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by **miltiades** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:31 pm

Whether one agrees or dissagrees with the strugle against British imperialism , for Cyprus and the Cypriots April the 1st 1955 will always be a date of paramount importance, a date that will last for ever in the minds and hearts of the G/Cs.

I was almost 9 years old on that day, a week or so after returning to the new village from Limassol orphanage , a new village with prefabricated "housing" built to house the Stroumbiotes following the catastrophic earthquaqe of September 10th 1953.

None of us young kids ever felt that we were under the occupation of the British, at least I did not, as I had very happy memories of English kindness shown to us kids in the orphanage by kind, humane English people, more than I can say for some of my own race who could help the orphans but did nothing.

My father explained to us that the struggle by EOKA was to rid our selves from British occupation and achieve ENOSIS with our " motherland", Greece.
My older brother , just over 15 years old was overtly excited , a teenager with too much energy who was exuberant at the fact that the struggle had commenced.

Not wishing to bore you with my recollections, I take a break now and get back if enough interest is generated.

by **Oceanside50** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 6:47 pm

Very good beginning...I hope you don't mind if we ask questions...I have one so far. Was there an expectation prior to April 1st that something would happen?

by **miltiades** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:21 pm

Oceanside50 wrote:Very good beginning...I hope you don't mind if we ask questions...I have one so far. Was there an expectation prior to April 1st that something would happen?

There may well have been, but since I'm recalling only my own memories I can not answer this, I was after all just a 9 year old, in fact on April 1st 1955 I was 8 years and 11 months old.

Shortly after the commencement of the struggle my older brother moved to Paphos where he attended the Paphos Likion, a little terror he was too, mad on motorbikes, just as they are today, and full of bravado. It wasn't long later that my father received a message that my brother had moved to the mountains following a disastrous attack on the Paphos police station carried out by him and another EOKA young man. The EOKA young man barely 18 had thrown a grenade aimed at a T/C auxiliary that failed to explode, he forgot to pull the ...pin out, whilst my brother fired his pistol at the auxiliary, missing him and striking the ...kafetji in the leg !!They were young men, just boys really, no military training, just determination and guts.

My father took me to Paphos to search for my brother, we tracked him down and were bringing him back to the village. We were assured that they had not been seen and that nobody knew who they were.

As we approached the village a military road block appeared over the bend, troops searching for ..." terrorists. Now my brother was gutsy guy, a real character, he was my hero, never saw him scared of anyone until that is on that early evening where his tanned face turned as white as a sheet.

Im carrying a pistol, he whispered to my father, before my father had time to react my brother was out of the bus rolling his way down the crevice, the penalty for carrying a gun was death by hanging.

Did not see him for months on end, learning about him from friendly sources.

I was very proud of him, wanted to be just like him, couldn't wait to join him.

by **Lordo** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:39 pm

i have a question. did it not occur to any of you that perhaps the tcs will not be so hot on the idea of enosis and that it was bound to split the country. was it really that far fetched. did you boys think the tcs would just wake up one day and say oh alright then you win.

by **SKI-preo** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:32 am

Lordo wrote:i have a question. did it not occur to any of you that perhaps the tcs will not be so hot on the idea of enosis and that it was bound to split the country. was it really that far fetched. did you boys think the tcs would just wake up one day and say oh alright then you win.

Most people probably never thought any more of the Turkish Cypriots than a small minority who mostly came about by jumping ship to avoid paying jizyah tax and to score all the cushy jobs in the public service.

by **miltiades** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:43 am

SKI-preo wrote:
Lordo wrote:i have a question. did it not occur to any of you that perhaps the tcs will not be so hot on the idea of enosis and that it was bound to split the country. was it really that far fetched. did you boys think the tcs would just wake up one day and say oh alright then you win.

Most people probably never thought any more of the Turkish Cypriots than a small minority who mostly came about by jumping ship to avoid paying jizyah tax and to score all the cushy jobs in the public service.

I will answer Lordos question based on my views in 1955 which do not necessarily concur with my current views.

The Christian Greek Cypriots being the overwhelming majority in Cyprus representing 80% of the population, with a history stretching back more than 3 thousand years of Greek influence, considered the less than 100, 000 Turkish Cypriots representing a minority of 18% as any other majority would in any other nation on the planet, including Turkey with a 20% Kurdish minority. The island was considered as Greek, the T/Cs were seen as remnants of a previous conqueror. Perfectly understandable at the time.

Easter week in 1956 was a very busy time for my father, being the only tailor in the village. We had no electricity in the village way back then, my father used a "LUX" or LOUX for light and to allow him to work late into the night making suits and trousers for the locals, the custom was then that on Easter Sunday men would wear new suits.

I was fast asleep, shared a bed with my younger brother when I was rudely awakened by a commotion, and shouting coming from my fathers workshop next to our house. I jumped out of bed and rushed out coming face to face with half a dozen British soldiers beating the shit out of my father and screaming at him. They were drunk.

I overcame with fear and rushed at the soldiers sticking my teeth in a soldiers leg, A vicious kick in the face accompanied by a few punches quickly put an end to my efforts to help my father .
who was on the ground being kicked. My efforts however distracted the drunk soldiers allowing my father to get off the ground and plead with the soldiers to leave me alone. He spoke a little English, calling out "my son only 10 years old" . My main concern was that they would enter the house where my 8 year old brother and 12 year old sister were asleep.

The soldiers left but not before one of them twisting my ear and smacking my face.

Went back to sleep not believing that the cruelty of these English soldiers was so distinctly opposite to what I had experienced back in the orphanage. I was badly bruised but not as bad as my father was.

The following morning we had a visit from the British camp in the village. My self and my father accompanied the soldiers who knew my father well ,back to the base, he was the tailor for the base.

An officer examined my bruises, and I could tell that he was visibly concerned, he stroked my head and I could make out that he was being apologetic. Two soldiers approached and gave me a bag each, the bag was full of chocolates and assorted sweets, boy was I happy, my father was given some money and off we went back home less than half a kilometre away.

My joy at having so many sweets and chocolates was beyond description, in fact I couldn't wait for the next..... beating !!!

by **miltiades** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:48 am

COORECTION:
My sister was 14 years old and not 12 as I stated above.

by **Lordo** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:44 am

interesting that the gc establishment did not consider the issues and risks and what it can cause if implemented in 1955. having gone through that time period and all the events of 1958 till the peace agreement on 1960, you boys still did not consider the situation and the risks involved. the same again in 1967 and then finally 74. even a fool would learn from their first or even second mistake. you boys not only have not learned anything from those events, there are swine hear who are still blind and want a unitary state to this day. I suspect the majority of gcs are of the same thought to this day which in reality leaves us with only one realistic choice and that is two independent states.

by **miltiades** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:55 am

Lordo wrote:interesting that the gc establishment did not consider the issues and risks and what it can cause if implemented in 1955. having gone through that time period and all the events of 1958 till the peace agreement on 1960, you boys still did not consider the situation and the risks involved. the same again in 1967 and then finally 74. even a fool would learn from their first or even second mistake. you boys not only have not learned anything from those events, there are swine hear who are still blind and want a unitary state to this day. I suspect the majority of gcs are of the same thought to this day which in reality leaves us with only one realistic choice and that is two independent states.

Vordo, this thread is a recollection of events as were seen by a young boy. Go to the Political sphere and spill your crap there, so buzz off this thread stupid.