Cyprus-Forum.com

[ExNicosia]

Anyone want to read a good book about the Kyrenia area in early 1950's read Lawrence Durrell's book of that time "Bitter Lemons". He was a Press Advisor for the Govt. then and bought an old house in Bella Pais (Bellapaix) . He goes on about the problem of buying and fixing up the house along with many other funny and interesting experiences living and dealing with Greek-Turkish Cypriots there. In the village square was, and maybe is still, a big old tree and the men would sit under it for hours. It was there of course when I would go there. It was called the "Tree of Idleness". Great book and first published in 1958. All his other books also recommended...


Nearby high in the Kyrenia Mtns is the Crusader castle St. Hilarion. Walt Disney is said to have used it as a model for the castle in Snow White... Have a great photo taken there of my wife and I sitting in the Queen's Window overlooking the coast to the west during our visit in Jan. 1963. We had a free hop in a USAF DC-3 (Dakota) for a long weekend from Athens.

[Natty]

Hey exNicosia, I'm intrigued as to how you found the relations between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots at that time.....

It would be great to see another perspective, rather than GC and TC! (not that they don't count!! They are the most important in my opinion!!)

[ExNicosia]

I knew no Greek or Turk that any social contact with the other. Turks lived with Turks in the cities (Turk Quarter) and they also had their own villages. They did not go to a public establishment that was run by one of the others either in my memory. I do remember that riot in Nicosia one night that I, foolishly again. got in my car and drove to. As I entered the road over the moat at the Famagusta Gate I saw the end of the street a mob of Turks, I thought that might have been the Armenian Quarter, but it might have been Greek. they all rush my little car and started to come in the rear and doors. I am suddenly remembering lots of Turk and explained who I was and they immediately backed off and asked me to go home now. I did. As I remember they were doing violence to residences, shops also. Actually I did not see enough to confirm that part.

Meantime I am keeping awake with the bombs and sometimes shootings in town during the night. The local Brits in my neighborhood all had pistols and they took turns during the night walking a two man patrol in a certain section of the neighborhood. As my memory remembers it seemed that mostly it was Greeks killing Greeks for working with the Brits, and also killing Brits. Our problem was that the kids doing the killing could not tell a Brit from an American. (Exp: pipe bombs thrown into the Little Soho at a table of our people and then one time some of our wives were wounded by shapnel from a bomb thrown at them) We went to Gov. Gen. Sir Harding and asked to fly U.S. flags from our autos. Denied.

What shall we do? One of our guys came up with an idea, as we all had free U.S. Military Post Office privilages and catalogs from home, we ordered cowboy hats and Hawaiian shirts. We felt silly wearing the outfits, but the problem was surely solved..

[Natty]

Thanks ExNicosia! That was a problem with EOKA, some extremist members killed anybody who was "For" the British,as they were "Working with the enemy", or at least thats what I think happened....It seems you had many lucky escapes, you should have been allowed to fly your flag if it was going to protect you...Anyway thanks for sharing your experiences!! I hope one day you do go back to Cyprus, and I hope it doesn't disappoint you!



PS, I believe there were mixed TC and GC Villages....

[RichardB]

Incidently some people found the quote amusing as a berliner was the also the nickname given to a local sausage.

My history teacher told our class that it was "I am a jelly doughnut."

Definately a type of sausage some of the older Berliners still use the term now (well they did up until 1990s)

Militades.. I'm sure you're not a hot dog or even a jelly doughnut.
Really enjoy reading your posts ....a lot of common sense which sometimes seems to be hard to find on the forum.

Interesting posts by ex nicosia too

[miltiades]

Natty , there were but a handful of G/Cs collaborators that were executed by EOKA. If you bear in mind that the British administrations policy of creating schisms withing the G/C community , having already been successful in introducing conflict between the two communities. They partly succeeded and relished the fact that AKEL was opposed to EOKA . I lived in Ayios Loucas in Famagusta , most of the people there were anti EOKA , I mentioned in earlier postings that as a young teenager I along with hundreds of others of my own age joined the ANE arm of EOKA , which was used by EOKA as their transportation system if you like. I used to take parcels from place to place and also would throw "FILLADIA " leaflets that EOKA would use regularly. The G/Cs of Ayios Loucas were mostly communists who no sooner would a leaflet be dropped they would tear it to bits. I do not recall any retaliation by EOKA. The organization was on the whole a well disciplined and honourable one. I have an example where my father who was employed by the British in a base in Paphos was approached by EOKA and asked to plant an explosive device in the base . My father refused stating that he had four children without a mother and what would happen to them if he was found out.EOKA understood his predicament , did not call him a traitor and neither did they object to my brother joining the police force. So there wasn't during any time that I recall a persistent EOKA witch hunt against non participants.

[Natty]

Thanks Miltiades! From what i've read the majority of EOKA members were honourable men, who were fighting for their self determination rights that the British for years had denied them, however their were a few extremist nationalists who decided anyone closely linked, or who supported greatly the British or communists, were also the'enemy', they lost site of the real 'battle' so to speak, and those few are what has made EOKA such a contraversial organistion, as far as I can tell those were the people that made up EOKA B, an organisation which tainted the name of the originaly EOKA....Although it's interesting when you say that the British exploited differences within the Comunities, both GC and TC, it seems they did that many times..

If that makes any sense, although thats just the opinion that I have formed from research as I never actually lived through those times.. Although my grandparentsdid myGrandfather actually was arrested by the British and held prisoner without a trial for many months, he wasn't involved in EOKA, something they realised which is why they let him go, although it's quite sad that he was arrested when you think that only a few years before he fought along side the British in WW2 (I was shocked when I read that the British, to get men to sign up to fight, issued recruiting posters coloured in the Hellenic blue and white which said 'Fight for Greece and freedom'! I don't know what they were up to there!)
My Grandmother was actually pregnant with my mother at that point and when she went to the prison to show my Grandfather the new baby (My Grandmother always tells me about how she used to sew little things, like playing cards, or shaving cream, into the the blanket that she used to take my mother to see my Grandfather in, as the female guards never used to search the babies, somehow she managed to give them to my grandfather!), the british guard who was watching them, showed them a picture of his family as if to say 'I know what your going through being away from your family', my Grandmother has never forgotten that, as she always says 'they were only doing their jobs'.....

Okay Ithink I went a bit off track there, although it IS a good story...and everyone loves one of those!!

[rulla]

dear Sotos you are so brainy
HA HA HA HA HAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

[anastasiaC]

ExNicosia - I didnt know that about Walt Disney - interesting!!!

I plan to visit the North this coming Sept when im over there on holiday
not sure that I agree its the right thing to do but my husband wants to visit his occupied village (Kapouti, Morphou) and Id love to go to Kyrenia/bellapais

[cypezokyli]

Natty , there were but a handful of G/Cs collaborators that were executed by EOKA. If you bear in mind that the British administrations policy of creating schisms withing the G/C community , having already been successful in introducing conflict between the two communities. They partly succeeded and relished the fact that AKEL was opposed to EOKA . I lived in Ayios Loucas in Famagusta , most of the people there were anti EOKA , I mentioned in earlier postings that as a young teenager I along with hundreds of others of my own age joined the ANE arm of EOKA , which was used by EOKA as their transportation system if you like. I used to take parcels from place to place and also would throw "FILLADIA " leaflets that EOKA would use regularly. The G/Cs of Ayios Loucas were mostly communists who no sooner would a leaflet be dropped they would tear it to bits. I do not recall any retaliation by EOKA. The organization was on the whole a well disciplined and honourable one. I have an example where my father who was employed by the British in a base in Paphos was approached by EOKA and asked to plant an explosive device in the base . My father refused stating that he had four children without a mother and what would happen to them if he was found out.EOKA understood his predicament , did not call him a traitor and neither did they object to my brother joining the police force. So there wasn't during any time that I recall a persistent EOKA witch hunt against non participants.

dear mitliades. obviously you were too young at the time of EOKA , and no doubt were the majority of its members honorable men.
the problem was its leadership. some comments :

1. ofcource AKEL opposed EOKA. but you forgot to mention that the declaration of the EOKA struggle explictitly told them that they were not invited in the struggle.

2. from my understanding not all executions carried by EOKA were "collaborators". since you left cyprus , books have been written about cases of gcs who have been murdered by EOKA for no reason at all (or actually bc they were communists).

3. EOKA also attacked tcs (collaborators and not). i might be wrong on this one , but i believe that the tcs casualties were bigger than the british ones. ask any tc in this forum to tell you what they think about EOKA.

4. the EOKA leaderhip is personally responsible for the rejection of the hardings proposals, which were way better from what we managed to get after hundreds of deaths 3 years latter.

I want to make once again clear that i will always make the differentation between people and leadership. i believe the people who one way or another joined or helped EOKA had good intentions. But imo, the leadeship of the organisation did mistakes that affected negatively cyprus.