Digger of the Day - Horsham's Private Syd Grant of the 2/8th Battalion and his escape from captivity today 75 years ago

Local villagers from Trachila who aided Syd Grant as he waited to be evacuated near Kalamata, April 1941. Syd Grant Collection.

Sydney Grant (known as Syd) was born in Horsham (Victoria) in May 1917. By 1939 Syd’s occupation was as a woolclasser. He was 22 years and 8 months old when he enlisted at Horsham in the 2nd AIF in December 1939. He served with the 2/8th Battalion, 6th Division Ammunition Company.
Syd and the Battalion took part in the early phase of the campaign in North Africa, capturing Bardia, Tobruk and Derna in January 1941 – great victories for the men of the 2nd AIF. Syd then sailed with the 2/8th from Alexandria to Greece on 11th March 1941.
Syd took part in the 2/8th campaign in Greece - serving at the battle of Vevi in April and the actions of the defensive withdrawal that followed – the Servia Pass, Kozani, Larissa, Thermopylae, Domokos Pass, Ellason, Lamia, Levadia, Corinth Canal to Kalamata.
As the main Allied evacuations from Kalamata drew to an end towards the end of April, Syd was temporarily made a Prisoner of War on the Kalamata beachfront.
But after 24 hours Syd and others managed to escape, eventually reaching to the village of Trachila 40-50 miles to the south east of Kalamata, where other Allied troops had gathered.
The villagers of Trachila welcomed and fed Syd and the other Allied soldiers with his party, hiding him in a local Greek Orthodox Church. in Syd's photograph above, Syd wrote that they were:
"Two of the many Greek girls who fed us with bread and water standing at the entrance of an old church at Trachila, Greece 30 April 1941."
Syd was eventually evacuated along with another 68 Australian soldiers (in a total of 110 Allied troops, including members of the Palestine Labour Corps by British naval vessels. Syd was embarked on the Destroyer HMS Hero at 2.30am on 1st May 1941. Others embarked aboard other vessels, including the HMS Kimberley.
Syd’s party arrived at Suda Bay on Crete. According to his memoirs, he spent a short time at Nea Khorion– as revealed in his photographs of the village - where he witnessed enemy bombardments. Syd was evacuated to Port Said arriving in early May, prior to the German invasion of the Island.

A young Catherine Bell with her sister standing next to the farm gate. Photo from Catherine Bell

Returning to Australia after the war, Syd named his soldier settlement farm in western Victoria simply "Kalamata", in remembrance of the people of Greece who supported and saved him in 1941.
If you would like to read more about Syd Grant, click here  to read the lovely article in Neos Kosmos by Helen Velissaris from last year.
Donation of the Syd Grant Photographic Collection
Thanks to Syd's daughter, Catherine Bell, for much of this information and permission to publish her father's photograph above. Later this year, Catherine will donate Syd's extensive WW2 photographic collection - including many of Greece and Crete - to the State Library of Victoria, as part of the 75th anniversary of the battle of Greece and Crete. Thank you Catherine.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council

30 April-1 May 1941 - Operation Demon ends with evacuations from Kalamata area and Miloi

A few of the lads aboard the HMS Kimberley, 1st May 1941. Syd Grant Collection

On these day's 75 years ago, the last of the major evacuations from the Greek mainland took place.South of Kalamata, 33 soldiers were picked up on the night of the 29-30 May and a further 202 soldiers on the night of 30 April-1st May by HMS Hero, Isis and Kimberley. Among the latter was Horsham's Private Syd Grant of the 2/8th Battalion who had escaped German custody at Kalamata and been hidden by Greek villagers at Trachila south of Kalamata until being evacuated by the HMS Hero.
Meanwhile at Miloi, 700 troops were evacuated by HMS Hotspur and Havock.
And so ended Operation Demon and the effort to evacuate the Allied force in Greece. This has been called "the Second Dunkirk" and was a successful evacuation of the vast majority of Allied forces. Of the 58,000 Allied soldiers landed in Greece in 1941, over 50,000 were evacuated.
The evacuation mobilsed a major naval flotilla, consisting of 6 cruisers, 20 destroyers, 4 escort vessels, 9 troopships (I sunk at sea) and several smaller vessels. Further 5 ships used to ferry troops from Crete to Egypt.
On the negative side, 26 troop ships sunk during the evacuation by German air attacks. 8,000 Allied troops (including Australians, British, Cypriots, Palestinians and Yugoslavs) captured or on the run. Of the Australians, 2,030 were captured out of the 17,500 troops who served on the Greek mainland. Hundreds of Italian POW’s were released.
Yet after this time, Allied soldiers continued to make their way from the mainland to join their units.
Many Allied troops continued to escape from the Greek mainland and the Germans by individual means. Hidden and helped by local Greek villagers, both evaders and escapers, hired or were given passage in Greek fishing boats and other vessels. They made their way across the Aegean - some to Crete, others to the Asia Minor coast of Turkey and others even to Cyprus.

Australian Unit Locations - 30th April-1st May
16th Brigade HQ - Ikingi Maryut then Julius Camp (Palestine)
17th Brigade HQ - Limania then Bay of Messinia
19th Brigade HQ - Suda Bay
2/1st Battalion - Retimo
2/2nd Battalion - Ikingi Maryut
2/3rd Battalion - Kantara
2/4th Battalion - Heraklion
2/5th Battalion - Ikingi Maryut then Hill 69 (Palestine)
2/6th Battalion - Limania
2/7th Battalion - Celebes
2/8th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/11th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/1st Machine Gun Battalion - Chania
Thanks to Paul Sougleris of Greek Anzacs for his information on unit locations drawn from the official unit dairies.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council

Commemorative Services on Lemnos - 20-21 April 2016

The Annual Anzac commemorative services were again held on Lemnos this April.
The following report on the services has been recieved from Stelios Mantzaris, President of the Lemnos' Friends of Anzac Association.
This year saw the participation of the the Gallipoli Association (the major UK based commemorative organization) with the laying of a wreath on their behalf by Mr Dimitris Boulotis (pictured above). I was glad to be able to assist in facilitating their involvement. Hopefully this is a beginning of further participation from the UK in Lemnos' commemorations.
Congratulations on continuing the tradition of commemorating the Anzac connection to Lemnos and the Gallipoli campaign.

"Dear Friends
Attached you will find a press release from The “Lemnos’ Friends of ANZAC” Association , regarding the commemorations for the 101 years of the Gallipoli Campaign and the ANZAC Day. A few fotos are also attached for your reference
Always at your disposal ,for anything you might need
With best regards
Stelios A. Mantzaris
President
“The Lemnos‘ Friends of Anzac” Association"

"PRESS RELEASE 
26TH APRIL 2016 
LEMNOS
Dear Friends
Commemorations for the 101 anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign and the ANZAC Day,
were hosted in Lemnos island, the 20th and 21st April, 2016 , showing once again to the
world community , the participation of the island in this global historical event.
Just like in 1915, the recognition of the historical memory and the participation of the island,
were very important, and populous. Residents of the island, school children, military and
political leadership officials, along with representatives from foreign countries ( Australia,
New Zealand, France), gave their due respect, to the Fallen of all the countries who fought,
and left their bodies in Gallipoli, and also at the sacred soil of Lemnos, at the Allied cemeteries
of Moudros, Portianou, and also the Muslim Allied cemetery.
"The Lemnos’ Friends of ANZAC" Association, once again co-organized with the authorities
of the island, the remembrance commemorations, along with the official announcement of
international research and formal proof, of the participation of Lemnos in the First World
War.
In this way and with the global academic and historical community, we will prove the
seriousness of the culture impact and all the cultural relationships that emerged. with the
presence of more than 160000 soldiers. Foreign people who stayed in Lemnos, before and
during the Gallipoli campaign, and also afterwards, throughout the entire duration of the
WW1.
Thus, with seriousness and meditation, we will tread, and we will prove, and will call on all
the 'stakeholders' involved to be part of the celebration, of the centenary of the Signature of the
Armistice of Moudros, at its physical location, Moudros Lemnos, with the due pomp (prestige
and significance) of it being a global event!!.
The new Museum of Naval Tradition, which was inaugurated at in the same area, where all
the historical events occurred (Moudros), will be used as a 'springboard' of knowledge, for its
visitors, and also for historians who would like to see live representations of Lemnos's
position in world history
At the website of the association www.friendsofanzac.com, within a few days, the program of
the international survey, will be posted, as well as all the official actions, for 2016, 2017, and
2018, within Lemnos, and Greece, but also around the world in general. Below is a series of
photographs relating to official celebrations of ANZAC Day."
The following photographs of the events have been provied by the Lemnos' Friends of Anzac:

For more information go to: www.friendsofanzac.com or facebook: The Lemnos' Friends of ANZAC

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

29 April 1941 - Evacuations continue - from Kalamata, Monemvasia and Kythera

Air Attack on the road to Monemvasia. AWM

On this day 75 years ago and as the battle of Kalamata drew to a close and the Allied defenders again secured the waterfront, the evacuations continued. Some 332 troops were evacuated (miscellaneous including other troops) by HMAS Perth, HMS phoebe, Decoy, Defender, Hereward, Hero, Hasty, Kandahar, Kingston, Kimberley and Nubian.
Meanwhile at Monemvasia 4,320 (6th NZ Brigade Group and others) were evacuated by HMS Ajax, Griffin, Isis, Havock and Hotspur. And at Kythera 820 troops were evacuated by HMS Auckland, Hyacinth and Salvia.

Australian Unit Locations - 29th April
16th Brigade HQ - Alexandria
17th Brigade HQ - Mani
19th Brigade HQ - Suda Bay
2/1st Battalion - Kalibees
2/2nd Battalion - Alexandria
2/3rd Battalion -Alexandria
2/4th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/5th Battalion - Alexandria
2/6th Battalion - Mani
2/7th Battalion - Celebes
2/8th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/11th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/1st Machine Gun Battalion - Georgopoulis
Thanks to Paul Sougleris of Greek Anzacs for his information on unit locations drawn from the official unit dairies.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council

28-29 April 1945 - Kalamata evacuations continues as the Battle of Kalamata erupts

Battle of Kalamata Waterfront, NZ Official History, Greece.

On the 28th April all was set for one final effort to shift the men from Kalamata.
7-8,000 troops remained ashore, including a battalion of New Zealanders and a mixed bunch of Australian gunner and transport drivers. Coming to their aid was a powerful convoy of ships led by Lt Commander Bowyer-Smith. A Royal Navy officer and baronet, he was the Captain of the HMAS Perth. The flotilla – known as Force B - consisted of the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth, together with another cruiser Pheobe and the destroyers Decoy and Hasty. Sailing north these ships were joined by four more destroyers (Nubian, Hero, Hereward and Defender), the whole force aiming to arrive at Kalamata by 10pm that night. For safety reasons, he sent Hero under Captain Briggs forward to reconnoitre the town at 6.30pm. Nearing the port, Hero reported 8.45pm that the “Bosch in town”. Sadly this was a misinterpretation of tracer fire lighting the night.

Kalamata Memorial

The Battle of Kalamata - Sergeant Jack Hinton wins the Victoria Cross
Two companies of the 5th Panzer Division, with two field guns, had attempted a daring coup by storming the town. It entered the town and got as far as the quay. They succeeded in capturing the naval–sea transport officer in charge of the port, Captain Clark-Hall. All was nearly lost. They were met by men of the NZ Reinforcement camp, a group originally awaiting allocation to various other units as reinforcement. These had been organised as a defence force of three rifle companies and a battalion Headquarters by Major MacDuff. Along with small groups of other New Zealand and Australian troops they counter-attacked, many not receiving orders before pitching in. Some 40 Germans were killed and 100 captured.
It was during this action that the bravery of Sergeant Jack Hinton of the 20th New Zealand Battalion earned him the Victoria Cross.
British Tankers ambushed north of Kalamata
Earlier in the day, the 300 men of the British 4th Hussars had been ordered north of the town to search for the advancing enemy. They were ambushed and either killed or captured to a man. A sorry end for these men who had fought with the Anzacs at Vevi.
Evacuations continue
Meanwhile other evacuations continued - from Rafina 800 troops evacuated by HMS Havock; from Porto Rafti 3,840 troops evacuated by HMS Ajax, Kingston and Kimberley.
At Tolos 260 Australian troops were defending the beaches at Tolos and Argos.

Australian Unit Locations - 28th April
16th Brigade HQ - At sea
17th Brigade HQ - Kalamata
19th Brigade HQ - Suda Bay
2/1st Battalion - Kalibees
2/2nd Battalion - At sea
2/3rd Battalion -At sea
2/4th Battalion - Neon Khorion
2/5th Battalion - At sea
2/6th Battalion - Kalamata
2/7th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/8th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/11th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/1st Machine Gun Battalion - Chania
Thanks to Paul Sougleris of Greek Anzacs for his information on unit locations drawn from the official unit dairies.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council

25-27 April 1941 - Nearly 7,000 Allied troops evacuated from Nafplio

Men of the 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force at Nafplio awaiting evacuation.

Across these days 75 years ago, Allied troops began their evacuation from the Peloponnese town of Nafplio. This would continue into the 27th April.
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

27 April 1941 - Athens, Patras and Corinth Canal falls, evacuations continue and the Slamat, HMS Diamond, HMS Wryneck and Costa Rica sunk

Diggers join in the defence of the Costa Rica, 27 April 1941. AWM

On this day 75 years ago, Athens, Patras and the Corinth Canal fall to the German invaders. Outside Athens, 2/5th Australian General Hospital is captured at Kokkina. Patras is captured by the same SS units that has fought the Anzacs at the battle of Vevi on 10th April.
The Corinth Canal was taken by airborne assault, which overwhelmed the mainly Briish and New Zealand defenders.
The 4th New Zealand Brigade is moving from Markopoulon and then moves to Marathon. and 2,000 troops are waiting on the beaches of Nafplio for evacuation.
Meanwhile the successful evacuation of troops continues - from Rafina 3,503 troops are evacuated (including New Zealand Divisional troops) by HMS Decoy, Hasty, Nubian and Glengyle; from Porto Rafti 4,720 troops evacuated (incl corps and NZ Divisional troops) by HMS Carlisle, Kandahar, Kingston and Salween; from Nafplio/Tolos 4,527 troops evacuated by HMS Orion, Calcutta, HMAS Perth, Diamond, Hotspur, Isis, Stuart, Slamat and Khedive Ismail; and from Kalamata 8,650 troops evacuated (16th and 17th Brigades) by HMS Pheobe, Defender, Hero, Hereward, Flamingo, Dilwara, City of London and Costa Rica.
Slamat, HMS Diamond and HMS Wryneck Sunk
The Dutch troopship Salmat had left Nafplio harbour late, and was easy picking for the German aircraft that attacked the evacuation convoys leaving Greece. She was carrying 500 Allied troops. She was discovered and at 7.30 a.m. was sunk by Junkers JU 87 dive bombers, taking with her almost all on board. The destroyers HMS Wryneck and HMS Diamond picked up the few survivors, until they themselves were sunk by Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers off the east coast of the Peloponnese.
The loss of the three ships caused an estimated 983 deaths. Only 66 men survived. Of the 500 or so soldiers that Slamat embarked, only eight survived. Of her complement of 193 crew and 21 Australian and New Zealand DEMS gunners, only 11 survived. Of Diamond's 166 complement, 20 survived. Of Wryneck's 106 crew, 27 survived.
Slamat had a mixed crew of 84 Goans, 74 Dutch, 24 Chinese, 10 Australians and a Norwegian. The 11 survivors were six Goans, four Dutch and one other.
The bodies of three of Slamat's Dutch crew washed ashore far from the wreck - apprentice helmsman J Pille on the Greek island of Stamperia, Second Officer G van der Woude at Alexandria in Egypt, and lamp trimmer J van der Brugge at Gaza in Palestine.
The brave dutch merchant seaman are often overlooked in the story of the battle of Greece and Crete - 70 died in the sinking of the Slamat.They should be remembered.
 Costa Rica Sunk
The Dutch transport ship Costa Rica was attacked by three German dive bombers at about 3pm on the way from mainland Greece to Alexandria.
The Costa Rica was carrying 2,500 troops, comprising the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion, the 2/7th Battalion, part of the 2/8th Battalion, one company of the 2/1st Battalion and remnants of other units, including the 2/1st Field Regiment.
As the bombers attacked, the soldiers on the ship joined in its defence, firing their bren guns at the swooping planes to warn them off. Photos from the ship show the diggers firing at the German aircraft.
Although the transport ship was not hit, a near miss from a 1,000 pound bomb split her hull and flooded the engine room. Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker of the 2/7th Battalion described how two British destroyers — Defender and Hereward — positioned themselves right beside the stricken ship and took the soldiers off:
"At this stage, owing to the numbers on board, all personnel could not be accommodated on the decks and the alleyways and cabins on the promenade deck had to be used as well. Many troops were now on the deck below, standing there in complete darkness, however, their behaviour was exemplary, the soldiers were standing silently on parade … On the starboard side, the ships were falling and rising some eight to twelve feet and the men had to swing down ropes and jump for the destroyer’s deck … the work of the Navy cannot be too highly commended."
The Costa Rica sank at 4pm - but all troops and sailors were safely transported to Royal Navy destroyers (including HMS Hereward), with no loss of life. The troops were then transported to Crete.

Horrie the dog, Egypt 1941. AWM

One of the passengers to survive the bombing and sinking was Horrie the dog, the famous mascot of the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion. Horrie had joined the unit in Egypt and travelled with them all through Greece - acting as an early warning dog for the unit if stuka's were near! Evacuated to Crete on the Costa Rica, Horrie survived the sinking of the ship and narrowly escaped being crushed between two life boats. On Crete, he acted as a messenger dog delivering messages to outlying patrols. During the evacuation of Crete Horrie was wounded by shrapnel but was successfully treated. He survived Crete and the Middle East, only to return to live his life out in Australia.



Australian Unit Locations - 27th April
16th Brigade HQ - Kalamata
17th Brigade HQ - Monemvasia
19th Brigade HQ - Suda Bay
2/1st Battalion - Kalibees
2/2nd Battalion - Kalamata
2/3rd Battalion -Kalamata
2/4th Battalion - Megara
2/5th Battalion - Kalamata
2/6th Battalion - Monemvasia
2/7th Battalion - At sea
2/8th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/11th Battalion - Suda Bay
2/1st Machine Gun Battalion - At sea
Thanks to Paul Sougleris of Greek Anzacs for his information on unit locations drawn from the official unit dairies.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
& Member, Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council