Six Australian veterans of the Battle of Greece and Crete conflict, officials from the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Defence, and Federal Labor Member for Hindmarsh in South Australia Steve Georganas all attended a May 18 ceremony to commemorate the Battle of Crete in Athens.
The Commanding Officer of the AFG contingent, Lieutenant Luke Haitas, said the catafalque party had conducted an excellent and moving ceremony at the beachside cemetery. “The commemoration went well and it was quite emotional for both the soldiers and the veterans,” Lieutenant Haitas said. Lt Haitas said he was very proud of the guard in conducting a dignified and solemn ceremony to remember those Australians that died defending Greece during the German invasion.
“Being of Greek heritage, with my family fighting in WWII, as well as being an Australian Army Officer, the ceremony was very moving for me – it emphasised the strong bond between the two nations,” he said. There are currently 2,029 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. Australia’s Federation Guard is an ADF unit, comprising of members from the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force, that provides ceremonial support for the Australian Commonwealth. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, along with the six Australian Second World War veterans, also attended a commemorative ceremony at the Hellenic-Australian Memorial, at Rethymno, on Crete, yesterday. Mr Snowdon spoke about the ceremony’s importance.
“This is a very important ceremony; it marks the 70th anniversary of the German airborne invasion of Crete, an invasion unlike any other-because it was the first major aerial invasion in military history,” he said. Of the 6,500 Australians that served in Crete, 274 were killed, 507 wounded and 3,102 taken prisoner of war. Only 16,500 of the 33,000 Allied troops in Crete were successfully evacuated. Mr Snowdon said Australia’s losses paled in comparison to those suffered by the Greeks, who lost half a million in the Second World War.
“The Greeks showed great courage and tenacity. On the island of Crete, they joined the battle with whatever weapons they had. In some cases civilians went into action armed only with what they could gather from their kitchens or barns,” he said. “This country holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the veterans.” While in Rethymno, Mr Snowdon will also officially open an exhibition featuring memorabilia and photographs from the Battle of Crete collected by the Australian War Memorial, the Greek War Museum and from the private collection of avid local collector, Dimitris Skartzilakis.
The mission will conclude on May 22 with the veterans due to return to Australia on May 26.