Georgios Papaverkiou
Timeline Events
Biography
Born in the village of Pano Arodes1, Pafos district, on June 30, 1938.
He fell in battle2 against the British, between the villages of Prodromi and Androlikou, on February 7, 1957.
Georgios Papaverkiou attended Pano Arodes primary school, Pafos High School, until the third grade and continued his studies at Pafos College, when he joined the struggle. Initially, he participated in the demonstrations as one of the most militant elements of the student groups and in the distribution of leaflets. Later, he was assigned to the Ktimas strike groups and took part in the throwing of grenades and in executions.
On June 22, 1955, he participated in the attack against the former Governor of Paphos, Krinn Bey, along with the hero Evagoras Pallikaridis.
When asked by his father whether he would like to continue his studies abroad, he replied:
“ I would like it, father, if my homeland were free. After the Struggle, if I live, I will go with my face clean, to continue my studies. ”
In July 1956, he was wanted for his actions and fled to the mountains, where he joined other guerrillas in the area of the village of Kritou – Tera. Their place of residence was the Toxeftra area, where they had their hideouts. The British offered him a reward of 5,000 pounds. As a guerrilla he operated in the area from the village of Emba to Kathikas, Polis Chrysochous and Tsada, setting up ambushes against the British with great success.
On 23 January 1957 he set up an ambush with his comrades outside the village of Kritou-Tera and attacked a military vehicle with an electrically detonated mine and weapons. He was supported in his actions by both his father, who was the vicar of the Pano Arodes church, and his mother.
On February 7, 1957, Georgios Papaverkiou, together with Takis Sofokleous, fell fighting against the British, after they blew up a military convoy vehicle with a mine and then opened fire on the soldiers, killing five and wounding seven, at the location “Ambelakia”, between the villages of Prodromiou – Androlikou.
The day after their burial, February 8, 1957, his fellow fighters, avenging their deaths, attacked with electric mines and blew up military vehicles full of soldiers in the villages of Kritou – Tera and Kinousa.
