CLASSIC STAMPS: Greece
Greece, with its morale renewed and with the consent of its allies, was setting out on a military campaign in 1919 to protect the Greeks living on the western coastline of Asia Minor, with the ultimate goal being the future control of Smyrna and the surrounding area. The campaign resulted in a catastrophic defeat. As a result of the military defeat, King Constantine I was forced to abdicate (27 September 1922) in favor of his son, King George II. A referendum on becoming a republic was held in Greece on 13 April 1924. Todays stamp was the first issue in the new republic. It celebrates George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron 1788-1824), who was a vociferous champion of the Greek struggle for independence, which began 200 years ago, and his death at Missolonghi in 1824 was widely mourned.