A Letter from Salonika

Major R.A.B. Orlebar, 1919 [X464/22/14]

Thursday 23rd December 1915: Erica Orlebar, the daughter of Mrs. Faith Orlebar of Hinwick, has received a letter from her brother, Lieutenant Richard Orlebar. An officer of the 3rd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment he has been attached to the 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers and is in Greece as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He writes: “I have not had a chance to get a line off to anyone for weeks, as we have been in the wilds, and only arrived back in this place (Salonika, generally termed “Slushonika”) last night, the last fifty miles being performed on “Shank’s Mare”. Tonight will be the first night for four weeks that I shall have taken my clothes off. As a matter of fact we have had a rotten time, and are jolly lucky to be out of it with our skins whole, and far luckier not to be sitting in a Bulgar camp with barbed-wire round it.”

After the British forces were beaten back by a Bulgar attack they were forced to retreat under cover of darkness. He says: “I thought it never would get dark, but it eventually did. We toddled on then for some five miles, across a river and up a pass, to Causli, where we slept under a roof (the last roof I slept under till last night, when we got tents, - an interval of some ten days) … in the course of the next day we made our way down on to the Dojran (pronounced Doyrarn) road. Since then we have been walking back here, and got in, wet, weary and hungry last night; we found some tents (nowhere near enough!), no food, and wet blankets, but SLEPT!!!”

Source: Copy of letter from Lt. R.A. B. Orlebar [X464/202/1]

Recruitment March Reaches Podington

Wednesday 2nd June 1915: The 2/5th Bedfordshire Regiment continues to make progress with its recruiting march. Yesterday’s route began at Turvey and called at the Reformatory School at Carlton where it was greeted enthusiastically. From there it progressed via Harrold to Hinwick and Podington. At 5.30pm the troops reassembled and marched to Hinwick House, the home of its commander Major Rouse Orlebar; when they arrived were inspected by the regimental colonel, the Honorable Victor Russell, who had travelled from Newmarket for the occasion. After the formal inspection the men were put through their drill by their commander’s eight year old son Master John Orlebar in “a remarkably smart manner for one so young”. The house and grounds were opened to the public for the occasion, and many people took full advantage of the opportunity. A stage was built in the coach house and the visitors enjoyed a concert given by soldiers from the battalion, some convalescent patients from the hospital now in operation at Hinwick House, and Major Orlebar’s brother Beauchamp. The Sergeant-Major gave an exhibition of club swinging and humorous selections were performed by Lieutenant Hart.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 4th June 1915