There are so many stories of how young some of the Kytherians migrants were when they were sent to the other side of the world such as the USA or Australia. When you see the face of a child looking at you on a travel document it really puts it in perspective just how young and innocent these boys were.
This photo is of Kosma Firos. He was born in Mitata on 17 January 1909 to Nikolaos Firos and his second of three wives Marouli Sklavou. The decision to send their child away must have been a harrowing one, knowing that there may have been a chance they would never see him again. He immigrated to Australian in 1920, at the young age of only 11. This photo was found on his papers used to travel to Australia.
In Australia he was known as Charles Feros. There were actually two Charles Feros in Australia at the same time and they were born within a few years of each other, so more research will be needed to learn more about his life, with only a few details known at the moment. He signed up for WWII in Paddington, Sydney, on 23 January 1941 in the 6th Combat Service Brigade, service number NX67574, and served in the Middle East. He was discharged on 17 January 1946. He died in Queensland in March 1986, aged 77.
Bibliography
Brisbane City Council. "Cemeteries Search." Database. Brisbane City Council Cemeteries Search. https://graves.brisbane.qld.gov.au: 2021. Kyritsis, Steve. Greek-Australians in the Australia Armed Forces: World War I and World War II. Melbourne: SK Publishing, 2012.
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