War Office: The Macedonian Mule Corps in World War I

WO 405

1916-1979

This series contains eight registers, listing the men of the Macedonian Mule Corps, a corps raised by the British Army in the First World War.

The registers contain a single-line entry for each man, giving his number, rank, name, period of service, next of kin, home address and the occasional further remark. The entries are arranged in number order and there is no index by name. However, most members of the Corps received the British War Medal and their names can therefore be found in the index to the First World War Army Medal Rolls (WO 329). That index, arranged by name, gives also the soldier's service number.

The series also includes a book containing the notes and conclusions of a British Army officer who devoted much time in the 1970s to a study of the Corps.

Public Record(s)

English

1 volume(s)

Open

In 2004 Ministry of Defence

Topics

Army

Medals

Conflict

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

Series is not accruing

During the First World War, difficulties arose in meeting the transport needs of the British Army in Salonika due to the scarcity of Army Service Corps drivers. This especially affected re-supplying and field ambulance activities.

The solution was the recruitment of local muleteers and between 1916 and 1919 some 13,000 were engaged. The initial intake in 1916, perhaps 2,000 men, were Greeks but that source dried up in the autumn when the Greek National Army formed in Salonika. Cyprus was thereafter the source of most of Britain's muleteers in Salonika.

Greek or Cypriot, they were all members of the Macedonian Mule Corps and at least 38 lie in war graves.