Cretan Resistance and SOE on Crete Presentation - You are Invited

The Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council and Melbourne's Greek Centre are proud to bring to Melbourne a unique presentation by British-based author and historian Chris White on his research into the Cretan Resistance and SOE in WW2.
In his presentation, Chris will outline his research into the story of the resistance to German occupation on Crete during WW2, including the experience of the British SOE agents and the famous kidnapping of the German General Kreipe in 1944.
The presentation will feature photographs from the time - many rarely seen before - as well as Chris' own taken as part of his identification of the locations used by the resistance and SOE.
There will be an opportunity afterwards for attendees to meet with Chris to discuss specific villages and areas and to consider some of the many photographs taken on Crete in WW2 in his collection.
A unique presentation not to be missed.
You can download a flyer on the presentation by clicking here.

Where: Mezzanine, Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
When: 2.00pm start, Saturday, 17th March 2018

Chris White Biography 
Chris White is a British-based author and historian who has researched the resistance on Crete during WW2 for many years, including the kidnapping of the German General Kreipe made famous in the book and film "Ill Met by Moonlight." He has identified, located and recorded many of the trails and over 100 hideouts used by the resistance and SOE agents on Crete. He has assembled an extensive archive of photographs from the period, which have then been used to locate, photograph and confirm locations. Chris' website, showing some of his research is: www.abductingageneral.info


Jim Claven
Secretary, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
Member, Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council

Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train Honoured - Satuday 24th February 2018

Photo Jim Claven 2018

As announced earlier, the service of the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (RANBT) was honoured in the gardens of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne last Saturday morning, 24th February 2018. I attended the event, along with Committee Vice-President, Ms Christina Despoteris.

Photo Jim Claven 2018

The service featured the laying of a new commemorative plaque at the foot of the tree dedication to the RANBT (Memorial Tree B68). The gathering included representatives of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), led by Captain Tim Standen, CSC, RAN, Commanding Officer of HMS Cerberus. The RAN also provider the bugler for the event.
It was great to be able to meet the grand-daughter of the commander of the RANBT, Ms Mary-Anne Gourley.

Our Vice=President Christina Despoteris talks with Mary-Anne Gourley. Photo Jim Claven 2018

Her grand-father Lieutenant Commander Lieghton Bracegirdle, DSO and Three Mentioned-in-Despatches (MiD), commanded the unit from its formation and throughout the Gallipoli campaign. As recounted earlier, the unit served on Lemnos in 1915. It was the most decorated unit of the RAN in WW1, with 16 sailors being Mentioned-in-Despatches (MiD.
A short history of the unit written by Dr John Carroll is contained within the event booklet attached below.

Photo Jim Claven 2018

We also met David Dwyer, the Hon Sec of the HMAS Sydney and Vietnam Logistics Support Veteran's Association, who helped organise the event.
It was a great opportunity to both take part in this important event and connect with descendants of service personnel and supporters of the RANBT. We took the opportunity to explain our Committee and our Memorial at Lemnos Square, Albert Park. We extended an invitation to this organisation to attend our event in August.
This was an important event in enabling our Committee to connect with one of the many service associations connected to Lemnos and Gallipoli.
For all those Committee members and supporters unable to attend the service, please find below scans of the event booklet.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Commemorative Service - Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, Shrine, 24th February 2018

At 10am on 24th February 2018 a commemorative service will be held in the gardens surrounding Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance in honour of the service of the 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train. The service will include a plaque dedication and wreath laying at Memorial Tree B68.
All members and supporters of our Committee are encouraged to attend this service.
The 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, Gallipoli and Lemnos
This unit played a significant and essential role in the Gallipoli campaign as well as serving on Lemnos in 1915.
The unit was formed in February 1915, with its troops assembling at its camp at the Domain (the site of the Shrine of Remembrance) throughout March and April. Over 360 officers and men would join the unit at its formation - more would serve as reinforcements arrived overseas.
Originally intended for service on the Western Front with the British Royal naval Division, the unit was diverted to the Gallipoli campaign in July 1915 after its arrival in Egypt.
The unit arrived at Lemnos on the 21st July before proceeding to Imbros for training on the 24th. The unit then proceeded to Suvla Bay on the 7th August, where they remained until mid to late December 1915. The soldiers of the unit were the last Australians to evacuate the Peninsula on 20th December 1915, leaving after 4.20am.
After the evacuation of the Peninsula, the unit came to Lemnos and remained there until the 17th January 1916, when they sailed for Alexandria.
At Suvla the unit had been engaged in the construction and maintenance of piers and jetties, the landing of supplies and the evacuation of troops. Their tasks required specialist naval engineering and construction skills. And all of this was done under the constant reality of enemy shelling. One pier was constructed under fire within 20 minutes and operational soon after.
A RAN Sapper Buried on Lemnos
One of its members died and is buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery on Lemnos - Petty Officer Philip Clement Le Sueur. A sailor by profession, Philip was from Jersey in the Channel Islands. He contracted gastroenteritis while at Suvla Bay in August 1915 and died on a hospital ship on the way to the hospitals on Lemnos.
He is buried in plot 2, Row E, Grave 83 at East Mudros Cemetery. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Grave of Petty Officer Philip Clement Le Sueur, East Mudros Military Cemetery. Photo Jim Claven 2015

Praise for their service
Their dedication and service was commended by Allied commanders.
They became one of the most decorated units in the Royal Australian Navy in the First World War, its members receiving twenty honours and awards, including the Distinguished Service Order.
As the Australian official war correspondent and later official historian wrote in October 1915:
"There they are today in charge of the landing of a great part of the stores of British Arms. ... If you want to see their work you only have to go to Kangaroo Beach, Suvla Bay, and look around you. They have made a harbour"
We should commemorate this important and often overlooked component of Australia's Gallipoli story - the role of the Australian Navy in the campaign and especially its Bridging Train engineers.

Source Monuments Australia website. Photographs supplied by Kent Watson/Graeme Saunders

For more information on the 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train see:

• T.R. Frame and G.J Swinden, First in, last out: The Navy at Gallipoli, Kangaroo Press, 1990.
• David Stevens, In All Respects Ready: Australia's Navy in World War One, Oxford UP, 2014 Greg Swinden, "A Short History of the RAN Bridging Train (1915-17)", Naval Historical Review, September 2007.
• Tom Frame, The Shore of Gallipoli: Naval Aspects of the Anzac Campaign, Hale and Iremonger, 2000.
• Tom Frame and Kevin Baker, Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australian and New Zealand, Allen and Unwin, 2000.

For more information on the service, please click here.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

News Flash - Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial Annual Commemoration August 2018

The Royal Australian Navy Band performing at the Lemnos Gallipoli commemorative service, August 2017. Photo Jim Claven 2017

To all our friends, supporters and members, we announce to day two key developments in our planning for this years annual Lemnos Gallipoli commemoration to be held 12 noon on Saturday, 11th August 2018.
Firstly, Mr Chris Holtby, the Consul-General of the United Kingdom, has accepted our invitation to deliver the keynote address at our ceremony. His presentation will no doubt point to the important role of British forces on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign as well as the other Lemnos connection through the thousands of British-born Anzacs. Chris' participation will broaden awareness of both our Memorial and the link between Lemnos and Gallipoli.

Sailors of HMS Lord Nelson about to return to their ship after having had leave to go ashore for exercise at Mudros. Lemnos, 1915. Photographer Lt Ernest Brooks. Imperial War Museum

Secondly, we have again been able to confirm the participation of the Royal Australian Navy (Melbourne) Band in our commemoration. All who have attended our previous events will know how important and moving this participation is to the success of our event. Thanks to our Vice President, Ms Christine Despoteris, for her work on this issue.
More details will be posted as they are confirmed.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Honoring Lemnos and the service of Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence - St Kilda Cemetery 14th January 2018

The assembly paying tribute at the grave of Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence, St Kilda Cemetery. Photo Vicky Kyritsis 2018

Today our Committee gathered at the grave of Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence for our annual tribute to their service on Lemnos in 1915.
Members of the Committee were joined by Mr Glen Chapman from the Daley-Lawrence family. Also present was Mr Stelios Lakis Kayalicos of the Lemnian Community of Victoria.
Again we held a short wreath-laying service.
Mr Glen Chapman layed the floral tribute on behalf of the assembly and made a short address. He spoke of the Clarice and Ernest, their continuing legacy for their family and his appreciation for our Committee's work in recognising both the role of Lemnos and in holding this annual tribute.

Mr Glenn Chapman at the grave of his great grandparents. Photo Jim Claven 2018

Our President, Mr Lee Tarlamis, and myself also delivering short addresses.These noted the service of Clarice and Ernest, particularly their time on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign and their marriage on the Island. Their service was cited as symbolizing the experience of the tens of thousands of Anzac and other Allied soldiers, nurses and other personnel on Lemnos - whether as a place where they prepared for battle, where they returned for rest or care in the field hospitals established there, and as the place to which they were evacuated following the end of the campaign. They also highlight the thousands of personal stories connecting Australian descendants of diggers and nurses - including for example Lee's family - to Lemnos.

The marriage of Clarice and Ernest on Lemnos 1915. Photo AWM

The marriage of Clarice and Ernest also symbolised the positive experience of Lemnos for many soldiers and nurses, as they traversed the Island welcomed by the hospitable Islanders to whom the Allies also provided much needed medical care.
This is the second time that we have held a tribute at the grave of Clarice and Ernest. We believe that it is important that we take the opportunity to honour the service of Clarice and Ernest and their unique Lemnos story. We hope that our tribute will stimulate greater recognition of the role of Lemnos. And given that their graves reside in the the City of Port Phillip - the location of Australia's first Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial - we hope to spark greater interest and awareness by the City and the Cemetery Trust.

Members of the Committee at the grave of Albert Jacka, St Kilda Cemetery. Photo Vicky Kyritsis 2018

Our tribute followed the annual Albert Jacka Memorial Service held at his grave in St Kilda Cemetery. Our President, Mr Lee Tarlamis, again layed a wreath at Albert Jacka's grave as part of this annual service. Along with other members of our Committee, our Committee Patron Mr Lambis Englezos and Committee member Mr George Petrou also attended this event.

Part of the Albert Jacka Memorial Service, St Kilda Cemetery 2018

Thanks to all who were able to attend our tribute at the Daley-Lawrence grave today - Mr Lee Tarlamis, Mr Glen Chapman, Mr Stelios Lakis Kayalicos, Mr Malcolm McDonald, Mr Bill McDonald and Ms Vicky Kyritsis.
And to Cr Bernadene Voss, Mayor of the City of Port Phillip, Mr Michael Danby, MP for Melbourne Ports, Committee Vice-President Christina Despoteris and Committee member Mr John Salpigtidis for their apologies for today.
Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Victorian Government announces support for new commemorative initiatives on Lemnos

Lee Tarlamis, President of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee (at left) and Jim Claven, Secretary of the Committee (at right) congratulating the Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria, on his announcement.

The Premier of Victoria, the Hon Daniel Andrews MP, has announced a suite of new initiatives to enhance the commemoration of Lemnos’ link to Australia’s Gallipoli story. The initiatives total nearly $180,000 in funding.This announcement was made during his recent visit to Greece.
The initiatives include a special delegation of Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize alumni who will travel to Lemnos – and to the Western Front - in 2018. The special tour to mark the anniversary will see 10 participants from the first 10 years of the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Program travel to Greece to witness the commemoration of the centenary of the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on the 30th October 1918, ending hostilities in the region 100 years ago. The Andrews Labor Government will provide $150,000 towards the tour. 

The Victorian Premiers Anzac Student Prize awardees on Lemnos

The Government will also provide $5,000 to Mudros High School in Lemnos to further strengthen the ties between Victorian and Lemnos school students developed over previous Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize Tours. 

Lemnos students take part in the annual Anzac commemorative services on the Island. Photo Jim Claven 2014

The Government will also contribute $2,000 to Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee to support its work in formally recognising the significance of the ‘Australian Pier’ on the shores of Mudros Bay in Lemnos. This grant will support our efforts for a permanent memorial marker on Lemnos restoring the name of this pier built by Australian soldiers in March 1915 – and still in use today.
And finally, the Government will also provide an additional $20,000 in support to the forthcoming Lemnos Gallipoli commemorative publication under production by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee. This is in addition to an initial Victorian Government grant of $10,000 in support of the publication. As has been reported previously in Neos Kosmos, this publication will feature the reproduction of hundreds of original photographs of Lemnos taken by the Anzacs in 1915. It will tell the stories of the 148 diggers buried in Lemnos’ two commonwealth war cemeteries and the Australian nurses who served there – many of them from Victoria. 

East Mudros Military Cemetery. Photo Jim Claven

Premier Daniel Andrews said that he was proud to pay homage to Lemnos’ special place in Australia’s wartime story. He went to explain that these initiatives would further ensure awareness and links amongst young Australians and their counterparts on Lemnos.
“The special delegation to mark 100 years since the Mudros Armistice and the end of the war in November 1918 is a wonderful opportunity for our best and brightest Spirit of Anzac Prize alumni to return to Greece and reflect on the Australians who gave their lives at war. It’s so important for our kids to learn about this time in our history and the sacrifices our veterans made – by supporting schools and organisations connected to Lemnos we’re ensuring they can,” the Premier said.
Mr. Lee Tarlamis, President of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, welcomed these announcements.
“These initiatives will enhance the various efforts made over recent years by our Committee, the Victorian Government and the authorities on Lemnos to build awareness of Lemnos’ link to Anzac. We are thrilled with the Government’s decision.”

Mr. Tarlamis was particularly keen to commence work on the erection of the new memorial commemorating the Australian Pier at Mudros on Lemnos.

“It was only recently that our Secretary and Historian, Mr. Jim Claven, was able to reveal the story of the Australian Pier. Built by Australian soldiers in March 1915 as they assisted in the landing of Australian medical services onto Lemnos, the pier was known locally and to the Allied forces as the ‘Australian Pier’ as indicated by Allied maps. It remains in use to this day and the restoration of this name will be another physical reminder of Lemnos’ link to Anzac. We hope that it will be included in the annual commemorative services conducted on Lemnos.”

HMS Agamemnon - on which the Armistice of Mudros was signed at Lemnos on October 1918.

He added that the Government’s additional support for the forthcoming Lemnos and Gallipoli commemorative publication will enable further copies of the publication to be produced and its release will support the commemoration of the Armistice of Mudros in 2018. He also welcomed the initiatives to enhance connections between the young people of Lemnos and Victoria.

This post is an edited version of the recent news article printed in Neos Kosmos. To read and download the full media report, please click here.



Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee