My parents were from villages above Chania. During the Battle of Crete, Nazis went through my father’s village and executed all the men while the women and children watched in horror. My grandfather was the first to die. The Nazis committed atrocities in the villages of Crete, not only killing innocent civilians, but also burning houses as well as olive and orange groves, the Cretans’ source of income.
Thank you for sharing your story, and so sorry to hear how your family was affected. Not enough is known outside Crete about the terrible things that the Cretan people suffered during WW2. I wrote about similar horrible events in Amiras in this article for last remembrance day https://claireleesingham.substack.com/p/amiras
Thank you for this personal story. We’ve visited Hora Skafion on the way to Loutro and stopped at the memorial there and another on the road back in a village that was gunned down during the occupation. It fills me with visceral horror and I’m always humbled by the bravery of troops and locals during that time. He was a handsome guy your uncle and I hope he made a good life for himself somehow. I had an uncle held prisoner of war in The Congo - there was a film eventually about his troop - Jamie Dornan, The Siege of Jadotville. These people were ignored by their government for years and my poor uncle never really recovered his mental health. Thanks for this writing, I’m very moved by it.
On a lighter note, what a wonderful restaurant/taverna you have in kritsa now - Thymisi. Visited at the beginning of May, loved it. Looking forward to outdoor visit soon. 🩷
Thank you. Yes, he looks quite a character, doesn't he! Very like my mother's youngest brother and his son. I was a bit shocked to read his comments in his post-war questionnaire about the camps that he had been in, but happy that he retained his spirit. Needless to say, he didn't like talking about it very much, according to my mother.... And yes - both Kritsa and Kroustas have an excellent selection of restaurants these days!
Fascinating piece of family history, as well as Cretan history. Made even more real by the photograph of Uncle Harry - great find Louise! I’d love to know what was going through his mind when that was taken x
Me too! I also love the MI-9 POW questionnaire he filled out when he returned to the UK, which asked if he had ever engaged in sabotage whilst a POW. His camps were work camps, and so he 'lost' his tools and suggested that he made substandard mixtures of building materials so that structures would collapse! I love that even as a prisoner, in places where sharing your food was a capital offence, there were acts of resistance!
My parents were from villages above Chania. During the Battle of Crete, Nazis went through my father’s village and executed all the men while the women and children watched in horror. My grandfather was the first to die. The Nazis committed atrocities in the villages of Crete, not only killing innocent civilians, but also burning houses as well as olive and orange groves, the Cretans’ source of income.
Thank you for sharing your story, and so sorry to hear how your family was affected. Not enough is known outside Crete about the terrible things that the Cretan people suffered during WW2. I wrote about similar horrible events in Amiras in this article for last remembrance day https://claireleesingham.substack.com/p/amiras
Thank you for this personal story. We’ve visited Hora Skafion on the way to Loutro and stopped at the memorial there and another on the road back in a village that was gunned down during the occupation. It fills me with visceral horror and I’m always humbled by the bravery of troops and locals during that time. He was a handsome guy your uncle and I hope he made a good life for himself somehow. I had an uncle held prisoner of war in The Congo - there was a film eventually about his troop - Jamie Dornan, The Siege of Jadotville. These people were ignored by their government for years and my poor uncle never really recovered his mental health. Thanks for this writing, I’m very moved by it.
On a lighter note, what a wonderful restaurant/taverna you have in kritsa now - Thymisi. Visited at the beginning of May, loved it. Looking forward to outdoor visit soon. 🩷
Thank you. Yes, he looks quite a character, doesn't he! Very like my mother's youngest brother and his son. I was a bit shocked to read his comments in his post-war questionnaire about the camps that he had been in, but happy that he retained his spirit. Needless to say, he didn't like talking about it very much, according to my mother.... And yes - both Kritsa and Kroustas have an excellent selection of restaurants these days!
Fascinating piece of family history, as well as Cretan history. Made even more real by the photograph of Uncle Harry - great find Louise! I’d love to know what was going through his mind when that was taken x
Me too! I also love the MI-9 POW questionnaire he filled out when he returned to the UK, which asked if he had ever engaged in sabotage whilst a POW. His camps were work camps, and so he 'lost' his tools and suggested that he made substandard mixtures of building materials so that structures would collapse! I love that even as a prisoner, in places where sharing your food was a capital offence, there were acts of resistance!