War veteran Antonis Alexandris, a World War II prisoner of war and one of Greece’s last remaining veterans from the conflict, passed away on Thursday at the age of 102 in his hometown of Lesvos.
Born in 1922 in the northern village of Skoutaro, Lesvos, Alexandris was captured and held as a prisoner during the Nazi German occupation of Greece. He endured time at the Pavlos Melas concentration camp in Thessaloniki before being transferred to the Krems-Stein and Bernau camps.
Until the recent pandemic, Alexandris was a prominent figure in Lesvos, leading memorial parades along Mytilene’s waterfront while proudly bearing the banner of the island’s Association of War Victims and Disabled War Veterans.
Reflecting on his experiences and the passing of his fellow soldiers, Alexandris once told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, “There were many of us once… Now, I am alone. We’re all gone.” When asked about his remarkable longevity, he remarked, “Death is my companion now. Do you know how many times we’ve met, and he passed me by?”
Source: Ekathimerini.
