MIKRA BRITISH CEMETERY
Kalamaria
Greece
GPS Coordinates Latitude: 40.57828 Longitude: 22.96488
Picture © Demosthenes Lamprinakis
Location Information
Mikra British Cemetery is situated in the Municipality of Kalamaria in the city of Thessaloniki just off Konstantinou Karamanlis Street between the army camp of Ntalipi (pronounced Dalipi) and the Kalamaria Greek Communal Cemetery.
From both the town centre and airport of Thessaloniki it is approximately a 20 minute drive and can be accessed by first driving along Leoforos Ethnikis Antistaseos highway then entering Makedonias Street and turning right at the top of this road at the traffic lights. From there you enter Konstantinou Karamanlis and the cemetery is approx 300 metres further on your right and a CWGC sign is clearly visible.
Visiting Information
The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time.
Historical Information
At the invitation of the Greek Prime Minister, M.Venizelos, Salonika (now Thessalonika) was occupied by three French Divisions and the 10th (Irish) Division from Gallipoli in October 1915. Other French and Commonwealth forces landed during the year and in the summer of 1916, they were joined by Russian and Italian troops. In August 1916, a Greek revolution broke out at Salonika, with the result that the Greek national army came into the war on the Allied side.
The town was the base of the British Salonika Force and it contained, from time to time, eighteen general and stationary hospitals. Three of these hospitals were Canadian, although there were no other Canadian units in the force.
The earliest Commonwealth burials took place in the local Protestant and Roman Catholic cemeteries, and the Anglo-French (now Lembet Road) Military Cemetery was used from November 1915 to October 1918. The British cemetery at Mikra was opened in April 1917, remaining in use until 1920. The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from a number of burial grounds in the area.
MIKRA BRITISH CEMETERY now contains a total of 1,966 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 136 other nationalities.
Total Burials: 2,102.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 1,804, Bulgaria 95, Russia 33, Greece 8, Australia 1, New Zealand 1. Total 1,942.
Within the cemetery will be found the MIKRA MEMORIAL, commemorating 480 nurses, officers and men of the Commonwealth forces who died when troop transports and hospital ships were lost in the Mediterranean, and who have no grave but the sea. They are commemorated here because others who went down in the same vessels were washed ashore and identified, and are now buried at Thessalonika.
Commemorated: United Kingdom 448, New Zealand 31, India 1. Total 480.
Shot at Dawn
6/227 Private Patrick Joseph Downey, 6th Leinster Regiment, executed for disobedience 27th December 1915, aged 19 years, 9 months. Plot 1386. Son of Michael and Mary A. Downey, of 1, Kellys Range, Wiyes Fields, Limerick.
It seems that he had joined up in Sept 1914. His battalion had served in Gallipoli, arriving in Salonika in Oct 1915. On Nov 25, Downey was sentenced to 84 days’ Field Punishment No 1 for insubordination. (His character was officially described at ‘Very bad’: he had a previous conviction for disobedience, another for disregarding orders, & had committed 6 other offences).
The following day he was ordered to fall in for fatigues & repeatedly refused the CSM’s command. His captain intervened to order Downey to put on his cap — which led to another open refusal.
At trial on 1 Dec, Downey pleaded Guilty, saying in mitigation that he had never been to prison in civilian life, but was sentenced to death. The Corps commander recommended exemplary punishment, which led to confirmation by Gen Munro.
On hearing of this, Downey is alleged to have laughed, saying: ‘That is a good job. You let me enlist & then bring me out here & shoot me’. Hearsay reports state that his execution caused uproar in the ranks of his Division. (Putkowski, p 59; Corns, pp.123-6,128)
Cemetery Pictures © Demosthenes Lamprinakis
Mikra British Cemetery is situated in the Municipality of Kalamaria in the city of Thessaloniki just off Konstantinou Karamanlis Street between the army camp of Ntalipi (pronounced Dalipi) and the Kalamaria Greek Communal Cemetery.
From both the town centre and airport of Thessaloniki it is approximately a 20 minute drive and can be accessed by first driving along Leoforos Ethnikis Antistaseos highway then entering Makedonias Street and turning right at the top of this road at the traffic lights. From there you enter Konstantinou Karamanlis and the cemetery is approx 300 metres further on your right and a CWGC sign is clearly visible.
Visiting Information
The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time.
Historical Information
At the invitation of the Greek Prime Minister, M.Venizelos, Salonika (now Thessalonika) was occupied by three French Divisions and the 10th (Irish) Division from Gallipoli in October 1915. Other French and Commonwealth forces landed during the year and in the summer of 1916, they were joined by Russian and Italian troops. In August 1916, a Greek revolution broke out at Salonika, with the result that the Greek national army came into the war on the Allied side.
The town was the base of the British Salonika Force and it contained, from time to time, eighteen general and stationary hospitals. Three of these hospitals were Canadian, although there were no other Canadian units in the force.
The earliest Commonwealth burials took place in the local Protestant and Roman Catholic cemeteries, and the Anglo-French (now Lembet Road) Military Cemetery was used from November 1915 to October 1918. The British cemetery at Mikra was opened in April 1917, remaining in use until 1920. The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from a number of burial grounds in the area.
MIKRA BRITISH CEMETERY now contains a total of 1,966 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 136 other nationalities.
Total Burials: 2,102.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 1,804, Bulgaria 95, Russia 33, Greece 8, Australia 1, New Zealand 1. Total 1,942.
Within the cemetery will be found the MIKRA MEMORIAL, commemorating 480 nurses, officers and men of the Commonwealth forces who died when troop transports and hospital ships were lost in the Mediterranean, and who have no grave but the sea. They are commemorated here because others who went down in the same vessels were washed ashore and identified, and are now buried at Thessalonika.
Commemorated: United Kingdom 448, New Zealand 31, India 1. Total 480.
Shot at Dawn
6/227 Private Patrick Joseph Downey, 6th Leinster Regiment, executed for disobedience 27th December 1915, aged 19 years, 9 months. Plot 1386. Son of Michael and Mary A. Downey, of 1, Kellys Range, Wiyes Fields, Limerick.
It seems that he had joined up in Sept 1914. His battalion had served in Gallipoli, arriving in Salonika in Oct 1915. On Nov 25, Downey was sentenced to 84 days’ Field Punishment No 1 for insubordination. (His character was officially described at ‘Very bad’: he had a previous conviction for disobedience, another for disregarding orders, & had committed 6 other offences).
The following day he was ordered to fall in for fatigues & repeatedly refused the CSM’s command. His captain intervened to order Downey to put on his cap — which led to another open refusal.
At trial on 1 Dec, Downey pleaded Guilty, saying in mitigation that he had never been to prison in civilian life, but was sentenced to death. The Corps commander recommended exemplary punishment, which led to confirmation by Gen Munro.
On hearing of this, Downey is alleged to have laughed, saying: ‘That is a good job. You let me enlist & then bring me out here & shoot me’. Hearsay reports state that his execution caused uproar in the ranks of his Division. (Putkowski, p 59; Corns, pp.123-6,128)
Cemetery Pictures © Demosthenes Lamprinakis
T4/199148 Driver
Samuel Berry
Army Service Corps 20th Horse Transport
Died of Malaria 7th February 1918, aged 23.
Grave 223.
Lived at 6 Eastwood Street, Burnley, Lancashire.
Samuel Berry
Army Service Corps 20th Horse Transport
Died of Malaria 7th February 1918, aged 23.
Grave 223.
Lived at 6 Eastwood Street, Burnley, Lancashire.
51561 Sapper
Montague Vaughan Case
XVI Corps Signals, Royal Engineers
18th November 1918.
Grave 841.
Son of the late William Benjamin and Sarah Marion Elizabeth Case, of Hill St., Poole.
Montague Vaughan Case
XVI Corps Signals, Royal Engineers
18th November 1918.
Grave 841.
Son of the late William Benjamin and Sarah Marion Elizabeth Case, of Hill St., Poole.
84957Gunner
Rennie Dixon
Royal Garrison Artillery 153rd
Died 17th June 1918, aged 23.
Grave 1810.
Son of Joseph Dixon, of 3, Reedley Rd., Reedley, Burnley.
Rennie Dixon
Royal Garrison Artillery 153rd
Died 17th June 1918, aged 23.
Grave 1810.
Son of Joseph Dixon, of 3, Reedley Rd., Reedley, Burnley.
T4/241166 Driver
Hymie Edwards
3rd Base Horse Transport Depot
Royal Army Service Corps
23rd December 1918, aged 24.
Grave 1080.
Son of Mr. C. and Mrs. A. Edwards, of 32, Park St., Cheetham, Manchester.
His headstone bears the inscription "Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten By Father, Mother & Family"
Pictures courtesy of Robert Nathan (Great Nephew)
Hymie Edwards
3rd Base Horse Transport Depot
Royal Army Service Corps
23rd December 1918, aged 24.
Grave 1080.
Son of Mr. C. and Mrs. A. Edwards, of 32, Park St., Cheetham, Manchester.
His headstone bears the inscription "Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten By Father, Mother & Family"
Pictures courtesy of Robert Nathan (Great Nephew)
504084 Sapper
George Henry Morgan
500th (Wessex) Field Coy., Royal Engineers
2nd December 1918, aged 24.
Grave 790.
Son of Annie Morgan, of 8, Nelson Place West, Bath, Somerset, and the late Herbert Morgan.
George Henry Morgan
500th (Wessex) Field Coy., Royal Engineers
2nd December 1918, aged 24.
Grave 790.
Son of Annie Morgan, of 8, Nelson Place West, Bath, Somerset, and the late Herbert Morgan.
6331 Regimental Serjeant Major
Joseph Edward Williams
1st Bn. Royal Scots
31st January 1916, aged 39.
Grave 1396.
Husband of Maretta Williams, of 16, Wyre Grove, Blackpool, Lancs.
Joseph Edward Williams
1st Bn. Royal Scots
31st January 1916, aged 39.
Grave 1396.
Husband of Maretta Williams, of 16, Wyre Grove, Blackpool, Lancs.
8380 Corporal
John Alpha Wilson
3rd Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps
5th June 1917, aged 27.
Grave 1808.
Son of John Henry and Amy Florence Wilson, of 13, Guy St., Burnley, Lancashire.
John Alpha Wilson
3rd Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps
5th June 1917, aged 27.
Grave 1808.
Son of John Henry and Amy Florence Wilson, of 13, Guy St., Burnley, Lancashire.
