Doiran Memorial (Memorial to the Missing British Soldiers)

 memorial, First World War 1914-1918, war cemetery

The monument is at the top of the hill above the British military cemetery.
In marble inscription on the back of the monument says
"The land on which this memorial stands, is the free gift of the Greek people for the perpetual commemoration of those of the British Salonika Force who fell in the war 1915-1918 and are honoured here."
and elsewhere writes
"In glorious memory of 418 officers and 10.282 other ranks of the British Salonika Force who died in Macedonia and Serbia 1915-1918 and to commemorate 1.979 of all ranks who have no known grave but whose names are on the panels. They did their duty."

The DOIRAN MEMORIAL stands roughly in the centre of the line occupied for two years by the Allies in Macedonia, but close to the western end, which was held by Commonwealth forces. It marks the scene of the fierce fighting of 1917-1918, which caused the majority of the Commonwealth battle casualties.
From October 1915 to the end of November 1918, the British Salonika Force suffered some 2,800 deaths in action, 1,400 from wounds and 4,200 from sickness. The campaign afforded few successes for the Allies, and none of any importance until the last two months. The action of the Commonwealth force was hampered throughout by widespread and unavoidable sickness and by continual diplomatic and personal differences with neutrals or Allies. On one front there was a wide malarial river valley and on the other, difficult mountain ranges, and many of the roads and railways it required had to be specially constructed.
The memorial serves the dual purpose of Battle Memorial of the British Salonika Force (for which a large sum of money was subscribed by the officers and men of that force), and place of commemoration for more than 2,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died in Macedonia and whose graves are not known.
The memorial was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer with sculpture by Walter Gilbert. It was unveiled by Sir George Macdonogh on 25 September 1926.
www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/160000/DOIRAN%20M...