Monday March 18^th, 1918

Usual training, very hot.

The British Front

Presumably the top brass visited the 13th yesterday to share news with the Commanding Officers about the British Front being extended as the Corps takes over a subsection of the line from the French.  The change is described in detail in the BWD today.  Apparently such changes were not uncommon and were usually for operational or logistical reasons.   In this instance, the amount of territory involved is less than a kilometre.¹  The new territory will be under the charge of XII Corps and responsibility shared by its two Divisions. The 22nd Division will assume responsibility for the Left Section and the 26th Division the Right.  I have plotted the administrative boundary between the Right and Left Sections on the following maps – and annotated the BWD entry accordingly.

The following, an extract from the Dojran map, aligns to the second part of the BWD entry:

Corps Reserve

From last night, the 13th Manchesters and the 8th KSLI became the Corps Reserve.  In principle this is the same as Brigade or Divisional reserve albeit at a higher level.  They are in ‘reserve’, under the control of Lt. General Wilson, the Corps commander,  and will be deployed by him as required.¹

13^th  (Service) Battalion War Diary – 18^th March 1918 – No 1 Sector, Olasli

Extract from 66^th Infantry Brigade Memo No 18: 

(The British Front will be extended westwards to the Vardar River. The 26^th Division will take over the Subsection now occupied by the French between Selimli Dere and the Vardar. The 22^nd Div will extend to its left and take over the front of the front of the Right Subsection (78^th Infantry Brigade) of the 26^th Division. On completion of the reliefs, the tactical and administrative boundary between the Right and Left Sections will run – From the point where the road crosses the enemy’s front trenches SEL B – Selimli – Dautli (all inclusive to 22^nd Division) – the work known as ‘COL POST’ (AH22) just West of Glengarry Hill (inclusive the 22^nd Division) – Mamelon Vert (inclusive to 26^th Division) – Baraka [A] – Petit Commandant [B] – Hill 162, South of Le Bicot [C] (All three inclusive to 22^nd Division) – thence to a point on the Kilindir – Karasouli Road where a track enters it from the West at Pt 1246/1747 [D] – from their eastward along the road (inclusive to 22^nd Division) to where the present boundary crosses it (point 1252/17515) [E] – thence following the present boundary to Milovci Hill (1273/1720) [F] and along the road running past the East of Gerbazel (both inclusive to 26^th Division) – to the road junction at pt 13045/16790.

The tactical and Administrative boundary between the Right and Left Subsections will become:- TheVladaja Ravine (incl to the right subsection) from the point were it passes through the enemy trenches west of the Tongue to its junction with the Doldzeli Ravine – DD4 (inclusive to the right subsection) – the fork in the Pearse Ravine at point 1237/18285 [G] – from this (via Oxford Camp inclusive to the Right subsection) along the track from the right of Pearse Ravine and so along the La Douane [H] -Hill 420  road (inclusive to the left subsection) to the point where this road crosses the northern boundary of the Reserve Brigade area at point 1257/1799 (Hill 420) [J]. At 24:00 hrs on the night of 17^th / 18^th March the two battalions of the 66^th Infantry Brigade now in Army Reserve at Olasli (13^th Manchesters) and Hajdarli (8^th KSLI) will come into Corps Reserve.)

The Battalion therefore becomes Corps Reserve. The Battalion will be inspected by the GOC on 22^nd instant. 17 OR are transferred to the Labour Corps with effect from various dates. Inter Coy League Football.

References & Further Reading

¹ Information provided by Charlie, a Global Moderator of The Manchesters

* Kilindir Map extract, from a collection of maps by the Salonika Campaign Society

^Dojran Map extract, as above.