1st Btn Suffolk Regiment.

[hookleg]

I am researching names on our village war memorial and am following up on Private Ernest William Haselwood of Norton, Suffolk. I know where and when he was born and lived and that he was buried in plot VII. B. 5 of the Struma Military Cemetery, just off the E79  main road between Thessaloniki and Serres.
He was killed in action 31st October 1916, so I am trying to find out where near Serres, Greece, D Coy, 1st Bn Suffolk Regiment were on 31st October 1916.
There seems so little internet info about this campaign in Greece against the Bulgarians.
I have read the blurb about the cemetery on CWGC site, but can not find the villages mentioned, on Google. I realise that after initial burial near the place of death, his body was probably moved to its final resting place at Struma. 1st Bn Suffolk Regt may have been at Barakli Jum'a, but again, I can only find scant reference to it on websites and then all copied and repeated info. Can't find it on a map. Any help would be most welcome.

[apwright]

The placenames used at the time were the old Ottoman names - mostly Turkish, but some Bulgarian - which were all replaced by Greek names between the 1920s and 1950s. Bairakli Juma is the old Ottoman name of the village now called Iraklia (or Herakleia), about 15 miles northwest of Serres. (Google Earth coordinates 41.18 23.28)

The attack on Bairakli Juma was mainly carried out by 83rd Brigade (2nd East Yorks, 2nd Royal Lancs, 1st Yorks Light Infantry and 1st Yorks and Lancs), with 84th Brigade (1st Suffolks, 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, 2nd Cheshires and 1st Welsh) supporting them to the south. 83rd Brigade successfully took Bairakli Juma, and 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers took the heavily defended Dolap Farm (now Sarakatsaneiko, about a mile south) with heavy losses.
The Suffolks' job was to capture the village of Kumli (now Ammoudia), which was only lightly defended. According to the Official History, only one platoon of the Suffolks was used in the attack, and they took took the village easily, capturing 13 Bulgarian prisoners. There is no mention of casualties, but Pte Haselwood is the only man of the Suffolks buried in the area from the time between 31 October and the heavier losses they suffered in an attack on Bairakli (not Juma! Now Valtero) on 16 November, so he must have been the only Suffolks man killed that day.

I have a photo of Pte Haselwood's grave at Struma Cemetery if you need it!

Regards,
Adrian
(in Salonika)

[newburychap]

The relevant war diary is at the National Archives (PRO:WO 95/4916) - it might show casualties from an incident a day or few earlier than his death, which may have been the result of a wound or accident.

[hookleg]

Many thanks Adrian for the info on place names.I wondered why I couldnt pick up on them. There may be a couple more that you could help with later.
 
I would love a photo if you could oblige. How do we arrange that?

There are a couple of us working on the War Memorial project for our village archive. We all say each Nov 11th that we will remember them. I am trying to bring more detail to the circumstances of the campaigns in which they lost their lives so that what we say will be more meaningful. Also for future generations , as the village changes with new families coming in and older ones dying out or relocating. There are just a few families that have roots going back 100 years here. Mine go back to the mid 1700s.

[hookleg]

Many thanks to Newburychap. Does this entail a trip to Kew?? (200 miles) if so I'll finish researching all the others on the War Memorial in case there are other facts I need to check there, or is it something which might be sourced online?

[newburychap]

Currently you will need to go to Kew (or get someone to go for you) in order to see the war diary. 

TNA are digitising war diaries so many more will appear online in the coming months, but I haven't seen any timetable for this. There are currently 178 war diaries available for download - the current project will add another 2,097. 

However, I am not sure that 1st Sufffolks Nov 1915-Feb 1919 (WO 95/4916) will be one of those digitised.  As far as I can see they are only going as far as 3948.