CAIRO, Saturday. – Half way between Greece and the Middle East, on an island port of call, in the stress and hubbub of the evacuation, an Australian soldier found time to get married. The air over this island port of call was still smoky with bombs and gunfire when Private Henry Beresford Murray and Evangeline Papauania, a dark-eyed Greek girl, stood between lighted candles at a little village church and became man and wife. Thus in the few moments which it took to make Miss Papauania a British citizen a knot of red tape was cut which had threatened to prevent her further journey from the island. Years before Murray had met her in Australia. At that time Papauania was visiting Australia, where she studied at a Sydney secondary school. Then she returned to Greece and attended the University of Athens and took degrees of medicine and dentistry. The friendship was renewed when the Australians came to Greece. On the night it was decided to evacuate the British forces Murray raced to Athens to find Parauania and offer to help her escape from the country by the only ship leaving Port Piraeus that evening.
When it was decided to evacuate, the Empire troops, Murray raced to Athens by car to help Miss Papauania escape. He covered 22 miles in 25 minutes — and ran over three cats on the way.
The Greek girl eagerly seized the opportunity to escape, and left at once with one small case of clothes, abandoning her surgery with its valuable equipment. Murray succeeded in smuggling her aboard the ship, which was crammed with refugees, troops and German prisoners. Unescorted, it ran the gauntlet of dive-bombers, and arrived at an island port on the first step of the voyage to the Middle East. Here there was trouble with the officials, for the girl was still a Greek subject and was prohibited from leaving the island.
Murray solved the puzzle by proposing. Even after Papauania had said “Yes” the officials pointed out that the marriage would require 21 days’ notice. Murray argued with them for 21 minutes and special permission was then obtained. Followed by an excited crowd of villagers, the pair then were married at the nearest Greek Orthodox Church, while the choir of small boys sang bridal songs.
It was now no trouble to get Mrs. Murray aboard the convoyed ship. which landed her safely in the Middle East. She has now been offered a medical job by the Red Cross. “We are both very happy,” says Murray. I know, because he is my batman.