Charalambos Pettemerides: A Fighter’s Story

Charalambos Pettemerides was born on January 21, 1934, in the mountainous village of Kannavia, Nicosia District. He was one of eight children in the family of Ioannis and Antriani Pettemerides. His siblings were Michalis, Nikos, Alexandros, Hermione, Eleni, Maria, and Meropi. He began working as a young child to support himself. His jobs included laboring in the Amiantos mines, working as a greengrocer in Amiantos, and serving as a waiter in Keryneia. By the time he died for his country, he had married Eleni Stylianou Pettemerides.

Dedication to the Cause

His overwhelming love for Greece and freedom led him to enlist in EOKA when the fight began in 1955. He operated in the areas of Pitsilia, Spilia, and Amiantos. Pettemerides worked closely with the local guerrillas, even constructing a hideout in his own house to shelter them. The hero Gregoris Afxentiou himself stayed there in December 1955 during the fierce Battle of Spilia, a fight where Afxentiou helped EOKA leader Dighenis escape capture.

Betrayal and Torture

Pettemerides served as both a liaison and a supplier for the guerrilla teams near his village. In June 1958, someone betrayed his activities, leading to his arrest. British forces held him at the interrogation centre in Platres. For 35 days, they interrogated and tortured him, but he never revealed any information. After his release, he immediately resumed his support for EOKA.

Life as a Guerrilla

Knowing the British were searching for him again, Pettemerides, using the alias “Xerxis,” left his village. He joined other guerrilla teams in the mountains. With the help of a fellow fighter, he built a mountain hideout near Kannavia that sheltered multiple guerrillas.

The Final Ambush

On October 6, 1958, Pettemerides and three other guerrillas received orders to ambush British forces at “Moutti tou Saranti,” between Spilia and Lagoudera. The group placed a mine on the road and connected it to a mortar attached to a tree. Their plan was for the mine to destroy the lead vehicle and the mortar to immobilize any followers. The ambush hit two British vehicles that had approached without headlights. During the retreat, as Pettemerides crossed the road, soldiers from a third unlit vehicle fatally shot him.

Honoring a Hero

British soldiers discovered his body the next day while inspecting the ambush site. His village buried him with full honors, and his bust stands there today beside that of Andreas Patsalides. At the funeral, his wife sang lyrics she had written for her brave husband before fainting into her father’s arms. She later continued her own contributions to the cause until the very end.