April 28. It was on this day in 1941 that Kalamata witnessed the last significant engagement of the Greek campaign on the mainland as combined forces of Australian, New Zealand and British troops defeated the initial German attack on the important evacuation port.
So it was fitting that the Australian Embassy in Greece, with the support of the Australian Defence Department and the Athens War Museum, should have chosen this anniversary to screen the new documentary ‘Anzac The Greek Chapter’ in the great auditorium of the famous War Museum.
The Museum houses the principal collection commemorating Hellenic military history and is well patronized by visitors to Greece’s capital. Its displays of Greek military uniforms and material as well as informative displays are not to be missed.
The Museum’s Ioannis Kapodistras Auditorium plays host to many important presentations and screenings. It was my pleasure to have previously delivered the keynote address here during the Centenary of Anzac in April 2015.
The exclusive invitation only screening was attended by close to 200 people. The attendees included many diplomatic representatives and many representatives of the Hellenic military establishment as well as military attaches from a number of embassies.
I was particularly heartened to meet up again with two good friends, both well acquainted with Australia and its links to Greece – Vice Admiral Christos Sasiakos HN, the Commander in Chief of the Hellenic Fleet, who led a previous Hellenic military delegation to Australia, and the former Consul of Greece in Melbourne Dimitrios Michalopolos of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Another attendee was the former New Zealand Honorary Consul to Greece, Costas Cotsilinis, with whom I have attended many previous commemorative events in Greece, including on Lemnos.
Many members of the Greek Australian – as well as Greek New Zealand – diasporas were also present, many traveling from across Greece to attend. I was particularly glad to welcome a representative of the UK Brotherhood of Greek Campaign Veterans Paul Hadwin to the screening who had travelled all the way from the UK to attend the event. Great also to see Melbourne’s Elly Symons who has worked so hard to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece take time out of her busy schedule to attend the screening.
Members of Athens’ academic community were also present, including Dr Konstantinos Stefanis of the Benaki Museum and Dr Catherine Bregianni of the Academy of Athens, along with Professor Tamar Hodos of the Australian Archaeological Institute of Athens.
Master of Ceremonies for the event was Captain Rachel Jones CSC of the Royal Australian Navy. Welcome addresses were made by both the War Museum President Lieutenant General Konstantinos Karamesinis and the Australian Ambassador to Greece Alison Duncan, who both mentioned the long history of the Greek Australian connection, including the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign and the Anzacs who helped defend Greece in 1941.
It was my pleasure as Associate Producer of the film and on behalf of both the commissioning organization – the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee – and the film’s project team, to both explain the background and creation of the film as well as the importance of the history that it recounts. I especially stressed that the film presents the Greek campaign through the filmed interviews and still photographs of the Anzac veterans themselves. It was great to be joined at the screening by two of the other film project team – John Irwin and Vicki Kyritsis.
The film was then screened. As with other screenings, the audience responded to the veteran’s accounts with touching emotion, whether to their expressions of appreciation for the Greek people’s support, moments of humour and those speaking to the terrible reality of war.
In concluding the screening Captain Jones thanked the Committee and filmmakers for creating this important document, capturing the experience of the ordinary service men and women who took part. In this the film speaks directly of the human impact of war as well as to veterans across the ages. The audience expressed their appreciation of the film in rousing applause.
The event concluded with a reception in the War Museum, giving an opportunity for participants to discuss the film and its impact. There was much discussion on the need to screen the film to Greek students and military cadets as well as its broadcast on the Greek national broadcaster ERT. Watch this space.
Nice also to meet Richard Palmer, the NZ-born partner of the Australian Ambassador, to discuss the wartime Kokkinia hospital where many Allied POWs were treated and the various POW camps established by the German occupiers across Greece at the end of the campaign.
In honour of their support for the screening I took the opportunity to present on behalf of the Committee both Lieutenant General Karamesinis and Captain Jones copies of my Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed and Grecian Adventure books as well as the Major George Treloar Memorial booklet produced by Melbourne’s Merimna Association.
The Australian Embassy, Defence Department and the Athens War Museum should all be congratulated for hosting this screening which so powerfully demonstrates this important aspect of the Hellenic Australian connection. A special thank you to the Embassy’s Lousi Kalfagian for all her work on the event, much appreciated.
Reflecting on the screening, I feel that the families of veterans who couldn’t be here, especially Catherine Bell, David & Philip Huggins and Peter Vial would appreciate the honour we paid to their veteran fathers for recording and passing on their experiences. In telling these stories of the terrible reality of war, they communicate the need to treasure peace. Hopefully this event will be part of a further awakening of awareness of the Hellenic link to Anzac, alongside the current work to complete the Lemnos Remembrance Trail.
The film will also be screened in Kardamyli in Mani and Kalamata supported by the local municipalities in May. There is also a planned screening scheduled for Chania on Crete in the same month.
Those seeking more information on the event can email – jimclaven@yahoo.com.au
*Jim Claven OAM is a trained historian, freelance writer and published author. A regular contributor to Neos Kosmos, he is the author of Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed, Grecian Adventure and From Imbros Over The Sea. He was also the Associate Producer of the Anzacs the Greek Chapter documentary and Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.
