Prince George (inset portrait) served as high commissioner of Crete during its transition towards independence from Ottoman rule and union with Greece. At the end of the 19th century, with the aid of Italian Carabinieri (who had acted as peackeepers during the transition from Ottoman to Cretan rule), George set up the Cretan Gendarmerie. Many young Cretans, inspired by love for their country, hurried to enlist in this new paramilitary unit of the independent Cretan State - pictured here.