Georgios Stylianou Early Life

Georgios Stylianou was born on November 7, 1938, in Neo Chorio, Paphos district. He spent his childhood in Polis Chrysochous, where his parents had settled. He fell in combat against the British on November 4, 1956.

Education and Early Involvement

Stylianou completed his elementary education in Polis Chrysochous and attended the local Hellenic High School through the fourth grade. He possessed an enthusiastic spirit and a clear element of courage. He joined EOKA at the very beginning of the liberation struggle and quickly developed a wide range of activities, working closely with the rebel group in his region. His department head, recognizing his potential, later placed him in charge of an Assault Rifle team based in his home village.

Acts of Sabotage and Resistance

In May and June of 1956, Stylianou worked with his fellow fighters to clear bushes and prepare an airplane landing strip in the Akamas area. Their group planned to receive a secret shipment of weapons from Italy, either by air drop or by landing the plane, to supply EOKA’s needs.

On May 23, 1956, Stylianou successfully executed a Turkish police officer from Polis Chrysochous. This officer had a reputation for arresting and interrogating Greeks and for routinely abusing the relatives of known rebels. Although the authorities identified Stylianou as the perpetrator, they could not arrest him because he had gone into hiding.

The Final Stand

On November 4, 1956, Stylianou deliberately provoked a British response. Following his orders, his fellow villagers destroyed the mailbox bearing the emblem of Great Britain and raised the Greek flag at the primary school. He then led his team—consisting of Georgios Anastasi and Vasos Panagi—to the village entrance, where they lay in wait for the arriving British forces.

The fighters targeted the second vehicle in the British convoy with an electric mine, having avoided the first car because the police authorities had placed two of their compatriots inside as human shields. After immobilizing the vehicle, Stylianou and his team threw their two grenades—one of which failed to explode—and began retreating towards the hills.

A fierce chase ensued. During the pursuit, an English sniper shot Stylianou in the leg. Seeing their leader wounded, his two comrades turned back under heavy enemy fire to carry him to safety. The British soldiers and their Turkish auxiliaries, however, overtook and captured all three men.

A Martyr’s Death and Legacy

The captors executed the three fighters on the spot. They framed Stylianou and shot him in the head, and they killed his two companions with spears. The British then decapitated the bodies and took them back to Neo Chorio, where they forced the residents to gather and witness the soldiers shooting the already dead fighters. Finally, they hung the bodies from their vehicles and drove them through the streets of Polis Chrysochous.

Their brutal deaths sent a wave of shock across all of Cyprus, but it also steeled the people’s will to continue the struggle for freedom..