Cyprus-Forum.com

[denizaksulu]

My father was one of those GCs who volunteered for service during World War II. He served as a non com in the Royal Navy. The inducement to volunteer was the victory of Greece over the Italians in 1940 and the later fight against the Germans. The Greek flag which had been outlawed since 1930, was flown again and the Greek national anthem allowed in schools and public meetings. All of this was used by the British administration to get GCs to volunteer and some thousands did, I heard the figure of 30 000 but I am not sure. There were implied promises of union with Greece after the war.

When the GC veterans came back from WWII they waited for the promises to materialise and instead they got Eden's statement that Cyprus could never be free because of its strategic location.

In view of the above EOKA was a natural outcome. As for the morality of guerrila war, well just read Churchill's "we will fight them on the beaches" speech, it says it all. And there is no real difference betweena pilot who unloads bombs on civlians (80 000 of them in Dresden) and a guerrila who lobs a grenade in a cafe. Let us not be hypocrites about these things.

Were the wives of British servicemen 'fair game' in your opinion? Or were they the work of a few 'hot heads'?

Let me just say this. "Collateral damage". If it is good enough for the Turkish Army and Mr Bush (Iraq war), well............................

Since you split hairs, how can deliberate targetting/singling out be 'colateral damage'? Yes, Cyprus and Iraq was brutal by any standards, but targetting of Brit servicemens womenfolk?

And what about when the British Police targeted and killed a 12 year old school boy?

Not 'colateral damage'. Its murder. Next.

Thank you for agreeing with me. The killing of an innocent 12 year old school boy was murder. It was a war crime committed by the British forces in Cyprus.

Re Bafidis, but why are you laughing

Re Deniz,

I was not laughing. I was merely happy that you agreed that the slaying of a 12 year old boy during school demonstrations was murder.

OK, fair enough. I was expecting a list of other murdered innocent GCs from you.

There were quite a few innocent victims on the GC side. I could not tell you how many baecause I am not familiar with the figures.

I am also quite dissapointed, as this thread was started to commemorate those who died fighting for their land and self determination and it was turned into a slinging match by some TCs.

It would have been better if this thread stayed on topic and concentrated with respecting the fallen of EOKA and also all the fallen from the British side. There is nothing more admirable than to lay down you life and sacrifice for your own country. This is what the EOKA fighters did. Likewise, the British servicemen were also fulfilling their duty which was to serve their country. They were however the oppressors of the Cypriot people, which is what the EOKA campaign was fighting against.

Despite what some TCs think, EOKA was not created to target the TC population.

Nice talking to you re bafidis. (no insults, thats something I could get used to)

Regards

[Paphitis]

My father was one of those GCs who volunteered for service during World War II. He served as a non com in the Royal Navy. The inducement to volunteer was the victory of Greece over the Italians in 1940 and the later fight against the Germans. The Greek flag which had been outlawed since 1930, was flown again and the Greek national anthem allowed in schools and public meetings. All of this was used by the British administration to get GCs to volunteer and some thousands did, I heard the figure of 30 000 but I am not sure. There were implied promises of union with Greece after the war.

When the GC veterans came back from WWII they waited for the promises to materialise and instead they got Eden's statement that Cyprus could never be free because of its strategic location.

In view of the above EOKA was a natural outcome. As for the morality of guerrila war, well just read Churchill's "we will fight them on the beaches" speech, it says it all. And there is no real difference betweena pilot who unloads bombs on civlians (80 000 of them in Dresden) and a guerrila who lobs a grenade in a cafe. Let us not be hypocrites about these things.

Were the wives of British servicemen 'fair game' in your opinion? Or were they the work of a few 'hot heads'?

Let me just say this. "Collateral damage". If it is good enough for the Turkish Army and Mr Bush (Iraq war), well............................

Since you split hairs, how can deliberate targetting/singling out be 'colateral damage'? Yes, Cyprus and Iraq was brutal by any standards, but targetting of Brit servicemens womenfolk?

And what about when the British Police targeted and killed a 12 year old school boy?

Not 'colateral damage'. Its murder. Next.

Thank you for agreeing with me. The killing of an innocent 12 year old school boy was murder. It was a war crime committed by the British forces in Cyprus.

Re Bafidis, but why are you laughing

Re Deniz,

I was not laughing. I was merely happy that you agreed that the slaying of a 12 year old boy during school demonstrations was murder.

OK, fair enough. I was expecting a list of other murdered innocent GCs from you.

There were quite a few innocent victims on the GC side. I could not tell you how many baecause I am not familiar with the figures.

I am also quite dissapointed, as this thread was started to commemorate those who died fighting for their land and self determination and it was turned into a slinging match by some TCs.

It would have been better if this thread stayed on topic and concentrated with respecting the fallen of EOKA and also all the fallen from the British side. There is nothing more admirable than to lay down you life and sacrifice for your own country. This is what the EOKA fighters did. Likewise, the British servicemen were also fulfilling their duty which was to serve their country. They were however the oppressors of the Cypriot people, which is what the EOKA campaign was fighting against.

Despite what some TCs think, EOKA was not created to target the TC population.

Nice talking to you re bafidis. (no insults, thats something I could get used to)

Regards

It was a pleasure speaking to you as well.

There is room fore civility on this forum..

[Nurgary]

Curiously, although it is known that there were never more than 300 to 400 members of EOKA, during 2005 and 2006 the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos awarded no less than 21,000 EOKA medals to so-called EOKA members. Apparently, like the thousands of alleged veterans of the Vietnam War in the United States, there are many Greek “wannabees.”

[Get Real!]

Curiously, although it is known that there were never more than 300 to 400 members of EOKA, during 2005 and 2006 the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos awarded no less than 21,000 EOKA medals to so-called EOKA members. Apparently, like the thousands of alleged veterans of the Vietnam War in the United States, there are many Greek “wannabees.”

There were different levels of EOKA participation. For example, an elderly couple who harbored fighters in their home would've also received a medal, or the 15 year old school girl throwing stones at British army jeeps, etc.

[denizaksulu]

Curiously, although it is known that there were never more than 300 to 400 members of EOKA, during 2005 and 2006 the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos awarded no less than 21,000 EOKA medals to so-called EOKA members. Apparently, like the thousands of alleged veterans of the Vietnam War in the United States, there are many Greek “wannabees.”

There were different levels of EOKA participation. For example, an elderly couple who harbored fighters in their home would've also received a medal, or the 15 year old school girl throwing stones at British army jeeps, etc.

I undestand your sentiments GR, but would the old couple have a choice with armed men? Very good people were eliminated by the Eoka. Life is sweet. Who will argue against armed people?

[Nurgary]

Curiously, although it is known that there were never more than 300 to 400 members of EOKA, during 2005 and 2006 the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos awarded no less than 21,000 EOKA medals to so-called EOKA members. Apparently, like the thousands of alleged veterans of the Vietnam War in the United States, there are many Greek “wannabees.”

There were different levels of EOKA participation. For example, an elderly couple who harbored fighters in their home would've also received a medal, or the 15 year old school girl throwing stones at British army jeeps, etc.

Ok accept that but remember last year (may have been year before) all them promotions in the Police for being members of Eoka - many not even born at that time.

[Nikitas]

Riding piggy back on a cause is a frequent pheonomenon not limited to Cyprus or the Mediterranean culture. There are opportunists eveywhere who are ready to adopt a winning cause if it will yield tangible benefits. Look at France after WWII and see how many there supposedly partcipated in the Maquissard movement against the Germans. After Mussolini was hung in Italy the vast majority of the population came out to condemn fascism.

Nurgary is accurate on this one, there were many more post 1959 EOKA fighters than there were pre 1959 actual participants. Some of these late sympathisers were rewarded with lucrative posts in all levels of the civils service. Thankfully this did not undermine the efficiency of the civil service as it did in other countries.