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Gnr. John Victor Bathe
British Army 132 Siege Battery, 424 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
from:Sydenham, SE London
On 19 December 1916, 96342 Gunner Bathe J V was posted to the Macedonian Expeditionary Force at Salonika. He joined 132 Siege Battery on 8 January 1917. He reported sick on 30 September 1917 and was diagnosed with malaria. Until 17 March 1918 he was in and out of various field hospitals and convalescent camps as the disease fluctuated. When he had recovery sufficiently to return to duty that he joined 424 Siege Battery and during his time with this battery he was sent on a short course at the RA Training School to train as a telephonist. During the final assault on the Bulgarian positions, at about midnight on 17 September, Gunner Bathe was wounded by a splinter from a shrapnel shell which burst above the dugout he was in. Described as a “sitting case†he was taken to a causalty clearing station where he “witnessed the stunt of the Pipsâ€. Later he was taken to a hospital at Dudular, where he was X-rayed and stitched up on the next evening.
When he had recovered sufficiently, he was transferred to Ghain Tuffieha Camp on Malta where he stayed until 12 January 1919. He then started his return journey to the UK via Taranto in Italy, where he arrived on 14 January. Once back in Britain, he was posted first to the Clearing Office (30 January) and then to 3rd Battery No 3 Siege Artillery Reserve Brigade at Prees Heath, Shropshire, (22 February) and then to 1 Fire Command, Falmouth, Cornwall (10 April) from where he was posted to the Hayle Battery on the north coast of Cornwall, which was under Falmouth Garrison. Gunner Bathe was eventually demobbed on 22 September 1919.
