Stefanos Sarafis
Encyclopedia
Stefanos Sarafis was an officer of the Hellenic Army
who played an important role during the Greek Resistance
.
in 1890, and studied law in the University of Athens. During the Balkan Wars
, he enlisted in the Greek Army as a sergeant, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1913. He became a Venizelist
, and played an active role in the various military conspiracies that were formed during the troubled 1920s. He participated in the two failed Venizelist coup attempts of 1933 and 1935
. The latter was led by Nikolaos Plastiras
and intended to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris
. The failure of the coup resulted in the execution of its leader for treason
and dishonorable discharges for several of the participants. Sarafis himself was condemned to life imprisonment, but was pardoned by the government.
d to the island of Milos
which was populated but had no connection to military activities. He was thus effectively isolated from possible contacts with active Army members. In 1938, Sarafis was introduced to Marion Pascoe, an English student of the University of Oxford
who visited the island to pursue her studies of archaeology
. However her limited knowledge of the Greek language
prevented her from effectively communicating with the locals.
Sarafis was reportedly the only person on the island with working knowledge of the English language
and volunteered to help her in communicating. Their private conversations over political beliefs and the History of Greece
resulted in her lifelong interest in Greek matters. Marion later claimed to have fallen in love with Sarafis at this point.
. Sarafis resurfaced as a leading figure of the Greek Resistance
movement. Initially in contact with the republican EDES and EKKA movements, in March 1943 he was arrested by guerillas of the communist EAM/National People's Liberation Army (ELAS). Despite his background, a month later Sarafis joined ELAS. His motives for this have been hotly contested, but he seems to have been impressed by ELAS' strength and at least partly sympathised with its political aims. In May, he was appointed as head of its general staff. From this position he played a crucial role during the Dekemvriana.
After the military and political defeat of EAM in the Dekemvriana, he was captured and exiled to Serifos
where Marion re-established correspondence with him in 1946. She had joined the League for Democracy which campaigned for the release of political prisoner
s.
at about this time. In the Greek legislative election, 1956
, the United Democratic Left entered a coalition with the Republican Union, the Liberal Party (EP)
, the Rally of the Farmers and the Workers, National Progressive Union of the Centre and the Democratic Socialist Party. The coalition came second and managed to elect 132 MPs. Sarafis was among them.
He was a pedestrian
casualty in a car accident
on 31 May 1957 in Alimos
, a suburb of Athens
. He and his wife Marion were taking a walk when an automobile
driven by a non-commissioned officer
of the United States Air Force
collided with them. Sarafis was killed and his wife injured.
George V. Allen, the then United States Ambassador to Greece
, ordered the airman to be handed to the Greek authorities for trial. The airman admitted to have been driving under the influence
and having violated the speed limit
. He was charged with manslaughter
. However fellow politicians of the United Democratic Left strongly suspected the incident to be a "premedidated murder" and reported their suspicions to the press.
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
who played an important role during the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
.
Early life and career
Sarafis was born at TrikalaTrikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
in 1890, and studied law in the University of Athens. During the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, he enlisted in the Greek Army as a sergeant, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1913. He became a Venizelist
Venizelism
Venizelism was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid 1970s.- Ideology :Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:*Opposition to Monarchy...
, and played an active role in the various military conspiracies that were formed during the troubled 1920s. He participated in the two failed Venizelist coup attempts of 1933 and 1935
Greek coup attempt of 1935
The attempted coup of March 1935 was a Venizelist revolt against the People's Party government of Panagis Tsaldaris, which was suspected of pro-royalist tendencies....
. The latter was led by Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras was a Greek general and politician, who served thrice as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier and known for his personal bravery, he was known as "O Mavros Kavalaris" during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922...
and intended to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris
Panagis Tsaldaris
Panagis Tsaldaris was a revered conservative politician and leader for many years of the conservative People's Party in the period before World War II...
. The failure of the coup resulted in the execution of its leader for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and dishonorable discharges for several of the participants. Sarafis himself was condemned to life imprisonment, but was pardoned by the government.
In internal exile
Sarafis was exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d to the island of Milos
Milos
Milos , is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete...
which was populated but had no connection to military activities. He was thus effectively isolated from possible contacts with active Army members. In 1938, Sarafis was introduced to Marion Pascoe, an English student of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
who visited the island to pursue her studies of archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. However her limited knowledge of the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
prevented her from effectively communicating with the locals.
Sarafis was reportedly the only person on the island with working knowledge of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and volunteered to help her in communicating. Their private conversations over political beliefs and the History of Greece
History of Greece
The history of Greece encompasses the history of the territory of the modern state of Greece, as well as that of the Greek people and the areas they ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied much through the ages, and, as a result, the history of Greece is similarly...
resulted in her lifelong interest in Greek matters. Marion later claimed to have fallen in love with Sarafis at this point.
Second World War
Marion left Greece during the Greco-Italian WarGreco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...
. Sarafis resurfaced as a leading figure of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
movement. Initially in contact with the republican EDES and EKKA movements, in March 1943 he was arrested by guerillas of the communist EAM/National People's Liberation Army (ELAS). Despite his background, a month later Sarafis joined ELAS. His motives for this have been hotly contested, but he seems to have been impressed by ELAS' strength and at least partly sympathised with its political aims. In May, he was appointed as head of its general staff. From this position he played a crucial role during the Dekemvriana.
After the military and political defeat of EAM in the Dekemvriana, he was captured and exiled to Serifos
Serifos
Serifos is a Greek island municipality in the Aegean Sea, located in the western Cyclades, south of Kythnos and northwest of Sifnos. It is part of the Milos peripheral unit. The area is 75.207 km² and the population was 1,414 at the 2001 census. It is located about ESE of Piraeus...
where Marion re-established correspondence with him in 1946. She had joined the League for Democracy which campaigned for the release of political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s.
Post-war activities
Sarafis was eventually released in 1948 and married Marion in 1952. He joined the United Democratic LeftUnited Democratic Left
The United Democratic Left was a political party in Greece, active mostly before the Greek military junta of 1967-1974.-Foundation:...
at about this time. In the Greek legislative election, 1956
Greek legislative election, 1956
The Greek legislative election of the 19 February 1956 resulted in victory for Constantine Karamanlis and his National Radical Union party by securing the electoral vote despite trailing in the popular vote...
, the United Democratic Left entered a coalition with the Republican Union, the Liberal Party (EP)
Liberal Party (Greece)
The Liberal Party was one of the major Greek political parties of the early 20th century.- History :Founded as the Xipoliton party in Crete , its early leaders were Kostis Mitsotakis and Eleftherios Venizelos...
, the Rally of the Farmers and the Workers, National Progressive Union of the Centre and the Democratic Socialist Party. The coalition came second and managed to elect 132 MPs. Sarafis was among them.
He was a pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
casualty in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
on 31 May 1957 in Alimos
Alimos
Alimos is an affluent suburb in the south-southwestern part of Athens, Greece, also known as Kalamaki . Poseidonos Avenue runs in the western part of Alimos, with the Hymettus mountain to the east meeting mainly grassland, while areas to the north of Argyroupoli are forested...
, a suburb of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. He and his wife Marion were taking a walk when an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
driven by a non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
collided with them. Sarafis was killed and his wife injured.
George V. Allen, the then United States Ambassador to Greece
United States Ambassador to Greece
This is a list of ambassadors from the United States to Greece.*Charles Keating Tuckerman *John M. Francis *John M. Read, Jr. *John M. Read, Jr....
, ordered the airman to be handed to the Greek authorities for trial. The airman admitted to have been driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
and having violated the speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
. He was charged with manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. However fellow politicians of the United Democratic Left strongly suspected the incident to be a "premedidated murder" and reported their suspicions to the press.