78th service of commemoration held in Kalamata

Our 78th anniversary service was held on Tuesday 14th May 2019.  The Mayor was unable to attend the service but was represented by the President of the Municipal Council, Mr Pavlos Bouzianis. Also in attendance was the Defence Attaché from the British Embassy in Athens, Captain Tim Ferns; the Serbian Ambassador Mr Dusan Spasojevic and the Honorary Consul of New Zealand, Mr Constantinos Kotsilinis.  In addition, we were pleased to welcome military personnel, the town band, members of the ex-pat community and a group of school children.

Janet Parkin gave the welcome introduction stating once again, that the sacrifices made by our fathers and grandfathers should not and must not be forgotten. Janet also passed on greetings from our President, Frank Gill and paid a heart-felt tribute to Nikos Zervis, which was both personal and from the Brotherhood.

Mr Pavlos Bouzianis gave the following speech on behalf of the Mayor:

“Dear Representative of Serbia, Dear Representative of Great Britain, Dear Representative of New Zealand, Representatives of Greek Authorities,Representatives of the Brotherhood of the Veterans, Dear visitors from Great Britain. On behalf of the Mayor Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, I welcome all of you to Kalamata on the occasion of today’s commemoration ceremony.

In April 1941, tens of thousands of British, Australian, Jewish, Serbian, Greek, New Zealand, and Cypriot soldiers fought against the Germans in mainland Greece and attempted to flee to Crete and Egypt. Thousands of them gathered in Kalamata for this purpose but many of them didn’t manage to do so and got captured.

Every year we commemorate these events. During the 13 years of tenure of the current Municipal Authority, this ceremony has taken place annually with splendor and has been attended by representatives of many states, while in 2011 the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team “Red Arrows” and a warship of Great Britain visited us.

Nikos Zervis, the link between Kalamata and the Brotherhood of the Veterans, was always with us. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months ago. His legacy, however, as well as what he offered to local history through his books shall be our heritage.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Greek Military Campaign in April 1941 and the Battle of Kalamata are important historical events. The Municipality of Kalamata has always done and shall continue to do whatever is necessary to preserve the historic memory and to highlight what happened. Our efforts are the least we can do to honor those who fought and gave their lives for the freedom of the nations. May they rest in peace.”

Laurel wreaths were laid by Mr Bouzianis and the other dignitaries.  Poppy tributes were laid by the Defence Attaché, Captain Ferns and by the following Brotherhood members: Noah Scott in Remembrance of the Prisoners of War, Mrs Elizabeth Matthews on behalf of the Widows, David Sanderson in Memory of Deceased members, Doug (Buster) Beckett on behalf of the Brotherhood of Veterans of the Greek Campaign and Mrs Di Billinge on behalf of the expatriate community.

After the service we enjoyed refreshments in the railway park, generously hosted by the City Council. Once again, the Kalamata service was a well attended and successful commemoration event.

Memorials unveiled in Pylos and Methoni

Also in May 2018, the Municipality of Pylos Nestor and the Pylos-Methoni WW2 Memorials Organising Committee of Australia arranged for the unveiling of two memorials commemorating and honouring those who lost their lives as a result of submarine attacks on two ships, which were taking allied PoWs from Libya to Italy, off the coasts of Pylos and Methoni in 1941 and 1942.

The ceremonies took place in Pylos and Methoni on Sunday 6th May and were well attended, including members of the Brotherhod who were in Greece for the annual Kalamata ceremony. 

These memorials form part of an initiative, supported by Jim Claven, an Australian journalist and historian, by Melbourne’s Panpyliaki and Pammessinia Brotherhood to develop a commemorative trail of memorials to Anzac troops at a number of locations across Greece.

Kalamata 2018 – 77th anniversary ceremony, another memorable occasion

The ceremony took place on Tuesday 8th May 2018. This was attended not only by the Mayor, Panagiotis E. Nikas and members of the City Council but also Mr Konstantinos Cotsilinis, Honorary Consul General of New Zealand and Mr Andrea Biggi, Deputy Head of Mission, from the Australian Embassy, Athens.

Also a group from Israel attended, the Jewish Pioneer Corps whose ancestors fought in Greece as part of the British Expeditionary Corps. They were accompanied by Captain Zvika Shahar, Defence and Military Attaché of the Embassy of the State of Israel. Also present were military personnel, the town band, ex-pat friends, local people including a group of students and of course, our Man in Kalamata, and very good friend, Mr Nikos Zervis.

Janet Parkin gave the welcome introduction and passed on greetings from our President, Frank Gill . This was translated by Mr Kostas Kontothanasis, the Mayor’s Press and Public Relations Officer. The Mayor gave a speech, the content of which is below and at the end he paid a very pleasing tribute to Nikos Zervis.

“Dear representative of Australia, Dear representative of New Zealand, Dear representative of Israel, Greek officials, Dear representatives of the Brotherhood of Veterans, Dear representatives of Greek Diaspora organisations, Dear visitors from Israel, Australia and Great Britain, I welcome you all to Kalamata, on the occasion of today’s Service of Commemoration, in honour of the fighters and the victims of the Battle of Kalamata. Seventy seven years have gone by since April 28th, 1941, the time when 58,000 British, Australian, Jewish, Serbian, Greek, New Zealander and Cypriot soldiers, fought the final battle against the Germans, on mainland Greece, in an attempt to escape to Crete and Egypt. It is true that this important event does not occupy the place it deserves in the history of World War II, despite the books that have been written and the efforts of many veterans. Still, we must try to keep the memory of this event alive in our memory. We owe it to the fighters, we owe it to those who gave their lives in the great struggle for the freedom of all peoples. May their memory live forever! Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Nikos Zervis for his contribution in organizing this ceremony and for being the “bridge” with the Veterans.”

Laurel wreaths were laid by the Mayor and other dignitaries. Poppy tributes were laid by David Sanderson in memory of the Prisoners of War, Mrs Elizabeth Matthews on behalf of the Widows, Mr Roger Hadwin in memory of Deceased Members, Mr Doug (Buster) Beckett on behalf of the Brotherhood of Veterans of the 1941 Greek Campaign and Mrs Di Billinge on behalf of the expatriate community. The band played the appropriate national anthems. After the service we had refreshments in the park, hosted by the City Council. Once again, a very memorable and successful occasion.

77th anniversary Kalamata 2018 update

The date of this year’s service is Tuesday 8th May 2018. Some of us stay at the Haikos Hotel which we book directly, while Saga offers packages staying at the Filoxenia Hotel. Saga’s telephone number is 0808 252 2808. Flights direct to Kalamata are available with British Airways from Heathrow, Easyjet from Gatwick and Thomas Cook from Manchester. Please email us at greekveterans@gmail.com if you would like to join us for the ceremony and/or would like more information.

The defenders of Kalamata of 1941 honoured in Greece and Australia

Jim Claven is a good friend of the Brotherhood and what follows are extracts from a recent article by Jim, published in Australia.

 By way of background, Jim is a freelance writer and trained historian holding both Bachelor and Masters Degrees from Melbourne’s Monash University. He has researched the Anzac trail in Greece across both World Wars, and especially the Hellenic connection to Anzac through the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign. He has been Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee since its creation and is a member of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council. Jim can be contacted at jimclaven@yahoo.com.au

The defenders of Kalamata of 1941 honoured in Greece and Australia

” In May of this year, events were held in both Greece and Melbourne to commemorate the battle of Kalamata that took place in April 1941, the last engagement on the mainland of the Greek campaign.

As you drive down through Kalamata, one thing is true – all roads lead to the water. Indeed one of the attractions of Kalamata is its magnificent waterfront, with its views of the large bay to the south and the stretching arm of the Mani coast, almost tapering out to infinity.

Standing on the waterfront today it’s hard to imagine the scene we would have witnessed in late April 1941. We would have seen hundreds – indeed thousands of Allied troops – making their way along the city’s main north-south thorough-fares to the waterfront. Most would have made their way to their allotted assembly or rest areas on the outskirts of the town. The Anzacs among the throng would have made off to olive groves on the eastern end of the town. You can still see some of the surviving olive trees to this day.

You would have heard lots of languages and accents – along with the Aussie’s and Kiwi’s with their distinctive accents, British troops from across the United Kingdom and volunteers from Palestine were all there. And of course, those who came all the way from Cyprus to defend Greece would have been seen conversing with the Greek troops and locals.

The archives and memoirs are full of accounts of the welcome these poor soldiers received as they made their way through the town. People cheered them as they passed, older women offered the tired soldiers cake and retsina. And this made many of the soldiers sad and emotional.

For they had come to Kalamata’s waterfront at the end of a campaign that had seen many of them travel the length of Greece, only to fight a dogged retreat from Macedonia in the north, through the passes of central Greece and into the Peloponnese. And now they would await evacuation – most to Crete, some on to Egypt.

Thousands were evacuated, and yet thousands remained, facing either captivity or the uncertainty of evading capture. And only after they had fought and defeated the German advance guard that entered the city, hoping for an easy victory.

The events commemorated the battle that took place on the waterfront at Kalamata on the evening of the 28th April 1941, a battle that saw Australian, New Zealand and British troops defeat their German opponents. Amongst the honours awarded to the soldiers that night one– New Zealand’s Sergeant Jack Hinton – was awarded the Victoria Cross and another – Mildura’s Captain Albert Gray – the Military Cross for their bravery on that day. The commemoration also honours the role of Kalamata as one of the main embarkation points for Allied troops escaping capture and the support of the local population for their Allied defenders. Thousands were evacuated but thousands were captured when Allied ships could no longer safely embark troops from the harbor as the German forces approached…..

In May, the Kalamata authorities held a service at the Kalamata Memorial to the Greek campaign, which stands near the waterfront where the battle took place 76 years ago. This memorial was erected by the Brotherhood of Veterans of 1941 Greek Campaign (the Brotherhood) in 1994 and has been the location of the service for a number of years. I was fortunate to attend last year’s service. The Memorial inscription reads:

“In memory of the allied forces and the Greeks who fell at the Battle of Kalamata 28 April 1941 or who were taken prisoner or who escaped to fight again that the world might be free. Dedicated by the veterans of the campaign 17 May 1994.”….

This service in Kalamata was followed by a similar service at the Australian Hellenic Memorial organized by Melbourne’s The Society of Kalamata “23 March” and supported by the Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council.

This service was also well attended. The convenors of the Victorian Parliamentary Friends of Greece – Mr. Steve Dimopoulos MP for Oakleigh and Mr. Murray Thompson MP for Sandringham – both took part in the commemorations, as did representatives of the Australian military, the Hon John Panadazopoulos (World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Union), Cr Kris Pavlidis (City of Whittlesea), Ms Christina Despoteris (Vice President of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee), various Greek community organizations and a number of descendents of Greek campaign veterans – including Ms Shirley Devery (daughter of Tom Devery of the 2/6th Battalion), Mr. Aron Segal (nephew of one of the Palestine Pioneers who served in the Greek campaign) and Mr. Peter Ford (son of Frank Ford of the New Zealand forces who took part in the campaign).

Mr. Sam Vlachos, Society of Kalamata Treasurer, delivered a presentation outlining the Greek campaign of 1941 and the battle of Kalamata , the last major engagement on ther Greek mainland of that campaign.

Mr. Peter Andrinopoulos, Society of Kalamata Public Relations Officer, thanked all for their attendance and reiterated the importance of holding this annual commemoration:

“The people of Kalamata welcomed the Anzacs to their city in April 1941, offering them their hospitality, all the while knowing that the campaign was drawing to an end. Many diggers wrote later over how moved they were by the kindness shown to them by the people of Kalamata. On this day Australians and Hellenes come together to honour both the Anzacs who fought to defend Greece and the people of Kalamata who aided them.”

Both services concluded with the reading of the Ode from Lawrence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen” which ends with the words “We shall remember them” – appropriate given the services that continue to be held in Melbourne where many Anzacs came from and in Kalamata where they served.

Kalamata 2017 ceremony for 76th anniversary took place in May

Once again a small group from the UK attended this year. Sadly no veterans but we do hope to see some in September at our reunion then. The Mayor, Panagiotis E. Nikas, together with other civic dignitaries including Periklis Mantas, deputy governor of the Region of Peloponnese were in attendance. Plus the town band. Also present were military personnel and, of course, we were well supported by our ex-pat friends. As usual, our Man in Kalamata, and very good friend, Nikos Zervis, also joined us.

Janet Parkin, gave the welcome introduction saying how pleased we were to be there representing the Brotherhood 76 years after the 1941 Greek Campaign and bringing greetings from the Brotherhood and Frank Gill, our President. Janet also thanked the City of Kalamata for continuing to organise the Annual Service of Commemoration because it is so important that the sacrifices made are not forgotten. Jock Watt had been hoping to be with us because he particularly wanted to say a few words himself. However, David Sanderson (son of Eric Rockcliff Sanderson) said few words on Jock’s behalf.

Speeches were translated by Kostas Kontothanasis, the Mayor’s Press and Public Relations Officer. Kostas has become a good friend of the Brotherhood. The Mayor also gave a speech in which he promised that the 1941 Greek Campaign would always be commemorated. Laurel wreaths were laid by the Mayor and other dignitaries. Poppy tributes were laid by David Sanderson in memory of the Prisoners of War, Mrs Elizabeth Matthews on behalf of the Widows, Mrs Judi Jones in memory of Deceased members, Colin Pleavin on behalf of the Brotherhood and Mrs Diane Billinge on behalf of the Ex-Patriate Community.

We had press coverage in three local newspapers the following day as well as excellent coverage in Australia courtesy of Jim Claven, an Australian freelance writer and historian, based in Melbourne, who attended the service in Kalamata in 2016, and is the Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee. Jim had an illustrated article published in Neos Kosmos, a Greek Community Newspaper, which covered both the service in Kalamata and a service in Melbourne later in May.

Some of our party later took the opportunity to visit one of the playgrounds which had been affected by the extreme flooding last Autumn and for which Brotherhood funds had been used for restoration.