1912 ~ A YEAR TO REMEMBER. Katerini freed as Titanic sinks

by SIMON PERDIKIS

1912 proved to be one of the most important years in Greek history. The special event that characterizes this year and obliges every historian to dedicate a whole chapter to it is, of course, the liberation of the extensive part of Greece that had remained a part of the declining Ottoman Empire, even after the revolution of 1821.

This part - apart from other important areas - includes Macedonia - now the biggest department of Greece and one of the most honoured and gloried places through the centuries. A place which can pride itself on having Alexander the Great as King, on Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, and on innumerable heroes as well as endless myths and legends created through its long history. These attributes are a hymn to its natural beauty, history and heroes. But it is also a place that had to suffer under Turkish tyranny for 85 years longer than the rest of Greece, being neglected by «Free Greece», which had its own problems at the time.

The liberation of Macedonia was not an easy task, as, besides the Turks, who didn’t want to lose any more territory, the Bulgars also laid claim to it.

As European countries took a step forward in Technology through the construction of The Titanic, Greece was still trying to find itself. But God’s will was... slightly different and as a result, when The Titanic sank, taking the dreams of the fastest journey to America with her to the bottom of the frozen sea, the Greek dreams for a free Macedonia had started to take shape.

This came as a result of the interest of the government of that part of Greece which was now free, especially some of its officials, who organized the various Greek armed forces scattered throughout the Northern area, i.e. Macedonia. They managed - after the intervention of the Greek army and a lot of battles - to set Macedonia, Thrace and some of the Aegean islands free.

The brightest of these officials was Paulos Melas, who was recognized as a hero. He took part in the war under the pseudonym «Mikis Zezas». This subterfuge was necessary as Free Greece could not be seen to be directly involved in the fighting. Sadly, he was killed in a skirmish with the Turks.

Katerini itself was finally freed by Colonel Svoronos on October 16th at The Battle of Kouloukouri. Colonel Svoronos was killed in this battle and Kouloukouri, the battlefield, was renamed Svoronos in his honour.

Paulos Melas and Colonel Svoronos : another two Macedonian heroes to add to those who have gone before ......

Simon Perdikis is a 14 year old student at the Fifth Gymnasium of Katerini. His interests include music and sport and he was one of the students chosen to visit the European Parliament at Strasbourg this year. He passed the Cambridge First Certificate Examination at the age of 13 with a B grade and is studying at present for the Proficiency examination.