Traveling Tuesday: Corfu

Did you know there are well over 100,000 islands on the earth? Many are unnamed and/or uninhabited. And until the first and second World Wars when troops scattered the globe, many were unheard of.

Are you familiar with Corfu? I was not.

A popular tourist destination, Corfu is an island in the northwestern most part of Greece. The second largest Ionian island, it is approximately 237 square miles in diameter (slightly larger than Guam). Shaped somewhat like a sickle, Corfu has multiple mountain ranges. Its coastline boasts high-end resorts and hotels.

Viewing photos of the island's gorgeous peaks and pristine beaches, its history of battles and conquests are indeed a distant memory. Perhaps its beauty is one of the reasons it was on Mussolini's rador as an “outlet for Italy's surplus population.”

In the late 1920s, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolin announced it would be in the best interest of other countries to support Italy's need for expansion. When he received no rebuff Italy moved into a period of aggressive imperalism. A few years later, Italy began the Second Italo-Ethiopian war (the first being in 1895) in an effort to further expand the empire. By September 1938, the Italian army invaded Albania and within three days had occupied most of the country. As a result, relations between Italy and Greece quickly deteriorated.

Greece petitioned Britain for help, but was turned away when England indicated it did not want to be drawn into a Greek-Balkan war. Tensions between the Greeks and Italians escalated during the summer of 1940 with war being declared in October. By the spring of 1942, the Italians succeeded in overtaking Coru and quickly set up camp. However, with the fall of Italian Fascism the occupiers were taken prisoner by the Nazis who took control in 1943. For the second time in two years, residents found themselves occupied by a foreign power. A year later, the Allied troops liberated the islands as the Germans were evacuating Greece.

A seemingly small, out-of-the-way island, yet an integral part of World War II history.

Wartime Wednesdays: Rock Buns

According to Wikipedia a rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small, hard fruit cake with a rough surface resembling a rock. Rock cakes originated in Great Britain, where they are a traditional teatime treat, but are now popular in many parts of the world. They were promoted by the Ministry of Food during the Second World War since they require fewer eggs and less sugar than ordinary cakes, an important savings in a time of strict rationing. Traditional recipes bulked them with oatmeal, which was more readily available than white flour.

I found this recipe online at https://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com

They are certainly not as sweet as cake, but an acceptable substitute. I used dried cranberries because that’s what I had in the house. Not sure how readily available they would have been during the war. Perhaps currants or raisins would be a better choice. Give them a go. I think you’ll like them.

Rock Buns

• 8 oz wholemeal/wholewheat flour
• 4 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice/all spice
• 2 oz margarine
• 2 oz sugar
• 2 oz sultanas or dried mixed fruit
• 1 egg or 1 reconstituted dried egg
• milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar for topping

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder and spice

Rub in the margarine

Add the sugar, dried fruit and the egg

Gradually add enough milk to make a sticky mixture

Put spoonful onto parchment paper on baking tray ( makes 12-14)

Sprinkle with the sugar

Cook in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 12-15 minutes

 

 

 

Wartime Wednesday: Carrot and Potato Mash

Meat was at a premium during World War II, and even when available was strictly rationed. People began to get creative in their search for inexpensive, filling meals. Potatoes were popular because they were plentiful, cheap and substantial.

Here is a simple recipe that can be made quickly and easily:


Carrot and Potato Mash

• 2 medium/large potatoes per person
• 1 medium/large carrot per person
• 1/2 ounce butter or margarine per person
• salt and pepper to taste

The original recipe called for boiling the potatoes and carrots. Much of the flavor leeches into the water that is drained away before mashing, so I recommend cooking them in the microwave.

Chop potatoes into small pieces and cook.
Grate carrots and cook.
Combine and add butter or margarine and mash.
Add salt and pepper and mash to till potatoes are smooth.

Leftovers are very yummy when formed into pancakes and fried.

Enjoy!

Traveling Tuesdays: The German Occupation of British Soil

Did you know that the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey were occupied by the Germans during WWII? Between June 1940 and VE Day, more than 40,000 German troops were in residence of these two British territories. (The island of Alderney had been vacated days before the arrival of the Germans.)

Shortly after the Allied defeat in France, England decided to forego a military presence on the islands because of their lack of strategic importance. With the exception of propaganda purposes the Germans didn’t need them either. It was a morale booster for Germany to boast the occupation of British land.

Prior to the invasion, the British government made boats available to the residents of the islands in order to evacuate those who wished to leave. Over forty percent of the population of Guernsey took advantage of the opportunity vacate, however, less than fifteen percent of the residents of Jersey evacuated.

There are many reports of incidents of resistance against the Germans on both islands. After radios were confiscated in 1942, Frank Falla created a clandestine newspaper, an act for which he was deported to a prison in Frankfort. Officials of the Parish of Saint Helier provided ration cards and identity cards for fugitives. A study by Dr Gilly Carr has found examples of small radio sets that were concealed in books, biscuit tins and even light switches. Other resistance was symbolic such as the woman who stitched a dedication to George "V" (for victory) into her tablecloth, her German occupiers apparently oblivious to the fact that George VI was on the throne at the time.

There were just as many stories of collaboration with the Germans. Some of the prisoners joined the British Freikorp (a division of the Waffen SS formed by POWs), and there were dozens of babies born of relationships between island women and German troops. According to papers released in 1992, there is also evidence proving that individuals in the government collaborated with their captors.

Seventy five years later, it’s easy to cast aspersions on people and the decisions they made during a situation about which we know very little. I’d like to believe I would have resisted, or at the very least simply minded my own business and live day to day. Would I have collaborated if it meant saving the lives of friends and family? Hard to say.

What would you have done?