Simon Peck’s father Laurence Leonard Peck, served in the Australian Military Forces in WWII, and was one of the soldiers who became a prisoner of war in the evacuation of Crete.
Sergeant Peck served in the military from 1939 to 1943 then later the air force until December 1946.
But Peck was one of many who never spoke about the war when he came back home, so now Simon is trying put the pieces together with documents his father left behind.
One of those is a photograph of his father alongside a fellow escapee and two men who look like Cretan partisans.
In his search of finding out more about his father’s time in the war, Simon attended the recent Battle of Crete commemorations in Melbourne to share the story.
“This was after a chance meeting with a gentleman who was completely unknown to me but we got in a conversation and he was Cretan and he said you must go to the commemoration,” Simon told Neos Kosmos.
Peck was invited to attend and also asked to speak on the night about his story.
“I had verbally told one of the ladies who was running the thing and she thought it was interesting and she was sure that all of the members attending would be interested,” he said.
“Many people came up to me afterwards and said they really appreciated the story and offered to help.
“I was trying to track down anyone who might know those Cretan gentlemen (in the photo).”
Also in his father’s documents was an appendix containing diary entries of Bdr. D. F. Spark, nicknamed “Pete”, which contains several mentions of Peck as “Lauri” and “Laurie”.
The Australian War Memorial notes his name was David Frey Spark.
According to Simon when Spark returned to Australia, he donated a knitted vest to the memorial in Canberra, a vest that was knitted for him by a Cretan villager.
But interestingly, it appears that in the photograph, Peck is wearing said vest.
“How the photograph came about, I have no idea. How would you get a photograph taken living in the mountains of Crete for six months? How does that photograph survive?”
The Crete Escape
The diary entries of Spark are also a firsthand account of the courage displayed by the Cretans in assisting their Allies.
Spark and Peck were taken prisoners in Crete by the Germans in early June 1941 but escaped after 28 days of confinement.
Following is a summary of their escape and the aid they received from the Cretans using entries from the diary.
On June 28, they set out at 5am and met a Greek who gave them directions along the valley. A little boy then directed them to Sougia, across the mountains, where on the way they were given directions and food by children and women.
One of the women led them to a small village on top of a hill.
“The reception here almost killed us, and it might have been thought that we were royalty.”
They were taken to a little clean house and given soap and towels to wash up, cigarettes, a chair to sit in the open while a meal of potato chips and eggs was prepared for them.
A Greek named “Mike” turned up, who spoke “very good English” to put them on a path to the next village.
“He told us that the Germans had shot between seven and eight thousand civilians after having made them dig their own graves for the offence of having taken up arms against the Hun.”
The next day Mike gave them a note in Greek asking for directions.
“The kindness of these Cretans almost makes us cry.”
Spark accounts feeling sick with an “over-taxed stomach” and the people feeling very worried about him. They bring him milk puddings, arrowroot, tea with alcohol and some “special” dry bread with soup.
He writes they want to stay but doesn’t want to put the villagers at risk as the Germans come by the village sometimes.
“It is a risk to these people and not fair to them. At the same time, they don’t seem to be afraid.”
On July 7 Spark notes they were brought a pair of boots that “may just fit Lauri” and given cigarettes. Then that night they arrived “home” to discover three meals waiting for them hanging amongst the branches of their big tree like “Christmas presents”.
“Then all of a sudden Lauri uttered in exclamation. He had discovered a bottle of Crassi [sic].”
Fast forward to July 25, and there is panic. There is news from Chania that the Germans are preparing to purge the island. Englishmen are being rounded up and shot while Cretans are being taken by plane to Germany to work in the fields.
Hearing of this news, they decided they will head out and meet George and Pane, two men who have been aiding them. Peck notes an old priest is giving them a boat.
“I feel certain we will be looked after on this venture, just as we have been in the last month.”
Women named Mavie, Blaz and Olga continue to help them, giving food and such, but later tell them that their father said they cannot leave.
It’s now August 30 and Spark and Peck were taken to another house and had wine and food.
“These people were very nice to us and told us that the Greeks were our friends and would look after us. So far at any rate, actions had spoken very loudly.”
They were then hurried out and had to depart, climbing up a mountain three miles from the town, sleeping up there among the rocks.
September 1, Spark writes that they heard guns in the village at the foot of the mountain.
Two Stukas (German aircraft) then flew over dropping pamphlets warning Cretans to not assist the English troops in anyway and rewards will be paid for information as to the whereabouts of any English troops.
Over the next month they travel through the mountains with no water and very little food.
On October 4, the two meet a cheerful old lady on the outskirts of a town who takes them home and feeds them.
The next day in town they’re taken care of again, cleaned up.
October 16 Spark writes he was taken to the Mayor’s house and Laurie to the shack.
“I was put to straight to bed and nursed by the whole family, the old lady was like a mother to me. The father is the Mayor of the village, a retired police captain.”
“As the days went by, I was more and more accepted as one of the family.”
On October 26 a Greek arrived from Egypt with a letter sharing that an attempt was being made to get them all off the island.
When it was time to go, they had a quick meal and “a very tearful farewell”.
Followed was another month of travelling, with other soldiers too.
They continued to evade recapture by the Germans with the assistance of the local Cretans.
In late November 1941, they escaped the island on board the requisitioned trawler HMS Hedgehog.
Twenty-eight Aussies were taken aboard, then Kiwis, English and Cypriots – 90 men jammed onto the boat.
“And so we were embarked off Crete, ‘the island of doomed men’.”
Anyone who might know something about this story and those involved, please contact the writer at michaelg@neoskosmos.com.au or editor@neoskosmos.com.au
