One woman and her guardian angel
Published: March 26, 2006
AN ACTIVE participant in World War II and one of the first persons ever to appear on television, Winifred Coudounaris’ bravery and level-headedness could not possibly be measured with the four medals she proudly owns. Taking an honourable part in yesterday’s March 25 parade seemed like the least society could do to show the appreciation and respect she rightfully deserves.
An extremely likeable and vastly interesting person, Coudounaris is a very sharp and witty lady. With her youthful and calm approach to life, it is hard to believe that the war veteran is now 88 years old.
And being a wartime hero is not her only claim to historical fame. Coudounaris was one of the first people ever to appear on TV: “I was with a group of girls from different parts of the world and we showed routines of exercises – very popular today of course – which kept you healthy and beautiful”
Coudounaris’ late husband Louis, who died more than 30 years ago, was Greek, which is why she had been asked to take part in yesterday’s Greek celebrations. She has four daughters, Artemis, Louisa, Roxane and Frideriki. “I had five daughters but my middle daughter died.”
As she speaks of her wartime experiences, one could easily imagine the trauma of such events. Yet that could not be further from the truth. Coudounaris has simply taken her past into her stride and drawn from it the most positive feelings, always crediting her guardian angel for being alive today to tell her story.
“My experiences from the war are so long ago and some of them are so terrifying that I have put them at the back of my mind and I don’t really want to speak about them very, very much,” said Coudounaris yesterday, shortly before the parade. “Since the war, I have not forgotten about it, but I have put it away. It is not pleasant.”
When the war broke out, everybody simply obeyed orders and did what they were told.
“I was in England when the war broke out. On the 1st of September 1939 I was in a church and the priest came out in the middle of the liturgy and said: ‘I have very bad news; Britain has come into the war. We are now at war’.
“After that, you moved from one place to another; you did as you were told. I worked in an ammunition factory for a few days, making records of what there was and what was going on. Mostly I was doing administrative work. Because when you were called up as it were in those days, you didn’t really have a choice except they ask you what your education is, what you know, what you can do, what you think you can do and what you can’t do and they put you into something. And from there they move you wherever they want you to go.
“Everybody’s job was responsible, no matter how small it was. So long as you carried it out as you were told to, if you were remembered what you were told and you didn’t interpret it differently from what you were told. Now that to me today is still important. During the war you didn’t have the liberty of saying: ‘I wonder what he meant?’ you said the exact words.”
There were many occasions where she feared for her life and many were the times when she narrowly escaped death.
“I have been in very dangerous positions. I was in a convoy which was attacked by a torpedo attack, and as my guardian angel is always near me, the ship I was on was not hit but the one alongside me was. It is a very terrifying experience to see a ship close by going up in flames and the passengers being taken off.
“I had trained my group of what were known as the ‘Crown Jewels’. We were transporting the ‘Crown Jewels’ to another country out of England. Actually they were living human beings.
“I’m not obliged to say what it means, but I’m aware that a number of people know what it means: ‘Crown Jewels’ was the code word for ‘Children from London’.”
Coudounaris’ team was responsible for transferring a group of children safely from England to Australia.
On another occasion, she narrowly missed being aboard a ship which was sunk by the Germans.
“I should have been on the ship with a group of people, with whom we were working together on an assignment. Somehow I was transferred from it – that is the business of the army – the others were on the ship. It was sunk.”
The remarkable veteran has remained very secretive over the years on what exactly took place during the war. Even her youngest daughter recently wondered: “What did you get four medals for?”
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