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 Posted by CockneyTone » 29 Mar 2008, 09:51
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.png) Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| Ladies & Gents,bit of a long shot here but I was wondering if anybody out there had any information on the 1st Batn and their involvement in the Occupation of Crete in 1898. Apparently they were part of a multi-national force sent to expel the Turks from the Island!My Grandfathers service record shows he was involved in it! Regards, Scottie. |
| Posted by petersloan » 17 Apr 2008, 13:36
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 Corporal Registered user Posts: 47 |
| Hi Scottie,I had a look on Wikipedia - there wasn't much. Sounds like it may have been a nice posting! Wikipedia: The Republic of Crete.
In March 1897, the Great Powers decided to restore order by governing Crete temporarily through a committee of four admirals who remained in charge until the arrival of Prince George of Greece as first High Commissioner of an autonomous Crete, effectively detached from the Ottoman Empire, on 9 December 1898. Turkish forces were expelled in 1898, and an autonomous Republic of Crete, under Ottoman suzerainty, garrisoned by an international military force, with its High Commissioner provided by Greece, was founded. On 13 December 1898, George of Greece arrived as High Commissioner for a three-year tenure. On 27 April 1899, an Executive Committee was created, in which a young lawyer from Chania, Eleftherios Venizelos, participated as Minister of Justice. By 1900, Venizelos and the Prince had developed differences over domestic policies, as well as the issue of Enosis, the union with Greece. Venizelos resigned in early 1901, and for three years, he and his supporters waged a bitter political struggle with the Prince's faction, leading to a political and administrative deadlock. In March 1905, Venizelos and his supporters gathered in the village of Therisos, in the hills near Chania, constituted a "Revolutionary Assembly", demanded political reforms and declared the "political union of Crete with Greece as a single free constitutional state" in a manifesto delivered to the consuls of the Great Powers. The Cretan Gendarmerie remained loyal to the Prince, but numerous deputies joined the revolt, and despite the Powers' declaration of military law on 18 July, their military forces did not move against the rebels. On 15 August, the Cretan Assembly voted for the proposals of Venizelos, and the Great Powers brokered an agreement, whereby Prince George would resign and a new constitution created. In the 1906 elections the pro-Prince parties took 38,127 votes while pro-Venizelos parties took 33,279 votes, but in September 1906 Prince George was replaced by former Greek prime minister Alexandros Zaimis and left the island. In addition, Greek officers came to replace the Italians in the organization of the Gendarmerie, and the withdrawal of the foreign troops began, leaving Crete de facto under Greek controlOther places to look may be the KOBR Museum - they are pretty good at responding to e-mails or, if you can access it, The Times Digital Archive. I can't access it, but I know that some uk libraries offer the service to lenders - maybe yours does. It would mean a bit of trawling I guess, but a lok through 1898 would produce an article or two. If you do try it I'd be interested to hear what it's like. I fancy having a Lonsdale related look through the wounded lists. |
| Posted by CockneyTone » 19 May 2009, 09:53
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Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| Peter, somehow I missed your reply to my post, so a YEAR later I must pass on my thanks to you! Very sorry for the delay. Regards, Scottie. |