I remember that when the paratroopers began falling on Heraklion, we were at the shop entertaining a Mr Iliadis, who was - if I remember rightly - British consul. We left as soon as the street battles began in Broad Street, in Kalokairinou. Mummy stuffed some things quickly into the shepherd's knapsacks we had back then, and we left by truck... We went with Mr. Iliadis and were put up at the guard's cottage at Knossos...
As we passed by the cemetery, I was amazed to see two piles of dead bodies gathered from inside Heraklion. They were the Germans and Australians who were there then. And on the way past the fields, which of course nobody lived in, the place was full of dead bodies. When we got there [Knossos] we saw a truck full of the wounded, and I was astounded by a German full of knife wounds to his chest who wasn't making a sound, whereas our soldiers were crying out. I don't know, it just amazed me
From where we were, I remember seeing the paratroopers dropping in the surrounding area.
