A memorial plaque commemorating the 1941 Mani evacuations was unveiled at Trahila harbour in Greece this week.
The Mani Evacuation Memorial plaque honours the bravery of local villagers who risked their lives to shelter Allied soldiers escaping advancing German forces during World War II.
Greek locals helped more than 200 Allied troops — many of them ANZACs, including Private Syd Grant —evade capture and safely evacuate from Trahila and nearby villages in the early hours of 1 May 1941.
Nearly 100 people gathered in the small coastal village for the long-awaited plaque unveiling ceremony, which marked the completion of a five-year commemorative effort.
Australian Ambassador to Greece Alison Duncan, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Athens Susan Geary, and former Canadian Ambassador Robert William Alexander Peck were among the dignitaries in attendance, alongside local and regional Greek officials and members of the UK-based Brotherhood of 1941 Greek Campaign Veterans.
Renowned historian Jim Claven OAM and Greek Community of Melbourne Board Member Vicki Kyritsis were also present. They played an active role in getting a plaque unveiled at Trahila.
The event was supported by Melbourne’s Pammessinian Brotherhood Papaflessas, the Municipality of West Mani, and the Peloponnese Regional Authority.
West Mani Mayor Giorgos Chioureas, who helped organise the ceremony, noted the plaque’s stone base came from his home village of Proastio—another site linked to the soldiers’ escape.
