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[miltiades]

Leaving aside my recollections of the struggle in the 50s, I will deviate from the main focus of this thread in order to explain to those who are not perhaps familiar with the role that ANE played in struggle.

EOKA was a well organized movement led by DIGENIS, a man who had served in Greek army as a general, fought with the British against the Nazis, and fought against the communists in the Greek civil war, a General with huge army experience.

Communications are the backbone of any strategic as well as any other form of activity that requires the participants to be in a position to receive and send information, orders, requests etc. The radio was controlled by the occupying forces who called themselves the Security Forces and referred to the struggle as the TROMOKRATES, Terrorists.

ANE was the SMS service, the twitter, the facebook, the carrier of orders sent by DIGENIS to his subordinates, an integral and a necessary part of the struggle. Remember that mobile phones did not exist and ask your self how would DIGENIS communicate his orders to his troops. Some 300 or so active members of EOKA took to the mountains, fighters such as GRIGORIS AFXENTIOU and many more. They had to be supported, fed, clothed, informed, FEDEX ....declined the contract. ANE was formed precisely to carry out these tasks but also as a means of ensuring continuation of the struggle.

Back to my recollections now.

I first became aware of the presence of the T/Cs and their contribution to the "Security forces" during one of the regular curfews imposed by the British. I recollect it was in 1958 following the Gionely massacre when British troops abandoned a number of G/Cs to the mercy of The Grey Wolves.

My uncles house was in the main square of Ayios Loukas , by the Kafenia, right opposite was my unties house and my favourite cousin, she was 15 years old. The curfew would last for many hours, Troops were patrolling the streets, I just had to pop over to see my cousin , a 30 second dart across the road. I approached a soldier who was stood right outside the front door accompanied by a T/C EPIKOURIKOS, I spoke to the Auxiliary in Greek and asked if I could dart across the road to see my cousin. He was wearing shorts and could not help noticing his balls sticking out of the side. After conferring with the young soldier whose name I found later to be Fred, I was accompanied by the Epikourikos to my cousins house.

Many curfews were imposed following the Gionely massacre. That was for me the start of the inter-communal strife , two communities that for years lived happily interacting would come to an end.

The curfew was lifted on Sunday and the people attended the church service, clearly seen from the church yard were T/Cs in the walled city, high up and holding Turkish flags and banners. Soon a gathering of young G/Cs developed into a demonstration, a parelasis, feelings were inflamed , amongst the older boys I too. What happened next has remained with me as a reminder of the brutality that certain people can exhibit towards humans and especially against 12 year olds.....

[miltiades]

A few weeks before the Sunday demonstration and during curfew, I sat on the front door step eating an omelette sandwich which basically was a beaten and stirred egg in between two slices of bread with fresh sliced tomatoes and salt.

The young soldier whom I got to know well, Fred, approached and asked what I was eating, I spoke little English which was a compulsory lesson at school from the 5th form , although I had joined other like minded boys and burned my English lesson books.

I understood that Fred wanted me to make him an omelette sandwich and he offered me a shilling to make him one. I asked my untie if it was ok and offered her the shilling, she consented and declined to have my shilling, well soon I found my self busy making sandwiches for other soldiers too who saw Fred eating one. Soon the eggs run out ..

Fred would always ask if I wanted to pop over to my other aunts house and he would take me across the road. A fellow soldier took a photo of me and Fred and Fred promised on developing to give it to me.

His name was Fred, he signed the back of the photo when handing it over to me. I had this photo for years alas now lost.He reminded me so much of the kind and generous English I had met at the orphanage, a complete contrast to those brutes who beat me and father up back in the village.

The Church demo was gathering momentum feelings were highly inflamed but soon the "Security forces" arrived shouting and brandishing their guns. They begun arresting the young boys , my self included, and loading us onto army trucks, hitting us with the bats of their guns, we tried to get off the trucks but they were surrounded by army Alsatian dogs . I tried to climb down but terrified of the dogs I cowered on the floor of the truck shitting my self I must say.

There were numerous concentration camps during the struggle years, I was scared, begun to sob.

Then I heard my name called, Akis is that you, Akis was my childhood name, lifted my self up and saw Fred. He quickly got me off the truck and walked me home.
For days on end I kept seeing those vicious dogs biting legs and those vicious soldiers hitting us with their guns.Its no wonder I have become such a dog....lover now....

[miltiades]

My next "mission" after a severe reprimand was another delivery going to a location in nearby Kato Varosia. I made sure that I did as requested and all went well.

A few more followed and succesfully completed until this one.

It was a Sunday, I went to the kentro and 3 parcels were entrusted in me to deliver to the same location as my first " consignement ". I knew the location off by heart , was given the precise delivery time and since I had a couple of hours to kill I went to see my other younger than me cousins who lived dirictly behind my uncles house. I was the biggest boy and got on well with my younger cousins.

A game developed and I decided I had to hide my consignement in a safe place so that I could recover nearer the time of the delivery, rather than leave them in the satchel I stuck them in the yard's oven used for roasting, kleftiko etc.

We played around for a while until it was almost time for me to go on my delivery.

Imagine my utter horror at seing the oven lit , obviously my untie was making a Sunday roast. I panicked and begun sweating heavily.

My uncle G, approached me and asked me what I was doing, could not really tell him, but he asked, are you looking for the packages you put in oven, I saw you doing it he said.

Please dont tell my uncle T I replied, he will go mad.

I followed him into the house and he pointed to the 3 packages, one had been opened , it contained FILLADIA, EOKA leaflets. I presumed the other two would contain the same.

I quickly sealed the open packet and made my way to the delivery destination hoping that the recipients would be oblivious of the fact that one had been opened.

All went well, until my uncle T asked to see me, he was aware that I got myself mixed up with ANE, he was not pleased, he was responsible to my father for my well being, a very decent man who became my hero, a man I respected and loved like a father.

He said he would write to my father and that plans for me to go to the Famagusta Gymnasium were now cancelled.

My family had moved from the village to Ayia Fila in Limassol in early 1958, my father could not get enough tailoring work in the village and considered the move to Limassol on purely survival matters.

A week or so later my older brother arrived in Ayios Loukas on his motor bike, after exchanging pleasantries, he told me that my father had received my uncles letter and that he wanted me back in Ayia Fila.

Arrangements were made for my departure but not before I visited my "Leader" in the kentro informing him of my imminent departure.

I was 12 at the time. You will be contacted in Limassol he told me, you have passed the initiation period and you will now be taking the OATH. I was going to the Lanitio Gimnasio so a little while later I was taken back to my family.....

[erolz66]

This is written in a rush as I was thinking of not responding to erolz66.

To be frank I have little interest in continuing the discussion - I have been round the same loops countless times with countless posters such as yourself and they never go anywhere. What I will do is focus on just one point to demonstrate why I think any effort to continue the discussion would be wasted and pointless.

You made an original claim that

(b) No minority has ever had the right to determine what the wishes of the majority should be.

This is a bold generic sweeping claim, stated as though it is fact and a universal principle. It is also just not true. I gave one example that shows beyond any possible doubt that it is just not true as you stated it but there are many that could be given. If you want another one, then take the example of a country seeking to change its constitution where that requires say 75% support for a change (like in Turkey, though this is true of many other countries). This is just another example were a numerical minority can by RIGHT block the wishes of a numerical majority.

So when I point out that your original statement, as written, is just factually incorrect and clearly so you just come back with

I would have liked to point out the fallacy of your suggestion that the EU right of veto by a small country like Cyprus is the same as granting a say to a minority as to the freedom of the majority.

As if this response somehow makes your original sweeping claim any less factually inaccurate ? You start with proposition A, when shown proposition A is factually incorrect you change it to proposition B, whilst making no acknowledgment or acceptance that proposition A was factually incorrect. In my experience this can go on and on, where I counter proposition B and the person moves onto proposition C and so and so. What is more experience has shown me that even if I do take the effort to go through the successive generations of propositions all that happens is a short time later the original poster will just post elsewhere proposition A all over again.

You then add to your reply

If this is the Turkish way of thinking, then if ever Turkey joins the EU any country smaller than Turkey would have no veto!!

This is just classic 'Ad hominem' argument. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem. You do not deal with what you posted or what I posted in reply to it, but instead ignore the fact that your original statement was just not true and demonstrably so, and instead direct discussion to me as the poster rather than what I said in the post. For the record I am in fact not Turkish. Not in law, not culturally ( I do not even speak Turkish) and not in my head or in my heart or in any other way and the only time people insist on calling and labelling me as Turkish is on forums like these by people like you. I am in fact both British and Cypriot, being the son of an English mother and a TC father. Even ignoring all that just what 'way of thinking' is it you are talking about ? A 'way of thinking' that leads me to point out what you said was factually incorrect, because it was ? Or a 'way of thinking' based on what you claim I was 'suggesting', rather than what I actually said ?

The above is why I have no desire to respond any further to your post. Doing so would almost certainly be a pointless waste of time.

[miltiades]

I fully understand that any discussion that includes such an emotive subject as EOKA and the struggle will inevitably lead to political arguments. I ought to say that EOKA did not enjoy not only the support of the T/Cs but also the support of a very section of the Cypriot people, AKEL.

Not entirely certain as to whether now there exists what existed way back in the 50s, the segregation of the Left and the right, the Right being the pro EOKA group and the Left being the complete antithesis.

The year before I first discovered the blatant anti EOKA feelings in Ayios Loukas, now a year later soon discovered that Limassol was also divided along the lines of pro or anti, AEL or Apollo. Anorthosis was my team and always remained, but I did support Apollon purely because it was the team of the Right, the pro EOKA.

No sooner did I settle in at the Lanitio, a great man was the school director by the name of IDREOS, Georgiou was his deputy, a tough bastard who would even throw punches at students, all were terrified of Mr Georgiou, I experienced some of the cane treatment he regularly dished out.

One afternoon just as the school was closing I was approached by a couple of older 6th formers and upon verification as who I was given the long awaited OATH. I was a full ANE "soldier", at least that's how I saw my self at the time.....

[Nikitas]

Interesting first hand experiences from those times. They coincide with mine, since I lived in Famagusta for part of the EOKA era and later moved to Nicosia. In fact Miltiadis and my path must have crossed many times as Alassia was my preferred seaside spot in Famagusta.

Although we had EOKA members in the wider family, my experiences center more on the TC attacks on our neighborhood in Nicosia, a few yards from the Lokmaci checkpoint, the corner of Alexandrou and Germanou Patron streets, the street where Antonakis bar still operates.

Those TCs on the forum who interject with questions should sit down and ponder those attacks of 1958. They were horrifying, unprovoked crimes against the GCs and the Armenians of Cyprus.

But I will wait for Miltiadis to tell us his memories before I recount mine.

[Paphitis]

Here I will only comment on errolz66 post as the other two are of no interest.

At least you’re smart enough to figure out who to avoid…

Did it finally sink in?

I am running out of buckets!

[miltiades]

Interesting first hand experiences from those times. They coincide with mine, since I lived in Famagusta for part of the EOKA era and later moved to Nicosia. In fact Miltiadis and my path must have crossed many times as Alassia was my preferred seaside spot in Famagusta.

Although we had EOKA members in the wider family, my experiences center more on the TC attacks on our neighborhood in Nicosia, a few yards from the Lokmaci checkpoint, the corner of Alexandrou and Germanou Patron streets, the street where Antonakis bar still operates.

Those TCs on the forum who interject with questions should sit down and ponder those attacks of 1958. They were horrifying, unprovoked crimes against the GCs and the Armenians of Cyprus.

But I will wait for Miltiadis to tell us his memories before I recount mine.

Alassia was run by my late uncle Yiannis married to my mothers first cousin Valentini, they had Kiriakos and Akis, later on Marios
also owned the Akropolis Kentro, they lived above. So many memories so long ago. I omitted to say that whilst in Ayios Loukas I had my first " Mitchia ", still remember her name, had our first date at Alassia, she came with her mother and we just exchanged "loving" glances .

1958 and my entry into the Lanitio was the year before the end of the struggle in 1959, and my taking the OATH.

A number of " consignements" were given to me, by that time I was an experienced courier and a dedicated one.

Lived in Ayia Fila, there were just 2 active EOKA members, strangely enough ones family were leftists and the others right wingers.

I took part in what I always dreamt of participating in, throwing leaflets whilst fastly riding by bike away from the scene.
Many times I came across road blocks but I was well trained on how to avoid being searched, the best method used was to throw my self of my bike and start ...crying whilst dusting my self down....

I must admit I could not wait to become a real soldier, strangely enough I never nurtured any bad feelings towards the British soldiers always remembering the English kindness at the orphanage and my friend Fred in Ayios Loukas, as well as the efficiency and kindness shown to us children in 1953 following the catastrophic earthquake . The beating I received back in the village never altered my views, they were drunk and besides I loved having so much chocolates .The British troops were amazing, quickly put up tents and provided clothing and food to the villagers. It was an English lady who took us children from Paphos to the Limassol orphanage, a very caring elderly lady, I always remember her asking " to koritsi exei krio" in listening to my sisters coughing.

I got on well with my piers and teachers, one of my teachers, Kirios Zahariou, he taught English, still is.
As you can all see I have this ...knack of making friends easily just look at me and ....GR

This my dear friends is my last post on this matter, I swear that all that I have recalled are true and based entirely on my own experience all those years back.

My next story will be entirely for the benefit of one man, guess who, who absolutely loves my recollection of my arrival at Victoria station on October 30th 1961
Thanks for listening
Akis

[The subaltern]

I have been reading with interest all your posts as I am interested on the subject.
I have in fact talked to some people of your age and older about your recollections.
On the whole they find them reliable but have doubts as to the validity of some events you described that makes your experience of the era rather unusual.

I hope you do not mind me if I put their doubts to you for clarification and for the sake of historical accuracy.

You described an event where drunken soldiers came to your house and beat up your father and you. That, was according to them a common occurrence, but was not done
by drunken soldiers but by sober once knowing full well what they were doing and again according to my old friends, having a superior in charge of them.
Regarding the same event: after been beaten black and blue you and your father were called in by some soldier where you was given sweets and your father compensated with some money for the privilege of been beaten up. That according to my sources was unbelievable. People were beaten up but never compensated.

Regarding the tearing up of EOKA leaflets by left wingers at Agios Lucas openly as you have described. This again, they dispute for a simple reason: Tearing EOKA leaflets at the time was a very daring thing to do. You were likely to be branded a traitor to the cause and nobody would have like to have this against their name.
They wondered why you did not report them been an active member of the organisation.

Your other comment of growing up at Famagusta and showing interest in girls and getting hot at Famagusta beach looking at bikini glad girls. Again they dispute. (a) Cyprus girls at the time did not wear beginnings or if they did very -very few. (b) According to them perhaps you were looking at British soldier’s wives but even them they did not wear bikinis much and where they swam at Famagust beach, was cordoned off by barbed wire for security reasons. GCs were not allowed near it.
They think that your imagination got the better of you!

They last one they find rather funny and we all had a laugh. That was the one to do with the Turkish ebicuricos (auxiliary police) during the curfew imposed by the British after the Kioneli massacre; where you saw his balls hanging down his short trousers! They disputed that on the grounds that the epikourikoi were short in general and their trousers were reaching to their knees. Either the Turkish epicuricos was a very-very big boy, or bouzis perhaps; but most likely you put it down as a joke; good one at that.
But dispute of what followed; that the epicurikos escorted you to your cousin’s house after asking his English superior. According to them this was never done. Similarly finding the name of the soldier who gave the authorisation to visit your cousin as Fred they wondered how did you managed to get this information. However, according to my friends all English soldiers were known as John or Jonnies.

What you are posting here is I assume from a book you have written. Am I correct? I have my reasons to believe that it is; nothing wrong with this.

After a talk with the old boys, they came to the conclusion that overall your reminiscences are similar to theirs but you paint a rather rosy picture of the English behaviour.
I hope you don’t mind the comments. This is not meant as a criticism but for historical accuracy.

Thanks

[GreekIslandGirl]

You made an original claim that

(b) No minority has ever had the right to determine what the wishes of the majority should be.

This is a bold generic sweeping claim, stated as though it is fact and a universal principle. It is also just not true. I gave one example that shows beyond any possible doubt that it is just not true as you stated it but there are many that could be given. If you want another one, then take the example of a country seeking to change its constitution where that requires say 75% support for a change (like in Turkey, though this is true of many other countries). This is just another example were a numerical minority can by RIGHT block the wishes of a numerical majority.

So when I point out that your original statement, as written, is just factually incorrect and clearly so you just come back with

Another example of the Werlitzer's inability to evaluate correctly.

- Your attempt to critically analyse subaltern's statement is rotten - I would have said 'inaccurate' or 'naive' but we know now that your intent is to twist words that have a negative impact on TCs, either in one post or another. Mastertwister.