Macedonia is more likely to be associated today with the Yugoslav conflict of the 1990s. Few remember its part in the World War I Salonica Front, also known as the Macedonia Front, and even at the time better known as the ‘forgotten front’.
‘Muckydonia’ as it was known in a soldier’s book of the period, was too small for the headline news, yet troops on the Salonika front suffered the fog of war as much as troops in Flanders, the Somme, or Verdun. Casualties were borne from poor communications, malaria was endemic and life behind the lines (unlike in France and Belgium) was woefully unexciting.
The Salonica Front stretched from the Gulf of Orfano to Strumica, traversing Ohrid, Krusevo, Prilep, Gevgelia and Doiran, and even touching Skopje. The bulk of the British Doiran offensive in September 1918 was carried out by the forces of the 22nd Division. This division was made up of men from all over Great Britain but largely from Wales and the North of England. After tragic losses, 22nd Division survivors erected a memorial to their fallen comrades shortly after the war at the strong point and observation position they fought so hard to attain, which was known then as The Devil’s Eye on top of Kale Tepe, or the Grand Couronne.
The original memorial was rediscovered among thick undergrowth and vegetation in 2007. To mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the British Embassy in Skopje, in conjunction with the Municipality of Doiran, decided to place a replica memorial, inspired by the original, on the site. Informative panel boards depicting the battle at Doiran have been erected, and the original memorial can still be seen, with the new memorial above it. The bunker complex at the memorial site served a supply and command system of trenches and defenses. It was known to the Bulgarians as the Ferdinand and was so named to commemorate the Bulgarian victory there of 1915. Dugouts and other strong points can also be seen.
Thanks to Simon, and Reuben (resident archaeologist) for all their tips and info.
Take a bus direct from Skopje to Star Dojran, or take the train to Gevgelia and a taxi from there. Stay at the Hotel Istatov in Nov Dojran Tel: ++ 389 (0) 34 227 556
Tel/Fax: ++ 389 (0) 34 227 555
Mob: ++ 389 (0) 75 421 848
hotel.istatov@yahoo.com
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