My Family and Other Animals

As a child I'd watched various documentaries about the naturalist, zookeeper and conservationist Gerald Durrell and his love of animals. I didn't know then of his connection with Corfu, a place where he'd lived before the Second World War until I read his book 'My Family and Other Animals.' Many of you will not have read the book but, no doubt you may have seen the comedy-drama about his family's early days on Corfu broadcast on British TV 2016 onwards. The book I a classic read and the TV series is a must watch by the way.

To remind me of the story, I brought a copy of Gerald Durrell's book with me to read whilst away and whilst talking with Kostas here on Corfu, I mentioned the book and the great character in it called Spiro Amerikanos. Kostas knew the story well and told me that Spiro and Fokion, yes, the very militia man who'd held my Uncle Gerald at gunpoint, after the crash-landing on the beach at Lefkimmi, were brothers. Astonishing!

Whilst we were sitting having a splendid coffee in the café at Lefkimmi Harbour, Kostas explained that this was the reason Fokion was able to speak English, as he and Spiro had lived in New York and Chicago, where many Greeks went before the war to work, as living on Corfu at that stage meant being poor. America was a big draw for immigrants, especially Greeks Kostas tells me, as it was the land of opportunity and dreams... and of course the land where good money could be made.  Spiro, a tall burly Corfiot, with a larger than life character, had returned from the USA with a huge American Dodge car and for that reason became known as ‘Spiro Amerikanos’ to everyone.

What a great coincidence this was turning out to be...

I'd already written in my notes that Uncle Gerald and the other crew were taken by car to Corfu Town and now I knew who it was who'd taken them... the only man on the island with such a car and he had been called because he was the brother of the man (Fokion) who'd been there and witnessed the crash into the shallows of the Ionian Sea on 24th November 1940.

So here I am now, coincidentally sitting with a clowder of feral cats (or should I call them a glaring of cats – they seem to be all over Corfu) as I write about Gerald and his time here on Corfu in 1940.

#EmotionalJourney #InspiringRead #WarTale #HistoricalNovel #HiddenTruths #WartimeSaga