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| Men of the 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force at Nafplio awaiting evacuation. |
Nafplio is a beautiful town on the north eastern side of the great Peloponnese peninsula. With its lovely harbour and Venetian castle above the town, it had been the first capital of independent Greece in the 1820's.
In late April 1941, Nafplio was one of the key evacuation ports for Allied troops as they sought to leave the Greek mainland to continue the fight against the Axis powers on Crete and beyond.
One of the soldiers evacuated from Nafplio was Major E.E. "Weary" Dunlop. A member of the Royal Australian Medical Corps, he had been attached as a liaison officer to the British Royal Army Medical Corps headquarters stationed in Athens. He was one of the last to leave Athens, bringing much needed hospital supplies to Nafplio to establish a medical service on the evacuation beach to tend to the many wounded awaiting evacuation. Major Dunlop was evacuated on 26th April.Some 6,685 troops were evacuated from the town on the evening of the 24-25th April. These included a number of 6th Division soldiers as well as the 2/6th Australian General Hospital, part of the 2/5th Australian General Hospital, 189th Field Ambulance and all nurses not evacuated from Piraeus on the 20th April.On the night of 26-27th April a further 4,520 were removed, including the 2/3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station.
They were transported aboard the following ships - HMT Ulster Prince (which was subsequently damaged and abandoned), HMS Glenearn, HMS Pheobe, HMAS Voyager, HMAS Stuart and HMS Hyacinth.
The Australian warship HMAS Stuart and Voyager was part of the Royal Australian Navy contingent taking part in the Greek and Crete campaigns.
In the end 1,700 troops were left ashore. These include a number of Australian and other troops.
Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council
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