17 MAY 1946, Page 18

The Resisting Greeks

4, The Greek Trilogy." By Lt.-Col. W. Byford Jones. (Hutchinson. 18s. Od.) 4, The Greek Trilogy." By Lt.-Col. W. Byford Jones. (Hutchinson. 18s. Od.) RESISTANCE, liberation, revolution—for they compose this trilogy— can give the background to every form of human drama. But Lt.-Col. Byford Jones has wisely left the dramatising to other pens, and instead he has written in simple style an account of events in Greece , between 1942 and February, 1945, as they became known to him. This book starts with the author's journey to Greece for the Liberation landing, in the Acirias ' in October, 1944, and finishes with his return to Egypt after the Varkiza Agreement in February, 1945. He was in Athens during the Revolution, and lived through the five weeks' nightmare of the bitterest fighting there; but, descriptive and unprejudiced as is his narrative of those weeks, it is not more valuable than the account of the Liberation and the re- telling of tales told him by eye-witnesses of earlier days during the Resistance—tales which perhaps might otherwise never have been read. At first, the re-telling of others' experiences may not please the reader ; but, in the original words of each of his friends whose stories they are, they join together to complete a picture, which the world badly needs, of the tragedy that had to be Greece's before she won through to start once again the rebuilding of the freedom that was born first in her lands: a story which many who were fighting in other lands or working hard on other duties at that time will not previously have read.

I have always wanted to know'tnore of the Regent, Archbishop Damaskinos, and of the deeds and the character which have won for him the confidence of his countrymen. Here we can read of the way in which, by forcepf character combined with the justice of his cause, he made the German Herr Altenburg accede to -his demands, the comfort he brought to Greeks in prison, Greeks condemned to die and to their families who lived on, and the refuge he gave to one of our most courageous Scarlet Pimpernels--Major • Frank Macaskie (refuge fully repaid later). The Archbishop's fine words on Christmas Eve, 1944, and on the assumption of the Regency three weeks .later, re-echo the words of other champions of liberty in Greece two thousand four hundred years earlier. It is well that they should be preserved for any who wishes to read: " Tear up that funeral shroud of Greece which your bloody conflict is weaving."

But the greater contribution whichi this book makes is the laying bare (unfortunately without the aid of one single map) of the causes and course of the revolt by E.L.A.S. and the politicians behind E.L.A.S. The events of December, 1944, and January, 1945, have been widely reported, and comments on them widely bandied on political platforms all over the world. Lt.-Col. Byford Jones saw the first shots fired by the Greek police. He lived amongst the protagonists in the conflict, and, because of his duties, knew the background against which decisions were made and saw the effect of the execution of these decisions. His narrative is rarely broken by personal comment ; he leaves that to the reader and to the great, whose words he quotes so frequently. In that way he has done a great service.

Others have criticised the policy which Mr. Churchill and his Cabinet pursued—politicians and Press reporters. History will give the verdict ; but it is right that thOse who were there should state the facts now and give the lie to those early traducers of the part the British and the Greek Governments were playing. British soldiers and Greek citizens have their stories to tell, too, and in this sad story it was the British soldier who supported so firmly the rightness of the action it had been his duty to take. As the whole story is unfolded a yet more fervent hope is aroused that never again shall

" The ancient city of Athens, where Democracy was born, become a No Man's Land where two forces, who had been comrades at arms a few months before, fought each other, each in the name of Democracy " (p. 198).

The people that had given freedom her first cradle hated tyrants. General Plastiras' dictum, " I disapprove of all the dictators, dictators of every kind," is gpical (p. 195). They had thrown off the yoke of Nazi domination only to be faced with the arms of a small section of their own people who wished to usurp all power. If such a threat should ever face Greece or the world again, let us hope that there will be men as great and purposes as firm to defend the right.

This book will reward the reader, not by its wit, nor by any grandeur of language, but by the theme and story it so simply tells.

A. R. W. Low.