December 7 marks the 101st anniversary of the Battle of Kosturino, a little-known action in the little-known Macedonian campaign during the very well-known First World War. While this minor clash in the Balkans in December 1915 is of little significance in the overall context of the war, its interest for me as an Australian is that the battle involved troops from the 10th (Irish) Division, recently transferred from Gallipoli where the division’s 29th Brigade had served alongside the Anzacs during the August offensive at Lone Pine, Quinn’s Post, Chunuk Bair and Hill 60. At the Battle of Kosturino a small contingent of Australian soldiers served alongside the Irish.
Romeo Drobarov of Salonika Battlefield Tours at the memorial to the 10th (Irish) Division at Rabrovo, Macedonia
While the centenary of the battle was commemorated last year, it is only recently that I visited Kosturino, prompting me to write this post and a short account of the battle: Battle of Kosturino: the Irish-Australian connection.
My visit to the battle site was facilitated by Romeo Drobarov of Salonika Battlefield Tours, who has a detailed knowledge of the battlefield and of the various actions that occurred in and around the locality during the Macedonian campaign. For Australians interested in going there, the journey is not difficult at all. It involves a flight to Athens and a train trip to Thessaloniki, from where Romeo will collect you and drive you to and around the battlefield.