An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2019/Jan 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie 8 | BY THE ARTILLERY CLUB Artillery Club Visits Athens T he Artillery Club's 2019 foreign field trip took place in Athens from 6-11 October, with a group of 31 travelling, comprised of club members and spouses. As with the successful trips to Madrid and Segovia (2015), Granada and Malaga (2016), Lisbon (2017), and Vienna (2018), Comdt Michael Flood (retd) was again the trip coordinator. On arrival in Athens the group received a briefing from Comdt Flood in the Polis Grand Hotel, before dining in the hotel's rooftop restaurant. On 7 October, with the kind permission of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, and availing of military transport, the group travelled to Néa Péramos, Attikis, the location of the Hellenic Artil- lery Directorate and its Artillery School. The commanding general, Brig Gen Periklis Doukas, and deputy commander, Col Georgios Toutouzas, received the visitors. Our liaison officer was Col Nikolaos J Pentsas, supported by Lt Col Argyrios Pontikeas. During the reception, Brig Gen Doukas presented the Artillery Club with his directorate's plaque. Following refreshments, Capt Ionnis Morfakidis provided a wide- ranging brief on the evolution of the Hellenic Artillery and the activi- ties of the Artillery School. The training director, Col Georgios Kotas, conducted an impressive tour of the facilities, which included the war memorial, St Barbara's Church, and the Artillery Museum. The group also observed impres- sive training demonstrations on various artillery systems including Dias (Zeus), Iraklis (Hercules), and Keravnos. While the gunner officers were receiving the artillery brief and associated demonstrations, Lt Col Pontikeas escorted the spouses to Elefsina, where they received a conducted tour of the ancient sacred site, which is the birthplace of the dramatist Aeschylos and home of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The visit to Néa Péramos concluded with an enjoyable lunch hosted by the Artillery School in the officers' mess. On behalf of the group, Brig Gen Paul Pakenham (Retd), President of The Artillery Club presented Col Pentsas with an engraved tan- kard, and Col Toutouzas with the Artillery Club plaque. On 8 October, members of the group participated in a day-long Saronic Gulf cruise, visiting the islands of Agistri and Aegina. Again availing of military transport, on 9 October the group visited the Hellenic War Museum in Athens, where we were formally wel- comed by Col Christos Kyratsakis, who provided us with an overview of the museum's building and its history, and an insight into the numerous galleries, before conducting us on a comprehensive tour of the impressive displays on Greek history from antiquity to the present. (www.warmuseum.gr/en) On 10 October, once again by military transport, the group visited the battleship Georgios Averof, where we were received by Lt Georgios Kyrioctis (Hellenic Navy), and escorted on a comprehensive tour of the vessel. Constructed in 1911, the ship's armament included two twin Armstrong 234mm guns and four twin Armstrong 190mm guns. With a full speed of 23kts, the battleship had a crew of 670 in peacetime and a wartime crew of 1,200. It was deployed during the Balkan Wars (1912 – 1930), and both the First and Second World Wars. (http://averof.mil.gr) The 'hail and farewell' took place in the Kouvelos Restaurant, marking the end of a most rewarding and enjoyable trip, which along with activities described above allowed the group sufficient time to visit local attractions such as the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Temple of Hephaestus, the Arc of Hadrian, the Acropolis Muse- um, Syntagma Square (for the Changing of the Guard), the National Library, and Plaka. The Artillery Club is grateful to Com- dt Flood for plan- ning and executing the successful and memorable trip to Athens. (For a range of photographs go to the Photo Albums section of www. artilleryclub.ie).

• Cover