Battle of Nicosia Hospital

The Battle of Nicosia Hospital was a military engagement during the Cyprus Emergency. The EOKA planned a raid to rescue Polycarpos Georkadjis, an EOKA prisoner who had been transferred to prison. The escape was successful although the team suffered casualties.

On August 31, 1956, Ionas Nikolaou, Kyriakos Kolokasis, Nikos Samson and Spyros Kyriacou released with their attack on the General Hospital the prisoner in the Central Prison of Nicosia, fighter Polykarpos Yiorkadjis, who, pretending to be in the stomach, was transferred to nicosia General Hospital for radiological examination.

During the attack, Ionas Nikolaou was wounded by the bullets of the English Sergeant Demon (the executioner who executed in the Central Prison the first hanged Michalakis Karaolis and Andreas Demetriou), who was accompanying Yiorkatzis, before Demon fell from the bullets of the attacking fighters. Wounded, he was dragged to the entrance of the corridor and blocked with the only revolver that held the entrance of the English guards of the hospital, giving time to his comrades and Yiorkatzi to escape.

When his last bullet was over, he also threw his revolver, marking the English soldiers who had surrounded him, and fell from their bullets. His contribution to the struggle was continued by his brothers who were also his associates while he was alive.

During the attack, Yiorkatzis was freed. However, Kyriakos Kolokasis and his cousin Ionas Nikolaou fell fighting. Also killed was the caregiver of the hospital Koulis Kyriakides, who happened to be there and was wounded Spyros Kyriakou, a member of the team that ventured the operation.

Source: eoka.org.cy