The world authority on Anzacs who evaded capture on Crete in WWII will visit Melbourne next week to give a special presentation at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Unveiling new and exclusive research, author Ian Frazer – a former lecturer at Otago University – will present his latest work on the fortunes of the 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion on the island.
The 2/7th – a Victorian battalion – were deployed late in the Battle of Crete, but fought with much honour, including a last-ditch stand at ’42nd Street’ on May 27 1941. Fighting in the rear-guard, they were denied evacuation at the last minute and most were forced to capitulate. Among the 2/7th’s ranks was a young private called Reg Saunders.
Having been left on the coast at Sfakia, large numbers went on the run as evaders and escapers. Most were captured. Some managed to escape by themselves but many more were helped by Cretan families and the resistance, and in some cases only years later were evacuated.
Between 1000 and 1500 Australian and Kiwi troops are thought to have been on the run in Crete following the Allied surrender on June 1 1941. Most were captured within months, but many, with the help of the Cretan people, evaded capture and held out for months and years in some cases.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos from his home in Dunedin, Ian Frazer said: “This story which spanned more than two years after May 1941 is not so well-known.”
“The talk I’m going to give is a tribute to those soldiers and the brave Cretan families who gave them shelter and eventually helped them escape.”
Ian Frazer’s father Len was an Australian survivor of the Battle of Crete who evaded the Nazi occupiers for almost two years.
Len Frazer spent his time on the run protected by villagers in Koustogerako, Maralia, Achladiakes, Azogires, and Vothiana. He kept a meticulous diary which his son finally read when Len passed away. It became the catalyst for Ian Frazer’s book co-authored with Sean Damer: ‘On the run – Anzac escape and evasion in enemy-occupied Crete’.
Ian has regularly travelled to Crete to further his research since the book was published in 2006.
In recent years he has concentrated on unearthing more details on the soldiers who spent the longest periods on the island, and their Cretan protectors.
“Most of these long-term escapees were taken in by Cretan families who, at great risk to themselves, treated the soldiers like family members and did everything to ensure their survival and their security.”
One of the many stories Frazer has researched is that of Sergeant Claude Peck in the 2/7th who was taken in by the Koukoulas family at Pervolakia in the Kissamos area.
“At one time, for seven weeks, there were up to 13 Australian, New Zealand and English escapees relying on that family. In time, the house became known as ‘Little London’ it was so popular with ‘English’ soldiers.”
Sergeants in the 2/7th – Cliff and Geoff Ruddick spent their time evading capture mainly in the Apokoronas region, south of Souda Bay and in the Amari valley. The villages that gave them refuge included Samonas, Kefalas, Mathes and Filippos.
In the last group to get off Crete, the Ruddicks were evacuated from Tripiti in the far west of Crete on May 7 1943.
An area of particular focus for Frazer recently has been the actions of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Crete. SOE was involved with supplying the Cretan resistance and took responsibility for evacuating troops left on the island after the Allied surrender.
“SOE was quite prepared to use Australians and New Zealanders when it was in their interests to do so, but their attitude towards the Anzacs generally was quite condescending,” says Frazer, who is critical of the British secret service’s operations on Crete.
“They were responsible for the long delay in getting all those soldiers off the island. There were no evacuations in the western half of the island until the final evacuation in May 1943.”
Frazer’s unique research taps a rich and profound seam, uncovering detail behind some of the hundreds of episodes when Kiwi and Australian troops were protected by Cretan families.
For anyone with an interest in the epic events that took place in Crete in 1941, the aftermath and the eternal bond between peoples that was created, attending this event is a must.
Escapers and evaders in enemy-occupied Crete 1941-1943 will be presented by Ian Frazer at the Shrine of Remembrance at 6 pm on Thursday 28 March. Light refreshments served between 5.30 pm and 6 pm. Talk begins promptly at 6 pm. Admission is free.