Friday July 5th, 1918
Reveille 6am. Breakfast French coffee. Arrived Taranto, Italy 8am. Mail dished out that had been held up for us. 12 letters, one parcel and four papers. Orderly man. Warned to entrain again at 6:30. Thunderstorm all wet through. Left camp 6:15 train, left Taranto 8:30. 32 in goods van – crowded.
Sailing into Taranto
Protected by support vessels, the overnight sail from Itea to Taranto, has passed without incident. Instead of the ubiquitous tea, Frank enjoys coffee with breakfast on the French liner before disembarking.
The Otranto Barrage
Taranto is a bustling port during WWI, not least because it is a subsidiary base for the drifters² of the Otranto Barrage – providing docking, boiler cleaning, and repair facilities.
The Otranto Barrage was the Allied naval blockade of the Otranto Straits between Brindisi and Corfu. Initiated in September 1915, it was intended to prevent the Austro-Hungarian navy gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea. The UK provided more than 80 drifters to the Barrage over the course of the war.
Its effectiveness, particularly against submarines, has been questioned by modern scholars. However it was never doubted during the War. Not least because Austro-Hungary launched a number of attacks upon it – most notably the Battle of the Otranto Straits in May 1917.
Goods Wagons
After the relative comfort of carriages during their journey through Greece, the other ranks are now boarding goods wagons for their long, onward journey through Italy and France. Officers are four to a compartment, but the rest are packed in 32 to a wagon.
The photograph shows British Gurkhas arriving at the Western Front by troop train in November 1914.* Looking at photographs of other trains coming up from Italy, this is typical accommodation for the men.
Both Frank and the Battalion note that the troops are soaked in a thunderstorm while entraining – not a great start. At least, having picked up 12 letters and 4 newspapers, Frank will have plenty to read on the journey. Let’s hope that his parcel was full of nice things to eat.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 5th July 1918 – Taranto, Italy
Arrived in harbour 08:00 hrs but Battalion not all landed until after 10:00 hrs. Spent day at Rest Camp. Entrained at 20:15. Officers four to a compartment and men 32 to a truck. Eight days rations carried on train. A heavy shower of rain wet the Battalion through whilst entraining.
References & Further Reading
* Q 53385 copyright Imperial War Museums
¹ The Otranto Barrage by Russell Phillips
² fishing boats equipped with a drift net
thank you for this wonderful website. My grandfather Joseph Parker, a sailor in the Royal Navy, passed through Taranto a month before Frank, and it is interesting to read Frank’s experiences. Joseph made only notes of the places he passed through, and nothing about what happened. He was travelling back from Egypt to England, via Malta, Taranto, train over the Alps, St Germain, and Le Havre.