Monday April 1st, 1918
Reveille 6am. Ready for moving off by 8:15. Moved away 10:15. We had to carry full pack & overcoats. Very warm marching – all up hill and arrived Gun Ravine Camp 1:15 utterly done up. Just missed SWB moving away – hoped to see Fred Sutton but did not.
Operation Order No 34
Interestingly, Paragraph 8 in this Operation Order stated ‘Great coats and blankets should be packed square and not rolled in bundles.’ Two limbers and four mules were allocated to each Company for blankets (and presumably the great coats). Unfortunately for Frank and B Company, this seems not to be the case and they are to march with full kit, which weighed around 60 lbs, and their overcoats.
Luckily the march is not a long one. Saida is to the north west of Rates and as the crow flies only a few kilometres away. However the land is mountainous and the route circuitous. The journey between the two locations takes about three hours.
The photograph shows a column of British infantry with pack mules passing motor lorries on a nice, straight section of the Seres Road near the village of Likovan in May 1916. The 13th would probably see such a road as luxurious.
The Camp
All the Companies, excepting Frank’s, are to be based in Saida Camp. This is obviously a well-established billet. The BWD notes that only a handful of men in A, C and D Companies will be under canvas and the rest housed in more salubrious accommodation. B Company will be in Gun Ravine Camp a short way off and the diary is silent on its accommodation.
If you are following this on the war-time maps: Gun Ravine just scrapes onto the bottom of the Dojran map¹ (ref 1791/1235) and Saida is on the upper edge of the Kilindir map² (ref 1788/1239).
The Battalion is now in Divisional reserve and about five kilometres from the front line.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 1st April 1918 – Rates – Saida
The Battalion marched off from Rates in accordance with Operation Order No 34 (Appendix No 4 of March 1918) and was reported present at Saida at 13:30 hours. ‘B’ Coy is camped at the top of eastern end of Gun Ravine, the other Coys in order from north to south are:- A, C & D in Saida Camp. The Battalion is in Divisional reserve. The accommodation at this camp has been greatly improved, and in spite of the strength of the Battalion, only about three tents per company for three Coys are required surplus to the shelters.
References & Further Reading
¹ Dojran Map, edition 3a, 1:20,000, 09-07-17, Digital archive, McMaster University Library, Canada
² Kilindir Map, edition 2, 1:20,000, 30-11-16, Salonika Campaign Society
* Q47630 copyright Imperial War Museums