|
Western
Thrace 1913
Following the Hellenic
Army’s evacuation
from Western Thrace in compliance to the Treaty of Bucharest (August
10, 1913) that awarded the region to Bulgaria, local inhabitants
(Greek, Armenian, Jew and Muslim) joined forces and revolted (between
August 16 and 19), occupied the cities of Gumuldjina (now Komotini) on
August 31 and Isketche (now Xanthi) the following day (September 1) as
well as the port of Dedeagatch (now Alexandroupolis) on September 3. They
then declared the short lived
(Provisional later Autonomous) Government of Western Thrace, with
Gumuldjina as its capital.
The Treaty of
Constantinople (September 29), concluded only between Bulgaria and the
Ottoman Empire (who left the local insurgents unprotected), removed the
last obstacles and the Bulgarian Army entered the region (October
25-30, 1913), thus leading to the Autonomous Government’s end.
The
Provisional Government consisted of the militaries Hadji Selim Samy Bey
and Suleiman Askeri Bey, the civilians Reshid Bey, Raif Effendi and
Hafous Salih Effendi (later senator of the Hellenic Republic), the
Greek vicar general of the Bishopric of Maronia Nicodimos (later
metropolitan of Grevena), the Armenian Migirditch Tabakian and the Jew
Yaka Cassavi.
Hafous Gali
(later member of
the Hellenic Parliament) was named Secretary of State, while the
Military Command was given to Eshref Bey Kushchubasi.
The
latter was the initiator of the issuing of the
Autonomous Government’s overprints (on Ottoman, Greek and
Bulgarian stamps and stationery), as well as of these stamps.
He was
an intelligent and highly educated Circassian
military, who later commanded the Ottoman Forces in Libya (1914)
assisted by his brother Hadji Selim Samy Bey, Mustafa Kemal Pasha and
Emver Pasha.
He subsequently
(1916)
directed the massacres, deportations and forced marches against Greeks
and Armenians (he admitted more than a million
“purified”
with an estimate of half a million killed) and was sent to the Hejaz,
where he was captured during the Arab Revolt (1917).
After
the war in Asia Minor (1919-1922) he disagreed
with Kemal Atatürk and
settled in the Island of
Crete (Greece) to finally pass his last years at a very old age in his
native Smyrna (now Izmir).
The change of
the inscription (from “Provisional Government” to
“Autonomous Government”) was due to the fear of
eventual confusion
and insecurity among
the population.
The stamps were
died by
local engraver Halil Oglou Ali Moullah. These
same values were also printed on envelopes of different sizes and
qualities and were sold either mint or pre-franked with negative Post
and Telegraph Office cancels of the cities of Gumuldjina, Isketche and
Dedeagatch.
They were issued
between
September 8 and October 6, 1913, in sixteen different printings.
Three types of ungummed and
imperforate stamps
were printed, some with a red circle (in Gumuldjina) or oval (in
Dedeagatch) safety mark (1 piastre equalled 40 paras):
Type I: 1pi
blue and 2pi violet with the
“Provisional Government” inscription (large size)
Type
II:
1pi blue and 2pi
violet with the
“Autonomous Government” inscription (large size)
Type III: 1pi
violet, 10pa red and 20pa blue with the
“Autonomous Government” inscription (small size)
|
