IF THERE was one wish that remained constant among World War II veterans who yesterday marked the 64th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, it was that the two sides in Cyprus should try to follow by example the unity that encapsulated people regardless of nationality, race or religion in the fight for a better future.
Quietly smoking a cigarette in the corridor outside the ballroom where the main ceremony was taking place at the Hilton Park yesterday was Neophytos Sophocleous, an 85 year old veteran from Tsada who served in Italy with a contingent of 800 other Greek and Turkish Cypriots from 1943 until 1945.
“I fought along Turkish Cypriots who we didn’t consider to be different to us in any way whatsoever. I believe that justice prevailed in the end, and the world learned what the true value of peace is – sadly through a very painful and terrible experience,” he said.
“It seems that many people didn’t learn well enough back then, maybe because we didn’t see any battles in Cyprus. I just hope we can now learn from our many mistakes and remember how terrible war can be”.
Sophocleous also spoke about why he went to war. “Before the war, we didn’t have anything. We decided to go and fight because we knew that our brothers and sisters were being killed by an evil idea that needed to be stopped.”
He also spoke about how many young volunteers thought that if they joined the British army, it would help towards Cyprus’ independence and would be personally taken care of.
“Instead, when I returned to Cyprus, I was sent back to the fields to work for a pittance,” he said.
However, despite his disappointment on the way his sacrifice was reciprocated at the time, he remains confident that what he and his comrades did was both noble and necessary.
Inside the ballroom, two old friends, Venizelos and Ioannis from Stroumbi, who both served in the Cyprus Volunteers contingent in Rimini and Taranto said: “When we got to Italy, we were suddenly given much more food than what we had been used to growing up in the village in Cyprus. Tea and crackers, which the English called ‘dog biscuits’ for breakfast, meat like spam and corned beef without exception for lunch and lentils for dinner. It was great. We were young then so we appreciated the food a lot.”
When asked what had caused them to volunteer, there was a difference in reaction. Venizelos, who was seventeen at the time, says: “We didn’t have anything to eat, so I went to fight and see if the situation could be changed.” Ioannis, who was slightly older at 18, describes how ideology was “such an important part of my life, being a member of AKEL had shown me that fighting fascism was a necessary sacrifice that had to be made if were to have any prospect of freedom in the future. Remember, Cyprus had never been free in its entire history at this time.”
Yesterday’s event was addressed by President Demetris Christofias who paid tribute to the veterans’ contribution to the defence of freedom and the relative prosperity and peace that the world has enjoyed since their sacrifice was made, as well as by other prominent speakers such as the House President Marios Garoyian, ministers and ambassadors of foreign embassies.
