TROUBLESOME BISHOPS

The story of Archbishop Makarios's exile

By
David Carter

'Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?' - King Henry II, speaking about Becket

Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the Governor of Cyprus in 1956

WHEN Field-Marshal Sir John Harding was appointed Governor of the island in 1955, colonial rule was in crisis. EOKA was on the rampage and something had to be done to stop the terrorists. The Times of Cyprus was sure a military man was the right choice. It editorialized: 'If this is a job for a soldier, no better soldier could be found.'

Harding had been the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, an iron-willed soldier with a distinguished military career, who held both the MC and DSO. Despite his background, he nevertheless hoped for a political solution to the Cyprus question.

To that end Harding opened discussions with Archbishop Makarios whom he knew was up to his neck in the EOKA movement. Of this there was no doubt. The Greek Cypriot clergy administered the loyalty or death oath to those who enlisted in the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters -Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston.

It was also known in intelligence circles that Archbishop Serapheim of Athens and All Greece bought EOKA's first weapons. Its members traveled to Ioannina in northwest Greece to take delivery of the initial supplies.

Serapheim was less sophisticated than Makarios and had a village mentality. He was stuck in yesteryear, always opposing everything of which he disapproved and reacting with brute force where he could. Throughout his life he opposed the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual head of world orthodoxy. He thought Turks had corrupted its being.

Negotiated outcome fails

Governor Harding meets Archbishop Bishop Makarios for the first time in October 1955.

For five months the Field Marshal tried to persuade the religious leader of the Cypriot Greek community to turn away from terrorism 'and advise his fellow-countrymen to follow his lead in the belief that this might be the quickest and least painful way of getting the people of Cyprus back on the path of democracy and of restoring to them freedom to think and speak for themselves'.

Unfortunately Harding's efforts were not rewarded. He said later: 'I pursued these discussions to the furthest possible limit of conciliation and concession in the hope that Makarios would be induced to denounce violence, and so open the door to co-operation and orderly constitutional progress.'

Yet even while Harding talked about a peaceful outcome, Grivas ordered a bomb to be placed on a British chartered aircraft at Nicosia Airport on Sunday, 4 March 1956. 'I approve the placing of time bombs at the Airport yet you do not indicate what length of time you want,' he wrote his No 2 Gregorios Afxentiou. 'You should be given a time bomb which I calculate will explode after two hours because of the reduction in temperature. Take great care in preparing the filling so as not to be unsuccessful.'

Fortunately, the poorly manufactured bomb exploded 20 minutes before the families of British servicemen boarded the Skyways Hermes to fly back to the UK, otherwise 68 passengers would have died in the sky above the Mediterranean.

Governor Harding visits Nicosia Airport to see the wrecked Hermes

The wreckage of the Skyways Hermes bombed at Nicosia Airport on 3 March 1956

Reg Potterton, ex-Royal Signals, told the author from his retirement home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 'I was at the foot of the Hermes' steps waiting to board, when there was just a thud, a gush of flame inside the plane and a wing falling to the tarmac. Afterwards, they took us back to Wayne's Keep transit camp in a three-tonner to wait for another flight the next day. Someone in EOKA took a pot shot at us on the way there.'

Victor Freeman, a former RAF Corporal, remembers: 'The sound of the explosion shook our billet huts, which were situated a half mile from the civil airport. We interrupted our listening to the cultural half hour of The Goon Show and raced up - on foot - to the Airport. A spectacular cascade of flames from the burning fuel surrounded the aircraft. The crew had jumped to safety.'

It was clear now that Makarios could not - or would not - control Grivas and abandon terrorism and intimidation - not only of the British, but his own people as well.

Governor Harding visits Nicosia Airport to see the wrecked Hermes

Harding was left with no option but to break off his negotiations. He told his advisors: 'The Archbishop personally constitutes a major obstacle to a return to peaceful conditions. His influence must therefore be removed from the island in the interest of promoting peace, order and good government.'

To remove Makarios meant one of two choices: kill him or arrest him.

Governor Harding opted for the latter. He decided to exile the Archbishop, along with several of his closest associates, including the Bishop of Kyrenia to the Seychelles. And so Operation Apollo was launched.

First, arrangements for the plane to land in Aden and Kenya, with appropriate security, had to be finalized. The Royal Navy, too, had to be brought into the plan so that they had a vessel ready to carry Makarios and his associates to the islands in the Indian Ocean.

Top secret planning

UTMOST secrecy, however, was vital to ensure maximum success with minimum risk. EOKA had to be kept completely in the dark about the Governor's intention, especially the when and how of the operation to arrest the Archbishop. If the slightest hint reached the terrorists, they would generate civil unrest, Makarios might go into hiding and anti-British violence would be stepped up.

Responsibility for carrying out the snatch-operation was handed to Lieutenant-Colonel John Commings, the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment. He assigned one of his Company Commanders to plan and put it into effect.

Major Jos Jones, OC Charlie Company, a light heavyweight boxing champion during World War II, was tasked with the job. To support him, he was given 1 Platoon of Bravo Company. The latter had recently taken on the chore of guarding Nicosia.

Major 'Josh' Jones of 1 Staffordshire Regiment

Jones' identity has never before been revealed in a public domain. His name was kept secret outside military circles, because there were fears his life would be jeopardized and EOKA sympathizers - with long memories - would track down and hurt his family at their home in Wolverhampton, England.

Lt Colonel Paul Cook of 3 Para was also advised to have his men ready for a special operation on a date to be announced.

Major Jones later recalled: 'The aim of the exercise was clear, but the proposed methods of execution were not. The point at issue was the likely reaction of the civilian population to the removal of the Archbishop and the amount of force, which could be applied if required.

'How much force could we use to an Archbishop in his own See? What could we do if the Archbishop turned difficult and refused to be arrested? How were we to get into his palace and in which room were we likely to find him?

'We knew the palace was an extraordinary ramshackle place, a rabbit warren to search. Would we have to perform a smash and grab or a cordon-and-search job?

'In fact, we could not guarantee that he would be at home at all for the 'lifting' squad. It was a nail-biter of an assignment. We had to get it right if our soldiers' lives weren't to be put at risk.'

Wrong man surrounded

BEFORE the plan could be finalized, Lady Luck came on the scene to favor the British.

Makarios announced he would fly to Athens with the Bishop of Kyrenia to meet Greek political leaders on 9 March 1956.

The night before, a British official visited the Archbishop to suggest that when he drove to the airport, his driver-bodyguard should only accompany him. When asked the reason, the official replied that it was for his safety as crowds could cause chaos. Whether Makarios concluded that the British were up to 'mischief', no one can say, but he did pack more clothes than were necessary for a short trip to Athens, including an Anglo-Greek dictionary and some extra ecclesiastical robes in his suitcase.

Meanwhile, British intelligence officers had recommended that Major Jones' men simply meet the Archbishop and his entourage as he was about to board his aircraft at Nicosia airport and quietly escort him to a military plane parked nearby. He would be ordered inside, with the others, and the plane would take off immediately. Only when it was clear of Cyprus would Makarios be told his destination: the Seychelles.

Shortly after 09.00 Makarios on 9 March 1956 leaves his residence accompanied by his religious and political followers.

On his way to Nicosia Airport, crowds surround the Archbishop's car, thinking Makarios is flying to Athens to garner more support for EOKA.

The planning seemed easy and simple, but would prove far more difficult to achieve. If it failed, the political ramifications would be considerable. It was left to Major Jones to work out the details. He decided to intercept Makarios as soon as he passed through the airport's main gate.

There were three major roads leading to the airport. These could be closed easily after the Archbishop's arrest, but they needed to be monitored from dawn, without arousing any suspicions, so that Jones knew exactly which route the Archbishop was using. Because there was considerable military traffic coming in and out of the airport, Jones concluded, a few more vehicles would not be noticed.

He placed a platoon along each of the access roads. The soldiers hid themselves in army vehicles that appeared to have broken down. Their officers were told to look out for an RAF policeman raising his white arm-band at one of the airport's checkpoints. This would be the signal that the Archbishop's vehicle had passed through and he was inside the airport, where his arrest could then take place.

Lt Peter Lee, in charge of a B Company platoon, had the bonnet of his vehicle open, pretending he was repairing the engine. As he fiddled, he saw an RAF policeman, 100 yards away, raise his armband.

'Get cracking, lads,' he shouted, ordering his men into action. Their vehicle burst into life and accelerated in the direction of the checkpoint, stopping with a jolt behind a polished black limousine. Weapons at the ready, the platoon surrounded the car's occupants.

Moments later, Lee and his soldiers withdrew, red-faced, once again to take up their original position.

The RAF policeman had not signaled the arrival of the Archbishop. He had merely been saluting the Air Officer Commanding who had arrived unexpectedly. He was not pleased by his reception.

Major Jones' account reads: 'When Makarios eventually arrived, the system worked, but it was almost an anti-climax. His driver was, I believe, his nephew who had sworn to protect his boss with his life. CSM Martin, however, with his Sten gun, rapidly made him postpone his promise.

'A British police officer then read the Deportation Order. Makarios took it very well and maintained his dignity, while Brigadier Baker watched.'

The Deportation Order was issued under Regulation VII of the Emergency Powers (Public Safety and Order) Regulations.

(Editor's note: Major 'Jos' Jones died on 25 March 2002 in Tiree, Scotland, after suffering from Parkinson's Disease. He was still shadow boxing with his grandson from his armchair.)

Politeness is order of the day

Surrounded by British troops, the Archbishop was escorted to an awaiting Hastings Mark II aircraft by Squadron Leader Wilfred Pink, who, in retirement, went to live in Newton Poppleford, Devon. The aircraft was parked in a secluded part of Nicosia Airport, far from prying eyes.

Squadron Leader Pink told this author: 'Mak took it all in his stride and chatted with us about nothing in particular as if he were heading for a jolly picnic, although he still didn't know where.'

While Makarios sat on the aircraft, the British authorities rounded up the others who would join him in exile.

First to arrive was the Rev Papastavros Papagathangelou. Makarios thought he had come to wish him farewell, until he saw the priest's packed bags and his worried demeanor.

From left to right: Papastavros Papagathangelou, Archbishop Makarios, Polycarpos Ioannides and Bishop Kyprianos waiting to fly to the Seychelles.

Bishop Kyprianos Kyriakides of Kyrenia was the next to be boarded. Then another car appeared and out stepped Polycarpos Ioannides, the Kyrenia bishop's personal assistant and part-time propagandist. He had been picked up and believing he was being arrested for questioning, his wife had only packed a small suitcase for him.

Once again the deportation order was read to say he would be exiled and held at 'the Governor's pleasure'. Ioannides replied in Greek: 'It may be the Governor's pleasure - but it's not mine!'

The Hermes took off at 16.15 local time and headed southeast.

Ironically, all the arrangements to fly-out Makarios had been made by a one-eyed, Anglo-Irishman, Group Captain Norman de W Boult, DFC, AFC. During World War II, the Government of Greece had presented him with the Royal Hellenic Air Force Cross for training Greek pilots.

In the evening Sir John Harding broadcast his reasons for deporting the Archbishop. He said: 'He (Makarios) has remained silent while policemen and soldiers have been murdered in cold blood, while women and children have been killed and maimed by bombs, while a Cypriot woman was shot and wounded for the second time as she lay in hospital, recovering from a previous terrorist attack, and even while he stood by the coffin of an Abbot in his own church who was brutally murdered in his own monastery. His silence has understandably been accepted among his community as not merely condoning but even as approving assassination and bomb-throwing.'

Skeleton mystery

Paras cordon the Nicosia area containing Archbishop Makarios's residence

AS SOON as the Hastings took off, members of 3 Para, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Crook, cordoned and searched the Ethnarch's palace in central Nicosia.

Paras are briefed outside the Archbishop's house on the search

Metal detectors are used to find any hidden weapons

They hoped to find secret EOKA files, but the wily Makarios had hidden them elsewhere.

Special Branch officers plough through the Archbishop's papers for secrets

All they find are EOKA propaganda leaflets and piles of religious correspondence.

A break to discuss their finds and a cool drink

The Paratroops, however, did uncover a bricked-up chamber. It contained a skeleton, some hundreds of years-old, leading to another of those difficult questions which never get satisfactory answers in Cyprus: whose was it and why had he been hidden so long?

Comfortable exile

While the Paras continued their search, the Hermes landed in Aden to refuel before continuing to Mombassa in Kenya. Here the Archbishop and his party were transferred to HMS Loch Fada for onward voyage to Mahe, the capital of the Seychelles. The Archbishop later expressed his 'deep appreciation of the courtesy and kindness of the officials en route and of the officers on board'. He said he was astonished, and greatly touched, when the Captain gave up his own cabin, so that he, Makarios, could have a cabin to himself.

In the Seychelles, the Greek Cypriot party was held in comfort of the Governor's Lodge at Sans Souci, under the supervision of Captain P S Le Geyt and his wife. Le Geyt had served as a captain in the Indian Army and the Uganda Police.

The Seychelles' administration officially announces the arrival of the exiles

On 14 March 1956 Makarios and the others were told the conditions of their exile.

? Except with special authority, you may not communicate with any person other than the other persons detained with you and the police officers and staff of the Lodge at which you are detained.

? All requests, complaints, and suggestions that you have to make should be made to Captain P. S. Le Geyt who has been appointed as Controller of the Household at the Lodge. All written communications you may wish to send to any person should be handed to him.

? Upon request, daytime visits to other parts of the island will be arranged when possible. These may include visits to shops where goods within reason may be bought on official account.

? During the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. you will be required, except with special authority, to remain within the Lodge and its grounds.

Makarios relaxes in comfortable exile at 'Sans Souci', the Governor's Lodge

In conclusion, the exiles were told:

'It is the wish of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, of the Government of Cyprus and of this Government that your period of detention in Seychelles should be as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Adequate funds have been placed at the disposal of this Government for this purpose as well as for your board and lodging and, within reasonable bounds and subject to security restrictions, every effort will be made to comply with your wishes.'

Once the news of the Archbishop's exile became known to the Cypriot Greek public, reaction was not as hostile as the authorities had expected, but British troops did not lower their guard.

The pages of a young British soldier's diary says life continued 'as usual'. He writes: 'We continued our patrols, stoned by the old ladies of Avgorou or shot and screamed at by the young ladies of Famagusta.'

(Editor's note: Archbishop Makarios was released from the Seychelles and arrived in Athens after a 13-month exile, which he likened to 'Christ's return to Jerusalem'. He was banned from Cyprus until March 1959

(According to Time magazine: 'As his plane touched down and Makarios emerged, smiling glassily (he had been airsick on the flight from Kenya), the crowd roared. Women shrieked and wailed, struggled to kiss his hands and black robe. In a white Cadillac convertible the Archbishop slowly made his way into the heart of Athens. People hung out of windows and balconies, perched on rooftops and jammed the sidewalks. Some threw flowers and shouted with joy; others wept. Everywhere there were scrawled signs: 'Enosis' 'Down with the British', 'Long Live EOKA'. Whether in conscious or unconscious irony, Makarios had chosen to put up at Athens' fanciest hotel, known to all Athenians by its original name - Grande Bretagne.'

Makarios is greeted with rapturous enthusiasm by Athenians in April 1957

(Many historians suggest Governor Harding made a mistake by exiling the prelate from Cyprus because his absence gave Grivas a free hand to conduct a more vicious terrorist campaign than the Archbishop would have approved.

(In his Memoirs, Grivas says: ' The exile of Archbishop Makarios meant that I had now to take on the political as well as the military leadership of the resistance. I did not shrink from this double burden: indeed, the additional responsibility gave me greater freedom of action and added strength, just as the Archbishop's deportation, far from quenching the fires of revolt, fanned them into flames. I launched a new offensive designed to transform the whole island into a battlefield. I believed Harding had made the greatest mistake of his career and I took full advantage of it.'

(Makarios apologists maintain he opposed violence and only wanted attacks against government buildings, never individuals. Whether true or not, there is no disputing the fact Grivas protested the 1959 Independence agreements and, until his death, tried to depose Makarios, culminating in the 15 July coup by EOKA-B in 1974, which ultimately led to Turkish mainland forces invading the Island five days later to divide Cyprus into separate Greek and Turkish zones, separated by UNFICYP.)

Back to Cyprus Index