History

On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian student assassinated the heir to the Austro-
Hungarian throne. Soon after Austria-Hungary supported by Germany declared war on
Serbia. Bringing Britain and Russia into the war. Many other European countries however
(Romania, Greece) preferred to stay neutral.
Bulgaria was one of these countries. A few years before it had engaged in the Balkan wars
and was still recovering from the negative impact of the war and declared itself neutral. Yet
its strategic geographic location and strong military made the country a desired ally by both
sides the war. Yet Bulgarian’s desire land made it join the Central Powers in September
1915 who were at a better position to fulfil their demands.
In August 1916, Bulgaria invaded Macedonia, Greece and Greece was forced to join on the
allied side in order to protect its territory. This book is set in Serres. During the war, many
people were taken hostages and taken to Bulgarian work camps.
Despite that initially the war was characterized with highly successful campaigns of rapid
movements in 1915 and 1916, Bulgaria began to feel the toll of the war, its economy
weakened and the health and morale of the troops was weakened. Under these
circumstances the Allied armies in Greece managed to break the Macedonian Front and on
30 September 1918 Bulgaria was forced to withdraw from the war.
Story
 Then all boys over 17 are called to be taken to work camp. Go on long journey, tired out.
Bombs falling, fall to the ground. Can hear cryingγ, anyone move get shot.
 Reach camp starts to learn the language, when friend sick, as a way to help get more
food.
 Manolis leaves. Alone, caught studying. Gets administration job meets Andreas, and
other boys. Have plan to escape. Just as going over the edge, Andreas falls.
 Stays heals. Alex comes. Tell story of Alex. Forced to leave. Andrea’s swaps spots.
Months later, that camp had been bombed. Sergios Pavsanidis traitor. Saw telegram
stole for bro.
 Bags of wheat stolen. Everyone whipped.
 Chance to escape, and when reach train station hear little boy crying.

Ο Μικρός Αδελφός
Let me introduce you to the protagonists of our story. Angelos – and his younger brother –
Alexandro – who is about 12 years old – are walking home from school.
 They reach home only to discover that Greece is at war and that the enemy is coming
down and that they have to leave immediately or else they will be captured.
They gather their meagre possessions and arrive at the train station.
The family manages to find a car
The city was a flurry of activity, people ran from here to there, carrying backpacks, mothers
holding tightly onto their childrens hands, elderly with walking sticks, sick with trembling
legs, everyone with ‘panic’ written in their eyes.
At the station, a train had just entered the station. The doors seemed so small to hold so
many desperate people.
The family, Mother, Father, older sister Argiri, Alexandro and last of all, Aggelo who wanted
to make sure everyone made it safely on board. Aggelo sees one of their neighbours a
young girl and boy supporting their disabled father. They were neighbours. They had just
reached the door of the train but alas the train moves off without them.
And then the unexpected happened – A meow is heard and Alexandro leaps like a bullet
from the train. His Mother lets out a cry. They realise with the empty basket next to them
that Alexandro had taken the cat with him, even though they had explained multiple times
that cats don’t leave their place of birth easily.
Suddenly the train slows down – there is some delay. Angelos doesn’t waste time. He looks
into his mother's teary eyes and shouts, "Don't worry, mother, I'll bring him to you."
«Έννοια σου μητέρα, θα σου τον φέρω..» And with a leap, he finds himself sprawled on the
dry August soil. The train takes off again hurriedly.
Aggelos arrives back at the house, his anger rising.. oh how he would give it to him now…
He finds Alexandro at the house, swallows his anger grabs his hand and they run to the
station but there is no train to be seen. Night falls. The western bridge has been blown up –
there will be no more trains…
«Πάμε, Αλέξανδρε. Θα βρεθεί άλλος τρόπος»
There must be another way – there had to be. Any sacrifice, as long as he returned the
young one to his mother. How right she was «Ο άνθρωποι έχουν σημασία»
Angelos had to do whatever he could. For his younger brother he was now both older
brother and protector.
Για το μικρό θα ήταν τώρα κι αδελφός και προστάτης. Παράξενο παιδί και συνάμα τόσο
αξιαγάπητο. Ο λατρευτός του μικρός αδελφός με τις αταξίες του... Ναι. Και τη ζωή του θα
έδινε ακόμη για τον Αλέξανδρο.

They return home again, all means of escape is now cut off. Amidst the chaos, they see
their Aunt Stamatina with their 2 cousins, Athena and Nouska (Ioannis) and she insists that
they stay with her.
 The next day the enemy invades, no one allowed to leave town… new restrictions…
blackouts…food rations…curfew after dark…hunger…poverty
 An opportunity presented to escape. That night Nouska, their little cousin gets sick, so
they don’t end up going.
 Nouska needs asthma medicine – Angelos goes by night to the doctor to get the sought
after medicine.

Take home points

 There is value in learning our Greek language – now is the time – to consider if we
have the opportunity
 Filotimo
 Eating whatever is in front of us
 εξάδελφος, το συμπολίτης το συμπατριώτης το σύμμαχος το εχθρός
 This book takes us on a journey – to how we can care for our fellow man, starting
from the home, from the people that God has gifted us in our home. It may be one or
two or 10 or 20 – our place in time, our family is the means by which we can be saved
 Sometimes we compare ourselves to other families, or think that our family is not
like other families, more old fashioned or restrictive but ultimately this book
encourages us to see the value in the people right next to us and to start cultivating
those relationships
 Making time
 Love 24/7  in difficult times, with obedience, in times of temptation
 Times where we might be tempted to do our own thing to think what is best for the
family, to support each other.