PRESS RELEASE
The Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA)
65 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02742
Contact: Christie Hardiman, Public Relations & Outreach Coordinator
Tel: (617) 926-2562 ext. 4
Fax: (617) 926-0175
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 24, 2007
NEWS RELEASE — DEVOTION TO NATION AND TO THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY THE
ARMENIAN LEGION IN WORLD WAR I
Next year will mark the 90th anniversary an of event largely forgotten
today, the victory of the volunteer Armenian Legion over a combined
Turkish/German force at the Battle of Arara, in Palestine, on September
19, 1918.
To commemorate that Armenian victory, as well as to recall
the momentous story of the Armenian Legion during and immediately
following World War I, the Armenian Library and Museum of America has
prepared a traveling exhibit documenting, with photographs and
narratives, the formation, training, military action, and postwar
activities of this all-volunteer force.
The story of the Armenian Legion during World War I reflects
the community’s attempts to come to grips with the destruction and
devastation following the Armenian Genocide. It also represents the
successful efforts of Armenians from different social, economic and
political backgrounds to work together for a common cause. The Legion
encompassed a group of remarkable individuals – some officers, others of
no special rank or distinction – who volunteered throughout the
diaspora, overcoming tremendous difficulties in order to serve their
people and nation courageously, often at great personal sacrifice. Their
lives are well worth remembering.
One of these individuals, Hagop Arevian, provides an example of the
dedication exhibited by the Legionnaires under extraordinary
circumstances. Born in 1894 in a small village near Sebastia (Turkey),
he experienced the tragedy and dislocation that have affected so many
Armenians. His family miraculously survived the massacres ordered by
Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1894-1896, and moved to the capital of
Constantinople (Istanbul), where Hagop’s father, Nazareth, obtained work
as a port supervisor. However Nazareth was soon arrested and imprisoned
by Ottoman officials on charges of illegal political activism. Despite
repeated appeals to the authorities, even to the Sultan himself,
Nazareth remained in prison and ultimately died there.
Hagop received his education in Mekhitarist schools in the capital, and
in 1914 he went to Alexandria, Egypt, to join his older brother. With
the outbreak of World War I, he resolved to fight for the Allies and he
went to Marseilles, France, to volunteer for the French Foreign Legion.
After training in Algeria, he joined the French Army in France. On leave
in Paris, he met Boghos Nubar Pasha and learned of the plans to form the
Armenian Legion to fight with the French/British forces in the Middle
East; as part of the plan the Armenians were promised autonomy in the
regions of Cilicia, southern Turkey, which had been allocated to France,
according to World War I secret agreements between the Allies (France,
England, and Russia).
Arevian, now a corporal first class, returned to the battlefield in
France and was seriously wounded at Vitry-le-Francois. Receiving the
valued Croix de Guerre, he was detached from the Foreign Legion in 1917
and assigned to the Armenian Legion, which was then training in Cyprus.
He left France aboard the ship "Caledonia," which was subsequently
shipwrecked near Port Said, Egypt, and saved by a Japanese
counter-torpedo boat.
After helping to train the Armenian volunteers in Cyprus, Arevian joined
the Legion as it marched to Palestine to join in the campaign being
waged by British General Edmund Allenby. As a member of the Fifth
Battalion, Arevian participated in the Legion’s victory at the Battle of
Arara (near Rafat, Palestine) against a combined Turkish/German Army
commanded by Mustapha Kemal (later Ataturk). The victory marked the
collapse of the Turkish/German forces and culminated in the end of the
war in November 1918.
Marching north with General Allenby’s forces, Arevian joined other
Legionnaires in rescuing Armenian women and children who had survived
the death marches of the Genocide. The Armenian Legion was now assigned
to occupy Cilicia. Lt. Col. Louis Romieu, commander of the Legion,
granted Arevian’s request for his section to have the honor of being the
first to land in Cilicia, at the port of Mersin, but did not allow
Arevian to carry with him the flag of the Armenian Republic; instead
Arevian was ordered to take the French tricolor. Arevian was
subsequently stationed in Adana, the center of the French occupation in
Cilicia., where he served for the following two years.
By 1920 the political landscape had shifted drastically. France turned
Cilicia over to the Turkish nationalists, thus abandoning thousands of
Armenian who had returned to their homes under the promise of French
occupation and protection. France quietly disbanded the Armenian Legion,
and Arevian (now a citizen of France) returned to Egypt, where he
married and established a family and a successful business.
In 1939, Arevian became an early supporter of the French resistance
against Nazi Germany and became one of the first members of the General
De Gaulle’s Free French Forces. From 1940 to 1945 he organized a hospice
for soldiers of the resistance, a museum of the war, and created a
circle of benefactors and volunteers to assist the French military. In
recognition of these services, he was awarded the French Medal of
Resistance in 1946, and over the next decade concentrated on his
business in Egypt.
In 1956, however, his life was disrupted once again as he and his wife
were expelled from Egypt, given only 48 hours to pack and leave the
country. He moved to Paris, where he became an Officer of the Legion of
Honor and was given the privilege of rekindling the flame at the
Monument of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc of Triumph in 1959. He died
in Paris in 1965.
In recognition of the importance of remembering the Legionnaires and
their devotion to their nation and to the cause of liberty, the Armenian
Library and Museum of America has prepared a traveling exhibit,
"Forgotten Heroes: The Armenian Legion in World War I." More information
about the Legion and about the exhibit is available by contacting ALMA
at 65 Main St., Watertown, MA 02472; Tel: 617-926-2562, web:
AlmaInc.org, or email Gamavor @almainc.org.
About ALMA
Founded in 1971, ALMA’s mission is to present and preserve the culture,
history, art and contributions of the Armenian people to Americans and
Armenians alike. Since its inception, ALMA’s collection has grown to
over 18,000 books and 20,000 artifacts, making it perhaps the largest
and most diverse holding of Armenian cultural artifacts outside of
Armenia. As a repository for heirlooms, the collection now represents a
major resource not only for Armenian studies research, but as well as
for preservation and illustration of the Armenian heritage. In 1988,
ALMA acquired a 30,000 square foot facility in Watertown, MA – one of
North America’s oldest and most active Armenian communities. The
facility includes exhibition galleries, Library, administrative offices,
function hall, climate-controlled vaults and conservation lab.
ALMA is the only independent Armenian Museum in the Diaspora funded
solely through contributions of individual supporters. An active Board
of Trustees and volunteer base augments the museum’s staff. Museum’s
active schedule of changing exhibits includes the use of the library
primarily by researchers and interested general public seeking research
materials on Armenians. In addition, the museum sponsors lecture and
presentation program on related topics.
Hours: Friday and Sunday 1-5 P.M., Saturday 10 A.M.-2 P.M. and Thursday
evenings from 6-9 P.M. Admission: ALMA members are free/ $2 for
non-members. Children under 14 are free.
Directions
Driving: Take route 95 to 128 to 90 (Mass Pike East) towards Watertown.
Take exit 17- Watertown/Newton. Go North 1 mile towards Watertown
Square. As you cross the small bridge, get into the 2 left lanes. Turn
left on Main Street. Turn right on Church Street, and then turn right
into the municipal parking lot.
MBTA: Buses 71, 70/70A, 57, 52, 59, 502, 504. Please visit
for schedules and maps.