What was the major medical challenge on the Salonika front?

Malaria. It is well documented that the trenches on the western front were infested with rats and lice, but the biggest plight on Macedonian front was pesky mosquitos. They may be less intrusive than rats, however they do carry malaria, a deadly disease (as it still is today).

What was the Salonika campaign?

Salonika Campaign. The Salonika Campaign began on 5 October 1915 with the landing of the 10th (Irish) Division and French 156th Division at the port of Salonika in Greece. The rationale for sending troops to the Balkans was to deter Bulgaria from joining Germany and Austria-Hungary in an attack on Serbia.

Who fought in Salonika?

The British Salonika Force (BSF) fought alongside French, Greek, Italian, Russian and Serbian contingents. British and French colonial troops from the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Indochina also took part. Of a total allied force of around 600,000 men the BSF numbered 220,000 men at its peak strength.

Why did the Allies land in Salonika in Greece?

Lack of resources and political indecision among the Allies led to delays in the dispatch of aid to Serbia until it was effectively too late to help. It was eventually agreed to land forces at the vital port of Salonika (now Thessaloniki) in the northern Greek region of Macedonia.

What happened to dead bodies of trench warfare in WWI?

Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface.

Is Salonika the same as Thessaloniki?

In English, the city can be called Thessaloniki, Salonika, Thessalonica, Salonica, Thessalonika, Saloniki, Thessalonike, or Thessalonice. In printed texts, the most common name and spelling until the early 20th century was Thessalonica; through most of rest of the 20th century, it was Salonika.

Where was the Salonika front in ww1?

By 1917 a multinational Allied force under French General Maurice Sarrail numbering 500,000 troops faced the Bulgarian Army and German, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish units, totalling 300,000 men. The front line stretched from Albania to the mouth of the River Struma in Greece.

Are ww1 bodies still being found?

More than a century after the Armistice in 1918, the bodies of missing First World War soldiers are still discovered at a rate of one per week beneath the fields of the Western Front, unearthed by farmers’ ploughs and developers’ bulldozers.

Was there a concentration camp in Greece?

The Haidari concentration camp (Greek: στρατόπεδο συγκέντρωσης Χαϊδαρίου, romanized: stratópedo syngéntrosis Chaidaríou; German: KZ Chaidari) was a concentration camp operated by the German Schutzstaffel at the Athens suburb of Haidari during the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II.

What is the meaning of Salonika?

Definitions of Salonika. a port city in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea; second largest city of Greece. synonyms: Salonica, Thessalonica, Thessaloniki. example of: city, metropolis, urban center. a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts.

Where was the Salonika front?

Are bodies still being found from ww1?

How did soldiers try to get rid of the trench rats?

Cats and terriers were kept by soldiers in the frontline trenches to help free them of disease-carrying rats. The terriers were actually very effective in killing rats. There is difference between a cat and a terrier when it comes to rodent control.

What did soldiers do with dead bodies in the trenches?

In areas of active combat, troops would bury their fallen comrades where they fell, often in a shallow grave marked only with a large rock, a stick, or a rifle with its bayonet thrust into the ground. In a pinch, a shallow trench or shell crater would do; these bodies would be exhumed later and reburied.

What happened to Greek Jews during ww2?

The Holocaust in Greece was the mass murder of Greek Jews, mostly as a result of their deportation to Auschwitz concentration camp, during World War II. By 1945, between 83 and 87 percent of Greek Jews had been murdered, one of the highest proportions in Europe.

What happened to the Jews in Greece during ww2?

On March 25, 1944, German officials rounded up 1,690 Jews in Athens—many of whom were refugees from Thessaloniki—for deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the war, Athens became the main center of resettlement for Jews returning to Greece, and the Jewish population increased to 4,940.

Why did Bulgaria surrender in ww1?

Part of the Bulgarian Army quickly collapsed, and open mutiny followed as rebellious troops proclaimed a republic at Radomir. Forced to seek peace, Bulgaria requested an armistice with the Allies on 24 September 1918, accepting it five days later.

Who was the surgeon who worked at the hospital at Salonika?

His name was Capt.E.H.Roberts, RAMC who was appointed aspecialist in Operative Surgery at No.82 General Hospital, 10/6/1918. Capt Roberts from the letters appears to have joined up in Sept 1914, and been in France as part of the BEF in Dec 1914, transfering to Salonika in 1918.

How many British soldiers died in the Salonika?

At its utmost, Lieutenant-General George Milne’s British Salonika Force (BSF) eventually numbered over 200,000 soldiers. These men faced a boiling summer climate and many succumbed to heatstroke.

Where can I find AIF nurses that served in Salonika?

I enclose the name of three AIF nurses that served in Salonika, if you care to check the Aust Archives site out for there service records it may tell you where they served. Matron Christine Sorenson AIF served 60 GH awarded RRC 2nd class, MID and Medal de Epidemis by France,