March 7, 1948, the day of the union of the Dodecanese with Greece, is a day of remembrance and emotion. We remember our ancestors who fought for our islands, keeping their Greek identity alive. We feel deeply moved because this day is a milestone in our long history, written by generations who struggled for freedom.
The following are accounts of Kalymnian fighters who were imprisoned for years in Italy, as narrated by one of them, the late Skevos Giallouris, to his son, Nikolas Giallouris, a teacher.
“It was July 6, 1937, when they arrested us. They took us from our homes and brought us to Rhodes, to the Koskinou prison. There, behind bars, we waited six to seven months for our trial. The sentence was harsh: we were convicted of political and military espionage against Italy. That’s what they said.
I was sentenced to 19 years in prison, as were Michalis Gourlas, Antonis Kouskoutis, Pantelis Chatzismalis, and Vasilis Gavalas. My brother, Dimitris Giallouris, was sentenced to 21 years, as were Mikis Orfanos and Nikolas Svinos. Skevos Zervos and Manolis Giannikouris were sentenced to 23 years.
When the time came for our transfer, they put us on the ship Citta di Bari. We were to travel for two days to Bari. We had made a pact among ourselves: when we passed through the Corinth Canal, we would jump out of the portholes of our cabin. It was our only chance to escape. But the Italians figured it out. As soon as we approached the canal entrance, they put us in handcuffs. We couldn’t do anything.
Two days later, they sent us to the Foggia prison. After another two days, we were transferred again—this time to Ancona. There, they separated us. I was sent to the Rocca di Spoleto prison, high up on a hill in an old tower. Michalis Gourlas and my brother Dimitris Giallouris were taken to Fossano prison. Nikolas Svinos went to the Naples prison. Mikis Orfanos, Pantelis Chatzismalis, and Antonis Kouskoutis were sent to Castelfranco Emilia, while Vasilis Gavalas was taken to Civitavecchia prison.
The years passed. The days in solitary confinement were endless. But in 1941, they gathered us all at Castelfranco Emilia, this time under German control. Nikolas Svinos remained in San Gimignano prison. Michalis Gourlas, however, escaped with some Italians, fled to the mountains, became a partisan, fought alongside the resistance, and eventually rose to the rank of major.
*Those years marked us forever. They can never be forgotten. The pain, the hunger, the fear, but also the hope that one day we would see our homeland again… Our Kalymnos, which we finally saw again after 8.5 years in Italian prisons…”
In the remaining photos:
Rocca di Spoleto prison, visited by Nikolas Giallouris’ family
Castelfranco Emilia prison, visited by Nikolas Gourlas’ family.
