On The Killing Of Civilians in a National Liberation Campaign

The Irgun, its Commander Menachem Begin as well as the Lechi, are constantly maligned on the issue of killing civilians during the campaign for the liberation of the Land of Israel during 1944-1948.

As I pointed out just this week, the LA Times managed to list the King David Hotel operation as an example of previous hotel attacks by "terrorists" in connection with the Mumbai attack.

Well, in Cyprus, a campaign against the British was carried out between 1955-1959. I wanted to zero in on one incident, the murder of a British civiloian, a woman, who was killed in a market while with her infant daughter.

The details of the murder of Catherine Cutliffe

October 3 [1958] was the day of the worst atrocity committed in Cyprus during the entire emergency. Mrs.Catherine Cutliffe, her daughter Margaret, and their German born friend Mrs. Elfriede Robinson, were shopping in Famagusta's Hermes Street. It was a special day for the Cutliffe family, Margaret was shopping for her Trousseau, she was engaged to a member of her father's regiment, 29 Field R.A. As they were leaving a shop in the Greek quarter of Famagusta (Varosha), Margaret was carrying her wedding dress.

They had taken but a few steps, when two youths opened fire on them, from behind, one gunman shot Mrs. Cutliffe twice in the back, then twice more, as she lay bleeding on the street, Mrs Robinson was shot by the other youth, who continued to shoot her as she lay on the pavement, Margaret by some miracle was unhurt, Mrs Robinson eventually recovered from her injuries, but Mrs Cutliffe died almost immediately...

...As the investigation into the attack continued, it became obvious it was well planned, and the local population was forewarned, witnesses, British of course), the cyps never saw any thing that happened to the S.F., or their dependents. Shops had put the shutters up early that day, and the streets were almost deserted, there were no young people to be seen, all this, on a Friday, the busiest shopping day of the week, intelligence sources came to the conclusion that it was a premediated attack, and the locals had been informed.

That attack was the prelude to attacks on women, and children, all over the Famagusta area, these attacks, included the setting on fire of baby carriages, and an increase in attacks, on the S.F.

And I found this comment:

Shot and killed a British surgeon in his car as he left hospital after treating a GC patient.

Shot and killed Dr. Charles Benson while he was working at Amiandos mine.

Murdered Theodore Bogdanovitch, a Serb by birth and very pro British.

Killed Brian Preece, the teenage son of a British soldier.

Killed Mrs. Karberry in a car ambush.

Murdered Francis Hellier while he was shopping. He may have been shot in the back but if in the side or front does it really make any difference.

Shot and killed QPM Demmon when he was in hospital

Murdered a civilian who suffered the results of having polio.

Murdered two civilians, Hallows and Miles, as they left a Masonic lodge meeting

Murdered a teacher, Thomas Mylrea

Shot and killed in the street (again I don't know whether in the back or not) Charles Woods, John Smith and Herbert Pritchard.

Would you like more names of murdered civilians? There are a lot more.

Fortunately the bomb, planted by the snivelling cowards but so called freedom fighters, on board a Hermes plane which was to take British familes back to Britain exploded prematurely or the list would be even greater.

Does anyone recall seeing the Cutliffe incident or any of the others profiled prominently in any mentions of terror?

And how do the Cypriots regard their armed struggle?

Here:

most Greek Cypriots still see the Eoka struggle as a celebration of both their heroes and their Hellenism. Most school days, coachloads of children come to the Central Prison to lay flowers on the graves of 13 Cypriots buried in the little walled garden a minute's walk from the execution shed, where a working British gallows is demonstrated to the older children. Nine of the Cypriots were hanged, one an 18-year-old condemned merely for possessing a firearm. The others were Eoka men killed in gunfights whose public funerals were deemed likely to turn into riots. Among them is Gregoris Afxentiou, cornered in a dug-out in the Troodos mountains where he made an epic last stand until petrol was poured in and lit.

So, they weren't terrorists?

Athos was described as "The Smiling Killer" by Detective Sergeant William Webb, the sole survivor of three detectives ambushed in Ledra Street by 17-year-old Athos and two others who exchanged shots with them at point- blank range.

"It was like the movies," Athos recalled over afternoon tea at the Nicosia Hilton. "Were we terrorists? I think not. We were patriots and very religious, like the Irish. We certainly weren't doing it for the money."

Like the Irish. But much less than the Irgun I can say.