Hellenic Anzac Story and the re-development of NSW War Memorial

NSW War Memorial, Sydney. Photo Jim Claven 2015

The NSW War Memorial is one of Australia's most important and moving commemorative sites. The impressive architecture of the building includes an army nurse and the excellent display, elements from the Greek campaign of 1941.

Photo Jim Claven 2015

Photo Jim Claven 2015.

This year witnessed the refurbishment of the NSW War Memorial, including the inclusion of soil from battlefields across the world (including the important battles at Vevi Pass, Tempe Gorge, Cape Spada and Retimo during the Greek and Crete campaigns of 1941) and the loan of a 2,500 Corinthian Grecian Urn (in the AWM's Collection - ART 30402) for display in the Memorial.
We congratulate the work of the NSW-based Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete & The Greek Campaign in these developments and urge anyone visiting Sydney to take the time to visit the new displays at the NSW War Memorial.
It is fantastic that the battlefields such as Vevi, Tempe, Retimo and Cape Spada have been honoured in this way. Well done.
Jim Claven, Secretary, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
The following information has been provided by Nick Andriotakis BE (Hons), the Secretary of the NSW-based Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete & The Greek Campaign.


Dear Friends
Yesterday was Remembrance Day and 100 years since the signing of the Armistice which resulted in the end of the First World War also known as the “ Great War.” I would like to bring to your attention for reflection two outstanding Australians (see also attachments) both born in Greece who served Australia in the Great War . They were amongst nearly 2,500 Australians of Greek heritage who served Australia in both World Wars.
Nicholas Rodakis
Sergeant Nicholas Rodakis MM, DSC (US), AIF was born in Athens in 1880 and enlisted in the First AIF in February 1916. He fought in the Western Front and was attached to a United States army unit, and in September 1918, Rodakis’ platoon was cut off behind enemy lines. As the unit fought to survive, Rodakis rescued an American officer in no-man’s-land before capturing a German machine gun. He then defended his position for hours, before returning to the allied lines under cover of darkness, picking up wounded as he went. For his actions, Rodakis was awarded the United States Distinguished Service Cross - the American equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
Download a summary of Constantine's service by clicking here.
Constantine Aroney
Constantine Aroney was born in Kythera in 1893 and at the turn of turn of the 20th Century he came to Australia and was living in Melbourne . He served Australia in both World Wars, first enlisting in the First Australian Infantry Force in 1915 at age 20 years and 11 months. He served as a private in the First Anzac campaign at Gallipoli and then onto France and Belgium part of the 24th Battalion. In October 1939, he enlisted in the Commonwealth Military Forces and seven months later he transferred to the 2nd Australian Imperial Forces , serving in the second Anzac Campaign in Greece and Crete as well as Syria Palestine and , North Africa. Hence Constantine Aroney was a rare “Dual Anzac.” While serving in Greece, Aroney’s cultural background proved extremely valuable with his knowledge of the Greek language and customs . Following the debacle on mainland Greece, when the Allied forces were overrun by the German Army, Aroney managed to escape to Crete in an open boat, taking 23 Anzacs with him, whom he cared for with the help of Greeks on Crete – a heroic feat for which he was awarded the British Empire Medal.
Download a summary of Constantine's service by clicking here.
Yesterday was also the official opening to the public of the NSW Anzac Memorial Anzac Centenary Extension which realised architect Bruce Dellit’s original concept for the Memorial . Dellit had originally envisioned two water features running on a north-south axis to the Memorial, but due to the impact of the Great Depression only the Pool of Reflection north of the Memorial was ever built. Now a contemporary interpretation of the water cascade on the southern side of the Memorial , a symbol of hope for future generations, completes the original 1930s concept design. A walkway through the Cascade allows Memorial visitors to enter the new Hall of Service, exhibition galleries and education facilities, providing a contemporary understanding of the history and impact of conflict.
Included in these extensions is The Oculus, which is centred above the Hall of Service and is an architectural reference to the Well of Contemplation in the existing Hall of Memory and visually connects the two. Beneath the Oculus lies soil collected (where possible) from 100 battle sites of significance to NSW military history set into a ring in the floor.
Four of those soils have been collected from Greece - Vevi Pass , Tempe Gorge , Cape Spada and Retimo and are included in the ring on the floor.
Photos supplied by Nick Andriotakis:

 

 

Located at the heart of the Anzac Memorial is a bronze sculpture of the fallen warrior . The sculpture “ Sacrifice “ is based on the story of the Spartans from ancient Greece who were raised as warriors and were told to come home with their shield , or on it - a warning to be victorious or die. Rayner Hoff created an image that depicts the weight of the dead young warrior carried on his shield by his mother, sister and wife nursing infant child. The sculpture uses the Spartan Warrior analogy being returned to his loved ones dead on his shield to evoke the emotion experienced by the families of the young men who died in the Great War 1914-18.
In 2017 in cooperation with the NSW Anzac Memorial a submission by The Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign and the Consul General of Greece in Sydney was made to the Australian War Memorial to loan to the NSW Anzac Memorial for display in the new extensions a 2,500 Corinthian Grecian Urn (ART 30402) held by the AWM .

The following is an extract from our submission to Dr Brendan Nelson , Director of the Australian War Memorial
“The Greek soil holds 1944 Anzacs from both campaigns of which 795 are Australians and nearly half of these were never found or their remains identified. The Greek soil also holds the ancestors of the Greek Australian community and so the Anzac legacy is forever intertwined between the two countries. In 1946 a 2,500 years old Greek Corinthian urn was donated by Greece to Australia and was presented to Prime Minister Chifley. The urn contained soil from the graves of Australians buried in the cemetery at Phaleron outside Athens. This was the first time in history that Greece had presented Greek soil to a foreign country. In a letter to the Prime Minister of Australia, the Prime Minister of Greece stated: “The Greek people will always remember with deep emotion the unparalleled heroism of the Australian soldiers, who, in the dark hours of our recent history, fought against the common enemy in Greece and Crete in comradeship with our soldiers. The Australian soldiers who are buried in Greece are the everlasting symbol of the friendship between our two countries and of the heroic contribution of Australia in the struggle for liberty and justice”
Dr Nelson acknowledged the importance of the Grecian Urn and agreed to loan it to the NSW Anzac Memorial . Below is an extract from his email to myself and the Consul General
“The connections between Australia and Greece that grew out of the Greek Campaign and the Battle of Crete are undoubtedly of great importance to both countries and particularly to the large Greek-Australian community here in Australia. I am delighted to hear that the Anzac Memorial will be including soil from four sites in Greece in their Hall of Service, I am sure that this will indeed strengthen the connection between our peoples.
Thank you for your interest in deepening the bonds between our two countries and sharing the story of Australian and Greek service and sacrifice together in the Second World War with the wider community."
The Grecian Urn is now on display at the NSW Anzac Memorial at the beginning of the exhibition galleries .
You may view photos of the Greek soils and the Grecian Urn in the link below but more importantly I encourage you all to take your friends and family to view both at the outstanding refurbished NSW Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park , Sydney .

Regards
Nick Andriotakis BE (Hons),
Secretary ,
Joint Committee for the
Commemoration of the Battle of Crete & The Greek Campaign