Tag Archives: Third Battle of Krithia

The Press tries to help

Now that George was officially ‘missing’, Kittie could draw on George’s and her contacts in the world of print to publicise the fact and appeal nationwide for any information about him. She was extremely energetic about this. She first wrote … Continue reading

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15 July 1915

Today Kittie received another letter from Gertrude Bell, who was managing the Enquiry Department for Wounded and Missing at 20 Arlington Street, London S.W. on behalf of the British Red Cross and Order of St John: Dear Mrs Calderon, Sir … Continue reading

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14 July 1915: Very great concern

The War Office, working with the Red Cross, had established that George was not amongst the wounded or deceased at any point along their lines of medical communication between Gallipoli and Alexandria-Malta-Blighty, hence their telegram to Kittie of 12 July … Continue reading

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13 July 1915: A witness is found

Suddenly, at Alexandria Percy Lubbock heard of the arrival in one of the city’s hospitals of a Sergeant-Major Allen from the 1st King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB), the battalion George had been attached to at the Third Battle of Krithia … Continue reading

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12 July 1915

Sometime today, Monday 12 July 1915, Kittie received the following telegram: O.H.M.S. I certify that this telegram is sent on the service of the WAR OFFICE [Signature] In reply to special enquiry it is stated that Lt. G. Calderon Ox … Continue reading

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10 July 1915

POST OFFICE TELEGRAPHS Office Stamp: Hampstead 10 July 1915 Office of Origin and Service Instructions: Wickham Berks Handed in at 8 a.m. Received here at 9.31 a.m. TO: Calderon 42 Well Walk Hampstead Still a fighting chance shall I come … Continue reading

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8 July 1915

British Red Cross St Mark’s Buildings Alexandria June 30. 1915 Kitty dear — A line in the middle of a long day — not to say what I think & feel — which can’t be now. I sent to the … Continue reading

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A friend’s published tribute

As I explained in my post of 25 June, after George’s death was officially accepted in the spring of 1919 Kittie invited his friends to write their memoirs of him, which of course included tributes, but none of these was … Continue reading

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The last blurt

I thought I had got everything out about the completion of my biography of George Calderon in my post of 18 June, but no: there is something I forgot to say and have been meaning to put on record for … Continue reading

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Letter from Alexandria

  BRITISH RED CROSS and ORDER OF ST. JOHN. Alexandria June 27. Dear Kitty Your letter of June 16 just reaches me. I scrawl one line to go to you at once. I think it certain that you must know … Continue reading

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Commemoration (concluded)

Since this blog started in July last year, I have taken part in many conversations, both viva voce and online, about followers’ responses to George Calderon’s war experience, to the War as it has been unfolding, and to what I … Continue reading

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Commemoration (to be concluded)

Mr Pym, who is the grandson of Violet and Evey Pym, of Foxwold, two of the Calderons’ closest friends, sent me this poem a fortnight before the anniversary of George Calderon’s death. He was not able to take part in … Continue reading

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Gallipoli: planning a disaster

The Third Battle of Krithia, in which George Calderon was killed on 4 June, may have been the bloodiest single battle fought by the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli, i.e. in terms of its own losses. Enemy losses, both in … Continue reading

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‘Tributes’

A Russianist who has read Percy Lubbock’s George Calderon: A Sketch from Memory (1921) asks me why I have not posted more tributes to George than my own. The reason is simply that tributes were not published until his death became … Continue reading

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Commemoration (to be continued 2)

Plan A for a commemoration of George’s death (see yesterday’s post) was really dictated by long accepted British forms of commemorative ritual. These have loosened up in recent years, of course, to a point where you have extended, all-singing-and-dancing customer-devised … Continue reading

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‘Things fall apart’

Since George Calderon’s death at noon in the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915 the timeline of this blog has frayed almost to nothingness. I understand the disorientation and even irritation of some followers who have emailed me. … Continue reading

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