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Edward Davis' service in Macedonia with Horse Battery


Description from Bede Magazine


Macedonia

Dec 12th 1918

I’m out here in Macedonia, stuck out in this wild country upon the side of a range of hills, with my Battery in winter quarters. War has not interested us for quite a long while now and soldiering has been very much of the peace time type except perhaps for the conditions under which we live. My experiences out here have not included any actual fighting for I came out just when everything was disorganised owing to the actual fact of an offensive being about to commence. No wonder everything was disorganised after sitting down out here for two years. In time I did get half way up to the scene of activity, but only to get stranded once again, and here I at last learned my fate, that of being posted to a Horse Battery. It was a rude shock after training in Blighty upon a siege course to be pushed into heavies. Ultimately I reached my battery’s waggon lines to see the battery returning from the pursuit of the Bulgars, and ever since then I have been learning my new role of an officer in the battery and that has entailed a journey down to Base upon an equitation course; and very interesting it proved, since my previous knowledge of horses was nil! However, I’m quite at home now, the only difficulty being that there is no war. It does not lighten our work much though for the horses still need the same attention, which means we are at work from sunrise to late at night and we rather eye with envy the siege batteries beside us, to whom work now is a complete stranger, their greatest difficulty being to find something with which to occupy the 24 hours of each day. Naturally enough our one topic now is of demobilisation, and how soon we shall be before we get home. We all have our different opinions upon that, and each is biassed by his own experiences and circumstances. Still there is one encouraging fact that the Medical Authorities strongly advise the removal of our troops from these parts before the hot weather returns, for with it comes the Mosquito is a foe worse than any Bulgar. But ‘patiently waiting” will have to be our watchword. There is one point I should strive to impress upon all, and that is the great difficulties under which the BSF [British Salonika Force] has had to work, caused by awful Malaria which has so strongly rooted itself in the constitutions of the men that the slightest change of weather brings the sick parade up to an appalling number. Probably this is an old story, but to see what wreck it makes of men in quite a short time proves that the point must be emphasised, as the greatest difficulty which our troops have had to face during all this time. Never have the units been up to strength because the rapidity with which the men succumb to Malaria makes it impossible, even at the present time, to say how many men you can depend upon for work tomorrow, and that fact, when in action, must have been a great hindrance to any activity out here. Then consider the nature of the country. A good coloured map would show to some extent the difficulty of attempting any warfare out here, but when one actually sees the true topography of the country, one is impressed with the tremendous difficulty of any campaign being brought to a successful end. To me, even now, it is a miracle how our men ever dislodged the enemy from his positively artillery proof fastnesses in the mountains – all of which overlooked our own positions, and made matters very uncomfortable for the execution of any movement of guns or troops.

The Bulgar, under the Boche supervision, created impregnable positions in the hills, and I cannot imagine anything but a collapse of his morale allowing our men to dislodge him. However, he has gone under and the BSF justified its presence here undoubtedly.

My most edifying and interesting experiences were those connected with my journey out here, overland, but still the Censor holds his sway, and although restrictions were relaxed for 24 hours they were enforced next day, so all I could say on that line must remain unsaid! Still the geographically trained portion of my brain received quite a rude shock, and I think I learned more in my 14 days’ journey here than all the books ever written could have taught one, but such an experience is a well-known physiological, or is it psychological fact. I’m all gunnery now and work of an educational nature “has gone west” to use a Tommy’s phrase. This reminds me that the kind authorities, knowing that the men have so much spare time on hand, have organised courses and lectures of an educational type out here for the winter. It seems curious that officers of the scholastic professions are not allowed to have their names submitted as instructors. By this it seems that they have at last discovered our worth or worthlessness, or have they an idea of sending us home first. The latter I hope!

ED ’11-’13

Date: 12-Dec-1918

Author: Edward Davis

Where to find this: Bede Magazine April 1919 Online Resource
https://www.dur.ac.uk/library/asc/roll/publications/

Contributed by Fiona Johnson - Durham

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