I wrote an email last week to the grandson of the person who directly organised the rescue of 300,000 greeks in 1922 from Smyrna and other greeks located in the Black Sea region. He mentions contacting Stratis Karamanlis of the Refugee Museum in Skala Loutron, a seaside village 15 minutes from Mytilini. His email is [email protected]. As I dont speak or write greek, this gentleman from Mytilini may have valuable information regarding rescued Asia Minor greeks. Anyone interested in contacting him please advise? Here are the correspondences: Dear Mr Jennings Thank you for your article outlining what your grandfather did from the Greek population of Asia Minor in 1922. unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2010/0103/comm/jennings_oneman.html Among the papers of your grandfather, did he have any records of the greeks that he managed to transport ie names, ages, departures etc. I am associated with a greek genealogical group who would be very excited if such records existed. Thank you for kind assistance. Sincerely John Marmarinos Dear Mr. Marmarinos: Unfortunately, I do not have any such records. Dr. Con Aroney, a heart doc in Australia, wrote a wonderful book about his family in Turkey and their escape. In many ways, this story is the story of so many Greek families. Flames on the Water Tears in the Sea was published by Copyright Publishing Company, Brisbane. CopyRight Publishing CopyRight Publishing If you are in sunny Brisbane please visit us at 95 William Street. Over the past three decades, CopyRight Publishing has acquired tools, techniques and experience ... View on copyright.net.au Preview by Yahoo The rescue was made possible by the cooperation and critical help of a Greek Navy Captain, Ioannis Theofanides. He was the commanding officer of the Kilkis, a Greek battleship given to Greece by the U.S. after WWI. When Ataturk agreed with my Grandfather to let the Greeks go, the problem was ships to remove the refugees. My Grandfather boarded the Kilkis and with the help of Capt. Theofanides blackmailed the Prime Minister of Greece to get 26 ships to remove the first 350,000 people from Turkey. This time last year I visited the Grandson of Capt. Theofanides, Admiral Dannys Theofanides at his home in Athens. The Greek people do not know the story of Smyrna, and so the Admiral invited a member of the press who has covered military affairs for 25 years to his home to see the documents which I donated to the Refugee Museum on Lesbos. The interview is short, entertaining, educational and revealing. Vimo/83516431 and 83517902. I interviewed a lot of people in Greece, including a professor of history in Athens, and Turks, and found them all ignorant of what happened and why. People often ask about AKJ, his background, and why he risked his life for the Greeks and Armenians he did not know. On the 90th anniversary of Smyrna I was invited to speak at the Methodist Church in Cleveland, NY, where my Grandparents are buried. Attending were the son and daughter of Greeks saved in the rescue. If you are interested to know more about AKJ, my comments are on The Greatest Rescue in History The Greatest Rescue in History 300,000 Greeks and 50,000 Armenians and Jews were abandoned by the Greek Army in Smyrna, Turkey, in 1922. The Turkish Army announced their plans to marc... View on Vimeo Preview by Yahoo There should be a movie about Smyrna, but I do not have the financial backing. I am sorry I do not have the information you requested, but I do hope you find the information I provided interesting. Sincerely, Roger Jennings PS. You might try contacting Stratis Karamanlis of the Refugee Museum in Skala Loutron, a seaside village 15 minutes from Mytilini. His email is [email protected]. If you speak/write in Greek, that will help him. He does speak English. He is a teacher, and key to the operations of the Museum. He would know what records they have. I hope that helps. Sincerely, Roger Jennings On Sunday, October 19, 2014 2:31 PM, Roger Jennings
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 02:38:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015