Greece, 1923, at the time of the Population Exchange, the end of the Greek-Turkish War

On the Thracian Front

A photograph from the archives, taken at Kiretsiler (now called Chryssa, 3km East of Xanthi) on 25 March 1923.

After the Armistice, before the Peace Treaty. The end of the Great Idea:

Fifth from the left, the 23 year old Corfiot Dionysios Stranis (born Zakynthos, 1899)

Six months later, the Italians bombed and occupied Corfu.

"The year 1923 was clearly not a year of opportunity for any kind of assertion of Greek nationalism. The Greek people was exhausted, confused, defeated and demoralized. There were to be no more foreign adventures". C. M. Woodhouse, "The Story of Modern Greece" (p. 210).

Ekaterini (Katina) Strani, sister of Dionysios, at the Corfu Arsakeion College (founded 1868, some history here), where she was educated and trained as a teacher, before her posting to teach in Himara/Chimaera  (in the effort to help preserve the Greek language and culture when that area was still independent, before it became part of the state of Albania) and her role as Vice Principal of the State Boarding School in Corfu (1924-1927):

Far left (seated, 3rd row down)

Το “Αρσάκειο Κέρκυρας” ιδρύθηκε το 1868 με διαθήκη του Αρσάκη. Περιείχε νηπιαγωγείο, παρθεναγωγείο και διδασκαλείο. Έκλεισε το 1937.
Οι απόφοιτες δασκάλες αναλαμβάνουν την υποχρέωση να διδάξουν σε σχολεία και στις πιο απομακρυσμένες περιοχές του μείζονος Ελληνισμού.

The State Boarding School was initially located at the Royal Palace in Corfu, from 1923-1924 , because of the shortage of school buildings. It was established on the ground floor of a wing of the palace, with use of the basement. The initial enrolment was 105 boarders; the number doubled in the new, 1924 school year.

The State Boarding School boarders consisted of the following categories: a) refugees from Asia Minor; b) orphans from the Corfu countryside; c) children of war victims; d) children from Northern Epirus.

Due to the lack of space and the increasing numbers of boarders, the school moved in 1924 (until June 1928) to the Customs House building in Spilia (later the Agricultural Bank). The Directors from 1924 were Spyridon Martzoukos (died December 1927) and his wife, Katina (Ekaterini) Strani-Martzoukou (died 1952).