4 replies to this topic

[Martin G]

Hello - does anyone know who which unit was the Naval Air Section in Salonika in March 1915? I am adding notes to a personal diary of a Derbyshire Yeomanry trooper who records a football match between the DY and the RNAS Aslo he records a large bomibing raid and an anonymous Naval Gunnery Officer .... any info on any of these would be grateully received. I realise the Gunnery Officer is a long shot...... Thank MG

11th Mar.1916.On ration escort, fleet of 22 aeroplanes pass over before breakfast.  Aeroplanes return supposed to have raided railway where enemy is massing. Taube fired on.  Letter from home.

25th Mar.1915.Orderly to Naval Gunnery Officer

27th Mar.1916.Monday.  Exercise for horses, saddle inspection.  Football match D.Y. v Naval Air Section 4-2

[Rockdoc]

At this point there was no RFC presence in Salonika and all flights were by RNAS or French planes. I can't find any further details in Under The Devil's Eye.

Keith

[Martin G]

Rockdoc, on 18 April 2011 - 05:15 PM, said:

At this point there was no RFC presence in Salonika and all flights were by RNAS or French planes. I can't find any further details in Under The Devil's Eye.

Keith

Keith - many thanks. As an extension to this I have a list of about 60 place names - mostly villages in the Doiran Valley or the main communications road from Salonika that I need to track down. I recall you are a Macedonis/Salonika guru. I aim to cross reference with the OH on Macedonia and the attached map, but it is a real slog as the spelling variations are wild and various. Do you know who would be the best person to bounce the names off? I am adding notes to a diary (and will post it here very soon) but i want to add some value by getting the modern names and locations to relate to the ground today.

Regards MG

[Rockdoc]

Are you a member of the Salonika Campaign Society? It may not be all that large in numbers but it is enthusiastic and Ruth and I thoroughly enjoy going to the AGM. We lay a wreath at the Cenotaph then have lunch, the AGM (which isn't drawn out) and then a talk about the Theatre. Last year's was Up The Struma With The Gas-pipe Cavalry, about the Cyclists Battalion.

The map in the OH is rather small to be definitive. The SCS has brought out a disk of trench maps, which are 1:20000 and 1:50000 but they mostly cover the XII Corps front, unfortunately for you. Have you found the Austro-Hungarian ones yet? They'e not the best for accuracy - but they are free! They're HERE.

Having got the advert for the SCS out of the way I'd hardly call myself a guru on the area. I frequently get defeated by the place-names because of, as you say, the multiplicity of spellings for many and the subsequent hellenisation, so that Janes became Metalliko and Harmankoi (another place with umpteen spellings!) is Evosmos, for example. If you Google for Macedonian Village Names you'll find a non-exhaustive list that's quite helpful. Adrian Wright has helped me a lot with his local knowledge but I do know that he's been quite busy lately and hasn't been on the Forum much. I suggest you stick a list up in this area and see what we can do for you.

Oh, yes. Nearly forgot. Don't get too precious about finding the exact spot from the place-name. It's one thing if the Diary says "32 Kilo Seres Rd" but not if it says Orljak, Guvesne or Lahana. Diaries appear to use the nearest place, even if it's in ruins, as a tag. In some cases, AA sites are well over a kilometre from where you'd expect to find them and I don't doubt that similar short-cuts were taken by other units.

Keith

[MartinWills]

Martin G, on 18 April 2011 - 06:07 PM, said:

Keith - many thanks. As an extension to this I have a list of about 60 place names - mostly villages in the Doiran Valley or the main communications road from Salonika that I need to track down. I recall you are a Macedonis/Salonika guru. I aim to cross reference with the OH on Macedonia and the attached map, but it is a real slog as the spelling variations are wild and various. Do you know who would be the best person to bounce the names off? I am adding notes to a diary (and will post it here very soon) but i want to add some value by getting the modern names and locations to relate to the ground today.

Regards MG

Place names - Oh Dear - it's a minefield.

Many places had three different names in succession during the 1900 - 1925 period as whole communities were swept away and replaced - some greek, some turkish etc.

There is an excellent 400 page (or so) volume published in Greece (written in greek) that provides a gazetteer of the changes and names. I have managed to struggle through a few of the entries of particular interest, but I don't read greek/greek script so it is quite a challenge!