Just found this old book which gives various first hand accounts of nurses serving at the various fronts in WW2 - including the Greek campaign of 1940-41.
A little appreciated aspect of the Greek campaign was the service of British, Australian and New Zealand nurses.
This book contains the memoir of a British nurse with the British Territorial Army Nursing Service (known as TANS) who arrived in Greece in November 1940 as part of the early British effort to support Greece's defence against the Italian invasion (the British also sent airforce units which served at the front in support of the Greek ground forces).
They first provided medical care to injured Greek soldiers from the Albanian front (at a hospital at Kephissia) and later after the invasion injured German POW and Allied troops. They were some of the last nurses to be evacuated from the area, leaving on 23rd April and being evacuated to Crete from Megara.
After a brief stay on Crete they were evacuated from Crete to Egypt - as nearly all nurses were. We do know of one British Red Cross nurse who remained on Crete and served during the Battle of Crete.
The nurse in this book records a beautiful description of Kephissia and Athens:
"The beauty of the mountains, the fields, the flowers, the lovely pinewoods running down to the sea, the clear sunny atmosphere, the laughing hospitality of the people, the spirit of freedom - all theses things made us happy. The Acropolis also is most wonderful. I never imagined such perfect splendour."
Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
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