CRETAN

[Lord Salisbury's Foreign Office and 1897 insurrection in Crete.] Five Autograph Items by Sir Martin Gosselin of British Embassy in Paris, including drafts of private despatches to Salisbury on meetings with French Foreign Minister Gabriel Hanotaux.

Author: 
Sir Martin Gosselin, diplomat [Cretan insurrection of 1897; Lord Salisbury; Crete; Ottoman Empire; Gabriel Hanotaux; International Squadron; Admirals' Council; Great Powers; Greece]
Publication details: 
The five items written by Gosselin between April and November 1897, from the British Embassy in Paris.
£650.00

In January 1897 an insurrection by the Greeks in Crete led to the Ottoman Empire, of which it was still part, declaring war on Greece. The following month, as Turkish rule over the island crumbled, six 'Great Powers', including Britain, France, Russia and the Germans, despatched an 'International Squadron' of their ships to Cretan waters.

[ Patrick Leigh Fermor ]Manuscript letter, in Greek, from 'Haris' in Heraklion, informing Fermor of allegations that he ordered the execution of 'Apolorona and Hania' and others, and that he is organizing the military occupation of Crete by the British.

Author: 
[Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011), British soldier and travel writer; 'Haris' of Heraklion, Cretan opponent of Communism; Cretan resistance; SOE; Major 'Xan' Fielding (1918-1991)]
Publication details: 
Heraklion [Crete, Greece]. 12 January 1947.
£450.00

4pp., 8vo. 96 lines of text. On paper ruled for accounts. On lightly-aged paper, with loss to corners and at central edge, affecting a few lines of text. Accompanying the letter is a translation (2pp., 8vo) by Colin Jordan, with the assistance of Dr Loukas Christodloulos. The letter is of great interest, casting light on Leigh Fermor's activities in Crete in the period following the Second World War.

Typed Letter Signed and Memo from the Claims Section, British Embassy, Athens, regarding clothing and money allegedly lent to Major Patrick Leigh Fermor by Kyriakos Pattakos of Amariou.

Author: 
[Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor [Paddy Leigh Fermor] (1915-2011), British scholar, travel writer and soldier who fought in Crete in the Second World War] [Kyriakos Pattakos of Amariou]
Publication details: 
Letter addressed to Leigh Fermor from Claims Section, British Embassy, Athens. 22 October 1946. Memo without date or place.
£165.00

Both items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. The two are attached with a rusty pin, and there is a tiny hole at the head of the memo, affecting the word 'Kyriakos'. LETTER: 1p., 4to. Signature illegible. Addressed 'To: Mr. P. Leigh Fermor | British Council | ATHENS | From: Claims Section | British Embassy | ATHENS'. With 'Ref: 133/2803/109' and headed 'Subject: Force 133 Claim - Kyriakos PATTAKOS (2803)'. Requesting Leigh Fermor's 'general observations' on the enclosed memo regarding Pattakos's 'petition to H.M. Ambassador requesting payment of compensation amounting to £150/200.

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