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SOLEMN CEREMONY: The Commonwealth War Cemetery in Souda provided the backdrop for a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.
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Volume 49, No. 14, August 10, 2006
By LCDR Stu Watters
RAN personnel took part in a moving ceremony in Souda Bay to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.
In one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, over half the Allied casualties were sustained by Australian and New Zealand forces.
It was therefore fitting that RAN and RNZN personnel were able to be present, through the involvement of HMS Nottingham.
Exchange officers LCDR Stu Watters RAN (OPSO) and SBLT Layaman Bakewell RNZN (OOW) both laid wreaths at a service that was well attended by veterans and dignitaries.
HMS Nottingham was alongside in Souda, where the Commonwealth War Cemetery is the resting place for 1,600 British and Commonwealth sailors, soldiers and airmen who died protecting the island against German invasion.
Sailors provided the Guard of Honour, memorial sentries at the cenotaph and street liners, as 400 people including politicians, diplomats, military personnel and more than 50 veterans and families paid their respects.
They recalled the hot days of war 65 years ago when the Mediterranean Fleet blocked the prospect of a seaborne landing and enabled the evacuation of 50,000 soldiers to North Africa.
