Translated loosely from Greek by Chris Steve Manitsas,
with commentary on the history of the Manitsas and Kalpakis families
Editing and Web Design by Steve Chris Manitsas
(Comments are highlighted in green)
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This page is maintained by Steve Chris Manitsas. Send comments to Manitsas@aol.com
It was last updated February 21, 1998, and is continuing to undergo revision.
The happy and care free life in Peramos lasted to 1914. First came the intrusion of the Turkish refugees from the Balkan towns that had been wrested from Turkey after the Balkan War of 1912- 1913. These people immigrated en mass, and tolerated by the Turkish officials, came to Asia Minor. Wherever they could, they entered into the agricultural communities, the fields and homes of the residents as if they owned them. Many Christian towns that had been in the midst of other Turkish towns emptied out and were left to the Turks.
One such incursion was made to the towns of the peninsula of Kyzikos in August of 1914. They entered the neck of the peninsula and reached Peramos and Lagada. They were not supported directly by the Turkish official but were not hindered by them even though laws were violated. The Peramians rallied and rose against them pushing them completely off the peninsula. This was only the beginning. The next year, when Turkey joined the war on the side of the Germans, the systematic exile of the Greeks from the shores of the Sea of Marmara (Propontis) began, with the excuse that the Greeks were supplying the allied submarines.
When they would move a town populace they would only allow them to take whatever they could personally carry. All their live stock, provisions, and other belongings were left to be stolen by the Turks.
Thus the Greek populace was taken to the interior of Asia Minor to be dispersed among the Turkish towns to die of hunger, hardship and sickness.
Peramos could not escape this fate and the orders for leaving came on July 17, 1915. Once the Peramians in Constantinople heard of this, they sought to block this action. George Taliantzi, through his contacts among Turkish officials managed to extract a deferment and took it personally to the governor in Bandirma and then went to Peramos to notify the people.
The governor could not stomach this deferment, being a "Young Turk" and anti-Christian, and the same day, July 17, sent his men to Peramos and set fire to the town. Within two hours the whole town was burned to cinders. Only some buildings at the two corners of town survived, the factory of Taliantzi on the west and the Papadopoulos school, the old church of St. George, and about ten houses in that area. Once they recovered from the disaster they began rebuilding. Those that could, built temporary shacks of wood and most made shelters of grass. They were grateful that they did not have to leave. They would be able to survive with what crops were left.
The problems continued. The Governor sent a new order about 1 1/2 months later to evacuate the town. Taliantzis again got a counter order from officials in Constantinople. By the time the order came to Bandirma, half the town was moved out. As soon as the boats would arrive at Bandirma the people would be detained at the train station and moved out immediately to the interior. The rest were able to stay in Peramos. The Peramians who were moved out found themselves scattered in strange lands (about Baloukiser) not even able to speak the language. The women and children never had the need to speak Turkish in Peramos. The Turkish peasants did not have hatred to the Greeks but they were even poorer and would look with envy at the dress of the Greeks. Even if they wished they could not help. The Turkish officials fanatically would declare the Greeks as enemies of Turkey.
In the beginning they got along with money they had and by selling their few possessions. Later they were begging for work to barely keep alive. When one became ill, the only salvation was death.
This lasted three years, and if it lasted longer no one would remain to return.
Of the 1942 Peramians sent into exile only 680 returned. Some died of hunger or sickness, some were murdered, and some just disappeared.
Besides this loss, there was great economic loss in Peramos. Thousands of olive trees were cut down (probably by the Turks to burn for fuel), and the vineyards dried up because there were not enough people to care for them. Poverty, hunger and sickness killed many of the left in Peramos.
All this is detailed in a report by the town elders of Peramos dated July 12, 1921 -- this is cited in toto.
From mid 1918 especially after the defeat and surrender of Bulgaria, the unravelling of Turkey began. The victories of the Greek army raised the hopes of the Greeks in Turkey. The Turks were resigned to defeat.
Numerous desertions began from the Turkish army. Many, including some Christians were let loose all over Asia Minor. The Turkish authorities were powerless to bring order. The exiled and those conscripted into work groups began returning to their towns including Peramos.
At the end of 1918 the Greek warships entered the Sea of Marmara and anchored off the Dolma Bahtse (in Constantinople) on the Bosforus. The war had ended. Turkey surrendered unconditionally. In the first days of January 1919 the Allied army entered Constantinople. The head of the Allied Army of Macedonia was represented by the French general Fransois d'Espere and next to him also on horseback was the Greek general Katehakis. All of Constantinople was with the colors of the Greek flag and the army band paraded playing Greek anthems.
The Peramians who had gone for refuge to Constantinople returned to Peramos but they did not find the town as they left it having been reduced to shacks, burned churches, destroyed agriculture etc. They would make Peramos better than it was before.
The Greek Army proceeding up from Smirni (Ismir) reached Peramos June 20, 1920 and the Greek flag was raised on the town hall.
The men of the town formed a volunteer regiment as a branch of the Army and undertook the safety and order of the surrounding area and towns. Those of military age joined the Greek Army.
The Reconstructive Society of Peramos in Constantinople began its great efforts to help reconstruct the town [covered in a separate chapter].
Who would have known that this triumphant Greek Army that had marched from Smirni freeing all the Greek lands as far a Bursa would have to retreat leaving the Greek populace in the hands of the enraged Turks.
It was a shock to hear that Smirni, the jewel of Asia Minor, would be burning and the inhabitants would be running to the shore to save themselves, and many would be slaughtered while the Allied warships looked on off shore.
This fire and carnage spread to the other areas to Kyzikos and Bursa. One day a Peramian boat traveling all night with sails and oars arrived in Constantinople with a message, dated August 23, 1922, that Baloukiser is burning, Bandirma is evacuating, the surrounding area in the hands of the enemy -- there is no hope. Our only hope is that you send a steamship to evacuate us.
(Of 13 signatories, one was Fotios Manitsas)
The first act of the society was to communicate with the Greek Naval Base offices that were in the district of Galata (in Constantinople). They were told to find a steamship and to notify the base and this was done. The ship had an English flag and commanded by Capt Johnson. The other officers were Greek. The ship began loading coal on August 26 and the next day embarked for Peramos.
When they got to Peramos all the town (the 2000 that were left of the previous 4,000) was standing on the beach waiting for five days for the boat to salvation. The Icon of Panagia Faneromeni had previously been taken to the Patriarchate in Constantinople via Lagada. After three days of loading as many of the provisions of the town, the passengers were taken aboard. This included six women with advanced pregnancy. The livestock were left behind.
The remaining icons were gathered from the churches. There were three offerings in the shape of a boat (made of precious metal and hung on icons) and these were presented to the ship's captain.
The people wanted to be left off at Sylivria (on opposite shore of Sea of Marmara) in order to be close to Constantinople but orders were to leave them at Myriofito. At first they were refused entry because there was no room for them but fortunately they met a Peramian who was a merchandiser of wines. He allowed his warehouses to be used to house the people and so the disembarkation began. It was summer and many chose to sleep outdoors.
The unloading lasted three days and would have taken longer had the boats of Taliantzi not been taken along being pulled behind the steamship.
They returned to Peramos to take the livestock left behind. As many as could be taken were brought aboard including some soldiers and their horses and the ship left for the last time on August 23, on the day of Panagias. At any other time, this would have been a time of great rejoicing in the town.
The ship arrived at Myrofito and unloaded as much as it could but the ship was overdue in Constantinople and so left with provisions still aboard.
The problem now was how to get past the Turkish officials at the port who would confiscate any cargo that did not have proper documentation. Again with the intervention of another prominent Peramian this was averted and the goods went into private storage. These goods were subsequently sold secretly and the proceeds returned to the owners.
Of the three who went with the ship to Peramos, Theodore Bourboulias stayed in Myriofito to help. Temporary shelter was constructed with lumber that had been brought along. After about 20 days he returned to Constantinople, and he discovered he was wanted by the police and so left for Thessaloniki (Salonica) leaving behind family, house, his work, and all his fortune. Gabriel Psihas worked for a high government official, the president of the Senate, and was also a civil servant in the Senate. Since he did not tell anyone that he had left, when he returned after ten days he was in considerable difficulty. He used the excuse that he went to Peramos to get his ailing mother -- without, of course, stating that he took the rest of the town with her. His employer, in whose service he had been for many years and who liked him, covered for him. Dimitrios Kiriakidis also had problems in remaining in Constantinople and so left in a few days. {As I remember, we met his relative (widdow?) in Midden, Louisiana in 1950 when we visited Fotis Kalpakis -- my mother Evanthia's brother.}
From Myriofito most continued south to Kavala but a few secretly went to Constantinople hoping to get lost in the crowd of the big city and to be close to Peramos hoping the situation would be resolved. Within two years they and other Greeks would be sent to Greece in the great exchange of populations. Only those formally in Constantinople before 1914 could stay. All others were sent as refugees to Greece in 1924.
Pages 209-212: Economic state of Peramos as of June 1921.
| Index | Table of Contents | Image Archive | Kyzikos Connections | Bibliography |
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Chapters: Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |