Mountains, Mules and Malaria—Soldiering with the British Salonika Force 1915-18

Alan Wakefield graduated from the University of Reading in 1990 with a degree in History and followed this with an MA in War Studies from King’s College London. Having worked as a curator at the National Maritime Museum and RAF Museum, Alan qualified with an MA in Museum Studies from University College London. Between 2000 and 2016 he was employed as a curator and then Head of the Photograph Archive of the Imperial War Museum. In August 2016, Alan was appointed to the position of Head of First World War & Early 20th Century Conflict at the IWM

He co-authored Under the Devil’s Eye: Britain’s Forgotten Army at Salonika 1915-1918 (republished by Pen & Sword in 2011) He is currently working on a book about First World War campaign in Mesopotamia. Alan currently holds the position of Chairman of the Salonika Campaign Society and is a member of the British Commission for Military History. He writes and lectures on various aspects of military history, with particular emphasis on the First World War and over the past decade has led many tour groups to the battlefields of the Salonika Campaign. 

Alan’s talk uses letters, diaries and memoirs to illustrate points in the narrative. It looks at the nature of warfare in Macedonia, and the problems of climate and disease. 

We meet once a month on Thursdays evenings at 8.00pm. We ask for a modest donation of £4 on the door (cash only) to defray costs. A bar is available for members to purchase refreshments (card only).

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome.

Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

We look forward to welcoming you to our branch meetings.