The Summer of Secrets, page 41
Four hours later, the burning ship came into view, glowing in the dark. They rigged up a searchlight, while a plane dropped flares. Someone shouted they could see a person in the water. There was a big swell, and it was pitch black, so everyone scanned the sea. There he was, a little boy on a small piece of wood, perhaps a hatch cover. He lay belly-down, paddling with his hands. One of the crew tied a rope around himself and went into the heaving sea to rescue him. The poor boy couldn’t talk, or even stand, and was about eight years old. His burns were treated, then he was wrapped in blankets and fed. The submarine deposited him on the aircraft carrier, and after the captain had received a severe reprimand for acting without orders, the HMS Spark headed for home. On their way, they received a message from the aircraft carrier that the boy had been reunited with his jubilant mother.
Castellorizo in the Post-War Years
The wrangle over the future of Castellorizo was extraordinary. As Greece had never reclaimed Castellorizo, despite many appeals from its citizens, the foreign ministers from several countries agreed to cede the island to Turkey, but the Soviet Union asked for more time to study the island’s circumstances. The island’s future remained unresolved until the Council of Foreign Ministers met in April 1946 and heard a case put forward by Herbert Evatt. The Australian had helped write the UN charter and led the country’s delegation to the assembly in 1946 and was an ardent spokesman for the rights of small nations.
The United States and Great Britain stressed that to sever Castellorizo from the Dodecanese islands would be harmful to a population that regarded itself as wholly Greek. The government of Greece finally agreed and when the peace treaty with Italy was signed the Dodecanese islands, including Castellorizo, were ceded to Greece on the 15th of February 1947.
Ironically, the long-awaited union with Greece came after most of the Castellorizon population had emigrated to other countries. The now nearly-deserted island bore little opportunity for earning a living, so its emigrants saw no reason to return. In 1946, the population was 655 and continued to fall.
Towards the late 1970s, tourism in Europe expanded. By 1985, ferries from Rhodes, and a small airport on the island, brought European backpackers. Descendants from Australia reclaimed their family homes and rebuilding began. This activity continues today as affluent expats from far and wide return to claim and renovate the homes of the ancestors.
Castellorizo is now a charming tourist destination. In the summer season, the population expands to almost two thousand. Consistent development is slowly restoring a permanent population.
The Story of Rosa
When somebody succeeds against all obstacles, one must shout about their persistence and tenacity. So, it was when I met with a Greek dancer on the island of Rhodes. From the age of three, Natasa Kosta loved to dance and started ballet lessons at the age of four. Despite many obstacles, she never gave up on her dream to become a professional dancer. An unusual career in Greece where most intelligent young people are pressured to pursue more traditional careers. Natasa won a scholarship to Bath Dance College in the UK, when she was just sixteen years old, and, at that tender age, went there to study ballet and modern dance. Two years later, she won a dance contract with Connecting Arts in Greece where I was lucky enough to see her perform.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patricia Wilson was born in Liverpool. She retired early to Greece, where she now lives in the village of Paradissi in Rhodes. She was first inspired to write when she unearthed a rusted machine gun in her garden – one used in the events that unfolded during World War II on the island of Crete.
www.pmwilson.net
@pmwilson_author
Also by Patricia Wilson:
Island of Secrets
Villa of Secrets
Secrets of Santorini
Greek Island Escape
Summer in Greece
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
First published in the UK in 2022 by
ZAFFRE
An imprint of Bonnier Books UK
4th Floor, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London, England, WC1B 4DA
Owned by Bonnier Books
Sveavägen 56, Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright © Patricia Wilson, 2022
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The right of Patricia Wilson to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978–1–83877–901–6
Also available as an ebook and an audiobook
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Typeset by IDSUK (Data Connection) Ltd
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.
Zaffre is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
www.bonnierbooks.co.uk
Patricia Wilson, The Summer of Secrets
