornets,  bees, 
butterflies,  moths,  grasshoppers,  ephippigeras,  and 
flies  generally,  including  several  large  species  of 
horse-fly,  and  anopheles,  the  much-dreaded  malarial 
mosquito. 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  37 

The  sudden  outburst,  in  early  March,  of  a  rich 
profusion  of  spring  flowers  is  very  noticeable.  From 
an  uncultivated  space  of  only  a  few  square  yards 
beside  a  camp  at  Vergetor  a  British  soldier  collected 
in  half  an  hour  no  less  than  fifty -two  distinct 
species  of  wild  flower.  It  is  sad  to  see  this  brief 
floral  glory  change  within  a  fortnight  to  a  dull 
parched  mass  of  sun-dried  herbage,  which  towards 
autumn  frequently  bursts  spontaneously  into  flame. 
Although  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  country 
is  barren  and  treeless,  in  the  Krusha  Balkan, 
between  Fiorina  and  Koritza  and  frequently  in 
Albania,  you  come  upon  the  following  trees :  oak, 
ash,  beech,  elm,  poplar,  walnut,  plane,  cherry, 
wild  pear,  fig,  and  olive.  Vines,  wheat,  and  maize 
are  grown  extensively.  Rice  and  cotton  have 
been  cultivated  with  success  in  low-lying  districts 
such  as  the  Struma  valley  and  tobacco  has,  in 
many  places,  become  the  staple  product  of  the  soil. 
Despite  all  these  proved  possibilities,  however, 
only  about  6  per  cent  of  the  country  is  at  present 
under  cultivation. 

The  climate  is  fairly  uniform  throughout  this 
whole  region ;  hot  from  March  to  October,  cold 
and  wet  during  the  remaining  months  of  the  year. 


as  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

The  highest  thermometer  reading  recorded  withhi 
the  limits  of  the  Allied  occupation  was  US'*  F. 
in  the  shade. 

A  great  contrast  during  the  hotter  months  is 
observable  between  the  temperature  of  the  swelter- 
ing low-lying  valleys  and  the  wind-swept  uplands. 
This  contrast  became  exceedingly  trying  to  British 
soldiers  on  the  march.  Being  unaccustomed  to 
such  rapid  variations  in  temperature,  they  frequently 
caught  severe  chills  owing  to  their  neglect  to 
cover  themselves  adequately  at  nightfall  and  in 
cold  altitudes.  The  continuous  spell  of  fine 
weather  that  lasts  throughout  the  summer,  with 
a  heat  that  makes  active  military  operations  or 
other  work  impracticable  for  three  or  four  hours 
in  the  middle  of  each  day,  was  also  irksome  in  the 
extreme  to  all,  particularly  as  hardly  any  natural 
shelters  existed  and  there  was  very  little  material 
for  making  artificial  ones. 

The  discomforts  endured  by  our  men  in  this 
direction  were  accentuated  by  the  constant  presence 
of  fever  and  other  ills,  dissemination  of  which  by 
insects  was  unavoidable  in  so  unhealthy  a  climate. 
Also,  the  omnipresence  of  that  fine,  irritating 
Balkan  dust,  which  gets  into  your  eyes,  your  lungs, 
your  hair,  and  the  very  food  you  eat,  and  covers 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  39 

your  face,  hands,  and  garments  with  a  thick  layer 
that  replaces  itself  as  fast  as  it  is  brushed  off,  was 
very  annoying,  when  you  had  to  breathe  it  con- 
tinually through  long  days  of  physical  activity. 
But  what  was  suffered  from  the  heat  was  nothing  in 
comparison  with  what  had  to  be  faced  throughout 
the  winter  season.  The  so-called  "  Vardar  "  wind 
that  at  intervals  throughout  the  summer  blew  for 
four  or  five  days  with  unrelenting  fury,  was  followed 
towards  autumn  by  torrential  rains ;  and  these 
in  turn  were  superseded  by  a  period  of  bitterly 
damp  and  cold  weather,  during  which,  on  account 
of  transport  difficulties,  active  warfare  became 
altogether  out  of  the  question. 

The  towns  and  villages  dotted  about  the  region 
of  the  Balkans  occupied  by  the  Allies  are  more  or 
less  racial  and  architectural  epitomes  of  certain 
portions  of  Salonika  itself.  In  each  the  Greek, 
Turk,  Slav,  or  Albanian  element  predominates. 
Frequently,  in  the  case  of  villages,  a  wholly  Greek 
one  will  exist  within  a  mile  of  one  wholly  Turkish. 
Those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  main  lines  of  com- 
munication lost  much  of  their  original  old-world 
character  upon  contact  with  our  troops,  and, 
while  exacting  exorbitant  prices  for  very  inferior 


40  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

commodities,  became  more  and  more  dependent 
upon  commercial  intercourse  with  them.  Of  the 
old  territorial  provinces  or  vilayets  into  which, 
under  Turkish  rule,  this  country  was  divided,  the 
department  or  sandchak  of  Salonika  comprised,  in 
addition  to  all  the  districts  south  of  Doiran  and 
Guevgueli  as  far  as  the  sea,  and  from  east  to  west 
between  Verria  and  Stavros,  territory  as  far  north 
as  Strumnitza,  which  did  not,  until  the  last  week 
of  local  hostilities,  come  under  full  control  of  the 
Allies.  We  obtained  also,  early  in  the  war,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  old  sandchak  of  Monastir 
and  northern  Epirus,  the  part  of  Albania  south  of 
the  line  Mala  Kastra — Glava — Koritza. 

In  this  whole  region  the  total  indigenous 
population,  without  including  Salonika's  180,000,^ 
was  estimated  roughly  in  1914  at  something  over 
310,000,  about  125,000  of  which  consisted  of  people 
designated  as  Greek-speaking,  80,000  Turkish- 
speaking,  and  75,000  Bulgarian-speaking;  of  the 
remaining  30,000  some  12,000  being  described  as 
nomad  Vlachs  and  Tsiganes,  10,000  as  Albanians, 
6000  as  Serbs,  and  2000  Jews,  Russians,  Ruma- 
nians, etc.     There  has  been,  however,  no  really 

^  In  August  1915,  the  official  returns  for  Salonika  were  :  Greeks  85,000, 
Jews  (Spanish-speaking)  65,000,  Turks  25,500,  other  races  3500. 


LINES  OF  COMMUNICATION  41 

scientific  assessment  of  population,  and  since  1914 
numerical  readjustments  have  taken  place  owing  to 
interchange  of  refugees  between  different  territories 
and  compulsory  evacuation  of  towns  and  villages  in 
localities  where  military  operations  were  contem- 
plated or  in  progress.  Moreover,  the  language 
test  is  not  necessarily  a  final  one  in  determining 
the  nationality  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  given  area 
in  this  part  of  the  world.  Both  during  and  after 
Turkish  rule  the  country  has  been  the  constant 
hunting-ground  of  unscrupulous  propagandists  in 
the  pay  of  each  of  the  rival  peoples  who,  up  to 
1914,  entertained  and  very  probably  still  continue 
to  nourish  ambitious  schemes  for  completely  domi- 
nating the  Balkans.  These  propagandists,  working 
in  conjunction  with  the  schools  that  each  nation 
took  care  to  establish  in  convenient  population 
centres  throughout  the  country,  very  often,  for 
purely  political  ends,  succeeded  in  making  members 
of  that  large  class  of  people  who  had  learnt  more 
than  one  language  adopt  a  nationality  different 
from  the  avowed  nationality  of  their  parents. 


CHAPTER  III 

HISTORICAL   AND    POLITICAL 

Ancient  cities — Xerxes — Cassauder  founds  Salonika — Prosperity  of  the 
city — Rome  the  conqueror — Religious  cults — St.  Paul  and  the 
early  Christians — Triumph  of  Christianity — Theodosius  and  the 
Goths — Visigoths,  Huns,  Avars,  Slavs,  Saracens — Bulgars,  Mag- 
yars, Normans — Crusaders,  Lombards,  Serbs,  Catalans — Turks — 
Venetians — Spanish  Jews  and  Deunmehs — Greek  revolt — Balkan 
wars — Political  situation  in  1914 — Gallipoli  and  after — Landing 
of  first  Allied  contingents. 

Although  the  fire- worshippers,  whoever  they 
were,  that,  according  to  Turkish  tradition,  lived 
three  thousand  years  before  the  beginning  of  our 
era,  on  the  spot  where  now  stands  Salonika,  must 
have  been  no  more  than  one  human  wave  in  the 
long  succession  of  primitive  settlers,  the  history  of 
this  part  of  the  world  does  not  begin  until  its 
colonisation  by  the  Greeks.  Planted  in  the  first 
instance  at  various  points  along  the  coast  of 
Chalcidice,  and  afterwards  in  the  main  river  basins, 
the  Greek  communities  prospered  rapidly;  but  even 
where  particular   place-names   owe  their   modern 

42 


DOIRAN  TOWN  AND   LAKE 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  4S 

survival  to  association  with  famous  historical 
personages,  nothing  is  known  about  them  beyond 
that  they  were  centres  of  literary,  artistic,  or 
commercial  activity,  or  that  some  more  or  less 
capable  ruler  established  in  them  his  headquarters. 
Of  this  last  category  was  Aegae  (modern  Vodena), 
which,  up  to  the  days  of  Archelaus,  appears  to 
have  been  the  seat  of  government  of  the  kings  of 
Macedon.  That  monarch,  however,  transferred 
his  court  to  Pella,  and  constructed  there  a  new 
palace,  which  Zeuxis,  the  painter,  decorated 
throughout,  and  in  which  the  foremost  philosophers, 
poets,  and  musicians  of  the  day  found  constant 
welcome.  Thus  we  hear  of  Euripides  passing  the 
last  years  of  his  life  at  this  court ;  later  on,  too, 
Aristotle  resided  at  Pella  as  tutor  to  Alexander 
the  Great. 

Over  a  century  and  a  half  before  the  death  of 
Alexander,  Xerxes,  "  Great  King  "  of  Persia,  after 
immense  preparations,  had  flung  his  vast  army 
across  the  Dardanelles,  and  with  it,  in  due  course, 
had  marched  through  the  forests  of  northern  Chal- 
cidice,  where  his  baggage  columns  were  attacked 
by  lions.  Halting  for  a  while  on  the  slopes  of 
Mount  Hortjac,  he  may  have  looked  down  on  the 
twin  townlets  of  Halia  and  Therma,  which  stood 


44  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

respectively  at  the  northern  and  southern  ex- 
tremities of  the  area  now  covered  by  Salonika. 
A  French  writer  has  at  least  pictured  him  sur- 
veying in  this  way  the  surrounding  country, 
and  marvelling  at  its  apparent  fertility,  while  he 
reflected  with  pleasure  on  the  probability  of  easy 
conquests  farther  south.  The  sun  must  have  set 
behind  Mount  Olympus  just  as  gloriously  then  as 
it  does  to-day,  and  its  noontide  heat  was  just  as 
keen.  Only  the  landscape  was  more  wooded,  and 
its  general  aspect  wilder.  The  fever  raged  then  as 
it  does  now,  and  it  took  its  toll  of  Xerxes'  army. 
It  took  toll  subsequently  of  many  another  invading 
horde. 

In  the  year  315  b.c.  Salonika  (then  Thessalonika) 
first  came  into  existence.  Cassander,  son  of  Anti- 
pater,  having  taken  to  wife  a  half-sister  of  the 
deceased  Alexander  the  Great,  sought  to  perpetuate 
her  memory  by  naming  after  her  the  city  he  caused 
to  be  constructed,  and  which  he  peopled  by  the 
remnant  of  several  neighbouring  settlements,  de- 
vastated by  disastrous  wars.  Well  planned  and 
protected  by  strong  walls,  the  new  city  speedily 
prospered.  It  became  a  centre  of  great  commercial 
and  some  literary  activity.     Wine  and  oil  were  its 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  45 

chief  articles  of  commerce  in  those  days  ;  gold  and 
silver  were  mined  in  its  vicinity.  Sacked  by  the 
Gauls,  it  nevertheless  continued  its  economic 
existence,  and  when,  after  the  battles  of  Cyno- 
cephalae  and  Pydna,  Macedonia  became  a  Roman 
province,  the  importance  and  prosperity  of  this,  its 
chief  commercial  emporium,  increased  so  much 
that  the  population  is  said  to  have  numbered  over 
250,000,  about  one-third  more  than  the  present 
figure.  Moreover,  by  adroit  partisanship  of  the 
winning  side  before  the  battle  of  Philippi,  the 
inhabitants  won  for  it  the  status  of  a  "  free  city," 
and  thenceforth  it  became  renowned  throughout 
the  antique  world  for  loyalty  towards  Rome  and 
as  a  stronghold  of  Hellenistic  culture. 

The  old  tutelary  divinities,  whose  beneficent 
vigilance  shielded  the  first  citizens  from  harm, 
appear  to  have  dwindled  in  importance  in  men's 
minds  as  their  sense  of  security,  derived  from 
Rome's  peaceful  sway,  gained  ground,  and  the 
cult  of  the  deified  city  of  Rome  and  its  deified 
emperors  almost  superseded  them.  Side  by  side 
with  the  newer  forms  of  faith  and  worship,  several 
older  ones,  such  as  that  of  Dionysus,  Apollo, 
and  Aphrodite,  continued  to  exist.  Mithraism 
flourished  there  in  the  first  century.     There  was 


46  THE  SALONIKA   FRONT 

also,  even  in  those  early  days,  a  large  Jewish  eolony 
and  synagogue. 

Into  the  midst  of  this  colony  and  that  of  Beroea 
(Verria),  about  the  year  53,  came  St.  Paul,  after 
lie  had  evangelised  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  and  Philippi. 
Although  his  new  doctrine  aroused  a  certain 
amount  of  opposition  from  orthodox  Jews,  to  the 
Gentiles  who  had  espoused  the  main  tenets  of  the 
Jewish  faith  it  was  from  the  first  readily  acceptable, 
and  he  found  his  warmest  adherents  among  the 
large  circle  of  these  that  existed  at  Salonika. 

Despite  all  opposition  the  flame  once  lit  con- 
tinued to  burn.  It  burned  on  steadily,  though 
oft-times  in  secret,  through  the  days  of  the  gi  eater 
persecutions,  until  after  "  enduring  all  things  "  the 
once  despised  and  rejected  faith  became,  under 
Constantine  the  Great,  the  guiding  star  of  the 
Roman  world.  That  emperor  is  said  to  have  at 
first  meditated  making  Salonika  the  capital  city  of 
the  new  Eastern  Roman  Empire;  but,  following 
the  dictates  of  a  dream,  he  chose  the  site  of 
Byzantium  instead. 

The  Goths,  who  from  about  the  year  269 
became  a  constant  menace  to  Salonika,  were  several 
times  beaten  off,  and  the  Emperor  Theodosius, 
who   lived   there   for   over   twelve   years,  had   to 


ACROSS  THE  STRUMA  TOWARDS 
DEMIRHISSAR,   FROM  GUMUSDERE 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  47 

organise  an  army  to  repel  them.  After  driving 
them  back  with  success  he  made  himself  for  ever 
obnoxious  to  Christendom  by  causing  his  mer- 
cenaries to  fall  upon  and  massacre,  as  a  reprisal 
for  disaffection,  a  large  part  of  the  population  of 
Salonika  at  the  conclusion  of  a  free  display  in  the 
Hippodrome,  to  which  they  had  been  specially 
invited. 

Thenceforward  great  and  grievous  calamities 
fell  in  rapid  succession  on  the  unhappy  city. 
Goths,  Visigoths,  Huns,  and  Avars  devastated, 
each  in  turn,  the  fertile  and  inadequately  protected 
province  of  Macedonia.  They  seem  to  have  con- 
sidered it  an  easier  prey  than  Constantinople,  but 
though  they  repeatedly  laid  siege  to  the  city  they 
were  seldom  able  to  sack  it.  After  them,  through- 
out the  centuries,  followed  still  more  redoubtable 
human  scourges.  Slavs,  at  first  under  Avar  chief- 
tains, made  attempt  after  attempt  against  the  city, 
being  repelled  almost  always  by  the  brave  and 
well-sustained  defence  that,  under  the  direction  of 
Church  dignitaries,  the  inhabitants  invariably  put 
up.  Settling  at  length  throughout  the  Balkans, 
their  tribes  still  occasionally  attacked  the  city,  and 
at  times  planned  to  synchronise  with  the  descent 
of  the  Saracen  pirate  galleys  of  Crete.    Ultimately, 


48  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

upon  contact  with  the  softening  influence  of 
Christianity,  their  remnant,  having  spent  its  force, 
settled  down  to  more  peaceful  pursuits. 

There  followed  the  wave  of  Bulgarian  incursions. 
This  fierce  and  warlike  people  first  conquered  and 
then  became  assimilated  linguistically  to  the  subject 
race.  Converted  to  Christianity,  Bulgars  and  Slavs 
gradually  fused  into  one  Bulgarian  kingdom,  which, 
in  the  days  of  Tzar  Simeon,  became  almost  co- 
extensive with  the  Balkan  Peninsula;  Durazzo 
and  Salonika  alone  being  held  by  the  moribund 
Eastern  Empire.  It  was  but  a  brief  period  of 
glory,  for  soon,  by  help  of  new  frontier  assailants 
such  as  the  Magyars,  imperial  Constantinople — 
though  herself  very  unstable — contrived  to  again 
get  the  upper  hand. 

In  1081  Robert  Guiscard,  Norman  duke  of 
Calabria,  crossed  the  Adriatic  and  attacked  Durazzo. 
Then,  preparatory  to  future  conquest,  he  sent  his 
son  to  plant  detachments  of  Normans  in  various 
cities,  such  as  Uskub,  Ostrovo,  Vodena,  and  Verria ; 
but  on  the  death  of  their  leaders  these  detachments 
became  rapidly  absorbed  by  the  people  they  had 
momentarily  dominated.  After  them  came  those 
wandering  bands  of  men  and  women  adventurers, 
who,  calling  themselves  crusaders,  preceded  the  first 


BASILICA  OF  ST.   DEMETRIOS— ALL 
THAT  THE  FIRE  LEFT 

This  church,  parts  of  which  were  said  to  date  back 
to  the  fourth  century,  was  among  the  chief  of  the 
architectural  glories  of  Salonika  destroyed  by  the 
fire. 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  49 

organised  crusade,  everywhere  spreading  disorder 
and  discredit  for  their  cause.  Then  a  formidable 
land  and  sea  expedition,  started  by  William  11.  of 
Sicily,  ended  in  the  capture  and  pillage  of  Salonika 
by  Normans.  Next  Boniface  of  Monferrat  and 
his  Lombards  took  possession  of  the  city,  and  he 
had  himself  declared  King  of  Salonika. 

Change  upon  change  followed,  the  supreme 
suzerainty  of  the  Balkans  passing  and  repassing 
alternately  into  the  hands  of  the  despot  of  Epirus, 
the  Tzar  of  Bulgaria,  and  the  different  incumbents 
of  the  imperial  throne  at  Constantinople. 

At  the  expense  of  Bulgaria,  Serbia  had  mean- 
while been  growing  into  a  more  or  less  defined 
free  kingdom,  which  in  1285  extended  northwards 
as  far  as  the  Danube  and  southwards  to  Ochrida 
and  Prilep.  The  Serbian  monarch  of  that  time, 
by  name  Miloutin,  formed  powerful  alliances 
with  Epirus,  Naples,  and  Constantinople.  Stefan 
Douchan  in  1334,  following  up  these  advantages, 
had  himself  crowned  at  Uskub  "  Tzar  of  the  Serbs 
and  Greeks,"  shortly  afterwards  extending  his 
sway  from  the  Black  Sea  to  the  Adriatic,  from  the 
Danube  to  the  south  of  Thessaly  and  Epirus  and 
as  far  south-east  as  the  environs  of  Salonika. 
But  this  suzerainty,  too,  was  short-lived,  and  the 

7  . 


50  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

whole  kingdom  ultimately  became  a  prey  to  the 
Turks. 

Meanwhile,  Salonika  and  the  whole  of  Chaleidice 
had  been  much  harassed  by  the  famous  Catalan 
Company  of  adventurers  who,  having  been  dis- 
missed from  service  by  both  the  Sicilian  and 
Constantinople  Governments,  allied  themselves 
with  the  Turks  and  started  pillaging  various 
population  centres  throughout  Greece. 

It  was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore,  that  in 
1887,  after  a  siege  that  lasted  four  years,  the  city, 
much  depleted  in  population,  at  last  fell  a  prey 
to  the  Turks.  At  that  period,  although  the  new 
invaders  had  overwhelmed  the  whole  surrounding 
country,  reducing  the  Eastern  Empire  to  a  state 
of  vassaldom,  they  had  not  had  time  to  consolidate 
their  own  internal  organisation  sufficiently  to  en- 
sure the  maintenance  of  discipline  throughout  the 
lands  they  subjugated.  Allowed  full  autonomy 
of  government,  Salonika  thus  became  virtually  free 
immediately  after  its  conquest,  and  a  few  years 
later  sought  to  shake  off  altogether  the  Turkish 
yoke  by  calling  in  the  help  of  Venice.  Readily 
accepting  the  offer,  that  Republic  willingly  paid 
money  for  the  privilege  of  annexation.  A  small 
garrison  was  sent  to  occupy  the  city,  and  the  walls 


HISTORICAI.  AND  POLITICAL  51 

were  repaired.  These  efforts,  however,  proved 
inadequate  to  meet  the  danger  of  a  fresh  attack 
on  the  part  of  the  Turks,  for  in  1428,  on  the 
approach  of  a  large  army  led  by  Sultan  Murad  II., 
the  Venetians  only  made  a  show  of  resistance,  and 
then  fled  hastily  by  sea.  Recaptured  with  ease, 
the  whole  city  was  put  to  the  sword,  and  after  the 
greater  part  of  its  surviving  inhabitants  had  been 
sold  as  slaves,  it  was  re-stocked  by  Turks  from  the 
Vardar  valley. 

Thereafter,  in  place  of  the  old  Byzantine- 
Christian  edifices  and  culture,  Moslem  mosques 
(frequently  Christian  churches  transformed)  and 
Moslem  manners  pervaded  the  city.  There  set 
in  also  that  great  exodus  of  Jews  from  Spain, 
compelled  by  a  desire  to  escape  the  Inquisition, 
and  many  of  those  who  came  to  the  Levant 
obtained  special  sanction  from  the  Sultan  to  settle 
at  Salonika.  It  was  mainly  due  to  their  untiring 
activity  that  the  city  once  more  became  of  some 
commercial  importance.  A  series  of  communities, 
each  self-sufficing  and  wholly  immersed  in  its 
own  affairs,  grew  up  within  its  walls.  Orthodox 
Jews  and  Deunmehs  (Jews  converted  to  Islam), 
Turks,  Bulgars,  Greeks,  had  each  a  separate 
quarter  of  the  city  allotted  them,  an  arrangement 


52  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

that  in  a  general  sense  still  persists,  and  although 
Turkish  garb  was  adopted  and  Turkish  rule 
prevailed,  each  separate  community  lived  its  own 
life  and  spoke  the  language  of  its  forbears. 

After  Crete  had  been  wrested  from  the  Venetians 
by  the  Turks  and  Venice  had  ceased  to  count  as 
a  commercial  entity,  Salonika's  importance  again 
waned,  her  main  trade  having  been  through 
Venetian  agency.  It  was  not  until  the  con- 
struction of  the  railways,  begun  in  1870,  that  a 
renewed  impetus  was  given  to  commerce  by  the 
opening  up  once  more  of  adequate  trade  channels 
with  the  western  world. 

Meanwhile  in  1830,  Greece,  with  the  exception 
of  Macedonia,  by  sympathetic  help  of  the  greater 
nations,  had  after  nine  years'  struggle  won  freedom 
from  Turkish  rule ;  and  Greek  men  of  commerce, 
even  in  Macedonia,  had  slowly  and  surely  gained 
control  of  considerable  trade  interests,  until 
towards  the  end  of  the  last  century  they  had 
established  an  intricate  network  of  commercial 
ties  with  almost  all  the  countries  of  the  world. 

Then  came  a  series  of  propaganda  conflicts 
between  the  Bulgars  and  Greeks,  who,  by  help  of 
the  Orthodox  Greek  Church,  aimed  at  hellenising 
the  whole  of  Macedonia.     Bulgaria  retaliated  by 


TURKISH  FARM.  GORGOP 

Musulman  or  Greek  Orthodox  inhabitants  of  the 
country  districts  throughout  Macedonia  and  Albania 
are  usually  housed  in  picturesque,  barn-like  structures 
of  this  kind. 


>*r.  «■ 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  53 

obtaining  sanction  from  Turkey  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  separate  national  church  organisation, 
to  be  controlled  from  Constantinople  by  its  own 
supreme  exarch. 

In  and  after  1903  the  results  of  these  and 
other  skilfully  organised  propaganda  efforts  on  the 
part  of  Bulgaria  were  seen  throughout  Macedonia 
in  the  form  of  revolutionary  risings  and  bomb 
outrages,  engineered  4n  the  main  by  secret  agents 
and  committees.  On  several  occasions  these 
disturbances  became  so  acute  as  to  look  very  like 
developing  into  war  between  Bulgaria  and  Turkey, 
and  it  was  only  by  the  intervention  of  Austria  and 
Russia  that  war  was  averted.  Also  Greece,  deter- 
mined to  fight  Bulgaria  with  weapons  as  subtly 
forged  as  her  own,  established  secret  committee 
organisations  which  aimed  at  the  complete  over- 
throwal  of  her  rival's  unscrupulous  revolutionary 
tactics. 

Despite  repeated  promises  from  Constantinople, 
throughout  European  territory  still  controlled  by 
the  Sublime  Porte,  administration  showed  small 
signs  of  improving  and  lawlessness  and  brigandage 
became  more  and  more  prevalent.  As  concerted 
action  was  needed,  a  temporary  coalition  was 
effected    between   Greece,    Bulgaria,    Serbia,  and 


64  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Montenegro,  and  in  the  late  autumn  of  1912  this 
coalition,  known  as  the  **  Balkan  League,"  putting 
matters  to  the  test  of  arms,  won  a  series  of 
complete  victories  over  different  portions  of  the 
cumbersome,  though  theoretically  modernised, 
organisation  of  the  Ottoman  Army. 

In  the  course  of  this  "First  Balkan  War" 
the  Greeks  contrived  to  reach  Salonika  and  assume 
supreme  control  there  one  day  before  the  arrival, 
by  forced  marches,  of  the  Bulgarian  advance-guard, 
and  this  aroused  considerable  ill-feeling  among 
the  Bulgars.  A  series  of  similar  petty  frictions 
between  Bulgars  and  Serbs  resulted,  early  in  1918, 
in  the  splitting  up  of  the  League  immediately  it 
had  achieved  its  primary  object  of  an  overthrowal 
of  Ottoman  control  and  before  it  had  taken  any 
steps  towards  an  amicable  repartition  of  the 
conquered  territory. 

Severance  from  Bulgaria  appearing  unavoidable, 
Serbia,  on  June  1,  1913,  entered  into  a  new 
agreement  with  Greece,  whereby  she  was  to  be 
allowed  free  access  to  the  sea  through  a  neutral 
zone  of  territory,  each  party  being  pledged  to  aid 
the  other  in  resisting  Bulgaria,  should  that  nation 
employ  military  force  as  a  means  of  obtaining 
advantageous   terms   in   the  repartition.     Almost 


RUINED  TURKISH  STRONGHOLD  AT 
VERGETOR 

A  block-house,  which  stands  just  off  the  Vergetor- 
Cugenci  road,  and  is  a  prominent  landmark  for 
miles  around.  As  the  adjacent  village  of  Vergetor 
was  razed  to  the  ground  by  the  Bulgars  in  the 
course  of  their  retreat  before  the  Greeks  during  the 
summer  of  1913,  the  block-house  itself  was  probably 
reduced  to  this  state  of  ruin  in  the  same  way. 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  55 

immediately  afterwards  Bulgaria  attacked  both 
frontiers,  and  the  two  allies,  by  carrying  out  in 
conjunction  with  Rumania  that  succession  of 
well -planned  operations  which  constituted  the 
"  Second  Balkan  War,"  forced  on  her  the  terms  of 
the  Treaty  of  Bucharest.  Thus  Austria,  Bulgaria's 
secret  ally,  was  again  compelled  to  postpone  the 
realisation  of  her  long -cherished  idea  of  check- 
mating Serbia  and  thereby  winning  control  of  the 
Salonika  railway ;  and  Bulgaria's  own  hopes  of 
dominating  all  other  Balkan  states  were  once 
again  frustrated. 

The  situation  in  1914,  then,  as  regards  balance 
of  power  in  the  Balkans,  was  a  decidedly  precarious 
one.  Each  young  Balkan  nation  whose  fate  was 
involved  after  release  from  Ottoman  control, 
desired  before  all  things  self  -  development  and 
consolidation.  Not  one,  perhaps,  was  completely 
satisfied  with  the  existing  state  of  things,  as  set 
down  by  the  Treaty  of  Bucharest,  or  certain  as 
regards  the  length  of  time  it  would  be  possible  to 
persist  in  any  given  alliance  or  policy ;  all  being 
more  or  less  at  the  mercy  of  the  greater  European 
powers. 

Of  these  powers  Austria  and  Russia,  on  account 


56  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

of  geographical  proximity,  were  the  most  keenly 
interested  in  the  future  of  Balkan  affairs,  the 
former  still  hankering  after  an  unhindered  trade 
and  strategic  outlet  through  the  Aegean  and  the 
reduction  of  Serbia  to  a  state  of  subjection,  the 
latter  bound  by  racial  ties  to  support  Slav  interests. 
Russia,  moreover,  had  her  own  Pan-Slav  ambitions, 
and  Rumania,  dreading  encroachment  from  that 
quarter,  and  anxious  before  all  things  to  unite  in 
one  single  political  entity  the  scattered  sections 
of  her  people,  was  strongly  in  favour  of  inter- 
nationalising the  Bosphorus  and  Dardanelles  coast 
lines. 

When,  after  the  Serajevo  murders,  and  the  out- 
burst in  Vienna  and  other  places  of  skilfully  fanned 
popular  indignation,  Austria  issued  that  ultimatum 
to  Serbia  which,  despite  its  virtual  acceptance 
within  the  prescribed  time  limit  of  forty -eight 
hours,  was  followed  up  by  a  declaration  of  war, 
French,  Italian,  Russian,  and  English  diplomatists 
had  already  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  in 
vain  endeavours  to  bring  about  a  settlement  of  the 
points  at  variance  by  methods  of  peaceful  arbitra- 
tion. It  was  therefore  seen  by  all  that  the  Central 
Powers  had  chosen  war  as  the  only  possible  means 
of  realising  their   ideals  of  expansion,  the  most 


GERBASEL  CHURCH 

This  ruin,  another  result  of  the  Bulgars'  rage  during 
their  19 13  retreat,  stands  beside  a  few  charred 
stones  and  a  ruined  campanile,  which  are  all  that 
is  left  of  a  once  prosperous  and  peaceful  Greek 
village.  It  was  a  strange  contrast  between  old  and 
new  when,  at  about  a  mile  distant  on  each  side,  the 
R.A.F.  established  flights  of  aeroplanes  which  daily- 
crossed  it  in  all  directions. 


St"*** 


HISTORICAL  AND  POLITICAL  57 

probable  direction  of  their  advance  being  by  way 
of  the  nearer  East. 

It  thus  became  imperative  for  the  Allies,  as 
soon  as  possible  after  western  dangers  had  been 
met,  to  turn  their  attention  towards  the  creation 
of  some  form  of  check  on  hostile  initiative  in  the 
Balkans.  After  the  failure  of  two  attempts  by 
an  Anglo-French  fleet  to  free  the  Dardanelles,  the 
Gallipoli  landing  was  resolved  upon  and  carried 
out,  despite  all  efforts  made  to  stay  it  by  a 
well -prepared  opposing  Turkish  force.  In  the 
general  strategic  scheme  of  the  Allies  it  was 
never  regarded,  in  view  of  the  great  transport 
difficulties  involved,  as  much  more  than  a  diversion 
planned  to  gain  time  for  more  important  operations. 
England  at  any  rate  soon  realised  that  nothing 
short  of  a  decisive  victory  elsewhere  would  enable 
this  small  force  to  win  through  to  Constantinople. 

Austria,  meanwhile,  persevered  in  her  military 
attempt  to  crush  Serbia,  and  it  was  seen  that  the 
very  small  assistance  hitherto  given  that  supremely 
heroic  little  state  was  wholly  inadequate  to  achieve 
any  favourable  result.  At  the  eleventh  hour, 
therefore,  and  after  Bulgaria  had  fully  mobilised, 
the  Allies  resolved  to  land  a  small  combined 
French    and    British    force    at    Salonika ;    which 

8 


58  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

port,  although  neutral  territory,  offered  the  most 
convenient  base  for  operations  in  support  of  Serbia. 
Accordingly  (October  3,  1915)  the  first  in- 
stalments of  this  force  disembarked  there,  the 
debatable  point  as  to  occupying  neutral  territory 
being  got  over  by  a  formal  protest,  lodged  by 
Mr.  Venizelos.  That  statesman  had  already 
suggested  to  the  Allies  the  advisability  of  having 
a  force  in  readiness  to  assist  Serbia  in  the  event 
of  Bulgaria  breaking  neutrality  by  siding  with 
the  Central  Powers ;  which  would  make  Greece 
obliged,  by  the  terms  of  her  treaty  with  Serbia, 
to  participate  actively  in  the  general  conflict.  It 
was  the  worst  time  in  the  whole  year  to  start 
operations  in  that  part  of  the  world ;  for  in  a  very 
short  while  the  autumn  rains  that  were  already 
beginning  would  be  succeeded  by  the  intense  cold 
of  winter,  and  the  absence  of  metalled  roads  north- 
wards from  Salonika  would  render  any  organised 
advance  of  heavy  transport  through  the  virtual 
quagmires  into  which  rain  soon  transformed  the 
only  existing  thoroughfares  hazardous  in  the 
extreme. 


CHAPTER  IV 

OPERATIONS 

Too  small  and  too  late  for  relief  of  Serbia,  the  first  Allied  force 
creates  a  diversion,  advancing  and  then  retreating  (October  1915 
to  January  1916) — Expecting  the  Bulgars  to  attack,  the  Allies  con- 
solidate the  *'  Bird-cage  "  defence  line  ( — March  1916) — No  attack 
taking  place,  they  extend  their  front,  and  after  successful  minor  en- 
gagements on  their  right  and  centre  and  considerable  gains  on 
their  left,  consolidate  a  new  advanced  line  ( — February  1917) — They 
attack  along  the  centre  of  this  line  (April  and  August  1917) — They 
renew  the  attack  successfully  (August  1918) — Bulgaria  capitulates 
(September  30,  1918) — The  World  War  ends  where  it  began. 

The  force  thus  landed  at  Salonika  in  October 
1915  ultimately  consisted  of  about  34,000  French 
and  14,000  British  troops,  the  French  being  under 
command  of  General  Sarrail,  the  British  under 
General  Sir  Bryan  Mahon.  The  Greek  public  and 
their  local  government  officials  naturally  looked 
askance  at  the  intrusion  of  so  many  belligerents 
on  neutral  soil  and  did  much  to  thwart  our 
efforts  at  mobilising  on  a  war  footing  such 
resources    as   were   to   be  found    in   the  vicinity 

59 


60  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

of  the  city.  Accommodation  adequate  for  the 
establishment  of  a  base  headquarters  and  urgently 
needed  supplies  had  to  be  discovered  without 
regard  to  cost  and  at  the  shortest  notice.  Thus, 
from  the  outset,  the  Allies  were  compelled  to 
carry  on  operations  at  a  very  great  disadvantage. 
All  that  seemed  feasible  was  to  make  use  of  the 
only  existing  railway  northwards  and  push  their 
comparatively  small  force  rapidly  up  the  Vardar 
valley  towards  the  hardly  pressed,  retreating  Serbs, 
creating  in  their  favour  and  against  the  Bulgarian 
flank  as  formidable  a  diversion  as  possible. 

Accordingly,  the  57th,  122nd,  and  156th  French 
Divisions  were  sent  up  by  rail  and  speedily 
occupied  positions  between  Gradsko,  Krivolak,  and 
Strumnitza.  After  about  ten  davs'  unavoidable 
delay  their  supports  along  the  Vardar  valley,  as 
also  the  protecting  force  they  had  thrown  out 
on  their  right  flank  (Kosturino — Doiran),  were 
relieved  by  what  remained  of  our  10th  (Irish) 
Division,  still  depleted  and  physically  weakened  by 
its  very  exacting  service  at  Suvla  Bay. 

The  Bulgars  meanwhile  continued  to  press  the 
already  isolated  extreme  right-hand  portion  of  the 
Serbian  Army,  which,  although  it  fought  stubbornly, 
was    compelled    (November  16)    to   abandon    the 


OPERATIONS  61 

Babuna  Pass  and  fall  back  on  Prilep  and  Monastir. 
This  necessitated  a  corresponding  withdrawal  of 
the  French  through  the  Demir-Kapu  defile,  and, 
after  failing  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  Serbs, 
owing  to  fresh  German-Bulgar  concentration  and 
attack  over  the  whole  area,  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Franco-British  line  to  within  Greek  territory  be- 
came unavoidable.  This  withdrawal,  an  extremely 
difficult  and  perilous  undertaking  at  the  time  of 
the  year,  was  very  skilfully  carried  out,  despite 
constant  pressure  by  the  Bulgars.  The  French 
even  succeeded  in  taking  with  them  the  greater 
part  of  those  supplies  they  had  collected,  for 
political  reasons,  beyond  the  Macedonian  border. 

As  for  our  10th  Division,  no  alternative  was 
open  to  it  but  to  hold  out  on  the  freezing, 
shelterless  mountains  as  long  as  the  French 
retirement  required  protection,  and  then  fall  back 
within  the  Greek  frontier.  The  steadfast  Irish- 
men who  composed  it  were  subjected  throughout 
this  very  anxious  period  to  both  frontal  and  flank 
attacks  by  comparatively  fresh  hostile  forces, 
which  outnumbered  them  by  at  least  four  to  one 
and  were  supported  by  far  superior  mountain 
artillery.  Finally,  at  the  cost  of  heavy  losses  from 
fatal  wounds,   frostbite,   and   other   sickness,  and 


est  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

with  but  small  abandonment  of  guns  and  materiel, 
they  made  good  their  retreat. 

To  render  this  retreat  at  least  temporarily 
secure  against  rear  concentration  and  attack  by 
the  then  very  suspect  Greek  Army,  a  naval  blockade 
of  Greek  ports  had  meanwhile  been  carried  out 
by  the  Allies.  As  numerous  French  and  some 
British  reinforcements  were  still  disembarking  at 
Salonika  and  the  landing  of  an  Italian  Expedi- 
tionary Force  of  30,000  at  Valona  in  December 
constituted  a  further  Balkan  menace  to  the 
Central  Powers,  probably  also  owing  to  a  secret 
undertaking  with  Greece,  the  Bulgarian  armies, 
despite  their  superior  artillery  and  strong  stiffening 
of  Germans,  forbore  to  cross  the  Greek  frontier. 
The  Allies  thus  had  ample  time  to  consolidate  the 
positions  nearer  Salonika  they  at  length  decided 
to  hold. 

These  positions  constituted  the  so-called 
"Bird-cage"  defence  line,  which  stretched  for 
about  60  miles  across  country,  its  nearest  point 
due  northwards  from  Salonika  being  about  eight 
miles  from  that  city.  Starting  in  the  western 
marsh-lands  of  the  Vardar  delta,  it  crossed  the 
River  Galico,  then  ran  along  the  northern  slopes 
of  the  Derbend  ridge  to  the  western  shore  of  the 


RUPEL  PASS  AND  STRUMA  VALLEY 
VILLAGES,   FROM  GUMUSDERE 


OPERATIONS  168 

Gulf  of  Orfano.  Protected  on  the  left  by  a 
fifteen -mile  depth  of  impassable  morass  and  on 
the  right  by  specially  constructed  redoubts  and 
the  monitors  of  our  Mediterranean  Fleet  operating 
in  the  Gulf  of  Orfano,  the  greater  part  of  this 
line  was  soon  reinforced  by  elaborate  systems  of 
concealed  trenches,  concrete  gun  emplacements, 
and  wire  entanglements.  It  had  also  to  be 
rendered  easy  of  access  from  Salonika  by  the 
construction  of  solidly  built  roads  and  decauville 
tracks.  General  Sarrail,  who  from  January  1916 
was  placed  in  supreme  command  of  all  the  Allied 
contingents  on  that  front,  gave  the  utmost  care 
and  thought  to  the  carrying  out  of  these  very 
necessary  operations ;  so  that  by  the  beginning 
of  April  1916  he  and  other  experts  pronounced  the 
whole  line  to  be  capable  of  prolonged  resistance 
to  the  still  anxiously  awaited  enemy  advance. 

Training  of  all  arms  had  gone  on  apace,  and 
when  in  May  Lieut. -General  Sir  G.  F.  Milne 
took  over  command  of  the  British  Salonika  Army, 
he  had  at  his  disposal  five  very  well-conditioned 
divisions,  while  the  total  Franco  -  British  forces 
numbered  over  300,000  effectives,  a  figure  that 
was  still  further  augmented  by  the  addition  in  the 
course   of   the   next    few   months    of  the   newly 


64  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

reconstituted  Serbian  Army,  already  nearly  80,000 
strong.  These  reinforcements,  Rumania's  demand 
of  an  offensive  from  the  south,  the  enemy's  delay 
in  attack,  and  the  unexpected  handing  over  by  a 
Greek  garrison  to  Bulgarian  troops  of  the  strategic 
point  of  Fort  Rupel  (May  26)  rendered  the 
occupation  of  a  more  advanced  line  desirable. 

It  had  been  found  necessary  to  take  very 
definite  action  with  regard  to  Greek  armed 
neutrality  and  veiled  hostility  towards  what  the 
majority  of  them  were  still  disposed  to  consider 
our  unwarranted  intrusion  in  Macedonia.  The 
most  significant  stages  of  our  policy  in  this 
direction  were  marked  by  : 

(1)  Blockade  of  Greek  ports,  begun  in  De- 
cember 1915,  which  warded  off  the  danger  of  any 
large  concentration  of  the  Greek  Army  in  our 
immediate  rear. 

(2)  Agreement  with  the  Salonika  (3rd)  Greek 
Army  Corps  Commander,  whereby  our  infantry 
and  cavalry  patrols  were  allowed  free  circulation 
throughout  Macedonian  territory. 

(3)  Expulsion  from  Salonika  of  all  enemy 
consuls  immediately  after  the  first  hostile  air  raid 
over  the  city. 

(4)  Seizure  and  occupation  of  the  Greek  shore 


OPERATIONS  65 

batteries  at  Karaburun  (Grand  Karabou),  January 
28,  1916. 

(5)  Seizure  of  communications  (rail  and  tele- 
graph) and  proclamation  of  martial  law  in  the 
Salonika  district  (June  1916). 

(6)  Forcing  of  Kjng  Constantine  to  agree  to  a 
strictly  neutral  attitude  and  demobilisation  of  the 
Greek  Army  (June  21). 

As  regards  actual  fighting,  nothing  but  desultory 
engagements  between  infantry  and  cavalry  patrols 
occurred  during  the  first  four  months  of  1916. 
There  was  also  the  hostile  air  bombing  attack, 
already  mentioned,  and  two  Zeppelin  reconnais- 
sances, the  last  of  which  (May  6)  resulted  in  the 
bringing  down  of  the  intruder  by  gun-fire  from 
H.M.S.  Agamemnon,  then  in  Salonika  harbour. 

The  handing  over  of  Rupel,  altering  as  it  did 
the  whole  strategic  situation,  was  followed  up  at 
once  by  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  Allies  to  fore- 
stall in  some  measure  the  expected  offensive.  But, 
although  quite  early  in  the  year  we  established 
advanced  cavalry  patrols  with  headquarters  at 
Kukus  and,  in  June,  occupied  the  right  bank  of 
the  Struma,  while  the  French,  assisted  by  our 
22nd  Division,  advanced  to  positions  in  the  Doiran- 
Vardar  sector,  the  Bulgars,  owing  to  connivance  of 


66  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  Greek  frontier  guards,  succeeded  in  overrunning 
Macedonia  from  the  north-east  as  far  south  as 
Drama,  Seres,  and  Kavalla,  and  Epirus  from  the 
north-west  as  far  as  Koritza. 

As  the  AlHes  were  pledged  to  attack  eight 
days  before  Rumania  declared  war,  an  offensive 
demonstration,  rendered  less  hazardous  by  the 
arrival  of  two  Russian  brigades  (July  30)  and  the 
very  strong  Italian  35th  Division  (August  10), 
was  organised  by  General  Sarrail.  It  began 
(August  10)  by  a  heavy  bombardment  of 
Doiran,  and  the  capture  of  Tortue  by  the  French 
and  Horse-shoe  Hill  by  the  British  (August  18). 
At  the  same  time  British  forces,  already  in  line 
along  the  Struma,  crossed  it  at  several  places,  the 
Italians  meanwhile  taking  over  a  large  portion  of 
the  Krusha  Balkan  sector. 

The  enemy,  however,  by  an  adroit  surprise 
attack  directed  against  the  Serbs,  who  had  been 
allotted  that  large  sector  of  the  Allies'  line  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Vardar,  succeeded  in  seizing  the 
initiative  so  definitely  that  it  became  necessary  to 
transfer  there,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  as  many 
French  troops  as  could  be  spared.  This  attack, 
developing  over  the  Lake  Prespa-Kaimactchalan 
sector,  outnumbered  and  drove  back  (August  18) 


OPERATIONS  67 

the  few  Serbian  outposts  north  of  Fiorina,  took 
Fiorina  and  Banitza  (August  19),  and  forced  the 
Serbs  to  fall  back  to  the  highlands  north  of  Lake 
Ostrovo  (August  20),  where,  thanks  to  French  and 
Russian  reinforcements  which  began  to  arrive,  they 
contrived  to  make  a  stand.  Owing  to  this  transfer 
of  troops,  the  attack  we  were  pledged  to  make  could 
not  be  continued.  The  British  became  by  degrees 
solely  responsible  for  the  whole  front  from  the 
Vardar  to  the  mouth  of  the  Struma,  the  Italians 
being  the  last  to  hand  over  to  us  their  sector  in  the 
Krusha  Balkan  (November  29,  1916). 

The  task  of  consolidating  defences,  and  of  keep- 
ing up  active  offensive  demonstrations  against  the 
Turks,  Bulgars,  and  Germans  who  had  taken  up 
strong  positions  facing  this  line,  was  by  no  means 
light.  Vigorous  attacks  across  the  Struma  were 
again  and  again  effected  at  several  places  on  either 
side  of  Lake  Tahinos,  and  the  line  finally  held  by  us 
in  the  Struma  valley  ran  through  Ormanli-Elisan- 
Homondos-Ago  Mah,  with  advanced  cavalry  posts 
as  far  as  Kalendra-Kispeki.  In  the  Doiran- Vardar 
sector  we  held  up  at  least  30,000  Bulgars  and  Ger- 
mans by  bombardment  and  successful  attack  of  the 
Macucovo  salient ;  and  by  a  series  of  well-planned 
minor  operations  and  raids,  admirably  carried  out 


68  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

despite  a  heavy  dysentery  and  malaria  sick-list,  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  the  enemy  in  constant  suspense. 

After  their  stand  north-west  of  Ostrovo,  the 
Serbian  First  Army,  with  the  French  and  Russians, 
found  themselves  once  more  able  to  advance  via 
Gornicevo,  and  across  the  Mala  Reka,  towards 
Fiorina,  which  they  entered  (September  18).  The 
Serbian  Second  Army  meanwhile,  having  with 
supreme  heroism  won  its  way  from  hill  to  hill,  on 
the  same  day  successfully  stormed  the  great  Kai- 
mactchalan  peak,  culminating  height  (8284  feet) 
of  the  Moglena  Mountains,  and  the  main  strategic 
point  of  the  whole  sector.  As  repeated  endeavours 
to  retake  this  position  only  cost  the  Bulgars  very 
severe  losses,  they  at  length  retired  across  the 
Serbian  frontier  to  the  line  they  had  prepared  at 
Kenali.  They  were  not  long  safe  there,  for  the 
Serbs  continued  to  press  them  via  Petalano  and 
the  Tcherna  bend,  while  the  French  and  Russians, 
assisted  by  part  of  the  Serbian  First  Army,  ad- 
vanced north  through  Vrbeni  (October  2),  north- 
west through  Buv  to  Kisovo,  and  through  Pisoderi 
to  Popli  and  Jermano,  at  the  north-east  extremity 
of  Lake  Mala  Prespa  (October  3). 

With  superb  dash  and  courage  the  Serbs  pushed 
right  and  left  along  the  Tcherna,  and,  crossing  it 


HOSTILE  AIR  RAID  ON  THE  BRITISH 
I2TH  CORPS  HEADQUARTERS 

This,  the  most  formidable  hostile  air  raid  that 
visited  the  12th  Corps  front,  is  here  very  vividly 
portrayed  by  the  artist,  who  saw  it  from  the  most 
convenient  vantage-point,  about  two  miles  away. 
The  bursts  on  the  ground  are  all  bomb  bursts  ;  the 
brown,  white  and  black  dots  in  the  air  being  our 
own  anti-aircraft  shell-bursts. 


Mi 


OPERATIONS  69 

in  two  places,  entered  Brod  (October  8),  en- 
deavouring to  turn  the  Bulgar's  line.  Ten  days' 
stubborn  fighting  enabled  them  to  win  this  much- 
disputed  Tcherna  bend  corner  of  Serbia ;  then, 
while  th:.r  left  wing  pushed  on  in  the  direction  of 
Tepavci,  on  their  right  they  stormed  the  southern 
promontory  of  the  Selechka  Mountains,  and 
captured,  round  about  Polog  and  Iven,  a  large 
quantity  of  stores  and  many  guns,  together  with 
several  hundred  prisoners ;  they  also  took  Chegal, 
Negochani,  and  Jarashok.  Porodin  and  Velushina 
being  won  by  the  French,  the  enemy  was  obliged 
to  withdraw  behind  the  Bistrica  stream  (November 
14),  and  though  offering  desperate  resistance,  was 
I       finally  driven  to  evacuate  Monastir  (November  19). 

General  Sarrail  was  wont  to  say  that  if  only 
reserves  had  been  available,  the  long  period  of 
deadlock  on  our  Balkan  front  which  followed  these 
1916  operations  need  never  have  been  endured. 
The  intense  fighting  of  the  preceding  weeks,  and 
the  continual  bad  weather  in  which  it  had  been 
carried  on,  had  so  exhausted  all  arms  that  it  was 
impossible  to  push  the  attack  farther  north,  and 
the  enemy  succeeded  in  digging  into  positions 
sufficiently  near  Monastir  to  keep  it  under  constant 


70  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

shell-fire.  Thus,  although  it  had  great  political 
significance,  the  capture  of  Monastir  had  scarcely 
any  strategic  value.  British  troops  in  the  Struma 
valley  had  meanwhile  gained  a  local  success,  which 
culminated  in  the  capture  of  Jenikoj  (Oct.  1916). 

Both  sides  spent  the  winter  months  in  consoli- 
dating their  new  lines,  and  when,  in  March  1917, 
hostilities  again  started,  they  tended  to  take  the 
form  of  sanguinary  though  very  indecisive  engage- 
ments, which  did  little  more  than  test  the  endurance 
and  defensive  strength  of  different  portions  of  the 
enemy's  entrenched  lines.  It  is  worth  while  bearing 
in  mind  that  as  the  initiative  of  these  engagements 
was,  except  as  regards  air  raids,  almost  always  on 
our  side,  their  total  strategic  effect  tended  un- 
doubtedly towards  the  advantage  of  the  Allies, 
enabling  us,  at  the  end  of  a  two  years'  seeming 
hiatus  in  progressive  operations,  to  achieve  a 
definite  and  final  success. 

During  the  winter  months  of  1916-1917  the 
Allies  worked  hard  at  offensive  and  defensive 
preparation.  To  give  one  example  of  the  amount 
of  engineering  work  that  still  remained  to  be  done  : 
a  journey  by  road  from  Salonika  to  the  head- 
quarters of  our  12th  Corps  at  Janesh  was,  early 
in  January  1917,  so   uncertain  of  duration  that. 


OPERATIONS  71 

although  the  rectilineal  map  distance  was  no  more 
than  28  miles,  it  was  necessary  to  start  at  8.30  in 
the  morning  to  arrive  by  3.30  in  the  afternoon, 
even  if  the  conveyance  were  an  R.F.C.  Crossley 
touring  car ;  for  that  car  would  probably  have  to 
be  pulled,  no  less  than  three  times  over,  by  a 
chance  team  of  mules,  out  of  the  thigh-deep  mire 
that,  in  places,  was  still  the  only  thoroughfare.  A 
month  later,  when  the  new  12th  Corps  (Amberkoi- 
Kukus)  road  was  finished,  it  was  quite  possible, 
without  too  obviously  exceeding  the  speed  limit, 
to  cover  the  whole  distance  of  36  miles  by  this 
road  in  2^  hours. 

Greece,  unfortunately,  continued  to  give  us 
cause  for  grave  anxiety,  although  the  Bulgarian 
incursions  over  the  frontier  aroused  intense  popular 
resentment  in  Macedonia.  This  feeling  found 
expression  in  the  ''Revolution"  (August  30,  1916), 
whereby  the  partisans  of  Mr.  Venizelos  at  Salonika 
definitely  threw  off  allegiance  to  King  Constantine 
and  joined  actively  in  the  war  on  our  side.  It 
was,  nevertheless,  deemed  advisable  to  occupy  a 
five  -  mile  "  neutral  zone "  across  the  north  of 
Thessaly,  separating  royalist  from  Venizelist  spheres 
of  influence. 

The  first  hostilities  of  the  spring  of  1917,  with 


72  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  exception  of  a  large  enemy  air  raid,  took  the 
form  of  an  attack  by  the  French  and  Russians  over 
the  sector  between  Lakes  Prespa  and  Ochrida,  and 
also  by  the  French  and  Serbs  north  of  Monastir. 
Owing  to  bad  weather  little,  beyond  the  capture 
of  prisoners,  was  achieved  ;  though  the  attempt  no 
doubt  helped,  as  a  prelude,  our  ambitious  British 
offensive  in  the  Doiran-Vardar  sector. 

Begun,  after  two  days'  artillery  preparation,  on 
the  night  of  April  24,  this  last  attack  aimed,  in  the 
first  instance,  at  winning  P.  4f^,  a  point  more  than 
half  way  up  the  '*  Pip  "  Ridge,  that  great  natural 
fortress  of  hills  which  faced  and  dominated  the 
whole  of  our  British  positions.  By  sheer  grit  and 
perseverance  our  men  reached  and  maintained 
possession  of  this  objective,  but  the  two  Infantry 
brigades  who  carried  out  the  attack  on  the  right 
found  almost  unsurmountable  difficulties  in  their 
way.  In  front  of  them  lay  the  boulder-strewn 
slopes  of  Jumeaux  Ravine,  into  which,  half  an 
hour  before  we  were  timed  to  start,  the  enemy 
began  to  pour  a  very  formidable  barrage.  Although 
we  had  two  balloons  on  duty  their  observers  could 
not  see  into  the  deep  ravines  where  the  enemy 
batteries  lay  concealed.  It  was  not  possible, 
therefore,  to  locate  the  exact  positions  of  their 


OPERATIONS  73 

flashes,  or  for  our  gunners  to  reply  with  sufficient 
accuracy  to  put  an  end  to  the  barrage.  On  the 
other  hand  the  Bulgarian  gunners  were  assisted  by 
two  very  strong  searchlights ;  in  the  full  glare  of 
which  our  men  had  not  only  to  leave  their  own 
trenches  but  also,  braving  the  barrage,  to  run 
right  to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  wade  through 
a  stream,  and  charge  up  the  steep  slope  on  the 
opposite  side.  They  succeeded  in  many  places 
in  getting  a  foothold  in  the  enemy's  trenches 
that  ran  along  the  top  of  this  slope,  but 
were  unable  to  stay  there,  as  the  deadly  barrage, 
while  it  kept  their  own  supports  from  arriving, 
also  followed  them  into  the  trenches  they  had 
captured.  Next  morning  as  many  as  were  left 
alive  and  able  to  move  back  regained  their  own 
lines. 

On  May  5  the  Greeks,  who  now  occupied 
the  sector  on  our  immediate  left,  just  across  the 
Vardar,  won  their  first  slight  success,  and  on 
the  following  day  we  recommenced  our  artillery 
preparation  in  front  of  Doiran  and  the  "Pip" 
Ridge,  where  the  enemy  had  meanwhile  been  con- 
siderably reinforced  by  both  artillery  and  infantry. 
The  attack  it  preluded  was  again  directed  across 
Jumeaux  Ravine,  and  again  had  no  lasting  result, 

10 


74  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

although  individual  infantry  units  achieved  some 
very  remarkable  temporary  gains. 

During  this  period  the  French,  Italians,  Serbs, 
and  Greeks  were  almost  equally  baffled  in  their 
endeavours  to  advance  by  the  natural  and  strongly 
fortified  resources  of  the  ground  occupied  by  the 
Bulgars.  German  experts,  by  construction  of 
very  deep  reinforced  emplacements  and  concrete 
dugouts  or  trenches  cut  from  the  solid  rock,  had 
developed  to  their  utmost  all  these  natural  ad- 
vantages. In  the  concrete  emplacements  machine- 
guns  w^ere  planted  ready  at  a  moment's  notice 
to  sweep  their  deadly  hail  of  bullets  along  the 
deep  and  heavily  wired  ravines  through  which 
all  our  attacking  parties  had  to  make  their 
way. 

In  order  to  minimise  malarial  casualties  on 
the  Struma  during  the  summer  of  1917,  a  general 
withdrawal  of  our  British  line  to  the  foot-hills 
was  carried  out  under  cover  of  a  small  offensive 
demonstration.  The  Bulgars  did  likewise,  and 
nothing  but  chance  encounters  between  patrols  in 
a  very  vaguely  defined  No  Man's  Land  varying 
between  twelve  and  twenty  miles  in  width, 
occurred  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
Struma  valley  ;  while,  along  the  remaining  sectors 


OPERATIONS  75 

of  the  Balkan  front,  activity  was  confined  to  a  few 
raids  of  merely  local  importance. 

In  the  autumn  a  third  attempt  to  take  a 
portion  of  the  "Pip"  Ridge  was  again  made  by 
the  British  12th  Corps,  an  attempt  that  proved 
even  less  successful  still  and  cost  us  heavy  casual- 
ties. These  dominant  heights  became  at  length 
recognised  as  an  almost  impregnable  natural 
fortress,  strengthened  as  they  were  by  the  latest 
German  improvements  in  defensive  warfare. 

Similar  local  engagements  along  the  sectors 
occupied  by  our  Allies  met  with  very  little  success, 
and,  by  the  end  of  1917,  it  was  universally  felt  at 
Salonika  that  with  the  comparatively  small  force 
available  nothing  in  the  way  of  a  definite,  crushing 
blow  could  be  dealt,  unless  some  great  western 
victory  brought  about  the  sudden  withdrawal  from 
the  Balkans  of  the  stiffening  of  German  troops 
Russia's  collapse  had  provided,  or  the  Bulgars 
themselves  ultimately  grew  weary  of  the  war. 

Events  of  1918  bore  out  in  the  main  the  truth 
of  this  opinion.  Many  German  troops  were  with- 
drawn, and  the  Bulgars  did,  it  is  thought,  to  some 
extent,  begin  to  lose  heart.  It  remained  for  the 
Allies  to  take  advantage  of  the  most  favourable 
point  and  moment  for  attack. 


76  ,  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1918, 
considerable  redistribution  of  the  various  Allied 
contingents  took  place,  and  to  compensate  for 
transfer  of  over  one  quarter  of  our  British  Salonika 
Army  to  other  fronts,  General  Guillaumat,  who, 
in  March,  succeeded  General  Sarrail  in  command 
of  the  Allied  Armies,  placed  the  1st  Hellenic 
Corps  of  the  Greek  Army  under  General  Milne. 
General  Franchet  D'Esperey,  who  succeeded  Gen- 
eral Guillaumat  early  in  June,  outlined  a  scheme 
for  an  offensive  in  September,  to  coincide  with  the 
big  offensive  in  France.  Our  British  12th  Corps, 
which  still  occupied  the  Doiran-Vardar  sector,  was 
reinforced  by  many  more  Greek  troops,  and  the 
length  of  front  for  which  General  Milne  was  re- 
sponsible was  extended  from  90  to  135  miles, 
including  as  it  did  the  hitherto  wholly  Greek  sector 
on  the  right  of  the  Vardar. 

In  this  sector,  after  heavy  artillery  preparation, 
a  preliminary  success  was  gained  by  British  troops 
(September  1),  the  object  being  to  divert  the 
enemy's  attention  from  the  Allies'  main  objective. 
A  terrific  bombardment  began  along  the  whole 
front  from  Monastir  to  Doiran  (September  14), 
and  24  hours  afterwards  Franco -Serbian  troops, 
under   Voivode   Misitch,   took   the   enemy's    first 


VARDAR-D( 

On  the  west  edge  of  the  lake  is  Doiran  town.      Before  the  last  push  our   B 

south  of  Doiran  to  a  point  situated  about  the  left-hand  corner  of  this  pictur 

in  the  centre  (the    'Pip"  Ridge)  and  those  beyond,  but  had  also  swep 


JUNCTION  OF   BUTKO 

The  Italian  Krusha- Balkan  sector,  which  the   British  ultimately  tc 

along  the  foothills  of  the  Bele 


.«ite 


;^£ 


hN  FRONT. 

li  lines  stretched  along  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake  and  across  the  gullies 
After  the  push  we  had  not  only  gained  possession  of  the  dominating  heights 
jr  of  enemy  the  mountains  to  the  extreme  north  and  east  of  the  lake. 


AND  STRUMA  VALLEYS. 

ver,  began  to  the  left  of  this  picture, 
nge,  seen  in  the  background. 


It  was  faced  by  the  Bulgars 


OPERATIONS  77 

and  second  lines,  storming  the  heights  between 
Sokol  and  Vetrenik.  General  Milne  thereupon 
issued  orders  for  the  British,  French,  and  Greek 
troops,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-General  Sir 
H.  F.  M.  Wilson,  to  attack  the  "  Pip  "  Ridge,  and 
for  the  British  and  Greek  troops  under  Lieutenant- 
General  Sir  C.  J.  Briggs  to  carry  out  concomitantly 
a  surprise  attack  round  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Doiran.  Both  started  before  dawn  (September 
18),  but,  though  many  prisoners  were  taken, 
owing  to  the  great  difficulties  that  had  to  be 
encountered,  neither  attacking  force  gained  more 
than  a  temporary  foothold  in  the  enemy's  positions. 
Next  morning  at  5  a.m.,  despite  the  previous 
day's  heavy  casualties,  the  attack  on  the  "Pip" 
Ridge  and  Grand  Couronne  was  renewed,  it  being 
necessary  to  compel  the  enemy  to  keep  large 
reserves  in  that  sector,  instead  of  utilising  them 
to  stem  the  tide  of  the  Allies'  advance  elsewhere. 
The  result  was  we  were  able  to  gain  and  hold  Petit 
Couronne,  Teton  Hill,  and  Doiran  town. 

The  victorious  Serbs  and  French  meanwhile 
pressed  on  from  point  to  point  with  incredible 
rapidity,  till  (September  21)  they  had  cut  the 
enemy's  communications  between  Gradsco  and 
Prilep,  and  down  the  Vardar  valley.     The  Bulgars 


78  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

began  a  general  retreat  through  the  Kosturino 
Pass,  and  their  rear-guard  was  hotly  pressed  by 
the  Greek  and  British  advance.  Moving  forward 
by  night  (September  26),  French,  Greek,  and 
British  troops  stormed  the  Beles,  that  rocky  and 
precipitous  mountain  range  north-east  of  Lake 
Doiran,  which  is  4000  feet  high  and  which  we 
had  long  regarded  as  impregnable. 

Previously,  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  an  open 
car  was  seen  approaching  our  lines,  the  occupants 
holding  aloft  a  white  flag,  and  the  result  of  the 
conference  that  ensued  between  them  and  the 
Allies'  representatives  was  the  signature,  three  days 
later,  of  the  Military  Convention  that  embodied 
Bulgaria's  capitulation.  When  at  noon  (September 
30)  hostilities  finally  ceased,  the  British  16th 
Corps,  the  Greek  Cretan  Division,  and  the  228th 
Infantry  Brigade  had  cleared  the  Strumnitza  plain 
of  the  enemy,  and  the  12th  Corps  had  swept  right 
along  the  crest  of  the  Beles  range  to  a  point 
opposite  Rupel,  while  the  French  and  Serbs  had 
disappeared  northwards  beyond  Veles  and  Istib. 
It  was  felt  universally  at  Salonika  that  the  war 
was  over. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   FRENCH    AND    RUSSIAN    EFFORT 

French  and  Greek  alternate  languages  of  commerce  in  the  Southern 
Balkans — French  the  normal  medium  of  culture — French  direct- 
ness of  thought  and  action  a  co-ordinating  diplomatic  influence — 
Sarrail's  saving  celerity — Territorials^  Cavalry,  Artillery — ^^  Service 
Routier  " — "  Service  des  Eaux  " — "  Intendance  " — "  Bazar  de  Lyon  " 
— '* Mission  Antipaludique" — Franco-Greek  and  Franco-Serbian 
Schools — "  Bibliotheque  Macedonienne  " — '  ^  Service  Archeologique  " 
— Industrial  and  Agricultural  experiments — Geological  and  Carto- 
graphical Survey — "  (Euvre  civilisatrice  " — The  "  Albanian  Re- 
public " — Impressions  of  French  oflficers — The  Russian  Contingent 
— Its  arrival  and  ultimate  fate — Impressions  of  Russian  officers. 

This  victory,  so  long  hoped  for,  so  long  almost 
despaired  of,  was  only  rendered  possible  at  length 
by  loyal  and  whole-hearted  co-operation  between 
the  various  Allied  contingents,  each  of  which  con- 
tributed its  individual  quota  to  the  total  effort  we 
were  able  to  make  on  that  front.  It  is  proposed, 
therefore,  in  the  course  of  the  few  remaining 
chapters  of  this  book,  to  indicate  briefly  some  of 
the  most  salient  features  of  the  social  and  military 
contribution  made  towards  this  effort  by  each  of 

79 


80  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  six  Allied  peoples ;  only  one  of  whom,  owing 
to  revolutionary  upheaval,  ceased  to  count  as  a 
definite  military  entity  before  the  final  phases  of 
the  campaign. 

First  in  importance,  as  the  locally  predominant 
power  throughout,  the  one  possible  unifying 
element  of  the  whole  adventure,  France  stands 
forth.  French  troops  from  the  very  outset  were 
by  far  the  most  numerous,  and  theirs  was  the 
largest  share  in  the  operations.  As  their  tongue 
was  spoken  with  more  or  less  facility  by  each  of 
the  Allies  it  naturally  tended  to  become  a  bond  of 
union  between  all. 

Prior  to  the  war  French  and  Greek  had  been 
generally  recognised  as  alternate  languages  of 
commerce  in  the  Southern  Balkans,  and  to  a 
practical  knowledge  of  these  the  indigenous  trader 
had  to  add,  besides  his  own  particular  dialect,  some 
acquaintance  with  "Ladino"  or  Levantine  Spanish, 
as  spoken  by  the  numerous  Salonikan  descendants 
of  the  Jews  who  left  Spain  to  escape  being 
persecuted  under  the  Inquisition. 

Since  Greece  became  a  free  state  many  wealthy 
Greeks  had  sent  their  children  to  be  educated  in 
France.  Although  not  a  few  of  them  being 
naturally    gifted    as    regards    languages    acquired 


BELES  RANGE  FROM  SAL  GREC  DE 
POPOVO 

This  seemingly  impregnable  natural  barrier  was 
nevertheless  at  last  successfully  stormed  by  Greek 
and  British  troops. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        81 

German  with  almost  equal  fluency,  French,  on 
account  perhaps  of  certain  analogies  of  mentality 
and  temperament  between  the  southern  French- 
man and  the  Greek,  had  become  universally  re- 
cognised as  the  most  useful  extraneous  linguistic 
medium  of  culture. 

French  directness  of  thought,  therefore,  assisted 
us  in  our  military  and  diplomatic  relations  with 
Greece,  co-ordinating  the  individual  views  and 
efforts  of  all  the  Allies.  Thus  and  thus  only 
was  General  Sarrail,  with  characteristically  French 
celerity,  enabled  to  meet  subterfuge  with  subter- 
fuge, political  expediency  with  expediency,  fulfilling 
with  success  the  twofold  function  of  a  General- 
in-Chief  at  Salonika  and  a  local  mouthpiece  of  the 
Supreme  War  Council. 

From  the  very  outset  the  inhabitants  of 
Salonika  understood  instinctively  that  they  had  to 
deal  with  the  whole  force  and  weight  of  Gallic 
political  genius,  that  the  intellectual  weapons  of 
the  Allies  would  be  at  least  as  subtly  forged  as 
their  own.  Their  estimate  of  the  English  was  a 
confused  and  distorted  one,  based  mainly  upon 
past  experiences  in  dealing  with  our  comparatively 
few    Levantine    trading    organisations   and    upon 

a    vague    feeling    of    gratitude    towards    certain 

11 


82  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

individual  Englishmen  such  as  Gladstone  and 
Byron.  They  were  therefore  fully  prepared,  when 
the  Franco-British  contingents  arrived,  to  have  to 
face  that  subtle  French  diplomacy  which  conceals 
itself  admirably  beneath  a  mask  of  social  geniality  ; 
but  alike  on  the  French  and  on  the  all  too  credulous 
representatives  of  Great  Britain  as  a  military 
power,  they  looked  with  a  curiosity  which  was  not 
wholly  untinged  by  hope  of  commercial  gain. 
Perhaps  the  majority  of  them  were  not  a  little 
surprised  at  the  very  abrupt  and  business-like 
treatment  they  at  once  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  French.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
occasional  outbursts  of  individual  resentment 
occurred,  and  that  statements  derogatory  to  the 
French  appeared  in  certain  anti-Venizelist  Athens 
newspapers. 

The  first  French  troops  to  land  at  Salonika 
consisted  mainly  of  Infantry,  with  some  units  of 
Field  Artillery  and  a  few  machine-guns.  Soon 
after  came  some  Heavy  Artillery,  Cavalry,  and 
"Territorial"  contingents.  The  Cavalry  proved 
indispensable  in  scouring  the  country  at  the 
various  moments  of  the  Allies'  advance,  and  when 
the   vast    tracks   of  temporary   No   Man's   Land 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        83 

between  our  positions  and  the  Macedonian  border 
had  to  be  patrolled.     The  Territorials  were  at  once 
made  use  of  along  the  Lines  of  Communication, 
and  the  Artillery,  throughout  the  whole  campaign, 
by  skilful  counter  battery  work  and  co-operation 
with  other  arms,  seem  to  have  kept  the  enemy  in 
a  state  of  constant  apprehension.     Later  on,  too, 
several   contingents  of  white  and   black   colonial 
troops  from  North  and  West  Africa  arrived  and 
were   found    to   be   invaluable   in    the   course   of 
subsequent  offensive  operations,  being  well  able  to 
stand  the  hottest  weather.    Certain  of  their  officers 
rendered    great    assistance   in    dealing    with    the 
Turkish-speaking  Musulman  population  of  Mace- 
donia.    The  excellent  work   of  the  French   Air 
Service  will  be  referred  to  in  a  later  chapter  of 
this  book. 

The  most  indispensable  work  of  all  achieved  by 
the  French  was  that  carried  out  under  supervision 
of  their  corps  of  Engineers.  Throughout  the  whole 
period  of  the  occupation,  by  means  of  an  organisa- 
tion known  as  the  '^Service  Boutier''  (which  was 
mainly  recruited  locally  by  civil  labour  and  pro- 
vided work  for  over  25,000  French  soldiers  and 
Macedonian  civilian  men,  women,  and  children), 
hundreds  of  bridges  and  over  600  miles  of  roadway 


84  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

were  constructed  and  kept  in  good  repair.  In 
addition  the  ''Service  des  Eaucc"  had  to  clarify 
and  supervise  the  main  source  of  water-supply 
throughout  the  region  occupied  by  the  French 
Army.  This  meant  the  keeping  in  serviceable 
order  of  over  600  natural  springs,  the  piercing  of 
240  wells,  both  ordinary  and  Artesian,  and  the 
construction  or  reconstruction  of  over  1000  reser- 
voirs. In  this  connection  should  be  mentioned  the 
building  of  the  Hortjac  aqueduct,  whereby  Salonika 
itself  was  provided  with  an  abundant  supply  of 
fresh  water.  What  the  "  Intendance  "  (the  nearest 
equivalent  in  the  French  Army  to  our  R.A.S.C.) 
achieved  in  the  way  of  supply  and  transport  was 
also  very  admirable. 

Nothing  perhaps  struck  the  chance  guest  at  a 
French  officers'  mess  so  forcibly  as  did  the  excellence, 
in  the  roughest  circumstances  up  the  line,  of  French 
field  cooking;  while  the  table  kept  up  at  some 
Divisional  Headquarters  and  the  daily  fare  at  the 
'' Cercle  Militaire,''  Salonika,  left  nothing  to  be 
desired.  The  French  canteen  supply  system,  de- 
veloped under  the  auspices  of  the  ''Bazar  de 
LyoUj'  was  most  efficiently  conducted,  and  for 
those  British  officers  who  obtained  permission  to 
buy  there  provided  a  pleasant  change  as  regards 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        85 

comestibles  from  those  purchased  from  our  own 
canteens. 

Their  Medical  Service,  and  in  particular  the 
'^Mission  Antipaludique,''  deserves  more  than  the 
passing  mention  it  can  be  given  here.  Not  only 
did  the  French  establish  and  control  a  large  number 
of  most  efficient  base  and  field  hospitals,  but  they 
also  furnished  equipment  for  the  Greek  hospitals 
that  were  started  soon  after  the  Venizelists  came 
into  the  war  on  the  side  of  the  Allies. 

The  benefit  derived  by  all  the  Salonika  armies 
from  the  anti- malarial  propaganda  the  French 
Medical  Service  initiated  was  most  satisfactory. 
Carried  out  in  an  equally  thorough  way  by  the 
other  Allies'  Medical  Services,  the  practical  methods 
employed  by  the  "Mission  Antipaludique'  included 
the  draining  of  marsh -lands,  the  straightening  of 
water-courses  that  tended  to  stagnate,  the  destruc- 
tion of  mosquito  larvae,  and  the  inspection  and 
compulsory  covering  of  all  reserve  supplies  of 
water  in  camps  and  houses;  with  a  view  to 
reducing  to  a  minimum  the  reproductive  powers 
of  the  malarial  mosquito.  The  '^ Mission^'  also 
drew  up  statistical  tables  and  maps  showing 
the  worst  malarial  districts,  and  regulated  the 
supply  of  quinine,  emphasising  its  beneficial  effects 


86  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

as  a  preventive  by  means  of  humorous  pictorial 
propaganda. 

The  losses  from  wounds,  fever,  and  sickness 
suffered  by  the  French  throughout  this  campaign 
and  the  hardships  they  endured  in  the  various 
sectors  of  their  front  being  wholly  as  severe  as  our 
own,  the  way  in  which  they  stood  the  long  strain  of 
the  three  years'  campaign  in  so  uncongenial  a  foreign 
climate  was  most  remarkable  and  praiseworthy. 

The  French  founded  several  Franco- Serb  and 
Franco-Greek  schools  of  instruction  at  Salonika, 
Fiorina,  Vodena,  and  Monastir.  They  were 
primarily  responsible  as  well  for  all  the  details 
connected  with  the  reformation  of  the  Serbian 
Army  at  Corfu.  At  the  French  Lycee  in  Salonika 
they  started  a  library  of  works  on  Macedonia,  they 
also  originated  a  Franco -Macedonian  Historical 
and  Archaeological  Review  entitled  ,"  Cahiers 
d'Orient" 

Their  '^  Service  Archeologique""  conducted  many 
excavations  of  prehistoric  sites  at  Gona,  Sedes, 
Zeitenlick,  Petit  Karabou,  Hortjac ;  drew  up  maps ; 
collected  pottery,  ancient  mosaics,  and  Turkish 
tombstones  ;  made  a  detailed  study  of  the  ramparts 
and  churches  of  Salonika  and  the  historical  treasures 
of  Mount   Athos.     It   also   collaborated   actively 


VARDAR  RIVER,   LAKE  ARDZAN,  AND 
DRAGOMIR  VILLAGE 

In  the  distance,  beyond  the  river,  was  the  point  of 
junction  between  the  French  and  the  first  Greek 
Army  of  National  Defence.  In  the  final  offensive 
General  Milne's  command  extended  across  the 
\''ardar  to  that  point. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        87 

with  British  and  Greek  authorities  in  the  drawing 
up  of  plans  for  the  proposed  reconstruction  of  the 
burnt  portions  of  Salonika  and  the  general  modern- 
ising of  the  city  thoroughfares. 

Somewhat  ambitious  industrial  experiments  were 
carried  out  at  Salonika  and  Fiorina.  Undertaken 
for  the  most  part  in  the  French  Army  workshops, 
they  ranged  between  the  construction  of  army 
furniture,  spare  parts,  portable  huts,  and  aeroplanes. 
Several  brick-fields,  a  soap  factory,  a  brush  factory, 
a  tobacco  factory  were  set  working  with  success. 
Three  lignite  mines  and  a  salt  factory  yielded  a 
considerable  output  when  systematically  worked. 

As  regards  agriculture  they  did  their  utmost 
by  organised  supervision  to  instil  sound  modern 
principles  into  the  native  Macedonian ;  they  im- 
ported modern  metal  ploughs  to  replace  the 
antiquated  wooden  ones  hitherto  used,  also  thresh- 
ing and  reaping  machines.  They  gave  demonstra- 
tions in  the  utilisation  of  fallow  and  marsh  lands, 
and  in  scientific  vine-growing,  supervising  in  the 
areas  occupied  by  their  army  some  250,000  acres 
of  productive  soil. 

A  very  essential  part  of  the  French  military 
achievement  was  the  map-making  and  map-revising 
carried  out  by  their  Cartographical  Survey,  and  a 


88  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

considerable  amount  of  geological  exploration  was 
made  throughout  Macedonia  with  a  view  to  possible 
after- war  mining  ventures. 

All  these  very  useful  attempts  to  test  and  develop 
to  the  utmost  the  natural  resources  of  this  hitherto 
undeveloped  country  and  its  long-suffering  popula- 
tion were  referred  to  by  their  originators  as  the 
"  CEuvre  civilisatrice''  of  the  French  Army.  France 
was  thus  able  to  acquire  almost  exclusive  control 
of  a  large  proportion  of  the  educational  and 
financial  interests  of  Macedonia,  and  the  results 
of  these  undertakings  are  likely  to  prove  far- 
reaching  when  the  Balkan  States  settle  down  to 
after- war  consolidation  and  reconstruction. 

When  they  first  occupied  the  south-eastern 
corner  of  Albania  and  reached  Koritza,  they  pro- 
claimed a  free  Albanian  Republic  there,  working 
out  a  detailed  scheme  of  government  and  police 
control  by  the  help  of  a  specially  created  chamber 
of  14  deputies  (7  Christian  and  7  Musulman,  under 
supervision  of  a  French  Staff  Officer)  and  the 
formation  of  a  corps  of  Albanian  gendarmerie.  By 
such  measures  and  by  constant  military  patrols 
they  were  able  to  keep  down  brigandage  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Koritza  and  as  far  as  their 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        89 

sphere  of  influence  extended.  Essad  Pasha,  how- 
ever, whom  the  Entente  still  recognised  as  President 
of  Albania,  meanwhile  remained  in  residence  at 
Salonika  and  voluntarily  paid  for  the  upkeep  of  his 
bodyguard  of  500,  who  were  actively  participating 
in  the  French  offensive  operations. 

Unless  engaged  on  special  liaison  work,  the 
ordinary  duties  of  British  officers  and  men  did  not 
bring  them  much  in  contact  with  individual 
Frenchmen.  Their  impressions  of  things  Gallic 
were  therefore  generally  gleaned  from  chance 
encounters  in  the  lines  of  communication  areas, 
whilst  journeying  to  and  from  Salonika  by  land 
and  sea,  or  when  a  spell  of  leave  brought  them 
in  touch  with  Frenchmen  similarly  situated,  bent 
on  getting  as  much  amusement  as  possible  out  of 
sight-seeing  and  changed  diet  at  the  base. 

These  encounters,  whether  in  shops,  cafes, 
trains,  transports,  house  or  club  interiors,  were 
always  most  agreeable.  At  the  slightest  provocation 
Englishmen  did  their  best  to  shed  that  insularity  of 
manner  of  which  they  have  been  accused  in  the  past, 
and  the  process  was  much  assisted  by  the  partaking 
of  some  form  of  refreshment  with  their  new  ac- 
quaintances.    There  was  almost  as  much  enticing 

12 


90  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

mystery  about  these  speedily  made  friendships  as 
in  some  Arabian  Nights  adventure.  A  chance 
meeting  in  a  Salonika  curio  shop  or  some  dis- 
agreeably dirty  railway  carriage  might  lead  to 
three  days'  delightful  companionship. 

Scarcely  one  of  the  daily  crowd  of  British 
officers  who  waited  their  turn  for  admission  to  the 
dining-room  of  the  ''  Cercle  Militaire''  knew  what 
that  evening  might  bring  forth  in  the  way  of  social 
experiences.  In  the  course  of  the  excellent  dinner 
they  were  about  to  enjoy,  they  might  meet  and 
exchange  cards  with  the  most  diverse  types  of 
Frenchmen  on  leave  from  the  various  sectors, 
officers  of  their  Pay  Service,  their  Motor  Transport, 
Artillery,  Infantry,  or  Medical  Services  ;  and  each, 
with  remarkable  cordiality  and  good  humour, 
would  have  his  tale  to  tell  of  how  things  were 
going  on  his  particular  portion  of  the  front,  of 
fevers  and  other  sicknesses  endured  or  avoided,  of 
dead  comrades,  of  home  and  after- war  projects. 

Nothing  seemed  more  agreeably  surprising  at 
first,  and  yet  nothing  was  more  natural  than  these 
unreserved  outbursts  of  genuine  sympathy  and 
good  feeling.  Up  the  lines  of  communication, 
too,  whenever  any  French  road  station  had  to  be 
passed,  a  most  kindly  hospitality  was  offered.     The 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        91 

officers  in  charge  of  such  isolated  posts  were  ever 
ready  for  an  excuse  to  open  a  bottle  of  champagne. 
Even  the  French  Colonial  Infantry  officer  of 
the  most  hide-bound  conventional  type  imaginable 
warmed  to  comradeship  over  a  glass  of  "  Pinard " 
however  bad  in  quality. 

To  travel  through  Greece  and  across  the 
Adriatic  with  a  party  of  home-coming  Frenchmen 
was  an  unforgettable  experience  for  a  mere 
Englishman.  Like  Charles  Reade's  immortal 
Burgundian  each  had  an  eye  and  a  gay  word  for 
every  peasant  woman  they  passed ;  despite  fever 
and  inadequate  food-supply,  throughout  the  long 
train  journey  along  Tempe  and  past  Pharsala  and 
Larissa,  and  during  the  constant  jolting  that 
followed  on  that  half- day's  perilous  lorry  journey 
from  Bralo  to  Itea,  they  kept  up  a  round  of  gay 
raillery  and  humorous  remarks.  How  kindly,  too, 
were  their  doctors  to  any  of  our  poor  compatriots 
who  fell  ill  of  fever  en  route.  Countless  instances 
of  their  true-hearted  and  self-abnegating  charity 
must  live  in  the  minds  of  many  of  our  returning 
officers  and  men. 

The  two  Russian  brigades  which,  having  jour- 
neyed more  than  half-way  round  Europe  (July  30, 


92  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

1916),  added  their  contribution  to  the  cause  of  the 
Allies  on  this  front,  were  from  the  first  day  of  their 
arrival  grouped  with  the  French  reserves,  and 
although  their  fighting  effort  as  regards  duration 
was  to  be  short-lived,  they  threw  themselves  into  a 
course  of  three  months'  training  at  Zeitenlick  with 
great  vigour.  Their  help  before  Fiorina  and  at  the 
advance  on  Monastir  was  most  valuable,  but  after 
the  winter  lull  had  just  been  followed  up  by  the 
Allies'  general  spring  offensive  demonstration  of 
1917,  they  had  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  line 
owing  to  serious  breaches  of  discipline  among 
them  consequent  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Russian 
Revolution.  Here  again  decisive  action  on  the 
part  of  the  French  saved  the  situation.  Three 
alternatives  were  at  once  offered  the  residue  of 
these  two  brigades.  They  could  either  join  in 
non-combatant  duties  on  the  Salonika  Front  or  in 
North  Africa,  or  be  sent  to  fight  on  the  Western 
Front.  It  is  significant  of  their  fine  sense  of 
loyalty  to  the  Allies'  cause  that  many  of  them 
chose  the  latter  alternative. 

Up  till  the  close  of  our  summer  operations  in 
1917,  the  dining-room  of  the  "  Cercle  Militaire" 
besides  its  throng  of  French  and  other  Allies, 
generally   contained   a  table   or  two   of  Russian 


BRITISH   MILITARY  CEMETERY  AT  THE 
CROSS  ROADS,   DRAGOS 


THE  FRENCH  AND  RUSSIAN  EFFORT        93 

officers,  who,  after  their  country's  overthrow 
having  no  particular  occupation,  seemed  to  spend 
all  their  time  and  money  in  trying  to  stifle 
repeated  bouts  of  Balkan  "ennui"  by  lavish 
entertaining.  Any  solitary  Englishman,  should 
he  chance  to  find  a  vacant  place  at  tables  where 
such  were  seated,  would  be  first  of  all  regaled, 
in  almost  antique  style,  with  specially  prepared 
hors-d'oeuvres  and  strong  brandy — vodka  being 
then  unprocurable — after  which,  in  conjunction 
with  other  courses,  many  bottles  of  champagne 
would  have  to  be  drunk  and  many  almost  in- 
terminable speeches  listened  to  in  mingled  French 
and  Russian,  the  end  of  the  discourse  being  either 
acutely  political,  desperately  melancholic,  or  excess- 
ively Anglophil.  There  were  not  lacking  among 
them  several  thoughtful,  sensitive  souls  whose 
sheer  despair  at  the  appalling  uncertainty  of  the 
Russian  situation  moved  any  sympathiser  to 
feelings  of  the  deepest  regret  for  the  vanished 
glory  of  their  once  splendid  army. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE    ITALIAN    EFFORT 

Its  twofold  aspect — Participation  with  Salonika  forces  and  penetra- 
tion of  Albania — Arrival  of  35tli  Division  at  Salonika  (August 
1916) — Occupation  and  subsequent  relinquishment  of  the  Krusha 
Balkan  sector  —  The  " Sicilia"  Brigade  sent  to  Verria  —  ITie 
"  Cagliari"  Brigade  joins  in  the  attack  to  left  of  Monastir — 
Occupation  of  the  western  half  of  the  Tcherna  Bend — Hospitals, 
schools,  police — Subsequent  operations.  Albania  and  its  people — 
Historical  vicissitudes — Italians  land  at  Valona  (December  1915) 
— Stages  in  the  penetration — Consolidating  their  positions — 
Engineering  feats — Roads,  bridges,  telegraph,  telephone — Carto- 
graphy— '^  Comando  di  tappa  " — Albanian  militia — Medical  Service 
— Education  and  pro-Italian  propaganda — Agriculture — Mining 
projects — Orderly  state  of  the  occupied  portion  in  September  1918 
— Urban  councils — Palaces  and  statues — Hospitality  at  Kanina — 
— General  Ferrero  and  his  staff. 

The  contribution  made  by  our  Italian  allies  to 
Balkan  operations  had  a  twofold  aspect.  Not 
only  did  a  strong  expeditionary  division  take  part 
with  us  in  our  general  advance  from  Salonika,  but 
the  Italians  also  sent  a  formidable  force  to  carry 
out  an  almost  wholly  peaceful  penetration  and 
occupation  of  a  small  part  of  Albania. 

94 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  95 

The  35th  Division,  commanded  by  Major- 
General  Petitti  di  Roreto,  when  it  landed  at 
Salonika  (August  11,  1916),  was  considerably  larger 
than  an  ordinary  Italian  division.  It  was  com- 
posed of  two  infantry  brigades  (the  "Ca^/mn"  and 
the  "  Sicilia " ),  a  regiment  of  mountain  artillery, 
two  squadrons  of  cavalry,  a  trench-mortar  group, 
and  several  auxiliary  service  units.  Later  on 
in  the  autumn  it  was  augmented  by  a  third 
infantry  brigade  (the  ^'Ivrea'),  These  troops  first 
took  over  the  defence  of  a  portion  of  our  front 
in  the  Krusha  Balkan.  They  were  in  action  and 
suffered  slight  losses  in  the  vicinity  of  Gornoi 
Poroi  in  September,  where  one  of  their  detach- 
ments was  surrounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Bulgars.  Having  handed  over  the  sector  to 
British  troops,  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  '^  Sicilia' 
Brigade,  were  transferred  via  Salonika  to  a  sector 
on  the  immediate  left  of  the  French  and  Serbian 
troops  who  were  attacking  Monastir.  The  ''Sicilia' 
Brigade,  in  conjunction  with  other  French  and 
British  troops,  temporarily  occupied  Verria,  but 
was  soon  sent  up  to  reinforce  the  other  two 
brigades. 

While  the  Serbs  were  capturing  Kaimactchalan 
and  the  mountains  farther  north,  the  "  Cagliari " 


96  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Brigade,  to  left  of  the  French,  though  they  met 
with  considerable  resistance  and  were  much  im- 
peded by  the  late  autumn  snows,  pushed  forward 
along  the  Peristeri  ridges.  This  movement  on  the 
left  corresponded  with  the  Serbian  outflanking 
movement  on  the  right,  and  contributed  towards 
making  the  enemy's  line  through  Kenali  untenable. 
It  thus  assisted  the  capture  of  Monastir.  General 
Petitti  and  several  other  officers  were  wounded  by 
a  hostile  shell  which  fell  in  Monastir  soon  after  the 
joint  occupation  of  the  town  had  taken  place. 

In  December  1916  the  Italian  force  took  over 
the  defence  of  a  fresh  sector,  that  of  the  western 
half  of  the  Tcherna  Bend.  This  desolate  region, 
which  had  been  conquered  by  the  Serbs,  consisted 
mainly  of  a  flat  marshy  plain  rising  rapidly  towards 
the  rocky  heights  known  as  Hill  1050,  which  the 
Germans  and  Bulgars  had  recaptured.  The  Italian 
front  lines  were  about  eight  miles  in  length.  By 
keeping  one  brigade  in  reserve  and  two  in  the 
front  trenches,  which  were  strengthened  as  much  as 
possible,  they  succeeded  in  maintaining  their  stand 
against  a  much  larger  enemy  force  in  possession 
of  all  the  stronger  and  more  dominating  positions. 

In  May  1917  General  Pennella  took  over  from 
General    Petitti,   but   was   succeeded    after   three 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  97 

weeks  by  General  Mombelli,  who  had  previously- 
held  the  position  of  Italian  Military  Attach^  at 
Athens.  When  the  Allies'  spring  offensive  of 
1917  began,  the  Italians  stormed  Hill  1050  on  two 
successive  days,  but,  owing  to  the  enemy's  formid- 
able barrage,  which  was  undoubtedly  as  severe 
here  as  that  the  British  had  to  face  when  they 
attacked  the  "  Pip "  Ridge,  they  had  to  return  to 
their  original  line. 

From  then  onwards,  as  on  other  sectors  of 
the  front,  nothing  but  raids  and  small  offensive 
demonstrations  took  place  until  the  final  offensive 
of  1918.  Meanwhile  the  Italian  troops  were  kept 
busy  making  their  own  defensive  works  still 
stronger,  and  in  the  captured  villages  and  lines  of 
communication  area  constructing  many  useful 
buildings  which  served  as  hospitals  and  store- 
houses. At  Brod,  by  help  of  the  Serbian  Relief 
Fund  and  the  American  Red  Cross,  village  schools 
were  started  ;  excellently  appointed  hospitals  were 
also  created  at  Salonika,  Fiorina,  Banica,  Ekhisu, 
etc.  Italian  troops  assisted  in  military  police 
duties  at  Salonika,  and  Italian  engineers  on  the 
strength  of  the  35th  Division  were  responsible  for 
a  portion  of  the  road  constructed  from  Fiorina  to 
Santi  Quaranta,  the  opening  up  of  which  by  the 

13 


98  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

summer  of  1917  afforded  an  alternative  route  back 
to  Italy. 

When  (September  15,  1918)   the  Franco-Serb 
attack  began,   the   Italians  had   orders  to   delay 
offensive  operations.     They  were  thus  saved  un- 
necessary losses,  such  as  they  had  suffered  in  the 
past  and  would  probably  again  have  incurred  from 
a  premature  attack  on  Hill  1050.     The  rapid  ad- 
vance of  the  Serbs  to  the  north-east,  outflanking 
as  it  did  Hill  1050,  brought  about  a  partial  retire- 
ment of  the  enemy.     The  Italians  then  advanced 
(September   22),   and,   overcoming  a  very   feeble 
defence,  took  possession   of  this   strong  position. 
They  then    endeavoured    to   catch   up   with    the 
French  and  Serbs,  who  by  that  time  had  pushed  far 
ahead.     Ordered  by  the  French  Higher  Command 
to  leave   Prilep  on  their   left,  by  occupying  the 
Monastir-Kicevo  road,  they  prevented  a  Bulgarian 
retreat  via  Kicevo-Kalkandelen.     Thereafter  they 
overcame  enemy  resistance  on  the  Baba  Planina, 
and  in  conjunction  with  French  troops  rounded  up, 
on  the  heights  of  Sop,  eight  Bulgarian  regiments 
and   much  Bulgarian   and  German  artillery.     At 
dawn  next  day  (September   30)   operations  were 
suspended ;    news   having    been    received   of   the 
signing  of  the  military  convention.     For  two  days 


HOUSE  INTERIOR  AT  GORGOP 

This  house  was  long  occupied  as  a  mess  by  the 
N.C.O.  pilots  and  observers  of  the  French  aeroplane 
squadrons  stationed  at  Gorgop.  Being  without  the 
usual  plaster  completion,  it  shows  the  normal  type 
of  house  structure  in  Macedonia. 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  99 

afterwards,  however,  the  Bulgarian  troops  thus 
cut  off,  having  been  abandoned  by  their  German 
colleagues  and  having  no  telegraph  or  telephone 
communication  with  the  rest  of  the  Bulgarian 
forces,  refused  to  surrender.  The  first  news  they 
had  of  the  terms  of  the  Bulgarian  Convention  was 
conveyed  to  them  by  aeroplane  from  Sophia  on 
October  2.  They  thereupon  laid  down  their 
arms,  9000  surrendering  to  the  Italian  and  about 
11,000  to  the  adjoining  French  divisions.  After 
the  collapse  of  Bulgaria,  the  35th  Division  remained 
for  a  few  days  at  Krushevo,  then  moved  to  Prilep. 
It  was  later  on  despatched  farther  north  to  take 
part  in  operations  against  the  German  and  Austrian 
troops  still  remaining  in  the  Balkans. 

Interesting  politically,  and  highly  beneficial  even 
in  a  military  sense  to  the  Allies'  Balkan  effort,  was 
the  almost  wholly  peaceful  penetration  of  a  part  of 
Albania  by  an  Italian  force  of  30,000,  which  landed 
at  Valona  in  November  and  December  1915.  That 
country  had  naturally  afforded  Greece  a  direct 
though  somewhat  precarious  communicating  link 
with  the  Central  Powers.  The  avowed  object  of 
the  penetration  was,  in  the  first  place,  to  put  a 
stop  to  such  possibilities,  and  it  was  mainly  by 


100  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

fulfilling  that  object  that  it  rendered  great  assist- 
ance to  the  Allies'  cause. 

Albania  was  then  a  country  of  no  very  precise 
geographical,  ethnological,  or  political  limits.  It 
consists  mainly  of  mountainous  highlands  which 
are  drained  through  deep  gorges  by  rivers  that 
are  far  too  choked  by  detritus  to  be  navigable. 
Seawards  this  detritus  has  contributed  towards 
the  formation  along  the  crumbling  coast-line  of 
a  cultivable  low-lying  shore-belt  which  varies  be- 
tween ten  and  eighteen  miles  in  depth.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  region,  as  also  those  of  the 
interior  valleys  and  mountains,  had,  up  to  the  time 
of  the  Great  War,  made  no  attempt  at  organised 
agriculture  or  industry.  The  whole  country  was 
in  a  very  backward  and  unprogressive  condition, 
despite  repeated  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Powers 
to  give  it  a  stable  form  of  government.  The 
roads,  moreover,  were  in  a  more  deplorable  and 
primitive  state  than  anywhere  else  in  Europe. 

Descendants  of  the  ancient  Pelasgian  settlers, 
who  preceded  the  first  wave  of  Greeks  in  the 
Balkans,  the  Albanians  had  defended  their  moun- 
tain fastnesses  against  invasion  from  time  im- 
memorial, but  had  hitherto  been  far  too  turbulent 
to  submit  to  a  really  settled  form  of  government. 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  101 

Dialectically  they  consist  of  two  distinct  stocks  : 
Gheghs,  who  live  north  of  the  River  Skumbi 
and  are  almost  wholly  of  Catholic  persuasion,  and 
Tosks,  who  live  south  of  that  river  and  are  either 
Musulman  or  Greek  orthodox.  These  are  in  turn 
subdivided  into  many  clans.  Among  them  dwell 
Serb,  Bulgarian,  Vlach,  and  Turkish  settlers,  the 
residue  of  successive  invasions  or  forerunners  of 
commercial  exploitation. 

Under  Turkish  rule  Albania  included  the  three 
vilayets  of  Scutari,  Monastir,  and  Janina.  During 
the  First  Balkan  War  (1912)  the  Greeks  seized 
Janina,  Agirocastro,  and  Koritza  and  menaced 
Valona.  Despite  the  decision  of  the  London 
Conference,  Greek  troops  continued  to  occupy 
the  sandchaks  of  Agirocastro  and  Koritza,  but 
when  (March  7,  1914)  Prince  William  of  Wied, 
nominated  by  the  Powers  King  of  Albania, 
disembarked  at  Valona,  the  majority  of  these 
Greek  troops  were  withdrawn.  A  provisional, 
independent,  and  autonomous  "  Northern  Epirus  " 
government,  with  headquarters  at  Agirocastro, 
was,  however,  established  under  Greek  patronage. 

Though  Prince  William's  Albanian  gendarmes 
seized  Koritza,  his  unwise  conduct  set  the  greater 
part  of  the  Albanians  against  him,  and,  when  the 


102  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Great  War  began,  he  was  forced  to  escape  by  sea, 
Essad  Pasha  s  provisional  Albanian  Republic  being 
set  up  at  Durazzo  in  place  of  the  Prince's  purely 
nominal  authority.  In  friendly  relationship  with 
the  former,  and,  as  the  Serbian  retreat  had  started, 
with  the  avowed  objects  of  defeating  Austro- 
Hungarian  encroachments  in  Albania  and  stopping 
contraband  between  Greece  and  the  Central 
Powers,  Italy  established  a  naval  base  on  the 
Island  of  Saseno,  in  Valona  Harbour ;  and  soon 
after,  Italian  troops,  landing  at  Valona,  seized  the 
surrounding  hills.  The  occupation  (November 
1915)  had  extended  north  and  east  as  far  as  the 
Voyussa,  and  south  as  far  as  Dukati  and  Logara. 
Contemporaneously  an  Italian  contingent  pushed 
northwards  along  the  coast-line  to  Durazzo,  with 
the  avowed  object  of  linking  up  with  Essad  Pasha 
and  the  retreating  Serbs.  Afterwards  Durazzo 
was  abandoned  and  the  Italians  retired  behind  the 
Voyussa,  Essad  Pasha  sailing  for  Salonika. 

During  the  summer  of  1916,  continuing  their 
peaceful  conciliatory  measures  among  the  Alban- 
ians, they  occupied  successively,  without  firing  a 
shot,  Tepelen,  Chimara,  Santi  Quaranta,  Agiro- 
castro,  Premeti,  and  Lescovici.  By  February 
1917  they  were  in  touch  with  the  French  at  Ersek. 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  103 

Lieut.  -  General  Ferrero  proclaimed  (June  8)  at 
Agirocastro  the  unity  and  independence  of  the 
whole  of  Albania  under  Italian  protection,  and  the 
Italians  also  participated  with  the  French  and 
British  in  the  occupation  of  Thessaly,  by  sending 
troops  southwards  to  Janina  and  Pindus.  These 
were  withdrawn  after  King  Constantine's  abdication. 

Meanwhile  they  consolidated  and  strengthened 
their  defensive  line  northwards  against  the 
Austrians,  who,  however,  did  not  show  much 
disposition  to  attack.  This  line,  in  1918,  ran 
along  the  Mala  Kastra  ridge  to  Glava,  and  thence, 
north  of  Sirak,  kept  fairly  well  in  touch  with  the 
French,  who  were  advancing  on  the  Italians'  right 
in  the  direction  of  Porocani  and  Elbasan.  The 
advance  was  not  pushed  to  any  extent  on  the  side 
of  the  Italians  until  after  the  Bulgarian  Convention 
of  1918  had  been  signed.  Then,  in  conjunction 
with  naval  forces,  and  with  the  general  Allied 
advance  elsewhere,  Durazzo  was  captured  and  the 
retreating  Austrians  were  pursued  northwards. 

Throughout  the  war  the  Italian  force  based 
on  Valona  chose  the  more  prudent  part  of  holding 
on  to  the  strong  defensive  positions  it  had  been 
able  to  consolidate.  At  any  rate  it  created  a 
formidable  barrier  between  Greece  and  that  part 


104  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

of  Albania  occupied  by  Austrian  and  German 
troops,  while  it  did  its  utmost  to  improve  the 
communications  and  resources  of  the  regions 
occupied.  A  total  lack  of  material  and  of 
experience  on  the  part  of  the  native  population 
as  regards  manual  labour,  frequent  storms  of  a 
violent  nature,  and  a  three  months'  continual  frost 
prevented  them  from  making  headway  in  engineer- 
ing construction  during  the  winter  of  1915-1916. 
Towards  the  end  of  March  1916  the  work  began 
in  earnest.  First  of  all,  Valona  Harbour  and  its 
shore  approaches  had  to  be  put  in  order.  Landing- 
stages  and  a  hydroplane  station  were  constructed. 
A  five-mile-long  aqueduct  was  made  in  order  to 
supply  Valona  with  drinking  water.  Metalled 
roads  leading  off  in  convenient  directions  over 
specially  built  stone  causeways  and  bridges  by 
degrees  provided  the  country  with  reliable  com- 
munication arteries. 

The  three  main  directions  of  these  roads  were : 
northwards  towards  the  line  they  decided  to  hold  ; 
eastwards  to  Tepelen  on  the  Voyussa ;  and,  lastly, 
the  wonderful  zigzagged  hill-climbing  shore  road  to 
Santi  Quaranta,  the  completion  of  which  triumph 
of  engineering  was  not  possible  until  the  spring 
of  1918.     Each  of  these  roads  had  to  be  carried 


ABTER  THE  FIRE 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  105 

through  deep  river  gorges  and  along  precipitous 
mountain  sides.  They  were  interlaced  with  numer- 
ous subsidiary  tracks  which  enabled  an  effective 
supply  service  to  feed  the  different  detached  units. 
Telegraph  and  telephone  systems  were  established 
and  a  fairly  complete  cartographical  survey  made. 
South  of  Valona,  at  Pie  di  Monte,  two  aerodromes 
were  prepared,  one  of  which  was  used,  in  1918,  by 
a  British  squadron  of  Camel  Scouts,  the  other 
being  reserved  for  Italian  Capronis. 

The  interior  administration  of  the  occupied 
country  was  based  on  a  system  of  road  stations 
which  were  situated  at  convenient  points  along 
the  main  arteries  of  communication.  Each  of 
these,  known  as  a  "  Comando  di  tappa,''  provided 
a  halting-place  for  the  traffic  that  passed  through, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  was  used  as  a  means  of 
maintaining  order,  a  sufficient  number  of  officers 
and  men  being  stationed  at  each  point.  After 
a  day's  jolt  along  a  tortuous  and  precipitous 
mountain  roadway  it  was  pleasant  to  be  welcomed, 
as  all  travellers  (and  particularly  Englishmen) 
were,  by  the  officer  in  command  of  one  of  these 
road  stations.  Though  accommodation  was  often 
extremely  primitive,  one  felt  that  the  very  best 

14 


106  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

was  done  to  make  Italian  army  rations  palatable 
and  to  alleviate  the  discomfort  of  a  night  passed 
in  a  half-ruined,  unsanitary  Albanian  inn.  Such 
a  wanderer  on  entering  the  station  mess  was  always 
ceremoniously  offered  the  place  of  honour  next  to 
the  senior  Italian  officer  present,  and,  comforted 
by  good  cheer,  retired  to  a  pallet  of  fresh  straw, 
where,  if  the  howling  of  Albanian  wolf-dogs 
permitted,  he  might  sleep  uninterruptedly,  and 
without  fear  of  the  brigands  who  were  said  to 
still  infest  the  neighbouring  mountain  heights. 
Next  morning  after  a  kindly  farewell  from  his 
host,  the  station  commandant,  he  would  resume 
his  journey  by  ^^ autobus''  in  company  with  such 
fellow-travellers  as  happened  to  be  going  the  same 
way.  All  of  these,  amidst  the  excitement  of 
precipice  dodging,  would  have  interesting  tales 
to  tell,  and  most  of  them  would,  like  him,  be 
fascinated  by  the  many  batches  of  not  over- clean 
though  picturesque  Albanian  men  and  women  they 
met  on  the  road.  The  older  women  particularly 
attracted  attention,  for  many  of  them  carried  dis- 
taffs of  antique  pattern,  which  they  manipulated 
deftly  as  they  walked,  resembling  in  this  and  in 
their  garb  some  old  vase  painting  of  the  Parcae. 
Policing  of  the  vast  area  occupied  was  greatly 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  107 

facilitated  by  the  formation  of  an  Albanian  Militia 
with  headquarters  at  Agirocastro.  Organised  on 
lines  similar  to  the  French  Albanian  Militia  at 
Koritza,  this  force  had  as  its  emblem  the  double- 
headed  eagle  of  Scanderbeg,  one  of  the  most 
popular  Albanian  national  heroes. 

Much  had  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  improving 
the  sanitary  condition  of  the  country,  and  much 
still  naturally  remains  to  be  done.  The  very 
efficient  Italian  Medical  Service  had  its  hands  full. 
Cholera,  typhus,  dysentery,  malaria  had  to  be 
combated  as  vigorously  as  malaria  and  dysentery 
in  other  parts  of  the  Balkans.  The  civilian  popu- 
lation had  also  to  be  looked  after  and  hospital 
treatment  provided  for  them. 

Schools  were  started  in  all  the  main  population 
centres  of  the  occupied  area,  and  the  children 
were  everywhere  taught  to  speak  Italian.  They 
undoubtedly  provided  one  of  the  chief  weapons 
of  the  general  pro-Italian  propaganda  campaign, 
which  aimed  at  impressing  the  Albanians  with  a 
sense  of  the  beneficent  effects  of  Italian  protection. 
Another  means  of  fostering  these  ideas  was  the 
introduction  of  as  many  modern  improvements  as 
possible  into  the  agricultural  activities  of  the 
country,  which  hitherto  had  naturally  been  very 


108  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

feeble.  Some  exploration  of  mineral  resources 
with  a  view  to  after- war  mining  projects  were 
made  by  individual  Italians. 

In  September  1918  a  chance  visitor  to  this 
portion  of  Albania  found  the  country  in  a  very 
orderly  condition  under  Italian  rule.  The  main 
roads  were  better  kept  up  than  any  in  the  whole 
of  the  occupied  Balkan  territory.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  certain  well-nigh  inaccessible  mountain 
heights  all  the  main  strongholds  of  brigandage  had 
been  annihilated.  In  every  population  centre  well- 
ordered  urban  councils  took  the  place  of  the  former 
confusion  caused  by  family  feuds.  In  Valona  and 
at  Kanina,  General  Ferrero's  seat  of  government 
during  the  summer  months,  offices  that  were 
veritable  palaces  had  been  built,  and  artistic  bas- 
reliefs  had  been  set  up  above  public  fountains. 

To  reach  Kanina  from  Valona  Harbour  it  was 
necessary  to  climb  several  hundred  feet  above  sea- 
level,  but  although  the  height  was  very  noticeable, 
the  ascent  was  quite  easy  in  a  car,  owing  to  the 
remarkably  well-built  roadway.  Once  arrived  on 
a  level  with  the  Commander-in-Chiefs  headquarters 
a  magnificent  view  of  the  whole  harbour  was 
obtained. 


THE  ITALIAN  EFFORT  109 

General  Ferrero,  Governor  and  Commander-in- 
Chief,  kept  open  table  for  all  chance  comers.  Were 
it  not  for  the  busy  air  of  the  officers  around  him, 
such  a  visitor  might  almost  believe  himself  at 
the  court  of  some  pre-war  potentate,  so  splendidly 
served  and  admirably  cooked  was  the  meal.  But 
if  after  partaking  of  it  he  followed  Colonel  La 
Racine,  the  Chief  of  Staff,  to  his  private  office,  the 
constant  telephone  calls  and  mass  of  maps  and 
documents  visible  there  convinced  him  of  the 
strenuous  life  that  was  in  reality  being  led. 

Should  permission  be  asked  to  visit  the  front,  a 
journey  northwards  by  car  for  three  hours  carried 
the  observer  along  roads  that  showed  evidence  of 
great  military  preparedness,  until,  perhaps,  the 
positions  on  the  Mala  Kastra  ridge,  overlooking 
Firei,  were  reached  and  a  glimpse  of  some  Austrians, 
three  miles  away  on  the  plains  beyond,  might  be 
obtained.  A  shoot  conducted  against  these  by  a 
neighbouring  battery,  and  the  excellent  general 
condition  of  the  defences,  showed  at  least  that, 
besides  her  great  care  for  the  civilised  future  of 
Albania,  Italy  was,  here  as  elsewhere,  fully  mindful 
of  her  role  as  a  belligerent,  and  but  awaited,  like 
her  Allies,  the  ripe  occasion  for  making  an  offensive 
effort  of  her  own. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    SERBIAN   EFFORT 

Serbia's  firm  stand  saves  the  whole  Balkan  Peninsula — Austrian 
advance  stemmed  by  Serbian  victory  of  Jador  Valley  and  Tcer 
Ridge  (August  1914) — Serbian  oflFensive  move  met  by  over- 
whelming Austrian  counter-oiFensive  (October  1914) — Yielding 
and  recapture  of  Belgrade  —  Second  severe  Austrian  defeat 
(November  1914) — A  long  vigil — The  Bulgarian  menace — Macken- 
sen  and  his  guns — Greece  refuses  help — Delay  of  the  Allies — Its 
natural  consequences — A  people's  agony — King  Peter  and  his  men 
— The  retreat  across  Albania  (November-December  1915) — State 
in  which  the  remnant  reached  Scutari,  Durazzo,  and  Valona — 
Corfu  and  after — The  reorganised  army  lands  at  Mikra — the  Bulgars 
stayed  and  thrust  back  ;  Kaimactchalan  and  the  Tcherna — Mental 
strain  of  two  years'  vigil — Admiral  Troubridge — The  Prince  Regent 
and  his  Generals — Unquenchable  spirit  and  irresistible  bravery 
achieves  victory  at  last  (September  1918) — Monastir  and  Prilep — 
the  Yugo-Slav  panacea. 

Although  the  "  Salonika  Front "  was,  in  the 
active  military  sense,  non-existent  at  the  time,  no 
account  however  cursory  of  the  individual  Balkan 
efforts  of  our  Allies  can  afford  to  ignore  the  supreme 
heroism  of  the  Serbian  Army  and  people  through- 
out the  first  fourteen  months  of  the  Great  War. 

no 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  111 

So  engrossed  were  France,  Russia,  and  England 
during  that  period  with  their  very  strenuous  war 
activities  on  other  and  perhaps  momentarily  more 
important  fronts,  that  they  felt  compelled  to  leave 
little  Serbia  to  wrestle  alone  with  Austria's  vast 
armament  and  resources,  though  the  daily  menace 
of  Bulgaria's  Army,  350,000  strong,  must  have 
convinced  the  Serbian  General  Staff  of  the  utter 
hopelessness  of  the  situation.  Face  to  face,  north- 
wards, with  one  active,  superior-forced  enemy  and, 
eastwards,  with  a  second  obvious  though  still 
nominally  neutral  enemy,  the  Serbian  Army, 
hardly  more  than  280,000  strong,  stood  firm. 
Sacrificing  itself  to  the  cause  of  patriotic  recti- 
tude, it  thus  saved  the  whole  Balkan  Peninsula 
from  becoming  a  chief  outlet  for  Pan- German 
expansion. 

The  Austrians,  during  their  first  1914  advance  on 
this  front,  had  at  their  disposal  some  183  fighting 
and  landsturm  battalions,  78  squadrons  of  cavalry, 
144  batteries  of  field-guns  and  mountain  howitzers. 
The  Serbian  Army's  total  effectives  barely  included 
180  infantry  battalions,  41  squadrons  of  cavalry, 
and  108  batteries,  most  of  them  of  inferior  calibre. 
This  force,  divided  into  three  armies,  was  con- 
centrated   (August    10)    in    the    region    between 


112  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Palanka-Arandjelovac-Lazarevac  and  Valjevo.     It 
proceeded  to  take  up  positions  as  follows : 

(1)  First  Army  :  defending  Palanka. 

(2)  Second  Army  :  defending  Arandjelovae. 

(3)  Third  Army  :  defending  Valjevo. 
Nowhere  was  the  ground  chosen  favourable  to 
defensive  operations.  It  was  bounded  to  north 
and  west  respectively  by  the  rivers  Save  and 
Drina.  Numerous  torrent-bed  ravines  intersected 
it,  frequent  hill  spurs  offered  artillery  vantage  posts 
for  the  attacking  Austrians,  and  the  total  absence 
of  reliable  roads  not  overlooked  by  the  enemy  made 
it  impossible  for  the  Serbs,  in  the  event  of  their 
being  forced  to  retire,  to  carry  out  the  manoeuvre 
with  ease  or  despatch.  No  such  general  retirement, 
however,  proved  necessary ;  for  the  Austrians, 
although  they  crossed  the  Danube,  the  Save,  and 
the  Drina  (August  12)  and,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
two  last,  developed  a  superior -forced  attack,  a 
skilful  surprise  counter-attack,  on  the  left  flank  of 
their  columns  advancing  down  the  Jador  Valley 
(achieved  by  means  of  forced  marches),  enabled  the 
Serbs  to  turn  the  scales  of  fortune  in  their  own 
favour  and,  by  their  fine  fighting  qualities,  to  drive 
the  invader  back  over  the  borders,  leaving  behind  a 
great  quantity  of  guns,  stores,  provisions,  and  dead. 


THE  TOWN   OF  SERES  AND   BULGAl 


MIK 

The  French  developed  the  resources  of  this  shelter  behind  the  natu 
to  right  are  the  clustered  white  encampments  of  many  French,  Si 

Grand  Karabou  is  th 


N   POSITIONS  ALONG  THE  STRUMA. 


BAY. 

lole  of  Grand  Karabou,  landing  supplies  and  men  there.  From  left 
n  and  British  contingents.  Immediately  beneath  the  extremity  of 
itish  Serbian  Hospital. 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  118 

Throughout  September  and  October  local  en- 
gagements, mainly  of  a  trench  warfare  character, 
took  place  along  the  whole  Drina,  Save,  and 
Danube  fronts.  Although  they  were  extremely 
sanguinary  they  did  not  modify  the  general  situa- 
tion. At  the  end  of  October  the  Central  Powers, 
having  again  collected  far  superior  forces,  under- 
took a  second  general  offensive  against  Serbia  with 
the  object  of  assuring  Rumanian  neutrality  and  of 
inducing  Bulgaria  to  join  in  the  conflict  on  their 
side.  This  time  they  had  at  their  disposal  265 
infantry  battalions,  with  abundant  equipment  and 
munitions,  besides  far  superior  strength  as  regards 
heavy  and  mountain  artillery.  The  Serbs  had  no 
more  than  100  batteries  of  relatively  smaller  calibre 
and  only  200  battalions  of  infantry,  not  at  full 
strength.  They  were  moreover  deplorably  deficient 
in  equipment  and  munitions,  and  having  for  over 
two  months  been  engaged  in  continual  trench  war- 
fare amid  very  trying  climatic  conditions  they  were 
already  fatigued. 

The  Austrians  attacked  first  of   all  the  main 

concentration  of  the  Serbian  Army,  at  the  moment 

facing  the  sector  of  their  front  north  of  Chabatz, 

grouping  their   forces  north  of  the  main  south- 
is 


114  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

eastern  spur  of  the  Bosnian  mountains  and  making 
use  of  the  Save  and  three  adjacent  railway  lines  as 
their  artery  of  transport.  The  Serbs  had  only  a 
single  railway  line  of  narrow  gauge,  completed  as 
far  as  Valjevo ;  whence  they  had  to  convey  their 
supplies  northwards  over  roads  that  had  already 
become  quagmires,  and  which  had  scarcely  ever 
been  worthy  of  their  name.  The  enemy  (October 
15)  began  an  intense  bombardment  of  all  the 
fronts.  This  was  followed  by  an  advance  towards 
Valjevo  to  positions  in  front  of  which  the  Serbs 
had  deemed  prudent  to  withdraw. 

The  strategic  object  of  the  Serbian  General 
Staff  appears  to  have  been  :  to  entice  the  enemy  as 
far  as  possible  away  from  the  excellent  base  and 
communication  lines  they  had  prepared  and  to 
entrap  them  a  second  time  in  the  treacherous  hill, 
wood,  and  marsh  country  south  of  the  Tcer  Ridge. 
Chabatz  was  therefore  abandoned,  and  all  bridges 
and  communications  were  destroyed  as  they  retired 
(October  26-30).  This  retreat  had  a  very  un- 
favourable effect  on  the  spirit  of  the  Serbian 
soldiers.  Their  feelings  of  despair  were  augmented 
by  the  knowledge  of  their  almost  total  lack  of 
munitions. 

Meanwhile  the  Austrian  heavy  guns,  several  of 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  115 

them  of  the  largest  calibre,  carried  on  a  constant 
bombardment.  The  Serbs  lost  heavily  from  this 
alone  and  they  had  no  reserves.  When  new 
recruits  arrived  from  the  base  it  only  caused 
additional  confusion,  and  as  all  the  new  rifles 
that  could  be  issued  were  of  old-fashioned  Russian 
pattern  the  soldiers  lost  confidence  even  in  their 
own  weapons.  Incidents  of  the  retreat  of  a  heart- 
rending nature  (such  as  the  discovery  of  members 
of  their  own  family  destitute  by  the  roadside) 
caused  many  of  the  Serbian  soldiers  to  abandon 
their  units  in  order  to  endeavour  to  alleviate  the 
sufferings  of  their  own  flesh  and  blood.  The 
General  Staff  felt  that  the  only  remedy  for  this 
diminishing  morale  was  a  renewal  of  offensive 
operations,  but  dared  not  attempt  this  owing  to 
the  shortage  of  munitions.  The  stores  at  Valjevo 
were  evacuated,  while  the  retreat  continued 
down  the  right  bank  of  the  Kolubara  (November 
1-3).  On  account  of  the  difficult  country  the 
Austrians  did  not  advance  very  speedily,  and  a 
temporary  defence  line  was  constructed  south  of 
the  Kolubara,  while  on  the  Drina  front  Serbian 
forces  based  on  Oujitse  remained  firm.  The 
enemy,  however,  eventually  took  Valjevo,  the 
communication   centre    of  the  whole   of   North- 


116  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

West  Serbia  (November  4).  In  the  course  of 
the  next  few  days  a  renewed  attack  was  met 
effectively  by  a  Serbian  counter-attack  and  the 
enemy  suffered  considerably,  the  Serbs  meanwhile 
having  received  a  fresh  supply  of  munitions  from 
the  Allies.  It  had  been  deemed  advisable  (Nov- 
ember 16)  to  evacuate  Belgrade  and  to  withdraw 
the  whole  right-hand  portion  of  the  Serbian  line 
from  the  Danube  to  positions  south  of  Valjevo 
and  Palanka. 

Despite  their  apparent  successes  the  enemy  were 
wearing  themselves  out,  and  although  tliey  tended 
to  become  over -confident  were  not  physically 
capable  of  much  more  sustained  effort.  Discipline 
among  them  had  become  very  lax  and  rations 
were  growing  more  and  more  scanty.  The  Serbs 
therefore  (November  20)  began  a  fresh  counter- 
attack along  the  left  bank  of  the  River  Morava, 
from  Tchatchak  towards  Oujitse,  their  confidence 
being  heightened  by  a  knowledge  of  the  enemy's 
enfeebled  condition ;  they  also  attacked  the  same 
day,  though  less  violently,  along  the  remainder  of 
the  front. 

On  November  22  and  23  the  offensive  developed 
with  that  surprising  vigour  and  activity  of  which 
the   Serbs  alone   in  our   Balkan  operations   have 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  117 

shown  themselves  supremely  capable.  In  the  centre 
and  on  the  left  wing  they  broke  the  enemy's 
line,  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Oujitse,  though 
they  met  with  a  more  stubborn  resistance,  inflicted 
heavy  loss  on  the  enemy. 

From  the  direction  of  Belgrade  a  far  superior 
enemy  force  began  to  attack.  As  Oujitse  was 
recaptured  and  the  Kolubara  lines  regained  (Nov- 
ember 26)  this  Belgrade  offensive  was  abandoned 
and  a  general  Austrian  retreat  followed. 

Thus,  a  second  time,  little  Serbia  inflicted  a 
defeat  on  her  far  more  powerful  enemy,  and 
thirteen  days  after  they  had  abandoned  Belgrade 
the  Serbs  re-entered  their  capital  (November  30) ; 
the  enemy  being  by  then  in  precipitous  flight 
across  the  Save  and  the  Danube.  They  had  lost 
50,000  prisoners,  200  guns,  and  immense  quantities 
of  war  material. 

The  Serbian  lines  having  been  again  made 
conterminous  with  the  normal  peace-time  frontier, 
a  long  vigil  followed.  Decimated  by  typhus  and 
typhoid,  besides  the  usual  ravages  of  dysentery  and 
malaria,  they  still  (March-September)  contrived  to 
ward  off  Austrian  minor  offensive  demonstrations. 
There  was,  in  addition,  the  ever-present  menace  of 


118  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  fully  prepared  though  still  nominally  neutral 
Bulgarian  Army,  the  existence  of  which  further 
complicated  the  problem  of  defence  the  Serbs 
had  to  face.  Never  in  good  spirits  except  when 
engaged  in  an  offensive  of  their  own,  the  Serbs 
still  talked  of  taking  the  initiative  and  hoped 
on  from  month  to  month  for  the  arrival  of 
substantial  reinforcements  from  the  Allies. 

Meanwhile  Germano- Austrian  troops  were  con- 
centrating (September  1915)  at  various  points  along 
the  frontier,  and  they  began  to  realise  that  the  only 
immediate  Allied  help  they  were  likely  to  receive 
was  that  given  by  the  heroic  little  band  of  French 
and  British  men  and  women  medical  volunteers 
who  were  already  doing  their  utmost  to  combat 
the  sickness  still  rife  throughout  the  Serbian 
Army.  They  therefore,  as  soon  as  the  Bulgars 
had  completely  mobilised  (September  10),  called 
upon  the  Allies  to  sanction  their  making  an 
immediate  attack  across  the  Bulgarian  frontier, 
but  although  both  Serbia  and  Rumania  had 
furnished  official  proof  of  Bulgaria's  convention 
with  Austria-Hungary  (whereby  even  the  date 
was  fixed  for  Bulgaria's  declaration  of  war)  this 
sanction  was  withheld.  They  thus  had  no  alter- 
native   but   to   organise  as   strong   a  defence   as 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  119 

possible  along  the  whole  of  the  Austrian  and 
Bulgarian  frontiers.  In  anticipation  of  an 
Austrian  attack  down  the  Morava  Valley  the 
Serbian  Armies,  from  west  to  east,  were  grouped 
as  follows : 

(1)  First  Army  (commanded  by  Voivode  Misitch) 
along  a  line  :  Vichigrad-Drina  embouchure-Ostrus- 
nitza. 

(2)  Belgrade  Defence  Army  from  Ostrusnitza 
along  the  Danube  to  east  of  Grotzka. 

(3)  Third  Army  from  Grotzka  to  Golubats. 

(4)  Kraina  Detachment,  Golubats  to  Timok 
embouchure. 

(5)  Timok  Detachment,  Timok  to  north-east 
of  Nich. 

(6)  Second  Army,  east  of  Nich  to  east  of  Vrania. 

(7)  Uskub  Defence  Force  from  Vrania  through 
Egri  Palanka  to  Ishtib. 

Mackensen's  operations  began  (September  23) 
with  several  hours'  intense  artillery  preparation 
followed  by  a  general  attack  of  Germans  and 
Austrians  across  the  Save,  Danube,  and  Drina. 
On  this  front  alone  the  enemy  outnumbered  the 
Serbs  by  one -half  and,  although  not  all  were 
troops  of  the  finest  quality,  they  were  everywhere 
supported  by  overwhelmingly  superior  artillery. 


120  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

It  is  surprising  that  the  Serbs  held  out  as  long 
as  they  did.  Not  till  ten  days  continual  bombard- 
ment and  repeated  attacks  over  the  Morava, 
Kolubara,  and  Belgrade  sectors  were  they  forced 
to  yield  ground  appreciably.  In  face  of  the  deadly 
bombardment,  as  intense  as  any  on  the  Western 
Front,  it  is  doubtful  whether  their  total  military 
resources  could  have  coped  with  the  situation, 
even  were  the  Bulgarian  menace  non-existent. 
By  the  time  Bulgaria  threw  aside  all  pretence  at 
neutrality,  and  without  declaring  war  attacked 
across  their  frontier  line  (September  29),  the 
^'bejania,''  the  great  retreat,  though  not  yet  in 
full  career,  had  become  inevitable. 

To  trace  the  stages  of  this  retreat  would 
involve  the  enumeration  of  a  long  series  of  names 
unfamiliar  to  the  majority  of  English  readers. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  when  Bulgaria  actually 
declared  war  (October  12)  the  abandonment  of 
Nich  and  Kragoyevats  had  become  inevitable. 
Tchatchak,  and  afterwards  Kraljevo,  then  became 
the  main  headquarters  of  the  Serbian  Army,  while 
the  seat  of  government  was  transferred  partly  to 
Monastir  and  partly  to  Prishtina.  Both  Oujitse 
and  Tchatchak  were  abandoned  in  the  last  days  of 
October,  and  as  early  as  the  end  of  the  second 


BRITISH-SERBIAN  HOSPITAL  AND 
SERBIAN  CAMP,  MIKRA  (OCTOBER  2,  1916) 

Re-equipped  by  the  British  and  French,  the  Serbian 
contingents,  on  arrival,  were  usually  sent  into  camp 
at  that  general  dumping-ground  for  new-comers 
which  lay  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Salonika 
Bay,  between  Kalemaria  and  Mikra.  The  vacant 
premises  of  the  Greek  Agricultural  College,  beneath 
the  hill  on  the  right,  were  taken  over  by  us  and 
converted  into  a  hospital  for  Serbian  sick  and 
wounded. 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  121 

week,  on  the  very  day  when  General  Sarrail  began 
to  move  troops  up  the  Vardar  towards  Krivolak, 
rail  and  telegraph  communication  with  Salonika 
had  been  severed  by  the  natural  course  of  the 
Bulgarian  advance.  Thus,  as  Greece,  or  rather  a 
Greek  government  that  was  at  the  time  a  mere 
tool  of  King  Constantine,  had  flatly  refused  to 
carry  out  the  terms  of  the  treaty  with  Serbia,  and 
the  Allies  had  sent  their  help  too  late,  Serbia  was 
isolated  and  hopelessly  outnumbered. 

Nothing  in  the  whole  history  of  the  war,  not 
even  the  overwhelming  of  Belgium,  is  comparable 
with  the  mental  and  physical  sufferings  of  the 
Serbs  during  their  march  across  Albania.  Rations 
were  of  the  scantiest,  boots  and  equipment 
completely  worn  out,  spirits  exhausted.  Every- 
where along  the  line  of  retirement  old  men, 
women,  and  children,  all  destitute  and  all  mad- 
dened by  fear  of  the  invader,  clinging  to  a  few  rain- 
sodden  and  mud -soiled  belongings,  were  jumbled 
together  with  cattle  and  wounded  in  the  most 
unsanitary  conditions  imaginable ;  while  the  pro- 
tecting residue  of  the  Serbian  Army  continued  to 
swell  their  ranks  by  sending  down  ever-increasing 
contingents  of  unguarded  prisoners  and  sick. 

Barefooted   and    covered    with    mud,   through 

16 


122  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

long  weeks  of  rain  and  intense  cold,  the  stream  of 
mingled  refugees  and  soldiers  continued  its  flight. 
The  heroism  of  King  Peter,  himself  grievously 
sick,  and  the  personal  devotion  it  inspired  in  all 
ranks  did  not  succeed  in  overcoming  the  natural 
tendency  towards  desertion  of  soldiers  who  before 
the  war  had  been  simple  peasants  in  localities  passed 
through  by  the  retreating  army. 

Though  many  died  by  the  way,  the  majority 
at  any  rate  remained  steadfast  and  plodded  on 
through  snow  and  bitter  cold  across  the  Albanian 
highlands.  A  straggling  remnant  of  little  more 
than  130,000  men,  40,000  horses,  and  10,000  oxen, 
with  310  machine  and  81  field  guns,  finally  reached 
the  Adriatic  shore  in  three  main  batches,  all  the 
men  being  utterly  worn  out  and  most  of  them  clad 
in  the  scantiest  residue  of  clothing.  The  largest 
batch  made  straight  for  Durazzo ;  the  two  smaller 
first  touched  the  coast,  the  one  at  Scutari,  the 
other  at  Valona. 

Meanwhile  the  Bulgars  were  advancing  towards 
Elbasan  and  Montenegro  was  being  hard  pressed 
by  Mackensen's  victorious  armies  (December  1915). 
Essad  Pasha  had  only  5000  Albanian  gendarmes, 
and  the  exhausted  Serbs  could  not  be  expected  to 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  123 

make  a  stand  without  time  to  re-equip  and  re- 
organise their  depleted  units.  Concentrating, 
therefore,  at  Durazzo,  they  and  the  refugees  were 
embarked,  both  there  and  at  Valona,  as  speedily 
as  possible  on  such  transport  as  could  be  provided 
by  the  Allies.  Thanks  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
precautions  taken  by  Allied  naval  authorities  not 
one  of  the  vessels  was  attacked  by  submarines. 

Towards  the  end  of  March  1916  the  whole 
remainder  of  the  Serbian  Army  and  material  had 
been  safely  landed  at  Corfu,  and  were  well  on  with 
the  work  of  re-equipment  and  reorganisation  under 
joint  control  of  the  different  Military  Missions 
sent  out  by  the  Allies.  By  April  1  the  first 
contingents  were  ready  for  shipment  to  Salonika, 
whither  King  Peter  and  the  Prince  Regent  had 
already  gone.  With  very  praiseworthy  despatch 
they  were  conveyed  by  French  vessels  to  a 
specially  prepared  landing-place  at  Mikra,  6  miles 
south  of  Salonika,  where  all  came  ashore  in  safety 
during  May.  The  summer  was  spent  in  further 
training  at  Mikra  and  in  taking  over  the  sector 
west  of  the  Vardar  that  had  been  allotted  them. 

Hardly  had  they  done  this  when  the  Bulgars 
began  their  attack  (August  18).  Forced  to  retreat 
on  Ostrovo,  the  new  Serbian  Army  soon  proved 


124  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

itself  to  be  not  inferior  to  the  old  army  in  defensive 
warfare  and,  by  the  superb  dash  and  courage  it 
displayed  throughout  subsequent  operations,  won 
for  itself  lasting  glory.  In  the  whole  history  of 
the  war  on  all  its  fronts  it  would  be  hard  to  find 
a  storming  achievement  to  match  the  taking  of 
Kaimactchalan  and  the  subsequent  rapid  advance 
over  the  Tcherna  area.  It  was  only  the  Serbs' 
combined  dash  and  staying  power  that  enabled  the 
Allies'  counter-offensive  to  succeed  in  winning  as 
far  as  Monastir. 

Throughout  the  two  years'  hiatus  in  progress 
that  followed  the  Allies'  entry  into  Monastir,  no 
soldiers  of  the  armies  based  on  Salonika  could 
have  felt  a  tithe  of  the  mental  anguish  each  Serb 
must  have  daily  endured.  Their  country,  on  the 
map,  had  ceased  to  exist,  their  wives  and  children 
were  at  the  mercy  of  the  Austrian  or  Bulgarian 
invader.  They  had  for  long  ceased  to  receive  any 
news  of  them.  They,  who  were  now  called  upon 
to  play  what  then  seemed  a  very  inglorious,  minor 
part  in  the  direction  of  operations,  had  sacrificed 
all  they  possessed  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  found 
thepiselves  compelled  to  wait  the  good  pleasure  of 
the  greater  Powers.  It  was  but  natural  that, 
occasionally,  blank  despair  seized  on  many  of  them 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  125 

in  this,  perhaps,  the  darkest  of  all  their  periods  of 
trial. 

During  that  time,  as  also  from  the  outset  of 
the  defence  of  Belgrade,  to  which  he  and  the 
international  naval  brigade  he  then  commanded 
gave  no  small  assistance.  Admiral  Sir  E.  C.  T. 
Troubridge,  British  naval  officer  and  diplomatist, 
did  more  to  smooth  over  difficulties  of  mutual  com- 
prehension between  the  Serbs  and  the  Allies  than 
did  any  other  man.  When  after  the  '^bejania" 
the  naval  brigade  ceased  to  exist,  he  stayed  on 
as  British  liaison  officer  attached  to  the  Prince 
Regent's  headquarters.  He  was  thus  enabled  to 
obtain  first-hand  knowledge  of  any  grievances  or 
misunderstandings  that  arose,  and  frequently  to  set 
matters  right  before  they  took  too  grave  a  turn. 
Till  the  end  of  the  war  he  carried  on  these  most 
delicate  and  indispensable  functions,  being  quar- 
tered, when  up  country,  at  Monastir  and  later  on 
at  Vrbeni,  and  having  also  his  house  at  Salonika, 
where  he  lived  when  the  Prince  Regent  was  at 
the  Base.  The  Serbs  regarded  him  as  their  best 
friend  among  the  Allies,  and  his  genial  and  pic- 
turesque personality  was  perhaps  the  most  familiar 
among  those  of  all  British  officers  on  the  Salonika 
Front.     After  King  Peter  and  the  Prince  Regent 


126  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  stalwart  and  stately  forms  of  Voivode  Misitch 
and  General  Vassitch,  who  commanded  at  Ostrovo 
and  Kaimactehalan,  were  constantly  in  evidence  at 
Salonika  and  travelling  to  and  fro  to  the  battle-fronts. 
With  such  chiefs  spared  them  the  Serbs  could  not 
fail  to  be  "  a  people  still,"  and  thanks  to  their  efforts 
the  men's  spirits  were  kept  throughout  at  concert 
pitch,  ready  for  the  final,  glorious  part  they  were  to 
play. 

All  who  are  familiar  with  the  course  of  events 
on  this  front  must  admit  that  it  was  to  the  irresist- 
ible dash  and  courage  of  the  Serbs  we  owed  the 
complete  and  rapid  final  victory  achieved  last 
autumn.  Their  marvellous  mobility,  and  the  un- 
quenchable spirit  of  patriotism  that  inspired  them, 
combined  with  that  unique  power  they  seemed  to 
possess  of  existing  for  whole  fortnights  without 
regular  rations  of  any  kind,  enabled  the  sword- 
thrust  provided  by  their  first  onset  to  be  driven 
to  the  heart  of  their  own  invaded  country, 
and  thus  to  cut  irretrievably  the  Bulgarian 
communications. 

On  the  morning  after  their  advance  had  got 
fully  under  way  the  inhabitants  of  Monastir,  for 
the  first  time  during  nearly  two  years,  had  the 


THE  SERBIAN  EFFORT  127 

almost  unhoped-for  joy  of  coming  out  of  their 
cellars  by  day  without  fear  of  shell-fire. 

Those  who  followed  close  in  the  wake  of  the 
Serbs'  great  advance,  for  example  from  Monastir 
to  Prilep,  found  first  of  all  about  a  couple  of  miles 
of  shell-pitted  roadway,  and  then,  as  that  improved, 
saw  evidence  on  all  sides  of  the  Bulgars'  retreat. 
Valuable  stores,  with  equipment  and  munitions  of 
all  descriptions,  lay  scattered  about  in  the  utmost 
confusion  and  disorder.  Here  and  there  hurried 
attempts  seemed  to  have  been  made  by  the  enemy 
to  set  fire  to  a  building  or  a  haystack,  though 
frequently  with  only  partial  success.  All  proved 
that  the  retreat  had  been  precipitate  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  it  was  not  surprising  that  it  developed 
later  on  into  a  complete  rout. 

Whatever  be  the  final  result  of  that  Yugo-Slav 
panacea  which,  as  its  enthusiasts  predict,  is  to 
provide  the  cure  for  all  political  ills  in  the  Balkans, 
the  Serbs  have  at  any  rate  won  a  right  to  an 
honourable  place  among  Balkan  peoples,  if  only 
by  their  sheer  bravery  and  unfaltering  devotion  to 
the  Allies'  cause. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   GREEK    EFFORT 

Political  difficulties  in  1914 — King  Constantine's  autocratic  policy — 
His  predilection,  our  Dardanelles  failure  and  our  offers  to  Bulgaria 
momentarily  turn  Greek  partiality  towards  the  Central  Powers — 
The  Bulgarian  advance  causes  a  rapid  change  in  Greek  public 
opinion — Salonika  Revolution — Army  of  National  Defence  occupies 
the  Guevgueli  sector  (April  1917) — King  Constantine  abdicates — 
United  Greece's  new  army — Equipment,  training,  and  transport 
difficulties — The  full  army  takes  the  field  (April  1918) — Greek 
participation  in  the  general  offensive  against  Bulgaria  and  in 
subsequent  operations — The  Muleteer  Corps,  Macedonian  road 
makers — A  Greek  regiment  on  the  march — Hardships  endured — 
Sick  and  wounded — M.  Venizelos  and  his  adherents — Debt  of 
gratitude  owed  them  by  the  Allies — Hellenistic  aspirations — The 
Greek  point  of  view. 

The  problem  of  partisanship  which  all  Balkan 
peoples  found  themselves  obliged  to  face  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Great  War  was,  in  the  case  of 
Greece,  a  decidedly  difficult  one  to  resolve.  Serbia 
was  her  ally ;  Bulgaria  did  not  hide  her  intention 
of  finding  a  favourable  moment  to  occupy  certain 
parts  of  Macedonia.  Turkey,  moreover,  laid  claim 
to  all  the  islands  captured  in  1912  by  the  Greek 

128 


RUPEL  PASS 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  129 

Army  and  Fleet.  Also,  while  the  aims  and 
resources  of  the  Entente  were  not  clearly  under- 
stood, the  military  efficiency  of  the  Central  Powers 
was  at  least  thoroughly  appreciated  and  not  a  little 
feared. 

To  Greek  statesmen  therefore  the  only  safe 
attitude  at  the  outset  seemed  to  be  that  of  a 
watchful  and  very  perilous  neutrality.  As  soon 
as  both  Bulgaria  and  Turkey  showed  their  hands 
they  would  probably  have  to  take  sides  with  one 
or  other  of  the  belligerents,  but,  until  Bulgaria 
attacked  Serbia,  Greece  was  not  bound  to  enter 
the  conflict  at  all. 

When  Turkey  did  at  length  make  her  choice, 
M.  Venizelos,  foreseeing  very  clearly  what  course 
Bulgaria  would  ultimately  pursue,  suggested  to 
King  Constantine  the  advisability  of  a  Greek  force 
being  sent  to  take  part  in  the  Franco-British 
attack  on  the  Dardanelles,  but  the  king  refused  his 
consent. 

Then  began  that  period  of  absolute  autocratic 
control  by  King  Constantine  which  ultimately 
brought  about  his  own  downfall.  Modelling  him- 
self on  his  brother-in-law,  the  Kaiser,  and  relying 
on  the  confidence  his  past  successes  as  supreme 

Commander   of    the   Army   inspired   in   all  loyal 

17 


130  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Greeks,  he  completely  ignored  the  Greek  Constitu- 
tion and  sent  personal  assurances  to  Bulgaria  and 
the  Central  Powers,  promising  both  to  persist  in 
neutrality  even  though  Bulgaria  attacked  Serbia. 

Meanwhile  our  failure  to  force  the  Dardanelles 
did  not  tend  to  heighten  the  Greek  estimate  of  the 
Allies'  military  and  naval  resources ;  and,  in  addition 
to  their  own  sovereign's  marked  predilection  for 
and  belief  in  the  Central  Powers,  they  heard  with 
consternation  of  our  offer  to  cede  large  portions 
of  their  own  territory  to  Bulgaria  as  an  induce- 
ment to  participate  in  the  conflict  on  our  side 
(June  1915). 

King  Constantine  had  been  obliged  to  recall 
M.  Venizelos  to  power,  and  the  latter,  as  soon  as 
Bulgaria  mobilised  (Sept.  1915),  ordered  a  general 
mobilisation  of  the  Greek  Army.  In  a  formal 
declaration  made  before  the  Greek  Chamber  he 
then  defined  the  object  of  this  mobilisation  as 
being,  by  virtue  of  the  alliance  with  Serbia,  against 
both  Bulgaria  and  the  Central  Powers.  As  the 
majority  of  the  Chamber  approved  of  these  views 
it  was  at  once  dissolved  by  the  king,  who  dis- 
missed M.  Venizelos  and  substituted  a  new 
ministry  entirely  subservient  to  his  own  wishes. 
This   ministry  refused   point   blank  to  carry  out 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  131 

the  terms  of  the  alliance  with  Serbia,  kept  up 
the  general  mobilisation,  and,  under  the  cloak  of 
neutrality,  held  themselves  in  readiness  for  active 
co-operation  with  the  Central  Powers. 

Although  plans  in  this  direction  were  frustrated 
by  the  arrival  of  the  Franco  -  British  forces  at 
Salonika,  King  Constantine's  pronounced  partiality 
for  his  German  relatives,  influencing  as  it  did  all 
his  own  loyal  subjects,  continued  to  be  for  several 
months  a  formidable  menace.  Had  not  energetic 
measures  been  taken  by  the  Allies  immediately 
after  the  handing  over  to  the  Bulgars  of  Fort 
Rupel,  the  king's  policy  might  have  still  had  very 
disastrous  effects. 

When  the  Bulgars  occupied  eastern  Macedonia, 
winning  control  over  Rupel,  Drama,  Seres,  and 
Kavalla,  great  indignation  was  aroused  among 
Macedonian  Greeks ;  which,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  eventually  brought  about  the  Salonika 
Revolution.  Although  the  Athens  Government 
still  continued  to  exist,  Greece  had  thenceforth 
its  provisional  government  established  at  Salonika 
under  the  direction  of  M.  Venizelos,  and  volunteers 
for  a  new  Army  of  National  Defence  speedily 
collected.  The  first  battalion  of  this  army  was 
sent  to  assist  the  British  in  the   Struma   sector 


132  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

(Sept.  1916),  and  in  a  few  months  four  divisions  of 
volunteers  were  fully  equipped  and  ready  for 
service.  Being  allotted  the  Guevgueli  sector  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Vardar,  these  soon  proved 
their  sterling  military  qualities,  and  their  work  in 
the  field  was  admirably  supported  by  certain  heroic 
Greek  ladies  who,  at  grave  risk  to  their  own 
health,  gave  all  their  energies  to  helping  at  the 
Greek  field  hospital  established  at  Dreveno. 

Upon  the  enforced  abdication  of  King  Con- 
stantine  (June  1917)  the  whole  of  Greece  became 
at  least  nominally  unified  under  the  Venizelist 
government ;  but  as  the  royalist  section  of  the 
Greek  Army  had  long  been  demobilised,  and  its 
members  had  become  disheartened  by  the  in- 
glorious part  they  had  been  compelled  to  play  in 
the  war,  there  was  considerable  spade  work  to 
be  done  before  this  army  could  take  the  field. 
Besides  the  necessary  training  of  the  men  and 
of  several  thousand  new  officers,  there  were  also 
countless  requirements  in  the  way  of  munitions 
and  equipment,  very  difficult  things  for  the  Allies 
to  provide  at  short  notice,  and,  in  view  of  the 
submarine  menace,  still  more  difficult  to  transport. 

This  work  of  reorganisation  and  training  was 
completed    by    the    beginning    of   the    following 


DREVENO,  THE  FIRST  GREEK  FIELD 
HOSPITAL 

On  the  right  bank  of  the  Vardar  south  of  Guevgueli, 
this  hospital,  controlled  by  Greek  doctors  and  with 
a  nursing  staff  composed  mainly  of  Greek  ladies, 
was  the  means  of  saving  many  lives.  Here  as 
almost  everywhere  malaria  was  rife  and  several  of 
the  most  devoted  voluntary  workers  fell  victims  to 
the  disease. 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  133 

spring  (1918),  and  the  new  army  at  once  took  up 
positions  in  the  line.  It  soon  proved  itself  to  be 
in  no  way  inferior  to  the  first  volunteer  Venizelist 
divisions,  and,  in  conjunction  with  what  remained 
of  them,  captured  over  2000  Bulgars,  completely 
annihilating  the  49th  Bulgarian  regiment  (May  30). 
By  September  1918  the  Greeks  had  in  the  field 
divisions  which,  under  command  of  General 
Paraskevopoulos,  were  disposed  as  follows  : 

13th  Division  :  Orfano  to  Jenimah. 
1st  Division  :  Jenimah  to  Jenikoi. 
2nd  Division :  Jenikoi  to  Butkovo. 
Cretan  Division  :  in  line  east  of  Lake  Doiran. 
Seres  Division  :  in  line  west  of  Lake  Doiran. 
Archipelago  Division  :  in  line  along  Mala  Rupa. 
3rd  Division  (2  Regiments)  :  in  line  on  the  Serbian  left. 
3rd    Division   (1    Regiment) :    in    line   between    lakes 
Prespa  and  Ochrida. 

When  the  final  offensive  started,  the  Greeks 
were  solely  responsible  for  the  Struma  front 
demonstration  which,  like  our  own  "Pip"  Ridge 
attacks,  held  up  considerable  Bulgarian  forces. 
They  took  a  large  part  with  us  in  the  fight  along 
the  sectors  contiguous  to  Lake  Doiran,  and,  being 
used  to  mountain  warfare,  were  of  incalculable 
assistance  throughout  the  whole  period  of  our 
subsequent  advance. 


134  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

On  the  right  bank  of  the  Vardar,  too,  in 
conjunction  with  the  French,  they  pursued  the 
retreating  Bulgars  as  far  as  Demir-Kapu  and 
acted  as  a  protecting  screen  to  the  Serbian  right 
flank  ;  also,  after  the  capitulation  of  Bulgaria,  they 
took  their  full  share  in  all  manoeuvres  and  opera- 
tions connected  with  the  occupation  of  parts  of 
Asia  Minor  and  of  the  territory  south  of  the 
Danube. 

In  short,  the  advent  on  the  different  sectors  of 
the  front  of  this  total  force  of  about  400,000 
Greeks  insured  for  us  the  numerical  superiority 
necessary  for  final  victory,  and  their  achievement 
was,  in  many  respects,  analogous  to  the  service 
rendered  by  the  American  Expeditionary  Force 
in  France. 

As  far  back  as  the  first  year's  operations  a 
khaki-clad  Greek  Muleteer  Corps  had  been  formed 
on  the  civilian  contract  basis  and  mainly  under 
British  control.  Their  teams  continued  to  act  as 
supply  columns  to  several  of  the  more  inaccessible 
parts  of  the  front,  until,  on  the  formation  of  the 
new  army,  most  were  absorbed  in  other  Greek 
units. 

The  mixed   civilian    population   also    provided 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  135 

abundant  labour  material,  and  throughout  the 
lines  of  communication  area  were  to  be  seen 
breaking  stones  and  mending  roads.  This  being 
among  the  most  essential  of  services  rendered  to 
the  Allies  in  Macedonia,  it  must  also  be  included 
in  the  sum  of  Greece's  total  effort,  although  the 
workers  were  all  paid  at  far  higher  rates  than  they 
had  ever  before  received  for  such  labour. 

A  Greek  regiment  on  the  march,  whether  on 
its  way  to  the  front  through  the  flag-decked  streets 
of  Salonika  or  winding  snake-like  along  mountain 
roads,  was  always  an  interesting  sight.  Clad  in 
French  blue  or  British  khaki,  these  extremely 
tough  and  wiry  brown- skinned  warriors,  generally 
of  small  stature,  seemed  more  than  any  others 
made  for  mountain  warfare.  Always  sprightly 
and  cheerful,  they  stood  the  climate  variations  far 
more  easily  than  did  the  Allies,  and  although  many 
succumbed  to  malaria  they  did  not  seem  to  suffer 
so  severely  as  did  our  own  men. 

To  see  the  Greek  wounded,  at  advanced  points 
in  the  line,  cheerfully  waiting  their  turn  for 
attention,  and,  especially  after  the  last  attacks, 
accepting  with  equanimity  what  scanty  rations 
and  treatment  could  be  meted  out  to  them, 
huddled  together  the  while  in   hard-floored   and 


186  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

painfully  jolting  lorries,  with  only  a  few  handfuls 
of  straw  to  lie  on,  was  a  heart-rending  and,  at  the 
same  time,  inspiring  spectacle. 

Such  at  any  rate  knew  what  war  meant,  their 
country  having  only  recently  come  successfully 
through  two  national  struggles  to  be  forcibly 
dragged  anew  into  this  European  conflict.  The 
consciousness  of  their  past  achievements  must  have 
stood  them  in  good  stead,  and  assisted  them  as 
nothing  else  could  in  keeping  up  that  concert  pitch 
of  efficiency  which  was  necessary  throughout  the 
final  advance. 

Over  and  above  other  facts  worthy  of  note  by 
any  one  who  considers  Greece's  contribution  to  the 
Allies'  cause  was  the  pre-eminent,  all -pervading 
personality  of  the  greatest  statesman  the  Balkans 
ever  produced,  M.  Venizelos.  Were  it  not  for  his 
firm  stand  and  for  the  effect  it  had  upon  the 
majority  of  Greeks,  none  of  whom  would  other- 
wise have  dared  commit  themselves,  Greece 
would  at  least  have  remained  coldly  neutral 
throughout  the  war,  and  even  perhaps  become 
bitterly  hostile  to  our  cause. 

Nor  should  the  untiring  energy  and  ceaseless 
vigilance  of  his  many  distinguished  civilian  and 
military  assistants  be  left  out  of  account.     What 


PITON  ROCHEUX,   BELES  AND  KRUSHA 
BALKAN 

The  junction  between  our  Independent  Brigade  in 
the  Krusha  Balkan  and  the  right  wing  of  our  12th 
Corps  front,  at  the  extreme  south  of  Lake  Doiran. 
The  lake  is  just  beyond  the  first  line  of  hills,  the 
small  peak  of  which  to  the  extreme  left  is  Piton 
Rocheux.  The  relative  height  of  the  Bulgars'  Beles 
stronghold,  seen  along  the  horizon,  is  clearly  shown. 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  137 

men  like  Generals  Danglis  and  Paraskevopoulos 
achieved  in  a  military  sense  was  at  least  equalled, 
on  the  civilian  side,  by  indefatigable  workers  such 
as  M.  Adossides,  who  alternately  held  office  as 
Prefect  of  Salonika  and  Governor  of  Macedonia. 
At  a  time  when  the  health,  safety,  and  success 
of  the  Allied  armies  in  the  Balkans  depended  upon 
the  rapid  solution  of  countless  very  pressing 
problems  connected  with  the  organised  control  of 
the  mixed  civilian  population  throughout  the  war 
areas,  it  was  mainly  due  to  his  untiring  personal 
efforts  that  such  difficulties  were  met  and  overcome 
with  the  necessary  despatch. 

That  very  natural  feeling  of  distrust  and 
animosity  against  Greece,  which  in  the  early  stages 
of  the  war  was  rife  among  most  of  the  Allies,  long 
before  our  operations  developed,  ceased  to  have 
any  reasonable  foundation  in  the  domain  of  facts. 
No  state  that  was  a  member  of  the  Allies'  combine 
threw  itself  more  whole-heartedly  and  with  more 
singleness  of  purpose  into  the  overcoming  of  all 
obstacles  that  hindered  the  furtherance  of  our 
cause  than  did  Greece,  as  soon  as  she  won  free 
from  the  toils  of  Germanophil  court  influence. 

As  the  task  of  overcoming  the  Germano- 
Bulgarian   deadlock  with  our  forces  would   have 

18 


138  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

been  insurmountable  without  this  additional  moral 
and  military  weight,  the  debt  of  gratitude  the 
Allies  owe  to  M.  Venizelos  and,  after  him,  to  all 
participant  Greeks  cannot  be  adequately  expressed 
in  mere  words. 

Although  Greece  and  her  Serbian  allies  have 
thus,  a  third  time  within  the  past  seven  years,  won 
successfully  through  the  vortex  of  a  Balkan  war 
tempest,  much  in  the  way  of  consolidation  and 
almost  everything  on  the  side  of  industrial  develop- 
ment remains  to  be  done  by  both  before  they  can 
show  full  moral  justification  for  their  territorial 
claims. 

"  England  never  won  true  greatness  as  a 
nation  until  she  learnt  to  do  without  autocratic 
sovereignty."  This  remark  made  by  M.  Venizelos 
at  a  private  lunch  in  Salonika  immediately  after 
the  formal  signing  of  the  Bulgarian  Convention 
last  year,  although  it  was  not  intended  for 
publication,  lingers  in  the  memory  of  the  few 
who  heard  it.  Surely  Greece,  in  the  hands  of  such 
a  statesman,  will  at  least  have  every  opportunity 
of  starting  her  peace-time  career  upon  broad  and 
sound  principles  of  government.  Yet,  although 
no  student  of  Greece's  past  greatness  can  fail  to 
sympathise  with  even  the  widest-ranged  Hellenistic 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  139 

aspirations,  whatever  territorial  advantages  may  be 
accorded  her  at  the  outset  she  will  have  an 
uphill  task  of  many  years'  duration  before  winning 
free  from  the  relics  of  stagnation  that,  being  a 
legacy  of  centuries  of  Turkish  misrule,  still  remain 
a  severe  handicap  to  the  development  of  the 
Balkan  peoples. 

Somewhat  has  already  been  said  about  Greece's 
political  difficulties,  but  those  who  have  not 
studied  on  the  spot  the  countless  problems  with 
which  this  young  nation  is  faced  find  it  almost 
impossible  to  grasp  the  relative  values,  as  far  as 
Greece  is  concerned,  of  present  day  influences  at 
work  in  the  Balkans.  A  Greek  who,  although  he 
formerly  acted  as  head  of  a  secret  committee 
organised  to  frustrate  the  insidious  methods  em- 
ployed by  Bulgarian  propagandist  societies,  long 
since  retired  from  political  life,  being  asked  to  set 
down  his  views  in  writing  last  autumn,  made  many 
interesting  remarks  concerning  public  opinion  in 
Greece,  and  of  some  of  these  the  following  is  a 
translation  : 

"  War  conditions  have  produced  among  Greeks 
a  temporarily  abnormal  psychological  state,  which 
has  not  tended  towards  any  adequate  mutual 
understanding  between  individual  Greeks  and  the 


140  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

various  representatives  of  the  Allies  whose  duties 
brought  them  to  Salonika. 

"French  ways  of  thought  and  French  financial 
interests  had  made  such  progress  in  Greece  prior 
to  the  war  that  it  would  have  been  compara- 
tively easy,  at  one  time,  for  France  to  establish 
almost  colonial  suzerainty  in  Greece.  She  chose 
instead  to  be  content  with  posing  as  the  pro- 
tector of  Levantine  Catholics,  and  left  Russia 
the  part  of  protecting  members  of  the  Greek 
Church. 

*'  Greece  thus,  while  developing  a  strong  religious 
tie  with  Russia,  being  anti-Catholic,  learnt  to  mis- 
trust the  Catholic  missions,  which  were  rather  more 
international  than  purely  national  in  character, 
and  tended  to  become  centres  of  anti- Greek 
intrigue,  offering  shelter  at  times  to  Bulgarian 
propagandists.  Knowing  well  that  Russia  was 
Bulgarophil  and  aimed  at  winning  control  of 
Constantinople,  the  Greeks  lost  faith  by  degrees 
both  in  France  and  Russia.  Italy,  too,  was  sus- 
pected of  designs  on  Epirus  and  certain  parts  of 
Asia  Minor.  England's  point  of  view  was  un- 
known ;  she  was  thought  to  be  mainly  Bulgarophil. 
Austria  and  Germany  were  gaining  control  of 
Greek    and    Turkish    markets    by    flooding    the 


THE   "PIP,"   RIDGE 


THE  GREEK  EFFORT  141 

Balkans  with  cheap  goods,  and  were  therefore  not 
trusted  at  all. 

"When  the  Allies  landed  at  Salonika  they 
naturally  ran  against  hotel-keepers,  shop-keepers, 
carriage  drivers,  etc.,  all  intent  on  making  money, 
and  they  gleaned  from  this  momentarily  venal 
keenness  of  one  class  an  impression  that  was  not  a 
true  one  of  the  whole  Greek  people.  The  Greeks 
resented  the  rigid  treatment  meted  out  to  them 
by  the  Allies'  military  measures,  and  this  helped 
the  anti-ally  current  of  feeling  that  belief  in  King 
Constantine's  policy  of  Germanophil  neutrality 
had  already  fanned  into  flame. 

"  The  French,  on  arrival,  did  not  consider  them- 
selves among  friends,  and  adopted,  perhaps,  an 
unnecessarily  harsh  demeanour  towards  all  Greeks. 
The  Serbs  did  likewise,  because  they  thought 
Greece  had  betrayed  them.  The  British,  ignorant 
of  other  tongues  than  their  own,  remained  aloof 
and  apart,  but  as  they  paid  whatever  they  were 
asked,  no  matter  how  exorbitant,  and  as  they 
treated  women  with  courteous  restraint,  they 
produced  a  remarkably  good  impression,  an  im- 
pression which  was  greatly  enhanced  by  the  way 
in  which  the  R.A.M.C.  lavished  their  attention  on 
all  poor  people,  no  matter  of  what  race  or  creed. 


142  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

and  also  by  the  obviously  unselfish  part  they  were 
playing,  i.e.  they  did  not  appear  to  have  come  to 
Macedonia  to  benefit  themselves. 

"Thus,  while  this,  his  first  contact  with  the 
British  in  any  considerable  numbers,  has  had  a 
good  effect  on  the  Greek,  he  still  fears  a  recru- 
descence of  British  Bulgarophil  policy,  yet  still 
desires  the  support  of  what  seems  to  him  the  most 
altruistic  of  the  Greater  Powers,  as  far  as  Balkan 
politics  are  concerned." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   BRITISH   EFFORT 

Sea  and  land  communications — Transport  difficulties — Inadequacy  of 
numbers — Achievement  of  the  10th  Division — The  ^'  Birdcage ''  and 
after — R.E.  Works — The  expected  Bulgarian  attack — Consolida- 
tion of  a  new  line — The  deadly  climate — Tlie  unhealthy  Struma 
Valley — Heat  stroke — Dysentery — Malarial  debility — Nostalgia — 
Shell-swept  trenches — Dwindling  friends — Influenza — Facing  an 
impregnable  stronghold — The  "Pips"  and  what  they  mean  to 
Britons  who  served  long  years  in  front  of  them — How  British  grit 
and  perseverance  wore  out  the  Bulgars'  watchfulness — Final 
winning  of  Grand  Couronne  and  the  Beles — Kosturino  Pass  and 
Strumnitza — Advance  to  the  Danube — Advance  against  Turkey — 
Supply  and  Transport — R.E.  Survey — Ordnance  Stores — E.F. 
Canteen — Corps  Headquarters — ^^C.H.A.  " — Indian  and  Greek 
Transport — Group  Headquarters — Anti- Aircraft — A  Mountain 
*'  O.P.  " — Yeoman  Cavalry — With  the  Infantry — Festive  occasions 
— After  the  ^^Pips"  were  taken — Medical  Service — Sanitary  and 
Anti-Malarial  measures — The  "Scottish  Women" — Feminine 
heroism — British  Serbian  hospitals. 

What  can  be  added  to  that  which  has  already 
been  said  regarding  our  own  British  effort?  At 
the  outset,  our  lines  of  communication  with  home 
bases,  excepting  those  of  the  so  speedily  dis- 
membered Russian  contingent,  were  by  far  the 
longest  and  the  most  beset  with  transport  diffi- 

143 


144  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

culties.  It  was  not  until  well  on  in  the  campaign 
that  we  were  able  to  make  use  of  overland  routes 
through  France  and  Italy.  We  had,  moreover, 
no  certainty  of  being  able  to  keep  up  the  strength 
of  the  comparatively  small  body  of  troops  with 
which  we  started  to  join  battle  on  this  remote  and, 
in  the  opinion  of  England's  political  magnates,  least 
important  of  all  fronts. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  splendid  and  for 
ever  memorable  achievement,  immediately  it  landed, 
of  the  already  fatigued  and  depleted  10th  Division. 
The  marvel  was  that,  although  they  provided  a 
flank  screen  under  cover  of  which  the  whole  of  the 
French  forces  up  the  Vardar  were  able  to  with- 
draw in  safety,  those  staunch  Irishmen,  hard 
pressed  and  far  outnumbered  by  the  Bulgars, 
weakened  by  cold,  hunger,  and  sickness,  were  yet 
able  to  withdraw  with  but  slight  battle  casualties. 

Throughout  the  period  of  defensive  preparation 
within  the  "  Birdcage  "  our  men  had  very  important 
tasks  to  fulfil.  The  R.E.  Works  had  not  only  to 
make  use  of  every  available  member  of  the  Corps 
but  also  to  call  upon  all  other  units  that  could  be 
spared  to  help  carry  out  the  protracted  and  very 
onerous  engineering  operations  which  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  line  demanded. 


LAKE  DOIRAN,  EASTERN  END 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  145 

For  several  months  the  whole  British  Salonika 
force  worked  night  and  day  at  the  strengthening 
of  our  positions  along  the  right-hand  sector  of  the 
'*  Birdcaore."  Then  came  the  tentative  advance, 
during  the  early  months  of  1916,  to  positions 
farther  up-country,  positions  that  had  first  to  be 
reconnoitred  by  our  infantry  and  cavalry  patrols. 

As  soon  as  it  was  decided  to  occupy  the  Vardar- 
Doiran,  Krusha-Balkan,  and  Struma  Valley  fronts, 
the  whole  of  the  constructive  engineering  work, 
beset  with  countless  fresh  difficulties,  had  to  be 
undertaken  anew  on  a  far  larger  scale.  All  this 
was  done  in  daily,  almost  hourly  dread  of  a 
formidable  attack. 

Working  at  feverish  heat  throughout  the 
oppressive  summer  months,  our  men,  although 
considerably  reinforced,  did  not  fail  to  suffer  from 
their  first  experience  of  the  debilitating  effects  of 
the  Balkan  climate.  During  this  first  summer 
over  3000  malaria-stricken  British  soldiers  were 
admitted  to  the  Casualty  Clearing  Stations  in  one 
day  from  two  divisions  on  the  Struma  front. 

Doubtless  the  Bulgars  of  this  region,  sprinkled 
in  more  or  less  formidable  detachments  along  the 
base  of  the  opposing  Beles  Range,  suffered 
considerably  also  during  this  first  summer.     At  any 

19 


146  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

rate,  both  they  and  ourselves,  having  learnt  a 
severe  lesson,  throughout  subsequent  summers 
took  care  to  w^ithdraw  to  the  foothills  on  either 
side  of  the  Struma  Valley ;  so  that,  when  the 
malarial  season  was  at  its  height,  a  low-lying 
and  fever-haunted  No  Man's  Land  of  from  twelve 
to  twenty  miles  in  width  had  to  be  constantly 
patrolled.  Nor  was  the  sickness  by  any  means 
confined  to  this  portion  of  the  front,  heat-stroke, 
dysentery,  and  malaria  being  everywhere  more  or 
less  prevalent. 

Out  of  the  trying  nature  of  the  climate,  the 
feeling  of  sheer  hopelessness  inspired  by  the 
strongly  fortified  mountain  barrier  that  faced  them 
on  the  whole  front,  and  the  despondency  that  is 
one  result  of  the  weakening  effects  of  repeated 
bouts  of  malaria  or  dysentery,  developed  that 
nostalgic  "ennui"  of  the  Balkans  to  which  most 
British  soldiers  who  served  there  sooner  or  later 
succumbed.  It  is  a  marvel  to  those  who  saw, 
on  the  spot,  the  countless  individual  manifestations 
of  this  unhealthy  mental  condition  among  all 
ranks  that  we  ever  won  through  the  long  and  most 
trying  period  of  semi-quiescence  which  preceded 
the  development  of  our  final  victorious  advance. 

Disease  casualties  increased,  and,  wounds  from 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  147 

shell-fire  being  not  infrequent,  the  survivors  saw 
their  friends  dwindle  one  by  one.  After  malaria 
and  dysentery  came  that  most  insidious  of  all 
disease  foes,  Influenza.  Yet,  when  circumstances 
at  length  enabled  us  to  sweep  over  the  whole 
country  of  the  "  Pip  "  Ridge,  even  this  last  scourge 
had  no  power  to  daunt  the  inherent  courage  of 
our  men,  several  of  whom,  finding  nothing  better 
to  do  than  to  "  go  sick  "  with  "  influenza  "  the  day 
previous  to  the  advance,  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  rejoin  their  units  as  soon  as  they  realised  the 
advance  had  indeed  begun. 

All  who  participated  in  the  long  vigil  that 
preceded  the  final  offensive  felt  they  were  up 
against  an  impregnable  mountain  barrier,  that  the 
home  folk  could  not  be  brought  to  understand  the 
stupendous  nature  of  the  problem  they  were  facing, 
and  that,  unless  something  little  short  of  a  miracle 
occurred,  those  among  them  who  survived  would 
go  on  sitting  there  for  ever  in  dead-lock  with  the 
enemy. 

Such  thoughts  as  these  preyed  constantly  on 
the  minds  of  those  who  served  opposite  that  most 
formidable  of  Bulgarian  natural  fortresses  of  which 
the  "Pip"  Ridge  formed  the  central  stronghold 
and  "  Grand  Couronne  "  the  main  bastion  towards 


148  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

the  east.  Strengthened  by  all  the  arts  of  modern 
German  warfare,  studded  everywhere  with  ex- 
ceedingly deep,  reinforced  concrete  dug-outs  and 
gun  emplacements,  this  gaunt  cluster  of  rugged 
peaks,  which  dominates  the  whole  surrounding 
country,  could  have  been  easily  held  against  far 
larger  opposing  infantry  contingents  without  any 
artificial  fortification. 

Even  after  the  enemy's  withdrawal  a  very  stiff 
climb  was  necessary  to  scale  these  peaks  success- 
fully. We  must  therefore  count  as  one  of  the 
chief  individual  achievements  of  the  war  the  fact 
that  certain  Welsh  and  Scottish  soldiers  really  did, 
in  face  of  the  enemy's  intense  machine-gun  and 
trench-mortar  fire,  rush  the  summits  of  both  Grand 
Couronn^  and  the  "Pip"  Ridge.  Although  only 
their  dead  bodies  were  found,  their  desperate 
attack,  combined  with  the  imminent  outflanking 
peril  brought  about  by  the  rapid  Allied  advance 
on  our  left,  no  doubt  provided  the  final  pressure 
which  caused  the  precipitate  abandonment  of  these 
heights  by  the  Bulgars. 

Captured  plans  and  maps  show  they  had  very 
accurate  information  regarding  the  disposition  of 
our  forces  and  the  exact  situation  of  our  batteries, 
but  they  did  not  appear  to  exhibit  a  skill  equal  to 


VERGETOR  CHURCH. 

Its  congregation  of  faithful  having  long  sought  other 
regions  (the  remains  of  their  village  consist  of 
a  few  stones),  this  church  became  successively, 
after  accumulated  dirt  had  been  cleaned  away,  a 
Brigade  Headquarters,  a  mess  and  chart  room,  and 
a  banquet  hall,  in  which  prominent  members  of  the 
Allied  forces  were  entertained.  It  was  subsequently 
used  for  Church  of  England  services. 


I? 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  149 

that  of  our  own  artillery  groups  in  counter-battery 
work.  They  seem  to  have  relied  mainly  upon 
machine-guns  and  trench -mortars  for  repelling 
attacks,  and  to  have  kept  their  own  guns  intact 
under  cover  of  their  solid  concrete  dug-outs, 
bringing  them  out  for  use  whenever  the  occasion 
required.  This  was,  perhaps,  the  best  method  of 
defence  for  a  force  in  possession  of  the  dominating 
heights  in  a  country  made  up  of  steep-sided  ravines 
and  narrow,  precipitous  nullahs  which  intersect 
one  another  in  all  directions,  and  in  which,  owing 
to  their  depth,  opposing  batteries  very  easily  found 
shelter.  As  compared  with  the  problem  British 
troops  had  to  face  on  the  western  front,  the 
difficulties  of  organising  an  attack  in  the  Balkans 
were  further  augmented  by  the  impossibility  of 
making  a  creeping  barrage  effective  round  the 
sharp  turns  and  tortuous  windings  of  these  deep 
and  narrow  ravines  which  almost  everywhere 
impeded  our  progress. 

Following  up  the  retreating  Bulgars  through 
Kosturino  to  the  Strumnitza  plateau  was  by  no 
means  an  easy  task.  Although  they  fled  in 
disorder,  leaving  behind  them  vast  stores,  they 
everywhere  contrived  to  destroy  bridges  and  leave 
roads    in    an    unsafe    condition.      Besides    wilful 


J  50  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

damage  to  these  roads,  they  left,  sprinkled  about 
in  profusion  among  the  thick  dust,  a  quantity  of 
unexploded  shells  and  hand-grenades,  and  this 
rendered  our  own  progress  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
That  we  so  speedily  won  through  to  Strumnitza 
and  far  beyond  it  speaks  volumes  for  the  efficiency 
of  all  arms,  and  especially  of  our  transport  services ; 
for  the  problem  of  how  to  get  adequate  rations  up 
to  our  rapidly  advancing  positions  became  daily 
more  and  more  acute,  particularly  as  the  roads, 
which,  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  Balkans,  led  round 
the  edge  of  precipices,  were  already  becoming 
sticky  owing  to  the  beginning  of  the  autumn  rains. 
After  the  signing  of  the  Bulgarian  Convention, 
General  Milne  received  orders  to  move,  by  way  of 
Petritch  and  Radomir,  through  Bulgaria  to  Widin 
on  the  Danube,  in  co-operation  with  the  French 
and  Serbs  and  against  Austria- Hungary.  Soon 
after  this  move  had  got  under  way  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Allied  troops  operating  against 
Turkey  (October  10)  and  ordered  to  transfer  his 
forces  eastwards.  When  news  of  the  armistice 
with  Turkey  reached  General  Headquarters 
(October  30),  two  British  and  one  French  divi- 
sion had  already  moved  towards  the  river  Maritza, 
and  were  on  the  point  of  seizing  the  bridges  as  a 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  151 

first  step  towards  occupying  Adrianople,  while  the 
1st  Hellenic  Division  had  advanced  between 
Kavalla  and  Drama,  preparatory  to  furthering  the 
general  move  against  Constantinople.  For  this 
rapid  advance  of  over  250  miles  it  was  necessary 
to  re-base  our  troops  on  small  ports  in  the  Aegean, 
and,  although  malaria  and  influenza  had  consider- 
ably reduced  our  strength,  those  officers  and  men 
who  were  still  left,  to  use  General  Milne's  own 
words,  "remained  in  the  ranks  until  often  they 
dropped  from  sheer  exhaustion." 

Everything  throughout  the  whole  period  of  our 
Balkan  operations  hinged  primarily  upon  our 
systems  of  supply  and  transport  and  upon  the 
wonderfully  efficient  work  carried  out  by  the 
Royal  Engineers.  Not  only  did  the  stability  of 
our  positions  and  the  possibility  of  subsequent 
advance  depend  upon  the  services  of  these  most 
essential  adjuncts  to  all  warfare,  but  as  no  locally 
reliable  maps  of  the  country  existed,  a  very  im- 
portant contribution  to  our  success  was  made  by 
the  R.E.  Survey  Section,  who  had  to  face  the  task 
of  editing  the  old  Austrian  military  maps,  which 
teemed  with  inaccuracies. 

The  efficiency  with  which  our  Ordnance  Stores 
were  administered  cannot  receive  too  high  com- 


152  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

mendation,  and  the  way  in  which,  despite  all 
transport  difficulties,  the  organisers  of  our  Ex- 
peditionary Force  canteen  supply  system  contrived 
to  meet  all  emergencies  was  most  praiseworthy. 

As  the  main  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  recall, 
however  imperfectly,  a  few  of  the  many  things 
seen  on  our  Balkan  front,  it  may  not  be  unprofit- 
able to  outline  some  of  the  exterior  aspects  of 
British  conditions  of  service  in  the  Corps  areas 
both  before  and  after  the  final  advance. 

Before  that  advance,  a  visitor,  for  example,  to  the 
12th  Corps  Headquarters  at  Janesh,  if  he  came  from 
up  the  line,  saw  an  hour  or  two  before  he  reached  it, 
across  what  seemed  like  a  perfectly  flat  stretch  of 
moorland,  the  white  tents  and  huts  that  were 
his  ultimate  destination.  He  could  not  see  the 
dozens  of  deep  gullies  that  intersected  that  moor 
in  all  directions,  and  were  bound,  if  he  travelled  by 
horse  or  car,  to  delay  his  progress  considerably. 
He  might,  however,  jump  up  behind  some 
ambulance  truck  on  the  decauville  railway,  and, 
with  sick  and  wounded,  journey  somewhat  joltily 
across  miniature  mountain  torrents  and  gorges 
until  he  reached  the  main  Railhead  station  of 
Janesh.  From  there  it  was  but  a  short  walk 
among  tents  and  hutments  to  the  various  offices 


,  SUNSET  EFFECT  ON  A  QUARRY  NEAR 
VERGETOR 

The  track  winding  off  on  the  right  led  to  the  12th 
Corps  Headquarters  at  Janesh,  where  General  Milne 
first  received  the  Bulgarian  delegates. 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  153 

of  the  Corps  Staff,  which,  at  the  time  of  the  big 
air  raids,  were  no  very  safe  places  of  work  and 
residence. 

Noticeable  as  he  passed,  on  rising  ground  to  the 
left,  was  the  31st  C.C.S.,  the  12th  Corps  Railhead 
Casualty  Clearing  Station,  and  also,  over  to  the 
right,  the  Corps  cemetery  and  the  Corps  vegetable 
garden.  As  he  mounted  the  slightly  rising  ground 
he  passed  a  medley  of  neatly  constructed  hutments, 
which  served  either  as  officers'  messes,  offices,  or 
orderly  rooms  used  by  the  various  Headquarters 
units.  There  was  also  the  native  labourers'  deten- 
tion camp,  surrounded  by  barbed  wire,  and  the 
locally  famous  Janesh  fountain  of  natural  aerated 
water,  which,  although  it  was  for  some  reason 
condemned  by  the  Sanitary  Section,  was  neverthe- 
less prized  by  many  as  a  beverage,  and  was  never 
known  to  do  any  one  harm. 

He  saw  a  number  of  horses  and  a  good  many 
flies.  If  mounted  himself,  there  was  a  spot  where 
he  would  dismount  and  tether  his  horse  under 
shade  of  the  trees.  He  would  then  cross  a  foot- 
bridge over  a  dried -up  brook  and  enter  the 
hutment  to  which  his  business  brought  him. 
Inside  he  would  see  genial-faced,  perspiring  staff 
officers  in  shirt  sleeves,  busy  over  papers  or  maps. 

20 


154  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

His  business  done,  he  would  remount  and  ride 
back  ere  nightfall,  passing  through  many  a  roadside 
camp,  and  crossing  stream  after  stream  as  his  way 
wound  on  through  seemingly  interminable  gullies. 
He  might  on  his  return  journey  visit  the  C.H.A. 
(Corps  Heavy  Artillery)  Headquarters,  which  was 
situated  just  off  the  main  road  to  Cugunci,  and 
housed  unpretentiously  in  camouflaged  tents  and 
dug-outs  with  rush-covered  tin  roofs  on  a  level 
with  the  soil. 

.  After  that  he  would  journey  along  the  road  for 
a  mile  or  two,  passing  the  main  ration  dump, 
which  used  to  be  regularly  shelled  at  distributing 
time  each  afternoon  by  a  hostile  long-range  gun. 
He  would  continue  on  towards  Cugunci,  at  the 
base  of  the  ridge  of  hills  south  of  Doiran  along  the 
northern  side  of  which  our  own  trenches  lay.  Far 
above  these  hills  towered  the  "Pip"  Ridge  and 
Grand  Couronn^,  both  of  which,  in  addition  to  the 
vast  wall  of  the  still  higher  Beles  on  the  right, 
conveyed  a  very  vivid  impression  of  the  enemy's 
advantages  of  position. 

Perhaps  he  would  suddenly,  at  the  base  of  the 
hills  behind  Cugunci,  come  upon  a  quantity  of 
Greek  or  Indian  horse  transport,  and  be  saluted  by 
the  turbaned  members  of  the  latter  with  punctilious 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  155 

precision.  If  his  way  led  among  the  hills  he 
eventually  came  past  a  path  that  led  to  a  gully 
concealing  one  of  our  long-range  guns,  or  even 
to  an  Artillery  Group  Headquarters.  If  a  random 
enemy  shell-burst  or  two  did  not  impede  him,  he 
might  surprise  the  group  mess  at  their  tea.  This 
mess  often  consisted  of  a  small  camouflaged  bell- 
tent  gingerly  adhering  to  the  steep  boulder-strewn 
slopes  of  a  rocky  ravine. 

With  a  telephone  receiver  hanging  from  the 
central  pole  and  a  packing-case  spread  with  fly- 
haunted  delicacies  in  tins,  a  Macedonian  sheep-dog 
for  a  playfellow,  and  a  horse  in  the  gully  beneath, 
what  more  could  a  British  gunner  officer  ask  ?  He 
could  crave  for  the  excitement  of  a  "strafe,"  and 
this  indeed,  on  the  12th  Corps  front,  he  had  quite 
often  enough.  Frequently,  also,  he  had  above  him 
what  he  did  not  ask  for,  several  bursts  of  shrapnel 
or  a  hostile  aeroplane  making  reconnaissance. 
Generally  about  tea-time  did  the  latter  occur.  The 
remedy  for  the  revellers  was  for  one  to  seize  the 
telephone  and  get  on  to  the  neighbouring  A.  A. 
battery,  transmitting  the  remarks  which,  above 
the  **  burr  .  .  .  pop "  of  the  shells,  his  companions 
shouted  to  him  from  outside  the  tent.  These 
remarks,  at  one  historic  tea  at  least,  so  successfully 


156  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

corrected  "Archie"  as  to  bring  down  an  enemy 
machine. 

Not   far   from  the   Group    Headquarters,   and 
towards  the  top  of  a  small  mountain  on  the  side 
of  which  it  was  perched,  began  a  path  that,  after 
skirting  a  lesser  summit,  suddenly  developed  into 
a,  skilfully  constructed  subterranean  gallery.     Cut 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  camouflaged  above  its 
wooden  roofing  by  replanted  gorse  bushes  (a  work 
that   could    only   be    carried   out    by   night),    this 
wonderful  gallery,  which  was  the  only  means  of 
access  to  the  neighbouring  Artillery  Observation- 
Post,  led  at  length  through  mazy  windings  to  a 
small     dug-out     chamber.       With     conveniently 
arranged  chairs,  and  resembling  in  shape  and  size 
a  box  in  some  theatre  auditorium,  this  chamber 
had  a  slit  about   two  yards  long  and  six  inches 
wide,  through  which   observers  could  watch   the 
activities  of  the  enemy  across  a  twenty  or  thirty 
mile  front.     Nothing  short  of  a   direct   hit,  and 
perhaps  not  even  that,  could  annihilate  the  officers 
concealed  there.     They  sat  on  amid  the  roar  of 
guns,  noted  flashes  and  the  effect  of  our  own  shell- 
bursts,    then    transmitted    their    observations    by 
telephone  to  the  neighbouring  batteries. 

What  our  mounted  yeomanry  patrols  achieved 


SCOTTISH  WOMEN'S  HOSPITAL, 
MIKRA  (1916) 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  157 

in  the  way  of  preparing  our  advance  over  wide 
stretches  of  country  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  one  day 
placed  on  record  by  those  who  lived  with  them. 
Our  infantry,  who  in  this  very  "inhospitable"  climate 
suffered  and  yet  accomplished  most,  are  far  beyond 
all  praise. 

When  visiting  an  infantry  brigade  headquarters 
it  was  easy  to  see  how  intense  a  life  was  led  by  all. 
After  a  far  longer  mountain  journey  than  that 
necessary  to  travel  from  Corps  Headquarters  to  an 
artillery  group  the  visitor,  or  it  might  be  wanderer 
returning  to  his  own  unit,  came  suddenly,  in  some 
deep  gully,  on  a  camouflaged  tent  or  two,  inhabited 
by  the  Brigade  Staff.  On  the  farther  side  of  the 
northern  limit  of  that  gully  lay  the  narrow  stretch 
of  No  Man's  Land  which  spread  towards  the 
enemy's  trenches  in  front  of  Doiran,  and  on  the 
nearer  side  was  the  very  exposed  entrance  to  our 
own  frontier  line  trenches. 

Here,  as  in  France,  men  lived  like  moles 
throughout  winter  and  summer.  Though  frequently 
strafed  and  suffering  intensely  from  the  climate 
changes,  they  nevertheless  kept  adequate  watch  and 
ward.  When  their  turn  for  rest  came  they  were 
relieved,  and  moved  back  to  camp  in  one  of  the 
numerous   gullies   near   Divisional    Headquarters. 


158  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

There  they  had  some  respite,  and  some  jollity  too, 
on  festive  occasions,  which  often  took  the  form  of 
a  visit  from  the  Corps  or  Divisional  Concert  Party. 
Admirable  entertainments  in  costume  and  very 
clever  renderings  of  favourite  music  -  hall  songs 
were  organised  by  these  parties,  whose  efforts  kept 
up  the  spirits  of  the  men  better  than  anything  else 
could. 

After  we  took  possession  of  the  "  Pip  "  Ridge 
all  these  conditions  changed.  The  12th  Corps 
Headquarters  at  Janesh  became  the  Advanced  Army 
Headquarters,  and  there  General  Milne  received 
the  Bulgarian  envoys  when  they  came  with  their 
white  flag  to  sue  for  peace.  The  12th  Corps  had 
meanwhile  moved  up  to  temporary  and  very 
primitive  headquarters  near  Cerniste,  and  the 
ordered  aspect  of  the  old  familiar  localities  was 
completely  changed. 

To  see  men  who  had  waited  long  seasons  in 
front  of  Doiran  marching  in  column  and  in  broad 
daylight  through  the  ruins  of  the  town  itself  and 
right  along  the  dust-laden  road  that  skirted  the 
lake,  to  clamber  upon  the  very  summit  of  Grand 
Couronne  and  peer  cautiously  into  the  depths  of 
the  huge  concrete  dug-outs  with  which  its  surface 
was  studded,  and  which  were  still  well  stocked  with 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  169 

abandoned  munitions,  was  a  moving  and  unforget- 
table experience.  But  how  many  of  the  original 
watchers  lived  to  see  that  day  ?  It  is  sad  to  reflect 
on  the  amount  of  human  life  and  energy  that  had 
to  be  expended  before  possession  of  those  heights 
was  obtained. 

The  efforts  of  our  Medical  Service  and  particu- 
larly their  organised  sanitary  and  anti  -  malarial 
campaign  alone  enabled  these  few  British  officers 
and  men  who  remained  to  retain  sufficient  health 
to  carry  on  duty  to  the  end.  The  devotion  to 
duty  of  certain  British  men  and  women  doctors 
and  nurses  up-country,  ending  fatally  for  them- 
selves in  many  instances,  is  among  the  most  out- 
standing of  individual  efforts  of  the  whole 
campaign. 

To  all  who  saw  the  excellent  work  done  by 
women  in  Macedonia,  the  "Scottish  Women's 
Hospital,"  the  only  British  unit  out  there  controlled 
entirely  by  women,  cannot  fail  to  recall  vivid 
memories  of  an  efficiently  managed  and  very  nobly 
conducted  organisation.  Nor  should  the  self- 
sacrifice  of  those  women  who,  here  as  elsewhere, 
volunteered  as  motor  drivers  and  nurses  up-country, 
be  omitted  from  any  account  of  woman's  effort  in 
the  war.     A  few  of  these  ladies  served  for  long 


160  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

years  attached  to  the  Serbian  Army,  and  their  efforts 
were  only  equalled  by  the  famous  Serbian  women 
volunteers. 

It  was  decided  in  May  1916  that  the  War 
Office  would  supply  hospital  accommodation  up  to 
a  total  of  7000  beds  for  the  treatment  of  sick  and 
wounded  belonging  to  the  reconstituted  Serbian 
Army.  The  French  Government  agreed  to  provide 
a  similar  number  of  beds,  and  in  fulfilment  of  the 
British  undertaking  four  General  Hospitals  and  one 
Stationary  Hospital  were  sent  to  Macedonia.  Nos. 
36  and  37  General  Hospitals  arrived  at  Salonika 
in  June  1916,  No.  38  General  Hospital  in  July, 
No.  41  General  Hospital  in  August,  and  No.  33 
Stationary  Hospital  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
These  were  distributed  as  follows :  Nos.  36  and 
87  General  Hospitals  at  Vertekop  at  about  kilo- 
metre 70  on  the  Monastir  Road,  No.  38  General 
at  Mikra,  No.  41  General  at  Samlis  (both  these 
within  a  few  miles  of  Salonika),  and  No.  33 
Stationary  at  Sorovitch,  not  far  behind  the  then 
Monastir  front. 

It  was  originally  intended  that  the  stores  and 
personnel  of  these  hospitals  should  be  provided  by 
the  British,  but  that  the  hospitals  should  be  entirely 
under   French  administration.     This  arrangement 


HEADQUARTERS  (FIRST  SITE)  OF  17 
KITE  BALLOON  SECTION,  R.A.F., 
ORLJAK  RAVINE 

Ravines  such  as  this,  the  natural  result  of  a  long^ 
succession  of  winter  torrents,  eat  at  very  varying 
angles  into  the  soft  bases  of  the  hills  and  mountains 
surrounding  the  Struma  Valley.  They  afforded  ver}' 
convenient  shelter  during  the  summer  months  to  our 
units,  but  became  more  or  less  impassable  quagmires 
in  winter. 


THE  BRITISH  EFFORT  161 

proved  difficult  to  work,  and  after  a  series  of 
conferences  between  the  heads  of  different  depart- 
ments it  was  finally  agreed  that  the  hospitals  should 
be  under  French  control  as  regards  their  location 
and  in  respect  of  the  admission  and  discharge  of 
patients.  Engineering  services,  including  water- 
supply  and  the  transport  of  patients,  were  to  be 
provided  by  the  French  Army,  while  the  British 
controlled  the  distribution  and  discipline  of  per- 
sonnel and  provided  renewals  of  tentage  and  other 
hospital  material,  as  well  as  all  supplies  and  general 
transport.  The  Serbian  Army  provided  the  pay 
of  the  patients  while  in  hospital,  and  uniforms, 
boots,  etc.,  for  them  on  discharge.  This  arrange- 
ment was  found  to  work  satisfactorily,  and  to  meet 
the  tastes  of  the  Serbian  patients  a  diet  differing 
slightly  from  that  of  British  hospitals  was  provided, 
for  instance  there  was  an  increased  bread  ration 
and  curdled  milk  was  supplied.  Large  numbers  of 
Serbian  officers  and  soldiers,  including  some  Serbian 
women  soldiers,  were  treated  in  these  hospitals. 
They  were  found  to  be  good  patients,  docile  and 
well-disciplined,  and  very  grateful  for  all  attentions. 


21 


CHAPTER  X 

THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS 

The  Rumanian  Effort  :  A  sentinel  against  the  Turks — Commercial  ties 
with  Germany — The  Russian  peril — Uncertain  attitude  of  France 
and  England — Desire  for  political  unity — Need  for  stores  and 
equipment  —  The  Dardanelles  to  be  freed  —  Delays,  promises, 
recriminations — Joining  the  Allies — Effect  on  other  fronts — An 
enforced  peace.  Naval  Co-operation  :  Most  indispensable  of 
services.  Air  Work  of  the  Allies  :  France's  pre-eminence — 
Overcoming  difficulties — An  aeroplane  factory — Serbian  and  Greek 
pilots  trained — The  French  Base  Park — Base  and  Group  Head- 
quarters— Gorgop,  Monastir,  and  Koritza  squadrons — Combats 
and  reconnaissance — Contact  patrols — Bombing  raids — Artillery 
co-operation — Photography — R.N.A.S.  and  R.A.F. — R.F.C.  Wing 
Headquarters — Aircraft  Park — 17,  47j  and  150  squadrons — 66 
squadron — Life  up  country — 22  Balloon  Company — Sea  ballooning 
— R.A.F.  pursue  the  retreating  enemy — Our  total  effort  ends  in 
defeat  of  Bulgaria — Farewell  from  the  air — A  vision  of  the  future. 

Among  important  factors  in  the  Allies'  Balkan 
achievement  was  the  deliberate  self-immolation,  for 
the  sake  of  national  ideals,  of  the  whole  Rumanian 
Army  and  people.  If,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
European  conflict,  Greece  had  good  reasons  to 
hesitate  before  choosing  sides — vital  reasons  of 
self-preservation   that   perhaps   none   but   an    in- 

162 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      163 

habitant  of  the  Balkans  can  fully  appreciate — 
geographical  proximity  to  Russia  and  Austria, 
dread  of  the  former's  Pan- Slav  aspirations  and 
absolute  political,  financial,  and  commercial  sub- 
servience to  the  Central  Powers,  made  whatever 
course  Rumania  decided  on  fraught  with  dangers 
that  threatened  her  very  existence. 

Having  acted  in  the  past  as  Europe's  south- 
eastern sentinel  against  the  Turks,  Rumania  had 
succeeded  in  retarding  for  many  centuries  their 
advance  across  the  Danube,  until  the  full  tide 
of  that  advance  had  spent  its  force.  Sub- 
sequently, Russian  armies  had  overrun  her  whole 
territory  and  Russia's  predatory  policy  had  taught 
her  many  a  bitter  lesson.  Almost  wholly  an 
agricultural  country  and  a  comparatively  new 
political  entity,  at  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  she 
possessed  a  very  small  reserve  of  army  material 
and  munitions,  in  which  respect  Russia  also  was 
notably  deficient.  Yet  Russia  was  the  only 
member  of  the  Entente  territorially  contiguous 
to  Rumania,  while  the  Central  Powers,  at  the 
shortest  notice  and  by  the  surest  routes,  could 
provide  both  men  and  munitions  sufficient  to 
guarantee  her  successful  entry  into  the  conflict 
on  their   side.     It  was  known,  too,  that   France 


164  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

and  England  had  acquiesced  in  the  annexing  of 
Constantinople  and  the  Dardanelles  by  Russia, 
thereby  blocking  Rumania's  commercial  access 
to  the  Mediterranean,  and  although  as  early  as 
September  1914  many  of  Rumania's  statesmen 
admitted  the  desirability  of  their  country's  par- 
ticipation in  the  war  on  the  side  of  the  Entente, 
the  majority  of  them  deemed  it  imperative  to 
remain  neutral. 

Rumania's  reply  to  our  first  overtures  was 
typical  of  this  attitude  of  mind.  If  communica- 
tion by  sea  were  opened  up  she  would  throw 
off  the  mask  of  strict  neutrality  already  assumed 
and,  by  help  of  what  munitions  and  supplies  the 
Allies  could  send  her  through  the  Dardanelles, 
would  undertake  to  begin  active  military  operations 
against  the  Central  Powers. 

Then  began  that  long  controversy  between  the 
military  and  political  magnates  of  France  and 
England  upon  the  relative  importance  of  strategic 
operations  in  the  East  and  West.  Although  the 
Central  Powers  sought  to  maintain  superiority  of 
men  and  guns  in  the  East,  in  order  to  distract  our 
attention  and  minimise  the  possibility  of  a  strong 
Allied  counter-offensive  via  the  Dardanelles  or 
northwards  through  the  Balkans,  a  type  of  attack 


BRITISH  AERODROME  AND  AIRCRAFT 
PARK,   MIKRA  BAY 

^  Dominated  by  Mount  Hortjac  (in  the  distance)  this, 
the  base  depot  of  the  Royal  Air  Force  at  Salonika, 
kept  the  various  squadrons  and  balloon  sections  up 
country  supplied  with  all  necessaries.  It  was  also 
the  chief  landing  ground  for  British  machines  flying 
to  and  from  Salonika. 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORSJ  165 

they  had  most  reason  to  dread,  they  kept  up  the 
appearance  of  making  their  main  thrust  in  the 
West.  Perhaps  unfortunately  for  the  speedier 
prosecution  of  the  war  this  strategic  ruse  worked 
on  the  French  and  English  popular  imagination  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  "  Easterners  "  hardly  got  a 
fair  hearing  in  the  Allies'  war  councils,  and  as,  owing 
to  insufficiency  of  ships  and  rise  of  the  submarine 
peril,  sea  transport  through  the  Mediterranean 
became  more  and  more  hazardous,  such  expeditions 
as  were  sent  eastwards  were  delayed  in  despatch 
and  frequently  stinted  of  men  and  munitions. 

Our  repeated  failures  to  force  the  Dardanelles 
passage  and  the  too  tardy  landing  of  the  Salonika 
force  are  cases  in  point.  Hypnotised,  as  it  were, 
by  those  aspects  of  the  struggle  that  were  nearer 
home,  France  and  England  seemed  to  postpone 
indefinitely  the  adoption  of  a  Balkan  offensive, 
losing  chance  after  chance  of  bringing  matters  to 
a  head  in  that  quarter.  Promises  and  counter- 
promises  were  made  and  somewhat  clumsy  methods 
of  conciliation  adopted  by  the  Allies  towards  the 
different  Balkan  states,  methods  which  constantly 
gave  rise  to  misunderstandings,  made  the  most  of 
at  the  expense  of  the  Allies  by  Pro-German  pro- 
pagandists in  Bucharest. 


166  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

Intent  on  the  ultimate  political  unity  of  her 
people,  scattered  throughout  Bessarabia,  Bukovina, 
Transylvania,  and  the  Banat  of  Temesvar,  Rumania 
finally  resolved  to  throw  prudence  aside  and 
join  the  conflict,  in  spite  of  our  failure  to  open 
up  the  Dardanelles.  Accordingly  a  military  con- 
vention, ratified  on  August  17,  1916,  provided  for 
her  active  participation  in  the  war  on  our  side,  the 
following  being  the  three  chief  terms  : 

(1)  That  neither  Rumania  nor  the  Allies  would 
make  a  separate  peace ; 

(2)  That  Rumania  would  attack  the  Central 
Powers;  and 

(3)  That  eight  days  before  the  beginning  of 
Rumania's  military  operations  a  powerful  offensive 
action  would  be  developed  and  pressed  home  both 
on  the  Russian  Front,  by  General  Brusiloff,  and 
on  the  Salonika  Front,  by  General  Sarrail. 

Although  Rumania  began  operations  to  date  as 
agreed.  General  Brusiloff  did  not  carry  out  an 
attack,  the  Russian  force  sent  to  the  Dobrudja 
front  was  very  inadequate,  and  General  Sarrail's 
offensive,  as  has  been  seen,  was  frustrated  by  the 
Bulgarian  counter-move  via  Koritza  and  Fiorina. 
Also,  immediately  Rumania  showed  her  hand, 
Germany  ceased  to  attack  Verdun   and,  shifting 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      167 

every  available  unit  to  Transylvania  and  Bulgaria, 
organised  an  overwhelming  concentration  against 
Rumania,  even  withdrawing  certain  Turkish  and 
Austrian  units  from  positions  facing  the  Salonika 
Front,  and  flinging  these  and  others  with  all 
possible  despatch  against  the  Rumanian  Front 
in  the  Dobrudja. 

The  Salonika  force  was  thus  saved  from  what 
at  one  time  threatened  to  be  an  overwhelming 
disaster,  but  the  strategic  possibility  of  profitable 
offensive  action  was  indefinitely  postponed.  Mean- 
while the  great  attack  in  France  had  ceased,  and 
the  French,  towards  the  end  of  the  year,  retook 
some  of  their  lost  positions.  Winter  was  setting 
in  and  there  had  been  no  general  attack  on  the 
Russian  Front. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  book  to  describe 
the  operations  carried  out  by  the  Rumanian  armies, 
but  merely  to  point  out  that  Rumania's  part  in 
Balkan  events  so  successfully  lightened  the  Allies' 
burden  on  the  Salonika  Front  that  they  were  able 
to  gain  time  and,  during  the  two  years'  wait  that 
ensued,  take  adequate  defensive  precautions.  It 
should  be  remembered  also  that,  notwithstanding 
the  humiliating  enforced  peace  she  had  temporarily 
to  accept,  Rumania's  long  struggle  against  over- 


168  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

whelming  odds  and  the  indomitable  courage  and 
self-sacrifice  of  her  people  had  undoubtedly  a 
marked  moral  effect  in  the  Balkans,  and  perhaps 
also,  by  its  example,  retarded  during  1917  the 
disorganisation  of  crumbling  Russia's  armies. 

Another  and  perhaps  the  most  essential  factor 
of  all  in  the  Allies'  Balkan  adventure  was  the 
remarkably  efficient  work  carried  out  by  the 
French,  Italian,  and  British  naval  services.  Only 
by  their  constant  vigilance  and  co-operation  were 
we  able  to  keep  down  to  a  minimum  those  count- 
less hostile  mine  and  submarine  dangers  that, 
despite  due  wariness,  recurred  throughout  the 
Mediterranean,  Aegean,  and  Adriatic.  Many 
minor  engagements  and  individual  acts  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  heroism  in  this  service  never  received 
even  the  smallest  passing  notice  in  the  press. 
These  men,  who  contributed  so  much  towards 
the  Allies'  final  success,  can  never  have  justice 
done  them  by  any  verbal  tribute ;  nor  do  they 
expect  it,  being  truly  satisfied  with  the  knowledge 
of  having  performed  their  duty. 

The  air  work  of  the  Allies,  directly  interrelated 
as  it  was  with  military  operations,  demands  a  less 


BROUGHT  DOWN  IN  FLAMES 

Two  observers  in  the  basket  of  a  kite  balloon  have 
seen  their  balloon  set  on  fire  by  the  ' '  tracer ' '  bullets 
of  an  enemy  airman.  They  are  now  parachuting, 
while  their  balloon,  almost  burnt  out,  but  with  the 
basket  still  depending  from  it,  rushes  with  a  fiery 
trail  to  earth. 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS  169 

cursory  notice.  Here,  too,  France's  effort  stands 
pre-eminent.  Not  only  was  the  strength  of  the 
French  Aviation  on  the  Salonika  Front  more  than 
double  that  of  our  corresponding  British  con- 
tingents, but  also  the  actual  machines  used  by 
the  French  were  on  the  whole  of  a  more  powerful 
type  than  those  sent  out  by  the  British  War  Office 
and  Air  Ministry.  In  other  words,  such  transport 
difficulties  as  had  to  be  faced  were  more  easily 
and,  in  consequence,  more  thoroughly  overcome 
by  France  than  by  England.  Ultimately  the 
French  even  established  a  local  factory  for  the 
construction  of  aeroplanes,  and  as  early  as  1916 
they  had  organised  a  flying  school  at  the  Base, 
for  training  members  of  the  Greek  or  Serbian 
armies.  The  French  Aviation  Base  Supply  Park 
at  Mikra,  too,  was  a  notable  achievement  in 
organisation,  and  was  very  considerably  extended 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  war.  All  who  visited 
it  must  retain  a  vivid  memory  of  those  ingenious 
miniature  chalets,  entirely  constructed  out  of  dis- 
carded petrol  tins  and  packing-cases,  which  provided 
its  resident  personnel  with  recreation  rooms  and 
night  shelter. 

Orderliness,  refinement,  and  comfort  prevailed 
in  the  precincts  of  the  Aviatio7i  Base  Headquarters 

22 


170  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

and  the  various  Group  Headquarters  up  country. 
The  officers'  mess  at  the  Fiorina  Group  Head- 
quarters, situated  in  a  large  house  towards  the 
centre  of  the  town,  was  perhaps  the  most  note- 
worthy of  all  in  this  respect.  Yet  staff  work  pro- 
ceeded strenuously  here,  as  elsewhere,  all  reports 
from  the  various  squadrons  along  the  line  having 
to  be  checked  and  important  matters  of  informa- 
tion circulated  to  the  various  army  commands  and 
units. 

Everywhere  along  the  French  line  from  Gorgop 
to  Koritza,  in  the  Squadron  Headquarters  (which 
were  conveniently  placed,  near  but  not  too  near 
their  respective  aerodromes),  friendly  companionship 
between  those  who  had  daily  to  share  the  same 
risks  gave  rise  to  many  pleasant  passages  of  wit 
and  playful  trials  of  strength.  All  who  visited  the 
messes  of  these  headquarters  could  not  fail  to  take 
away  the  vividest  recollection  of  the  wonderfully 
ingenious  cooking  achieved  by  the  squadron  chefs, 
several  of  whom  in  pre-vvrar  days  had  officiated  at 
Paris  hotels. 

During  flying  weather  combats  were  of  daily 
occurrence  on  this  by  no  means  inactive  air  front. 
When,  towards  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  long- 
distance machines  became  available,  air  reconnais- 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      171 

sances  and  bombing  raids  were  continually  made. 
Contact  patrols  do  not  appear  to  have  had  so 
much  attention  given  them  on  this  as  on  the 
Western  Front,  owing  mainly  to  an  inadequate 
surplus  of  machines  available  for  this  purpose. 
Everywhere  artillery  co-operation  was  practised, 
and  proved  of  the  greatest  assistance.  Photo- 
graphy for  intelligence  purposes  was  carried  out 
over  a  vast  area  and  found  exceedingly  useful. 
The  foregoing  remarks  apply  equally,  in  a  general 
way,  to  the  work  of  the  British  Royal  Air 
Force. 

When  the  R.N.A.S.  (Aegean  Group)  had 
established  their  aerodrome  at  Mudros  they  under- 
took patrol  work  of  the  N.E.  Aegean  and  the 
Dardanelles  area.  The  subsequent  formation  of 
the  R.A.F.  Southern  Italy  Group  of  squadrons, 
with  headquarters  at  Brindisi,  achieved  a  like 
service  in  the  Adriatic,  and  the  former's  bombing 
of  Constantinople  was  equalled  if  not  surpassed 
by  the  repeated  expeditions  made  in  1918  across 
the  Adriatic  against  Durazzo  and  Cattaro.  To 
travel  there  and  back,  a  distance  of  340  miles,  and 
when  there  to  drop  bombs  on  certain  specified 
points  of  the  harbour  defences,  crossing  mountains 
of  from  six  to  eight  thousand  feet  high,  all  the 


172  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

time  a  mark  for  the  Austrian  Anti- Aircraft  guns, 
provided  a  severe  test  for  both  pilot  and  machine. 
When  it  is  called  to  mind  that  the  machines  used 
had  to  be  long-distance  land  bombing  ones  the 
achievement  cannot  fail  to  be  considered  truly 
memorable. 

The  R.F.C.  units  arrived  at  Salonika  in  the 
following  order.  First,  No.  17  squadron,  with  a 
section  of  Aircraft  Park,  landed  (July  27,  1916) 
and  proceeded  to  construct  an  aerodrome  at  Mikra. 
No.  47  squadron  then  landed  (September  20,  1916) 
and  a  Wing  H.Q.  was  formed,  taking  up  its 
abode  down  a  side  street  off  Queen  Olga  Avenue, 
Salonika.  Each  of  these  squadrons  was  first  of 
all  composed  of  two  reconnaissance  and  artillery 
flights  and  one  scout  flight.  The  machines  used 
for  the  former  and  for  bombing  were  B.E.  2e, 
A.W.,  90  h.p.  R.A.F.,  and  B.E.  12,  and  for  the 
scout  flights,  D.H.  2  scouts.  These  were  later 
on  replaced  by  A.W.  Beardmores,  D.H.  9's  and 
more  modern  scout  machines.  Aircraft  Park 
gradually  increased  in  dimension  until  it  became 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  Royal  Air  Force. 
No.  150  squadron  was  formed  from  surplus 
personnel  in  the  country  and  the  scout  flights  of 
Nos.  17  and  47  squadrons,  and  was  entirely  a  scout 


DRAGOMIR  VILLAGE 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      173 

squadron,  the  machines  used  being  S.E.  5a,  Sop- 
with  Camels  and  Bristol  Monoplanes.  No.  66 
squadron  (Camels)  established  in  1918  at  an  aero- 
drome adjoining  the  Italian  Caproni  aerodrome 
by  Pie  di  Monte,  south  of  Valona,  Albania,  formed 
part  of  the  Southern  Italian  Group,  and  did  most 
memorable  work  in  co-operation  with  the  Italian 
forces  operating  on  that  front.  ; 

All  who  served  with  these  squadrons  in  the 
field  cannot  fail  to  be  reminded  forcibly,  upon  the 
mere  mention  of  their  names,  of  vanished  friends ; 
boys  who  the  night  before  their  disappearance  over 
the  lines,  had  been  laughing,  drinking,  and  singing 
cheerily  in  the  Squadron  mess.  Those  gorgeous 
sunsets  over  Janesh  and  above  the  aerodrome  at 
Lahana,  or  the  even  more  glorious  evening  light 
effects  of  Salonika  Bay,  depicted  as  they  are  in  the 
pages  of  this  book,  cannot  fail  to  recall  incidents  of 
the  saddest  personal  significance  to  all  who  have 
survived  service  with  the  British  Royal  Air  Force 
at  Salonika.  As  it  is  with  us,  so  it  must  be  with 
the  French,  whose  losses  certainly  tallied  with  our 
own.  Yet  all  these  losses  compared  with  those 
reported  to  have  been  suffered  by  the  enemy  are 
extremely  small.  For  example,  during  the  period 
November  1917-October  1918,  the  figures  for  our 


174  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

scout  squadron  were :  enemy  aircraft  crashed,  49 ; 
out  of  control,  82  ;  our  machines  lost,  10. 

Contemporaneously  with  No.  47  Squadron  had 
arrived  the  advance  section  of  22  Balloon  Company, 
No.  17  K.B.S.,  in  which,  from  its  very  beginning, 
served  the  artist  whose  pictures  are  here  reproduced. 
Remaining  parts  of  the  Company  arrived  on 
Jan.  1  and  Feb.  1,  1917,  but  it  was  not  until  March 
that  the  two  new  sections  were  able  to  take  up 
positions  in  the  line.  Even  then  the  weather 
proved  inclement,  as  appears  from  the  following 
extracts  from  the  diary  of  one  of  them,  given  here 
merely  as  a  first-hand  account  of  the  conditions 
that  had  to  be  faced  by  this  least  essential  and 
least  sorely  tried  branch  of  the  R.F.C.  on  the 
Salonika  Front : 

Extracts  from  No.  27  K.B.  Section's  Diary 

Moving  up  country:  inconveniences  of  the  ground.  March 
15, 1917.— The  Section  left  Mikra  Bay  at  7  a.m.  on  the  12th 
inst.  and  at  1.45  p.m.  reached  12th  Corps  Headquarters, 
Janesh,  where  at  6  p.m.,  in  a  hostile  bombing  raid,  it  suffered 
one  casualty.  At  2.15  p.m.  next  day  an  advance  party  went 
up  to  the  position  chosen,  and  the  rest  of  the  Section  followed 
with  the  remaining  Transport  at  8.30  p.m.  Rain  had  just 
set  in  and  the  roads  were  bad,  while  lights  had  to  be  reduced 
to  a  minimum.     Owing  to  enforced  delays  the  position  was 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS  176 

not  reached  until  about  3  a.m.  on  Wednesday,  March  14. 
At  daybreak  unloading  and  camp-making  commenced  and 
were  continued  throughout  the  day.  A  party  began  making 
up  the  balloon  bed,  and  all  went  well  until,  at  about  6  p.m., 
heavy  rain  set  in,  and  work  had  perforce  to  be  abandoned. 
The  tents,  which  had  been  struck  during  the  day,  were 
pitched,  and  the  Section  prepared  for  a  wet  night.  Ex- 
pectations in  this  direction  were  fully  realised,  and  by  9  p.m., 
although  everything  possible  had  been  done  with  ground- 
sheets  and  bivouacs,  the  men's  tents  were  most  undesirable 
dwellings.  .  .  .  Rain  dripped  steadily  through  almost  every 
part  of  the  roof,  and  the  ceiling  of  the  only  native  habitation 
left  standing  sagged  in  a  most  disconcerting  manner,  while 
ominous  rumblings  and  falling  pieces  of  wall  testified  to  the 
wearing  qualities  of  unlimited  water.  As  the  night  proceeded, 
matters  went  from  bad  to  worse.  The  stream  running  down 
the  ravine  by  the  camp,  normally  a  few  inches  deep,  became 
a  raging  torrent,  travelling  at  a  speed  variously  estimated 
from  forty  to  a  hundred  miles  an  hour,  while  it  rose  to  a  depth 
of  some  six  feet.  .  .  .  The  three  lowest -lying  tents  were 
completely  flooded,  the  water  being  literally  feet  high  inside 
them  before  the  men  could  escape  with  their  belongings.  As 
it  was,  one  of  the  tents  and  a  considerable  amount  of  kit  were 
washed  down  the  stream.  Some  twenty  of  the  men  managed 
to  find  refuge  at  the  field  hospital  on  the  far  side,  and  the 
remainder  watched  the  night  out  from  the  clefts  and  sodden 
funk-holes  in  the  sides  of  the  hills  that  protect  our  position. 

March  16. — The  rain  had  ceased  by  the  morning,  and  the 
stream  had  subsided  almost  to  its  former  level,  but  the  camp 
presented  a  dismal  spectacle.  All  the  men  were  drenched  to 
the  skin,  some  had  lost  their  kit,  and  one  tent  had  completely 
disappeared.  .  .  . 

About  10  A.M.  the  rain  stopped,  and  in  its  place  a 
tremendous  gale  of  wind  sprang  up.     The  stores,  guard,  etc., 


176  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

had  been  housed  under  ground-sheets  lashed  across  broken 
walls,  and  these  were  in  imminent  danger  of  being  blown 
away.  With  great  difficulty  a  marquee  was  pitched  in  a 
sheltered  spot,  and  most  of  the  stores  were  transferred  thither. 
The  guard-house  roof  was  lashed  down  as  tightly  as  possible 
and  everything  in  the  camp  made  as  secure  as  could  be. 

At  5  P.M.  the  gale  was  varied  by  a  blinding  snowstorm, 
which  was  hurled  upon  us  after  a  preliminary  bombardment 
of  hail.  The  snow  continued  during  the  entire  night,  but 
the  whole  Section  had  managed  to  arrange  dry  sleeping 
places,  and  except  for  the  cold,  everybody  was  comfort- 
able. .  .  .  Near  our  transport,  however,  a  man  of  the  London 
Scottish  fell  dead  from  exposure,  and  another  died  as  he  was 
being  taken  to  a  Field  Hospital  close  by.  More  than  a  dozen 
horses  and  mules  lay  dead  between  the  camp  and  Cugunci. 

Air    inconveniences:    March    30.  —  K and    B 

went  up  at  7  a.m.  In  addition  to  getting  a  battery  on 
the  gun  spotted  yesterday,  they  saw  troops  and  transport 
moving  along  a  road  in  enemy  country,  and  brought  the 
battery's  fire  to  bear  on  these,  with  good  results  as  far  as 
could  be  observed.  A  hostile  plane  came  over  very  soon 
after  this,  with  an  obviously  evil  design  and  a  machine  gun, 
which  he  pooped  off  at  the  balloon.  Nothing  doing  for  him 
this  time,  however,  and  he  went  off"  to  get  some  tracer 
ammunition — at  least,  so  it  would  appear  by  the  context, 

for  after  observers   had   been  changed   and   Captain  

and   Major  had   gone  up  and  just   finished  a  shoot, 

back  came  the  gentleman  from  Germany  with  tracer  bullets, 
and  this  time  he  hit  the  balloon.^  Both  observers  dropped 
just  as  she  burst  into  flames  and,  both  parachutes  opening 
beautifully,  they  landed  safely,  though  the  Major  fell  up  side 
down.     He  came  down  in  the  middle  of  the  R.A.M.C.  camp 

1  The  incident  here  recorded  provided  the  subject  of  the  picture 
**  Brought  down  in  Flames." 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      177 

and  was  up-ended  so  promptly  that  he  was  of  opinion  the 
medical  people,  taking  him  for  a  corpse,  were  going  through 
his  pockets.  .  .  . 

Bringing  down  the  enemy :  May  1. — The  angel  of  death 
has  been  in  our  midst  to  no  ordinary  extent  to-day.  To 
begin  at  the  beginning,  the  balloon  was  carefully  examined 
before  the  early  flight,  and  three  more  bullet  holes  were 
discovered  as  souvenirs  of  yesterday,  in  the  starboard  fin.  So 
we  stuck  all  the  holes  up  and  went  heavenward  as  usual,  but 
it  was  evident  that  we  weren''t  supposed  to  have  much  peace 

to-day.     K had  a  perfectly  beastly  time  sitting  on  the 

edge  of  the  basket  for  over  ten  minutes,  while  two  of  the  foe, 
quite  low,  tried  to  get  at  the  balloon.  Eventually  they  were 
driven  off;  one  of  them  being  pursued  by  an  English  plane, 
who  gave  the  invader  a  very  warm  time  and,  we  are  officially 
informed,  killed  his  observer.  Next,  just  after  observers  had 
been  changed,  the  air  became  thick  with  planes  and  Archie 
bursts,  and  for  over  an  hour  there  was  something  unfriendly 
knocking  about.  .  .  .  Shortly  before  5  o''clock  there  they  were 
again — two  of  them — with  machine  guns  and  tracer  bullets, 
having  apparently  come  down  against  the  sun  from  a  great 
height  with  engines  off.  Our  own  machine  gun  was  the  first 
to  start  on  the  work  of  repelling  the  foe,  and  then  the  Archies 
weighed  in.  Three  times  did  the  first  plane  assault  the 
balloon,  each  time  unsuccessfully,  and  then  he  sheered  off 
and  stood  by  while  the  other  plane  continued  the  attack. 
Along  he  came,  spitting  out  death  and  destruction,  till  he 
was  about  fifty  yards  from  the  balloon.  Then  all  of  a  sudden 
his  tail  and  part  of  one  main  plane  flew  off,  while  the  rest  of 
the  machine  just  crumpled  up,  and  down  he  came  like  a  stone. 
Apparently  two  of  our  A.  A.  had  simultaneously  scored  direct 
hits — one  on  the  tail,  the  other  on  the  wing.  As  the  machine 
hit  the  ground  it  burst  into  flames,  and  continued  blazing 
while  there  was  anything  combustible  about  it.     The  pilot 

23 


178  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

was  of  course  dead,  and  was  almost  certainly  hit  by  one  of 
the  shells. 

Summer  sicJcness:  June  24. — Naught  of  import  falling  this 
last  sennight,  the  Diary  hath  of  necessity  suffered  grievous 
neglect  by  reason  of  great  lack  of  material  worthy  of  record. 
The  sand-fly  fever  is  still  upon  us,  and  many  men  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  physicians  and  chirurgeons.  As  one  is  healed, 
so  fall  two  more  sick.  .  .  .  Each  man  looketh  upon  his 
neighbour,  wagering  with  him  who  shall  be  next.  The  air 
balloon  hath  not  yet  come  apart,  and  we  do  hope  will  not 
now  fail  us  in  our  hour  of  need.  By  reason  of  the  great  heat  is 
it  inexpedient  to  do  aught  between  the  hours  of  ten  in  the 
forenoon  and  five  after  mid-day  save  gasp  and  imbibe  much 
liquid,  the  which  men  do  say  exudes  itself  on  the  instant 
through  the  pores  of  the  skin.  By  which  means  shall  a  man 
always  be  ready  for  another  drink  and  much  profit  accrue  to 
the  makers  of  strong  waters.  And  the  astrologer  doth  fore- 
tell a  yet  greater  heat,  with  many  curious  fevers  and  other 
ills,  the  which  foreboding  hath  thrown  us  in  a  pretty  twitter. 

As  to  the  Great  War,  naught  cometh  to  us  but  rumours 
the  most  various.  One  man  will  swear  you  that  the  Germans 
are  for  peace  within  a  month,  and  that  we  shall  eat  our 
Christmas  in  England.  Not  so,  says  another,  but  the 
seventh  year  of  the  war  shall  be  the  worst,  and  after  that, 
peradventure,  every  tenth.  Nathless,  no  man  knoweth  aught 
worth  the  telling,  and  all  that  may  be  truly  said  is  that  the 
war  is  not  yet  at  an  end.  The  undersea-boats  do  work  much 
ill  amongst  our  shipping  and  it  seemeth  not  to  avail  over- 
much to  say  that  Britannia  ruleth  the  waves.  These  sinkings 
do  serve  to  bring  the  war  before  one's  mind  more  plainly 
than  aught  else,  the  more  so  as  of  a  surety  it  befalleth  that 
the  mails  do  in  this  wise  perish ;  which  doth  make  us  mad. 

The  foregoing  are  typical,  unaltered  entries  in 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS  179 

the  diary  of  a  single  small  R.A.F.  unit,  and,  as 
they  were  written  on  the  spot  with  no  thought 
of  publication,  portray  faithfully  what  had  to  be 
endured  in  the  way  of  weather,  fever  and  other 
ills  at  different  seasons  of  the  year.  They  also 
show  how,  throughout,  that  good  humour  which 
jests  at  all  misfortunes  was  preserved.  What  is 
true  of  one  unit  applies  equally  to  them  all. 

Although  far  differently  situated,  the  R.A.F. 
sea -going  balloon  section  stationed  in  1918  at 
Brindisi  had  scarcely  a  less  strenuous  time  than 
the  land  balloons.  The  work  of  this  section 
consisted  in  submarine  spotting  from  a  ship  in 
mid- Adriatic,  its  duty  being  to  watch  the  furthest 
western  sea  extremity  of  the  Allies'  Balkan  Front. 
Throughout  the  whole  length  of  that  front  French 
and  British  aeroplanes  patrolled,  and  in  the  final 
defeat  of  the  Bulgars  and  Austrians  their  rear- 
guards were  harassed  by  our  low-flying  machines, 
whose  gun  fire  in  many  places  turned  their  retreat 
into  a  rout. 

When  the  time  comes  for  historians  to  estimate 
the  political  and  strategic  importance  of  the  Allies' 
combined  sea,  land,  and  air  action  on  the  Salonika 
Front,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  admitted  that,  had  not 


180  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

such  action  been  taken,  Greece  would  have  un- 
doubtedly joined  hands  with  the  Central  Powers  and 
Italy  and  our  Eastern  Empire  would  have  been  ex- 
posed to  very  grave  land  and  sea  dangers.  The  land 
and  air  forces  based  on  Salonika  at  no  time  reached 
an  effective  total  of  more  than  600,000  men,  and 
sickness  frequently  depleted  them  to  less  than  half 
this  strength.  Insufficient  in  numbers  and  severely 
handicapped  from  the  start,  they  had  to  face  a  task 
the  difficulties  of  which  proved  unsurmountable 
until  the  Greek  Army  pulled  its  full  weight.  Yet 
for  sheer  "  grit "  and  perseverance  against  superior 
forces  and  huge  natural  and  artificial  obstacles,  for 
the  absolute  co-operation  and  efficiency  of  all 
ranks  and  contingents,  above  all  for  the  dramatic 
completeness  of  the  final  victory  that  followed 
inevitably  from  their  skilfully  planned  offensive, 
the  work  of  the  Allies'  armies  on  this  front 
compares  most  favourably  with  their  activities 
elsewhere.  To  wait  for  the  right  moment  and, 
when  that  moment  came,  to  thrust  rapidly  at  the 
heart  of  the  enemy,  instead  of  nibbling  constantly 
at  his  feet,  was  a  sounder  and  far  less  costly  method 
of  warfare  than  that  employed  on  our  other  Eastern 
fronts.  It  also  had,  in  the  end,  far  more  definite 
results ;  for  Turkey  found  herself  isolated  and  the 


KRETCHOVO  AND  TRANS-VARDAR 
MOUNTAINS 

Kretchovo^ 

Hail,  Kretchovo  ;  a  wanderer  o'er  the  waste 

Of  moor  and  gully,  ere  the  distant  hum 

Of  battle  fadeth,  unto  thee  I  come 

And  find  thee,  as  of  old,  silent  and  chaste, 

Alone  in  lofty  glory.      I  that  paced 

Erstwhile  the  dim  ravines  where  Death  descends 

From  out  the  clouds  and  Man's  brief  journey  ends, 

Salute  thy  hoary  might,  still  uneffaced. 

For  Time,  who  conquers  all  things,  a  long  while 
Hath  left  thee  naked  midst  the  wind  and  rain 
And  sunshine  of  the  seasons,  like  a  fane 
Of  antique  ritual  in  some  desert  isle. 
Was  thy  lot  ever  thus,  thou  mighty  pile. 
Or  did  the  forest  once  encompass  thee  ? 
Didst  thou  once  rise  from  out  the  central  sea 
Fresh  as  some  newly-born  Aegean  isle  ? 

What  grim  vicissitudes  must  thou  have  known. 
What  human  aims  have  come  within  thy  ken, 
Magyars  and  Bulgars,  Slavs  and  ancient  men 
Who  fought  around  thee,  won  thee  for  their  own. 
Perchance  in  ancient  times  thou  wast  a-throne 
Or  altar,  lit  with  sacrificial  fires, 
Like  those  that  burn  round  thee  ere  day  expires 
Now  that  the  year  takes  on  autumnal  tone. 

I  that  have  tramped  from  out  yon  distant  dell 
Thy  hoary  beauty  once  again  to  see. 
Admit  the  measure  of  my  debt  to  thee, 
Old  Landmark,  no  mere  rhymed  words  can  tell. 
Yet,  wheresoever  the  stern  fates  compel 
These  fleeting  thoughts,  thy  memory  shall  go. 
What  I  by  thee  have  felt  no  man  can  know  ; 
Farewell,  thou  ancient,  craggy  height,  farewell. 

1  This  gaunt  landmark  of  the  British  12th  Corps  Area 
cannot  fail  to  remain  in  the  memory  of  all  survivors  from  the 
British  Salonika  Army. 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      181 

Eastern  plans  of  the  Central  Powers  were  per- 
manently thwarted,  by  Bulgaria's  defeat. 

It  is,  indeed,  important  not  to  lose  sight  of  the 
complete  nature  of  the  Bulgarian  capitulation.  If 
ever  any  army  was  utterly  surprised  by  a  sudden 
and  rapid  advance  assuredly  it  was  the  Bulgarian 
Army.  How  hopeless  their  situation  became  after 
our  few  days'  final  ojfFensive  may  be  judged  from 
the  terms  of  the  Military  Convention,  the  full  text 
of  which  was  as  follows  : 

Military  Convention  regulating  the  Conditions  of  the 
Suspension  of  Hostilities  between  the  Allied  Powers 
and  Bulgaria,  which  came  into  force  at  12.00  hours 
ON  September  30,  1918. 

(1)  Immediate  evacuation,  in  accordance  with  a  scheme  to 
be  evolved,  of  all  the  occupied  territories  in  Greece  and 
Serbia.  From  this  territory  neither  cattle,  grain  nor  supplies 
of  any  sort  will  be  removed.  No  damage  will  be  caused 
upon  evacuation.  The  Bulgarian  authorities  will  continue 
to  administer  those  parts  of  Bulgaria  actually  in  the 
occupation  of  the  Allies. 

(2)  Immediate  demobilisation  of  the  whole  Bulgarian 
Army  except  for  a  group  of  all  arms,  which  will  be 
maintained  in  a  fit  condition  for  action  and  will  comprise 
3  divisions,  each  of  16  battalions,  and  4  cavalry  regiments, 
which  will  be  employed  as  follows  : 

Two  divisions  for  the  defence  of  the  eastern  frontier  of 
Bulgaria  and  the  Dobrudja,  and  one  division  to  guard  the 
railways. 

(3)  Depots  will  be  established  at  points  to  be  indicated 


182  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

by  the  High  Command  of  the  Armee  d'Orient,  of  arms, 
munitions  and  military  vehicles  belonging  to  the  demobilised 
units,  which  material  will  afterwards  be  put  into  store  by  the 
Bulgarian  authorities  under  the  supervision  of  the  Allies. 
The  horses  will  also  be  handed  over  to  the  Allies. 

(4)  Return  to  Greece  of  the  material  of  the  4th  Greek 
Army  Corps  taken  from  the  Greek  Army  on  the  occupation 
of  Eastern  Macedonia  in  so  far  as  it  has  not  been  sent  to 
Germany. 

(5)  The  Bulgarian  troops  which  are  now  west  of  the 
longitude  of  Uskub  and  belong  to  the  11th  German  Army 
will  lay  down  their  arms  and  will  be  considered  until  further 
orders  as  prisoners  of  war.     Officers  will  retain  their  arms. 

(6)  The  employment  until  the  conclusion  of  peace  of 
Bulgarian  prisoners  of  war  in  the  East  without  the  reciprocal 
rights  as  regards  prisoners  of  war  belonging  to  the  Allied 
forces.  These  latter  will  be  handed  over  without  delay 
to  the  Allied  authorities,  and  deported  civilians  will  be 
absolutely  free  to  return  to  their  homes. 

(7)  Germany  and  Austria- Hungary  will  be  given  a  period 
of  four  weeks  in  which  to  withdraw  their  troops  and  military 
authorities  from  Bulgaria.  Within  the  same  period  the 
diplomatic  and  consular  representatives  of  the  Central 
Powers  and  their  nationals  will  quit  the  territory  of  the 
Bulgarian  kingdom.  The  orders  for  the  cessation  of 
hostilities  will  be  given  by  the  signatories  of  this  Convention. 


Signed 


rfeanchet  d'esperey. 
Andre  Liaptcheff. 
.General  Loukoff. 


Great  was  the  joy  of  the  airman  in  Macedonia 
who,  after  this  Convention  had  been  signed,  ex- 


THREE  FURTHER  FACTORS      183 

changed  for  ground  noises  and  war's  horrors  the 
whirr  of  an  engine  well-fed  with  petrol.  Mounting 
aloft  by  its  aid  from  some  Allied  aerodrome,  he 
circled  at  will  towards  Lakes  Doiran,  Prespa  or 
Ostrovo,  while  the  hills  and  crumbling  gully  cliffs 
beneath  became  as  it  were  mere  sand  ripples,  and 
cloud-capped  Kaimactchalan  itself  nothing  more 
than  a  fair-sized  boulder  in  a  garden  rockery.  As 
he  called  to  mind  the  long  and  uphill  task  the 
Allied  armies  (and,  in  no  small  measure,  his  own 
branch  of  the  service)  had  endured,  he  could  reflect 
that,  although  begun  tardily,  their  united  war  effort 
on  the  Salonika  Front  had  not  been  made  in  vain, 
that  the  "  ideal  of  perfection  "  for  which  the  Latin 
peoples  had  been  striving  was  no  longer  in  danger 
of  being,  as  a  French  philosopher  has  said,  over- 
whelmed by  the  "  ideal  of  might." 

If  of  an  imaginative  turn  his  thoughts  might 
wander  far  afield.  Whether  he  sped  eastwards  or 
westwards,  beneath  him  stretched  a  fair  and  fertile 
country,  a  country  capable  of  almost  unlimited 
development.  Means  of  transport  could  be  devised, 
he  knew,  systems  of  air  communication  invented, 
which  would  put  a  stop  for  ever  to  the  present 
pitifully  backward  condition  of  that  country. 
With    improved    communications    and    a    stable 


184  THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 

government,  Macedonia  and  even  her  wilder  sister, 
Albania,  could  be  at  last  harnessed  to  the  yoke  of 
civilisation.  Much  of  the  spade  work  necessary  to 
effect  this  has  been  begun  already  in  a  tentative 
way,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Allied  armies,  but 
who  can  tell  how  many  years  will  have  to  pass 
before  the  regeneration  of  this  long-suffering  area 
of  the  Balkans  is  complete  ? 


INDEX 


Acropolis  of  Salonika,  the,  15 
Adossides,  M. ,  Prefect  of  Salonika, 

137 
Adrianople,  151 

Advance  from  Monastir  to  Prilep, 
Allied,  127 
of  the  Serbs,  rapid,  98 
retarding    Turks',    across    the 

Danube,  163 
towards  Valjevo,  114 
Aegae  (modern  Vodena),  48 
Aegean,  zig-zag  voyage  through 

the,  10 
Aeroplanes,  172 
Agirocastro,  29,  101,  102,  107 

sandchaks  of,  and  Koritza,  101 
Ago  Mah,  67 

Air  work  of  the  Allies,  168 
Albania,  Italianised,  28 

Lieut.  -  General     Ferrero    pro- 
claimed   the    unity  and    in- 
dependence of,  103 
sea  crossing  to,  8 
Albania's  backward  condition,  100 
Albanian  gendarmerie,  corps   of, 
88 
gendarmes,  122 
men   and  women,  picturesque, 

106 
Militia,  107 
Republic,  88 
wolf-dogs,  106 
Albanians,  14 
Alexander  the  Great,  6,  43 


Allied    contingents,    co-operation 
between  the,  79 
counter-oflFensive  via   the   Dar- 
danelles, plan  for,  165 

Allies,  advance  of,  127 
air  work  of  the,  168 
landing  of,  57,  59 

Amatovo  Lake,  33 

American  Red  Cross,  97 

Amkberkoj,  30 

Anopheles,  36 

Anti-malarial  propaganda,  85 

Antimony,  36 

Aphrodite,  45 

Apollo,  45 

Arandjelovac,  112 

Ardzan,  33 

Aristotle,  43 

Armenians,  14 

Army      of     National      Defence, 
volunteers  for,  131 

Arsenic,  36 

Artesian  wells,  84 

Artillery,  Italian  Mountain,  95, 

Artillery  co-operation,  171 
Group  Headquarters,  155 
Observation  Post,  156 
preparation  in  front  of  Doiran 
and  the  "  Pip  "  Ridge,  73 

Ash,  37 

Aspect  of  Italian  effort,  twofold, 
94 

Assistant  Military  Landing  Officer, 
11 


186 


24 


186 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Athens     newspapers,    statements 

derogatory  to  the  French  in, 

82 
Athos,  Mount,  86 
Attack  across  Jumeaux  Ravine,  78 
by  the    French    and    Russians 

between    Lakes    Prespa    and 

Ochrida,  72 
Austrian  submarines,  5 
Austrians   attacked    the    Serbian 

Army,  113 
Avars,  47 

Aviation  Base  Supply  Park,  169 
A.W.  Beardmores,  172 

Baba  Planiua,  98 
Babuna  Pass,  61 
Badgers,  36 
"  Bains  Botton"  12 
Balkan  dust,  38 

"  ennui,"  23,  93 

views,  magnificent,  31 

war,  second,  55 
"Balkan  League"  in  1912,  64 
Banat  of  Temesvar,  166 
Base  Censor,  12 

Headquarters,  12 
''Bazar  de  LyoUj'  84 
Bears,  36 
Beech,  37 

Belashitza  or  Beles  Range,  32,  34 
Belgium,  overwhelming  of,  com- 
pared with  sufferings  of  Serbs, 
121 
Belgrade,  evacuation  of,  116 
Beroea  (Verria),  46 
Beshik  Lake,  33 
Bessarabia,  166 
B.E.  2e.,  172 
B.E.,  12,  172 
Biklista,  28 

"  Bird-cage  "  defence  line,  10,  30 
Bistrica,  69 

Blockade  of  Greek  ports,  64 
Bombardment  along  Monastir  to 
Doiran  front,  76  ;   of  Doiran, 

m 


Boniface    of  Monferrat   and   hi?" 

Lombards,  49 
Boulevard   of  National  Defence, 

16 
Boulogne,  6 
Bralo,  91 
Brick-fields,  87 

Brigades,  the  two  Russian,  QQj  91 
Briggs,  Lieut. -General  Sir  C.  J., 

Brindisi,  5 

Bristol  Monoplanes,  173 
British  Front,  length  of,  76 
G.H.Q.  atPapafi,  22 
Independent  Brigade,  82 
Medical  Service,  159 
naval  services,  efficient  work  of 

the,  168 
Officers'  Rest-House,  22 
Reserve    Ammunition     Depot, 

28 
Salonika  Army,  transfer  of  over 
one  quarter  of  our,  to  other 
fronts,  76 
Serbian  Hospitals,  160 
16th  Corps,  31 

squadron  of  Camel  Scouts,  105 
12th       Corps       Headquarters, 
Janesh,  30,  70,  152 
Brod,  69 
Brush  factory,  87 
Bukovina,  166 

Bulgaria,  Germany  shifted  every 
available  unit  to  Transylvania 
and,  167 
mobilised,  130 
Bulgaria's  Army  (350,000),  111 
Bulgarian  Convention,  150  ;  news 
of  the,  conveyed  by  aeroplane 
from  Sophia,  99 
exarchate,  the,  53 
incursions  over  frontier,  71 
prisoners   of  war,   employment 
until  the  conclusion  of  peace 
of,  182 
retreat  via  Kiveco-Kalkandelen, 
98 


INDEX 


187 


Bulgars,  14 

capture  of  2000^  IHS 
following-  up  retreating,  149 
lose  heart,  75 
pressed   by  Serbs   via  Petalano 

and  Tcherna  bend,  68 
retreat  through  the  Kosturino 
Pass,  78 
Bulgars  and  Germans,  80,000  held 

up,  67 
Bulgars  and  Greeks,  propaganda 

conflicts  between,  62 
Butkovo  valleys,  31 
Buv,  68 

Byron,  Greek  gratitude  to  Glad- 
stone and,  82 

'^  Cagliari"  and  ''Sicilia"  Brigades, 

95,96 
"  Cahiers  d'Orient"  86 
Camel  Scouts,  British  squadron  of, 

105 
Camps,  refuge,  17 
Cassander,  son  of  Antipater,  44 
Casualty   Clearing   Station,  31st, 

153 
Catalan  Company  of  adventurers, 

Salonika  harassed  by,  50 
Cats,  36 
Cattaro,       expeditions       against 

Durazzo  and,  171 
Cavalry,  French,  82 
Cavalry  patrols,  65 
Censor,  Base,  12 
"  Cercle  Militaire"  22,  23,  84 
Cerniste,    12th    Corps    advanced 

headquarters  to  near,  158 
Chabatz,  113 
Chalcidice,  9,  42 
Chegal,  69 
Cherry,  37 
Chimara,  102 
Cholera,  107 
Climate,  37 
Coal,  36 

Colonial  Infantry,  French,  91 
'*  Comando  di  tappa"  105 


Commerce,  French  and  Greek  as 
alternate  languages  of,  80 

Consequences  of  our  failure  to 
force  the  Dardanelles,  130 

Constantine,  King,  autocratic 
control  of,  129 

Constantine  the  Great,  46 

Constantinople,  27 

Contact  patrols,  l7l 

Controversy  upon  the  relative 
importance  of  strategic  opera- 
tions in  the  East  and  West, 
164 

Convention,  Bulgarian,  150 

Co-operation  between  the  Allied 
contingents,  79 

Copper,  36 

Corfu,  35 

Corinth,  Gulf  of,  5 

Corps  Heavy  Artillery,  154 

Cotton,  37 

Counter-defensive,  plan  for  Allied, 
via  the  Dardanelles,  165 

Crete,  Saracen  pirates  of,  47 

Crows,  36 

Cugunci,  154 

Cultivation,  country  under,  37 

Cynocephalae,  45 

Danglis,  General,  137 

Danube,  Rumania  retarding  Turks' 

advance  across  the,  163 
Dardanelles,     attempts     by     an 

Anglo-French   fleet   to   free 

the,  57 
consequences  of  our  failure  to 

force  the,  129 
our  failures  to  force  the,  165 
plan  for  Allied  counter-offensive 

via  the,  165 
Deer,  86 

Defence  line,  "  Bird-cage,"  10 
Demir-Kapu  defile,  34,  61,  134 
Derbend  ridge,  31,  63 
D'Esperey,  General  Franchet,  76 
Deunmehs,  14,  51 
D.H.  2  scouts,  172 

24  A 


188 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Diary,    No.    27    K.B.    Section's, 

174 
Dionysus,  45 
Dogs,  36 
Doiran   and   Guevgueli,   districts 

south  of,  40 
and  the  "  Pip  "  Ridge,  artillery 

preparation  in  front  of,  73 
heavy   bombardment    of   (18th 

August),  60 
to  Monastir  front,  bombardment 

along,  76 
Doiran  town,  we  gain  Petit  Cou- 

ronne,  Teton  Hill  and,  77 
Doves,  36 
Drina,  112 
Duck,  36 
Dudular,  29 

railway  station,  27 
Dugouts,  German  construction  of 

reinforced  emplacements  and 

concrete,  74 
Dukati,  102 
Dung  cakes,  30 
Durazzo,  26,  48,  102,  103 

expeditions  against  Cattaro  and, 

171 
Dysentery,  107,  146 


Eagles,  86 

Eastern  Empire,  moribund,  48 

Elisan,  67 

Elm,  37 

Emplacements  and  concrete  dug- 
outs, German  construction  of 
reinforced,  74 

Enemy's  communications  cut 
between  Gradsco  and  Prilep, 
77 

Engagements,  local,  75 

Ephippigeras,  36 

Ersek,  102 

Essad  Pasha,  122 

Evacuation  of  towns  and  villages, 
compulsory,  41 
of  Belgrade,  116 


E.F.  Canteens,  23 

Expeditions  against  Durazzo  and 

Cattaro,  171 
Exploration,  geological,  88 


Falcons,  36 

Ferrero,  Lieut.  -  General,  pro- 
claimed the  unity  and  inde- 
pendence of  Albania,  103 

Fever,  107 
sand-fly,  178 

Fifty -seventh  French  Division, 
60 

Fig,  37 

Fire  worshippers,  19 

"  First  Balkan  War,"  54 

First  Hellenic  Corps,  76 

Floca's,  ices  at,  12 

Flora,  37 

Fiorina,  5,  28 

industrial       experiments        at 

Salonika  and,  87 
Russian  help  before,  92 

Fiorina  Group  Headquarters,  170 
to  Santi  Quaranta,  97 

Foot-hills,  withdrawal  to  the,  74 

Foreign  representatives  resident 
at  Salonika,  21 

Fort  Rupel,  handing  over  by  a 
Greek  garrison  of,  64 

Forty-first  General  Hospital,  160 

Foxes,  36 

France,  protector  of  Levantine 
Catholics,  140 

Franco-British  forces  at  Salonika, 
arrival  of  the,  131 

Franco-Macedonian  Historical  Re- 
view, 86 
-Serb  and  Franco-Greek  Schools, 
86 

French    naval    services,    efficient 
work  of  the,  168 
statements   derogatory  to   the, 
in  Athens  newspapers,  82 

French  and  Greek  as  alternate 
languages  of  commerce,  80 


INDEX 


189 


French    and    Russians    between 

Lakes   Prespa  and   Ochrida, 

attack  by  the,  72 
Army  Workshops,  87 
Aviation  J  169 
cavalry,  82 
Colonial  Infantry,  91 
convent  school  at  Kukus,  30 
Medical  Service,  85 
Quartier  General,  22 
recognised   in   Greece  as  most 

useful    medium    of    culture, 

81 
territorials,  83 
troops  land  at  Salonika,  82 
Frontier,     Bulgarian     incursions 

over  Greek,  71 
Fronts,     transfer     of    over     one 

quarter  of  our  British  Salonika 

Army  to  other,  76 
Frostbite,  61 

Galerius,  Arch  of,  17 

Galico  (ancient  Echedorus)  River, 

34,  62 
Gauls,  the,  45 
Geese,  36 
Gendarmerie,  corps  of  Albanian, 

88,  122 
Geological  exploration,  88 
German  construction  of  reinforced 

emplacements  and    concrete 

dugouts,  74 
Germans     and     Bulgars,    30,000 

held  up,  67 
Germany  ceased  to  attack  Verdun, 

167 
shifted  every  available  unit  to 

Transylvania   and    Bulgaria, 

167 
Gheghs,  101 
"Gibraltar,"  10 

and  Malta,  sea  route  via,  9 
Gladstone     and     Byron,     Greek 

gratitude  to,  82 
Glava,  40 
Goats,  wild,  86 


Gold,  36,  45 

Gona,  86 

Gornicevo,  68 

Gornoi  Poroi,  95 

Goths,  the,  46,  47 

Gradsco,  enemy's  communications 

cut  between  Prilep  and,  77 
Gradsko,  60 
Grand  Couronne,  154 
Grand  Karabou,  34 
Graphite,  36 
Grass  fires,  37 
Grasshoppers,  36 
Greece,  in  1830,  won  freedom  from 
Turkish  rule,  52 
problem  of  partisanship  of,  128 
secret  undertaking  with,  62 
Greek   and  French,  as  alternate 

languages  of  commerce,  80 
Greek  armed  neutrality,  definite 
action  with  regard  to,  64 
Army  Corps,  return  to  Greece 
of  the  material  of  the  4th, 
182 
army,  demobilisation  of,  65 
Club,  23 
communities,  42 
frontier  guards,  connivance  of, 

66 
gratitude     to     Gladstone     and 

Byron,  82 
ladies  risk  their  own  health,  132 
Muleteer  Corps,  134 
quarter,  the,  20 
Greeks  responsible  for  the  Struma 
front,  the,  133 
temporary     abnormal     psycho- 
logical state  of,  139 
Greeks  and  Bulgars,  propaganda 

conflicts  between,  62 
Gris  Nez,  7 
Guevgueli,     districts     south     of 

Doiran  and,  40 
Guillaumat,  General,  76 
Guiscard,  Robert,  Norman  duke 

of  Calabria,  48 
Gumusdere,  32 


190 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Halia,  43 

Hamza  Bey,  mosque  of,  18 
Hares,  36 

Headquarters,  Base,  12 
Heat,  38 
Heat-stroke,  146 
Hellenic  Corps,  1st,  76 
Hellenistic  culture,  45 
Hill  1050,  96 

H.M.S.     Agamemnon,     Zeppelin 
brought    down    by    gun-fire 
from,  65 
Homondos,  67 
Hortjac,  10,  86 

aqueduct,  84 

Mount,  43 
Horse-fly,  36 
Horse-Shoe  Hill,  66 
Hospitals,  36th,  37th,  38th  and 

41st  General,  160 
Huns,  47 

Ices  at  Floca's,  12 

"  Ideal  of  might,"  183 

''  Ideal  of  perfection,"  183 

Han  Mermer  Quarter,  16 

"  Imam  Baildi,"  21 

Independence  of  Albania,  Lieut. - 
General  Ferrero  proclaimed 
the  unity  and,  103 

Industrial  experiments  at  Salonika 
and  Fiorina,  87 

Infantry,  French  Colonial,  91 

Infantry  patrols,  66  * 

Influenza,  147 

Initiative  on  our  side,  70 

Insularity  of  Englishmen,  89 

Intendance,  22,  84 

Iron,  36 

Italian  naval  services,  efficient 
work  of  the,  168 

Italian  '^ autobus"  106 
Caproni  aeroplanes,  105 
efi'ort,  twofold  aspect  of,  94 
Expeditionary  Force,  61 
Force  at  Valona,  99 
Medical  Service,  107 


Italian  mountain  artillery,  95 

35th  Division,  66,  95 
Italianised  Albania,  28 
Italians  hand  over  their  sector  in 

the  Krusha  Balkan,  67 
Itea,  35,  91 
Iven,  69 
"  Ivrea"  95 

Jackals,  36 
Jador,  112 
Janesh,  173 

British     12th     Corps      Head- 
quarters, 30 
Janina,  101 
Janissaries,  the,  16 
Jarashok,  69 
Jays,  36 

Jenikoj,  capture  of,  70 
Jewish  colony,  large,  46 
Jews,  orthodox,  51 
Jumeaux  Ravine,  72 

attack  across,  73 

Kaimactchalan,  33,  68 

storming  of,  124 
Kalemaria,  9 
Kalendra,  67 
Kanina,  29,  108 
Karaburun,  34 
occupation     of     Greek     shore 

batteries  at,  66 
Kavalla,  26 
Kenali,  68,  96 
Kicevo  -  Kalkandelen,    Bulgarian 

retreat  via,  98 
King      Constantine,      autocratic 

control  by,  129 
King  Peter,  heroism  of,  122 
Kisovo,  68 
Kispeki,  67 
Kolubara,  retreat  down  the  right 

bank  of  the,  115 
Koritza,  28,  40,  88,  101,  170 
sandchaks  of  Agirocastro  and, 

101 


INDEX 


191 


Kosturino  Pass,   Bulgars  retreat 

through  the,  78 
Kragoyevats,     abandonment     of, 

by  Serbs,  120 
Krivolak,  60,  121 
Krusha  Balkan,  Italians  hand  over 

their  sector  in  the,  67 
Kukus,  a  centre   of  the  tobacco 
industry,  30 
French  convent  school  at,  30 
headquarters  at,  65 
rendezvous   of   both   Bulgarian 
and      Greek      revolutionary 
activities,  30 

"  Ladino,"  80 

Lahana,  31,  173 

Landing  of  Allies,  57,  59 

Langaza,  33 
Lake,  31 

Languages  of  commerce,  French 
and  Greek  as  alternate,  80 

La  Racine,  Colonel,  109 

Larissa,  91 

Leicester   Galleries,  pictures   ex- 
hibited at,  2 

Lescovici,  102 

Levantine  Catholics,  France  the 
protector  of,  140 
Venice,  10 

Lignite,  36 

Likovan,  31 

Logara,  102 

Lombards,  49 

Lombardy,  5 

Macedon,  kings  of,  43 

Macedonia,  45 

.    roadsoftheBritish  Army  in,  viii 

Turkish  -  speaking      Musulman 
population  of,  83 
Macedonian       Front,       physical 
obstacles  on,  3 

labour  companies,  27 

sheep-dog,  155 

workers,  27 
Mackensen's  operations,  119 


Macucovo  salient,  attack  of  the,  67 

Magpies,  36 

Magyars,  48 

Mahmoud  II.,  Sultan,  16 

Mahon,  General  Sir  B.,  59 

Mala  Kastra,  40,  103 

Mala  Prespa,  Lake,  33,  68 

Mala  Reka,  68 

Malaria,  107 

Malta,  sea  route  via  Gibraltar  and, 

9 
Manganese,  36 
Marseilles,  4 
Martial  law,  proclamation  of,  in 

the  Salonika  district,  65 
Medical  Service,  French,  85 

Italian,  107 
Mediterranean,   Rumania's    need 

for  access  to,  164 
Mercury,  36 
Mikra,  9 

Serbian  Army  at,  123 
38th  General  Hospital  at,  160 
Military  Landing  Officer,  Assist- 
ant, 11 
Milne,  Lieut. -General Sir G.  F.,63 
Miloutin,  49 
Mineral  resources  with  a  view  to 

after- war  mining  projects,  108 
Mining  ventures,  88 
Misitch,  Voivode,  126 
'''  Mission  Antipaludique  "  85 
Mithraism,  45 
Moglena  Mountains,  68 
Monastir,  26,  61,  69,  101 
capture  of,  70 
Serbs'  advance  from,  to  Prilep, 

127 
to  Doiran  front,  bombardment 

along,  76 
Monastir  plateau,  28 
Monferrat,  Boniface  of,  49 
Mosque  of  Hamza  Bey,  18 
Mosquito,  36 

larvae,  destruction  of,  85 
Mount  Athos,  86 
Mudros  harbour,  85 


192 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Muleteer  Corps,  Greek,  134 
Murad  II.,  Sultan,  51 
Music  halls,  24 

Musulman   population    of   Mace- 
donia, Turkish-speaking,  83 

National     Defence,      Army      of, 

volunteers  for,  131 ;  Boulevard 

of,  16 
Naval     services,     efficient     work 

of  the  French,  Italian,   and 

British,  168 
Negochani,  69 
Newspapers,  statements  derogatory 

to  the  French  in  Athens,  82 
Nich,  abandonment  of,  by  Serbs, 

120 
Nickel,  36 
No  Man's  Land,  vaguely  defined, 

74 
Normans  pillage  Salonika,  49 
'*  Northern  Epims"  autonomous, 

101 

Oak,  37 
Ochrida,  33,  49 

attack     by    the     French     and 

Russians       between       Lakes 

Prespa  and,  72 
CEuvre  civilisatrice,  88 
Offensive,     by    Central     Powers, 

against  Serbia,  second  general, 

113 
an,  to  coincide  with  big  offensive 

in  France,  76 
Officers,  Russian,  93 
Oil,  44 
Olive,  37 
Olympos,  9,  23 
One  -  hundred  -  and  -  fifty  -  sixth 

French  Division,  60 
One-hundred- and-  twenty-second 

French  Division,  60 
Operations,  Mackensen's,  119 

raids  and  minor,  67 
Orfano,  Gulf  of,  34,  63 
Orljak,  32 


Ormanli,  67 
Ostrovo,  28,  48 

Lake,  28 
Owls,  36 

Palanka,  112 

Papafi,  British  G.H.Q.  at,  22 

Paprat,  32 

Paraskevopoulos,  General,  137 

Patrols,  contact,  171 

Pear,  wild,  37 

Pella,  28,  43 

Pennella,  General,  took  over  from 

General  Petitti,  96 
Peristeri,  96 
Petalano     and     Tcherna     bend, 

Bulgars  pressed  by  Serbs  via, 

68 
Peter,  King,  heroism  of,  122 
Petit   Couronne,  we  gain   Teton 

Hill,  Doiran  Town  and,  77 
Petit  Karabou,  86 
Petitti  di  Roreto,  Major-General, 

95 ;  wounded,  96 

P.  ^,  72 

Pharsala,  91 

Philippi,  battle  of,  46 

Photography,  171 

Pie  di  Monte,  35,  105,  173 

"  Pinard/'  91 

"Pip"  Ridge,  31,  147, 154 

artillery  preparation  in  front  of 
Doiran  and  the,  73 

third  attempt  to  take  the,  75 
Pisoderi,  68 
Plan  for  Allied  counter-offensive 

via  the  Dardanelles,  165 
Plane,  37 
Polog,  69 
Poplar,  37 
Population,  40 

of  Macedonia,  Turkish-speaking 
Musulman,  83 
Porocani,  103 
Prefecture,  the,  15 
Premeti,  102 
Prespa,  Lake,  33 


INDEX 


193 


Prespa,  attack  by  the  French 
aud  Russians  between  Lakes 
Ochrida  and,  72 

Prespa  -  Kaimactchalan,  attack 
developed  over  the,  Q6 

Prilep,  49,  61 
enemy's     communications     cut 

between  Gradsco  and,  77 
Serbs'  advance   from   Monastir 
to,  127 

Prisoners  of  war,  Bulgarian,  em- 
ployment until  the  conclusion 
of  peace  of,  182 

Propaganda  conflicts  between 
Bulgars  and  Greeks,  52 

Propagandists,  unscrupulous,  in 
the  pay  of  rival  peoples,  41 

Pydna,  45 

Quails,  36 

Quartier  General,  French,  22 

Rabbits,  36 

Raids,  minor  operations  and,  67 
Rains,  torrential,  39 
Ravines,  heavily  wired,  74 
Red  Cross,  13 

American,  97 
Refuge  camps,  17 
Relief  Fund,  Serbian,  97 
Representatives,  foreign,  resident 

at  Salonika,  21 
Republic,  Albanian,  88 
Retreat,    Bulgars',    through    the 

Kosturino  Pass,  78 
Serbian,  down  the  right   bank 

of  the  Kolubara,  115 
"  Revolution,"  71 
Rice,  37 
Roads    of   the   British   Army  in 

Macedonia,  viii 
Roman  province,  45 
Romans,  the,  26 
R.A.F.  sea-going  balloon  section, 

179 
Southern  Italy  Group,  formation 

of,  171 
R.A.M.C,  work  of,  141 


R.E.  Survey  Section,  151 

Works,  144 
R.F.C.,  22  Balloon  Company,  174 
17  Squadron,  172 
47  Squadron,  172 
66  Squadron  (Camels),  173 
150  Squadron,  172 
R.N.A.S.  at  Mudros,  171 
Rumania,  57 

retarding    advance    of    Turks 
across  the  Danube,  163 
Rumania's   existence   threatened, 
163 
need  for  commercial  access  to 

the  Mediterranean,  164 
part  in  Balkan  events,  167 
struggle    retarded    disorganisa- 
tion of  Russia's  armies,  168 
Rumanian  dream  of  political  unity, 

166 
Rumanians,  14 
Rupel,  handing  over  of,  65 
Rupel  Pass,  32 

Russian    brigades,  two,   66,   91 ; 
help  before  Fiorina,  92 
Officers,  93 
Russians,   attack   between   Lakes 
Prespa  and  Ochrida   by   the 
French  and,  72 

St.  Demetrios,  18 

St.  Paul,  46 

Salonika,  acropolis  of,  15 

arrival   of  the   F'ranco  -  British 

forces  at,  131 
district,  proclamation  of  martial 

law  in,  65 
expulsion    of    enemy     consuls 

from,  64 
Foreign  representatives  resident 

at,  21 
French  troops  land  at,  82 
George  I.  Avenue,  16 
harassed  by  Catalan   Company 

of  adventurers,  50 
in  1387,  fell  a  prey  to  the  Turks, 

50 


194 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Salonika^  local  engagements,  75 

Olympos  Palace  Hotel,  12 
•^   pillaged  by  Normans,  49 
Queen  Olga  Avenue,  20,  172 
reconstruction  of,  87 
*   restocked  by  Turks,  51 
Venizelos  Street,  14 
Victory  Street,  16 
Salonika  and   Fiorina,  industrial 

experiments  at,  87 
Salonika  Bay,  173 

(3rd)  Greek  Army  Corps  Com- 
mander, agreement  with,  64 
Samlis,  41st  General  Hospital  at, 

160 
Sandchakj  40 
Sandchaks    of    Agirocastro    and 

Koritza,  101 
Sand-fly  fever,  178 
Santi  Quaranta,  35,  102 
wonderful  road  to,  104 
Saracen  pirates  of  Crete,  47 
Sarigol,  30 

-Kukus,  29 
Sarrail,  General,  59,  63,  69 
Saseno,  102 
Save,  112 
"  Scottish    Women's     Hospital," 

159 
Scumbi,  33 
Scutari,  101 

Sea  crossing  to  Albania,  8 
Sea    route     via     Gibraltar     and 

Malta,  9 
"Second  Balkan  War,"  66 
Secret  undertaking  with  Greece, 

62 
Sedes,  86 

S.E.  5a,  Sopwith  Camels,  173 
Selechka  Mountains,  69 
Serajevo,  bQ 

Serbia,  in  1913,  entered  into  new 
agreement  with  Greece,  54 
extension  northwards  to  Danube 

in  1285,  49 
second  general  offensive  against, 
by  Central  Powers,  113 


Serbian    Army    at    Mikra,   123; 
Austrians  attacked  the,  113 
effectives.  111 
General   Staff,  strategic   object 

of,  114 
Relief  Fund,  97 
retreat  down  the  right  bank  of 

the  Kolubara,  115 
Second  Army,  08 
women  soldiers,  161 
Serbs,  14 
abandonment  of  Nich,  120 
advance     from      Monastir     to 

Prilep,  127 
"  bejania,"  the,  120 
Bulgars  pressed  by,  via  Peta- 

lano  and  Tcherna  bend,  68 
decimated      by      typhus      and 

typhoid,  117 
mental  anguish  of  the,  124 
rapid  advance  of  the,  98 
re-enter  their  capital,  117 
Seres,  26 

"  Service  Archeologique"  86 
"  des  Eauoc"  84 
"  Boutier"  83 
Seventeen  K.B.S.,  174 
Shar  Mountains,  34 
"  Sicilia "    brigades,    ^'  Cagliari 

and,  95 
Sicily,  William  II.  of,  49 
Silver,  36,  45 
Sirak,  103 
Snevce,  32 
Soap  Factory,  87 
Sokol  and  Vetrenik,  storming  of 

heights  between,  77 
Somme,  estuary  of  the,  7 

mouth  of  the,  7 
Sophia,    news    of  the   Bulgarian 
Convention  conveyed  by  aero- 
plane from,  99 
Sorovitch,  33rd   Stationary  Hos- 
pital at,  160 
Spring  flowers  at  Vergetor,  37 
Squadron  of  Camel  Scouts,  British 
(66th  Squad.  R.A.F.),  105 


INDEX 


195 


Statements  derogatory  to  the 
French  in  Athens  newspapers, 
82 
Stefan  Douchan  in  1334,  crowned 
at  Uskub  (Tzar  of  the  Serbs 
and  Greeks),  49 
Storks,  36 

Strategic  object  of   the   Serbian 
General  Staff,  114 
operations  in  the  East  and  West, 
controversy  upon  the  relative 
importance  of,  164 
Struma    (ancient    Strymon),    31, 
34 
attacks  across  the,  67 
front,  Greeks  responsible  for,  133 
valley,  84 
Strumnitza,  40,  60 

plain,  228th   Infantry  Brigade 
clear  the,  78 
Submarines,  Austrian,  5 
Sulphur,  36 
Sultan  Mahmoud  II.,  16 

Murad  11. ,  51 
Summer  sickness,  178 
Suvla  Bay,  60 

Tahinos,  34 

Lake,  31,  34,  67 

Tcherna,  68 

Tcherna  bend,  Bulgars  pressed  by 
Serbs  via  Petalano  and,  68 

Tempo,  91 

Tenth  Division,  61,  144 

Tepavci,  69 

Tepelen,  29,  102 

Territorials,  French,  83 

Teton  Hill,  we  gain  Petit  Cou- 
ronne,  Doiran  town  and,  77 

Theodosius,  Emperor,  46 

Therma,  43 
Gulf  of,  10 

Thessalonika,  44 

Thirty-first  C.C.S.,  153 

Thirty-sixth,  thirty-seventh,  and 
thirty-eighth  General  Hos- 
pitals, 160 


Thirty-third  Stationary  Hospital, 
160 

Thrushes,  36 

Tobacco,  37 

Tobacco  factory,  87 

Torrential  rains,  39 

Tortoises,  36 

Tortue,  capture  of,  66 

Tosks,  101 

Transfer  of  over  one-quarter  of 
our  British  Salonika  Army 
to  other  fronts,  76 

Transylvania,  166 

Transylvania  and  Bulgaria,  Ger- 
many shifted  every  available 
unit  to,  167 

Treaty  of  Bucharest,  55 

Troops,  French,  land  at  Salonika, 
82 

Troubridge,  Admiral  Sir  E.  C.  T., 
125 

Tsiganes,  14,  40 

Turkish  quarter,  the,  18 

rule,  Greece,  in  1830,  won  jfree- 
dom  from,  52 

Turkish-speaking  Musulman  popu- 
lation of  Macedonia,  83 

Turkish  units  facing  British  on 
Struma  and  Doiran  fronts,  67 

Turks,  Salonika,  in  1387,  fell  a 
prey  to  the,  50 

Twelfth  Corps  advanced  head- 
quarters to  near  Cerniste, 
158 

Twenty  -  two  Balloon  Company, 
174 

Two-  hundred  -  and-twenty-eighth 
Infantry  Brigade  clear  the 
Strumnitza  plain,  78 

Typhus,  107 

Tzar  Simeon,  48 

Uskub,  34,  48 

Valjevo,  112 

advance  towards,  114 
taken  by  the  enemy,  115 


196 


THE  SALONIKA  FRONT 


Valona,  6,  29 

Valona,  Italian  force  at,  99 

the  Italian  main  base,  36 
Valona  Harbour,  104 
Vardar  (ancient  Axius),  34 
Vardar,  the,  28 

Delta,  34,  62 

Gate  (Piccadilly  Circus),  31 

wind,  16,  39 
Vassitch,  General,  126 
Veles,  34 
Venice,  help  of,  called  in,  50 

Levantine,  10 
Venizelist  divisions,  133 
Venizelos,  M.,  136 

dismissed,  130 

formal  protest  by,  67 
Verdun,  Germany  ceased  to  attack, 

167 
Vergetor,  spring  flowers  at,  37 
Verria,  48 
Vertekop,  86th  and  37th  General 

Hospitals  at,  160 
Vetrenik,    storming     of    heights 

between  Sokol  and,  77 
Via  Egnatia,  26,  28 
Vienna,  56 
Viennese  verrerie,  20 
Vilayets,  40 
Visigoths,  47 
Vitosha,  Mount,  84 
Vlachs,  14,  40 
Vodena,  26,  28,  48 


Volo,  35 

Volunteers  for  Army  of  National 

Defence,  131 
Voyussa,  33 
Vrbeni,  68 
Vultures,  36 

Walnut,  37 

Wells,  artesian,  84 

White  Tower,  the,  16,  22,  23 

Wild  pear,  37 

William  11.  of  Sicily,  49 

Wilson,  Lieut. -Gen.  Sir  H.  F.  M., 

77 
Wine,  44 

Wolf-dogs,  Albanian,  106 
Wolves,  36 

Women  soldiers,  Serbian,  161 
Workshops,  French  Army,  87 
Worshippers,  fire,  19 

Xerxes,  43 

Yenedze- Vardar,  28 

Y.M.C.A.,  23 

Yugo-Slav  panacea,  the,  127 

Zeitenlick,  86 

Zeppelin  brought  down  by  gun-fire 

from  H.M.S.  Agamemnon,  66 
Zeuxis,  43 
Zig-zag      voyage      through      the 

Aegean,  10 
Zinc.  36 


THE    END 


Printed  in  Great  Britain  by  R.  &  R.  Clark,  Limited,  Edinburgh. 


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English  Miles 


10     0     10  30  50 

-  Approximate  position  of  Allies ' 
•   line.   (Sept.ftl6  -Sept.  1918). 


CORfUc 

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of  Transport 


SKETCH  MAP  ACCOMPANYING  "THE  SALONIKA  FRONT"  By  W.  T.  WOOD 


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AND  CAPTAIN  A.  J.  MANN  (A.  &  C.  BLACK,  Ltd.,  LONDON). 


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NOV    6      1932 

LIBFiARY  USE 

MAR  9    1956 

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