Τμήμα που αναφέρει την περιοχή μας του 1920 απο το βιβλίο WAR RECORD OF 4th Bn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers AND Lothians and Border Horse

Τμήμα που αναφέρει την περιοχή μας του 1920 απο το βιβλίο WAR RECORD  OF  4th Bn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers  AND  Lothians and Border Horse

After having been reviewed with the 22nd Division
at Aldershot both by Lord Kitchener and by His Majesty
the King, " D " Squadron embarked for France on 6th
September, 1915, landed at Havre, and entrained straight
for the Somme area. For a short time the Squadron was
billeted near Vignacourt, but soon moved with Divisional
Headquarters to Gillaucourt, where a series of control
posts were established in conjunction with the Surrey
Yeomanry of the 27th Division. The Squadron was commanded by Major J. R. Ramsay, with Captain the Marquis
of Linlithgow as second-in-command, the other officers
being Lieuts. J. R. Marshall, A. R. Balfour, A. K.
Graham, and I. M. A. Matheson. Before being ordered
to Marseilles at the end of October, the officers and
N.C.O.'s of the Squadron were given an opportunity of
acquiring a first-hand experience of trench warfare by
being attached for a short spell to infantry battalions in
the line. A class of instruction for the snipers of the
Division was also started by Captain Lord Linlithgow,
but the class was abruptly terminated by the transference
of Lord Linlithgow to another formation, and by the
receipt of orders by the Squadron to entrain for Marseilles.
On reaching Marseilles the Squadron spent three weeks
in the mud of Borely Camp, patiently awaiting the arrival
of a transport. It embarked on 24th November, and
learnt with surprise that the transport had, with no less
patience, for the last fortnight been awaiting the arrival
of its troops. Four days later the transport sailed, and,
after a day spent in the harbur of Toulon, steamed into
the mists of Salonika harbour on the morning of 8th
December.
Owing to the uncertainty of the situation no
troops were landed for four days, and the Squadron
did not disembark until the night of llth-12th December,

at the very moment when the retreat from Doiran was

taking place. After a couple of days' rest for the horses,

after their 17 days' voyage, the Squadron was equipped

with bivouacs and with transport, and marched to Dautli,

in order to take up patrol duties in advance of the entrenched line then being dug around Salonika. During

the next three months the country between the Salonika

"defences and the Bulgar lines at Doiran was constantly

patrolled, both for defensive purposes and in order to

acquire information likely to be useful in case of an

advance. Reports were furnished to the Division on the

billeting accommodation in the villages, on the state of

the roads and tracks, and on the water supplies, fuel,

and flocks available throughout the area, whilst at the same

time military proclamations were distributed amongst

the inhabitants. In carrying out these duties the Squadron acquired a detailed and thorough knowledge of the area occupied by the British forces. Special reconnaissance detachments, accompanied by General Staff officers,

geographical experts, engineers, and artillery officers,

Avere also sent forward, and traversed the country to the

very fringe of the enemy zone, penetrating as far as the

villages of Poroj and Nikolic, which were later included

in the lines entrenched and occupied by the Bulgars.

In the middle of April, 1916, the Squadron received

"orders to march with a squadron of the Notts Hussars

for duty as Army Troops in the Struma Valley, where it

camped close to the village of Orljak, in a position of

isolation far in advance of any other British troops. From

here patrols and reconnaissance parties were sent to

Demir-Hissar, Vetrina, and the Rupel Pass, and in fact

throughout the Butkova-Seres portion of the Struma

Valley, into which the enemy had not as yet descended.

The Greek frontier was still occupied by the Greek army,

with whom, however, relations were somewhat delicate,

since this army a month or two later surrendered Fort

Rupel to the Bulgars, and permitted their invasion of the

Struma Valley. One day in May it became known to

Army Headquarters that the German Consul from the

Drama had that morning gone to Seres, in order to engage

Greek workmen for the prosecution of designs which were

undoubtedly pro-German and presumably anti-British. It

was decided therefore to have him arrested, and " D '

Squadron was ordered to perform this task, but to be

careful not to get into trouble with the Greek troops. As-

the Consul was known to be returning from Seres to Drama

by a certain train, Lieut. A. R. Balfour, M.C., with one

troop was sent to intercept and stop the train after it had

left Seres. This he did, and returned that evening with

the Consul as prisoner, having effected his purpose in the

face of strong opposition and threats of violence from a

number of Greek officers and a company of soldiers who

happened to be on the train.

Before the end of May the Squadron was recalled

from the Struma, and rejoined the 22nd Division, which

was then advancing from Salonika to the vicinity of Lake

Doiran. Here, together with the 7th Mounted Brigade,

it carried out protective duties covering the front of the

Division, occupying by day posts of observation on a ridge

overlooking the town and lake of Doiran, and by night

guarding the roads between the enemy's lines and the

position occupied by the Division.

Owing to the sickness prevalent during the first summer in Macedonia, many units were reduced very much

below strength. Amongst others, the Derby Yeomanry

had suffered severely from the ravages of malaria. Accordingly, in August, 1916, both " A " and " D " Squadrons were sent to the Struma Valley to make up the

depleted numbers of the Derby Yeomanry, with whom

they formed a composite regiment. As a part of the 7th

Mounted Brigade, therefore, " D " Squadron took part

in the various operations in which the river was crossed

and villages in the occupation of the enemy were raided.

At the end of September the composite regiment was.

broken up, and " D " Squadron recrossed the British area,

which had then been extended to the River Vardar, and

rejoined the 22nd Division on the left of the British line,

where it camped close to the western shores of Lake-

Ardzan.

Amongst other difficulties incidental to the conduct

of war in Macedonia, the strange mixture of races amongst

the inhabitants produces a very serious problem. In one

place a group of villages will be entirely Turkish. In

another, exclusively Greek. In a third, both Greeks and

Turks live together in the same village. The next village,

perhaps, may be inhabited by Bulgar-speaking inhabitants.

All of these are citizens of Greece, but, as may be readily

imagined, their sympathies are apt to differ widely. Often

some member of the family is actually serving in the

Bulgarian or the Turkish army. Consequently espionage

is widespread and difficult to suppress. Once the opposing forces had settled down to a warfare of positions, the

scope for the use of mounted troops was restricted, and

the services of the Squadron were largely utilised in order

to establish a system of control posts under the orders

of the A.P.M. of the Corps. Posts of N.C.O.'s and men

were scattered throughout the Corps area in order to

patrol the villages, watching the inhabitants and controlling their movements, so as to lessen the danger of innocent-looking peasants gaining military information

and carrying it across the lines to the enemy.

On 26th November, 1916, one troop was detached and

sent to join the Independent Brigade, which was thon

taking over the Dova Tepe area, hitherto held by an

Italian Division. This troop provided orderlies and dispatch riders, and also furnished mounted patrols, which

took part in the operations conducted by the Brigade

against the village of Akindzali. Later it was attached to

the 60th Division when that Division arrived from France

and relieved the Independent Brigade.

Meanwhile, in the beginning of December, 1916,

' D ' Squadron once more left the 22nd Division

and came under the orders of the 8th Mounted

Brigade, which was then responsible for a portion

of the front line immediately south of Lake Doiran.

During its tenure of this area, in addition to the

usual duties of defence, the Brigade carried out a

complete reorganisation and renewal of the defensive

works of the sector, and also took part in several raids

on villages within the Bulgar outpost line. On the departure of the 8th Mounted Brigade for Palestine in May,

1917, " A " and " D " Squadrons, which had now been

united as the XII. Corps Cavalry Regiment, took over

the defence of the sector previously held by the whole

Brigade.

At the beginning of June, however, " D " Squadron

was sent eastwards to the Dova Tepe sector, in order

to provide outposts for the forward area, on the withdrawal of the infantry from the low-lying mosquito-

infested 'winter-line" to the "summer line" on the

hills. Mounted posts were established by night, whilst

during the day the whole area was searched by patrols

and watched by observation posts from suitable points.

During July " D " Squadron was withdrawn, and after

a short period of training in August, replaced ' A

Squadron at Piton Gallieni, south of Lake Doiran. ' A '

Squadron was then sent to the Dova Tepe sector. For

the next year " D " Squadron remained in camp at Piton

'Gallieni with responsibility for the defence of the Lake

Sector, at first under the 22nd Division, but later-on a

regrouping of the sectors of defence-as part of the XII.

Corps Cavalry Regiment. During this period, each troop

"of the Squadron in turn was attached to one of the infantry

battalions of the 22nd Division, and for a week at a time

held a front-line work called Silbury Hill, thereby gaining

a valuable insight into the tension and monotony of the

role of infantry in trench warfare.

Before the final advance of September, 1918, the

Squadron was withdrawn with the Regiment for a short

period of intensive training in preparation for the advance.

When the offensive took place, ' D " Squadron, with

Regimental Headquarters, were attached to the 26th Division, and concentrated near Lake Ardzan. On the retreat

of the Bulgars, ' D ' Squadron advanced into Serbia

with the Derby Yeomanry by Bogdanci, Cestovo, and

Kosturino to Strumitza in Bulgaria. On the retreat of

the Bulgars, officers' patrols advanced in front of the

Division, and joined the Derby Yeomanry at Cestovo,

"where skirmishing with the retreating enemy first took

place on the Kosturino Ridge. Early on the following

morning the Regiment advanced in support of the Derby

Yeomanry, and shared with them the honour of being

the first Allied troops to enter Bulgaria. Beyond the

frontier village of Kosturino, the road to Strumitza was

found to be blocked by enemy machine guns. The

advance of the 14th Greek Division on the left flank

having been delayed, it was found impossible to force

the pass with mounted troops alone, and they were

accordingly withdrawn at night behind the infantry outpost

line. During the night the enemy continued his retreat,

and on the 26th the Derby Yeomanry, with the L. & B.

Horse in close support, continued their advance on

Strumitza, where touch with the enemy was once more

gained among the villages on the northern side of the

wide valley of the Strumitza. A large column of the

enemy could be seen winding along the road which

ascended the mountains across the valley, but in the

absence of artillery support it was impossible with a composite mounted force of four weak squadrons to attack

the retreating column, protected as it was by a chain of

villages strongly held by machine guns and mountain

guns. And dusk removed any further opportunity of completing the havoc wrought among the column by the

bombs of the Royal Flying Corps.