Toasts and tears after 63 years

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The 97-year-old widow of a New Zealand soldier who led a dramatic escape from Nazi-occupied Greece was overcome with emotion yesterday when she came face to face with the man who, as a boy, helped her husband flee.

George Bizos, the South African lawyer who rose to prominence as Nelson Mandela's counsel in the Rivonia treason trial, was that boy. His search for seven New Zealand soldiers he escaped with featured on the front page of the Weekend Herald.

Freena Lewis was one of a number of readers touched by the story and she could not settle until she met the man who helped save her husband, John, who died eight years ago.

Mrs Lewis, who was an Army nurse in World War II stationed in Cairo, Egypt, said it was remarkable to meet the Greek boy her late husband had spoken so much about.

John Lewis was a member of 24 Battalion and lost his two brothers in the war. After the war the agricultural student married Freena and the couple bought a sheep and cattle farm outside Cambridge.

Their daughter, Bronwyn Lewis, said the meeting with Mr Bizos at the Stamford Plaza hotel was "mind-blowing and unbelievably emotional" for the family, three generations of whom were present.

They brought along a photograph album with the caption "After escape from Greece" and listing six names but missing the photograph. The handwritten names in the caption, some with unclear spelling, were Mick Karup, Tom Freeman, Don Gladding, John Lewis, Sid Hey and Peter Martin. A seventh soldier remains unidentified.

"The story of my father's escape has been a part of a whole experience, like having a precious heirloom you pass on from generation to generation," Bronwyn Lewis said.

She said that after reading Mr Bizos' story in the Weekend Herald her mother could not rest until she had met him, and her daughter, Michaela, described the events as surreal.

Mr Bizos, who is attending the International Bar Association conference in Auckland this week, wept when the Herald introduced him to Mrs Lewis and her family more than 63 years after the dangerous escape on a disabled fishing boat.

After decades wondering if he would ever find the soldiers, Mr Bizos said he was certain that Mrs Lewis' husband, John, was the leader of the group he took food to in hiding and escaped with in 1941.

He recalled Mr Lewis showing leadership, insisting the boat left before dawn and speaking some Greek.

"It is a very fulfilling moment because in the village when I got back they said, 'What happened to the New Zealanders?' and 'Why haven't we heard?"' Mr Bizos said.

The lawyer, who ended up in South Africa and became part of the struggle against apartheid, said it took him 32 years to get a passport to leave his adopted country and return to Greece.

He said the village would be absolutely excited at the news because the escape had become legendary. He would love the families of the New Zealand soldiers to go to Vasilitsi with him.

Bronwyn Lewis, a language teacher, said it would be wonderful to go to Vasilitsi: "I would be there in a heartbeat. To see what sort of person he is and what he has done is just wonderful. We are privileged."

Members of the Lewis family will join Mr Bizos today when the 75-year-old South African is honoured with a human rights award at the conference.

In 1941, Mr Bizos was a 13-year-old growing up in the small village of Vasilitsi, near the town of Kalamata in southwestern Greece. His father, Antoni, was the village mayor, ousted during the Nazi invasion.

On their march through Greece, the Nazis overpowered the small Allied expeditionary forces, among them New Zealanders and Australians. Many took to the hills.

A month later, a shepherd told Antoni Bizos about seven soldiers hiding nearby. Villagers gave them clothes and food and Antoni Bizos hatched an escape plan.

A decision was made for the father and son to try to convey the New Zealanders to Crete.

They set sail at night from the beach at nearby Kalamata in a fishing boat.

But things did not start well when the sail was ripped by a strong wind. On the third day, rowing with two sets of oars and the use of a sixpenny compass, the wind calmed and they spotted a ship at night.

The New Zealanders shouted with joy when they saw the Union Jack and used mirrors to attract the attention of crew on HMS Kimberley.

The destroyer sailed on to attack German aircraft in the Battle of Crete and then to Alexandria, Egypt, where its unexpected passengers disembarked.

Mr Bizos and his father were sent to a camp and eventually taken to Pretoria, South Africa, as refugees.

ANY INFORMATION?

If you know any of the other men who escaped with Mr Bizos, please email the Herald News Desk or phone 0800HERALD.