Two Young Men from Paphos Gave Their Lives in a Final Stand Against Colonial Rule
Christos Kkelis-Miltiades Stylianou: The hills between Tala and Kissonerga hide a story of extraordinary courage. On March 7th, 1957, two young men made their last stand there against the British Empire. Christos Kkelis and Miltiades Stylianou fought to their deaths rather than surrender. Today, a modest monument marks the spot where they fell, ensuring these forgotten heroes of the EOKA liberation struggle remain in the memory of their homeland.
The Early Years: Two Villages, One Cause
Christos Miltiadous Kkelis was born in Kissonerga in 1934. He completed his elementary education in his home village before the call of freedom drew him elsewhere. Miltiades Stylianou came into the world on June 17th, 1937, in the neighbouring village of Tala. He grew up in a farming family as the first of seven children. After graduating from the village elementary school, he attended the Liasideio Middle School in his district.
Both men joined EOKA early, answering the call for liberation from British colonial rule. Kkelis quickly gained the trust of the organisation’s leadership, who placed him as the sector head. He became a wanted man, forced to become a guerrilla fighter in the mountains. Stylianou, still a student in the 5th grade of Paphos College in 1955, took over the team of his village. He soon became Kkelis’s right hand, the loyal companion in every operation.
Acts of Audacity
Kkelis distinguished himself through remarkable bravery. In one audacious operation, he placed time-bombs in the military restaurant of the English camp during an officers’ reception. This strike at the heart of the colonial power demonstrated the reach and determination of the liberation fighters.
Stylianou participated in many ambushes between Ktima and Pegeia. He assisted in collecting private arms in Kissonerga and transported weapons and explosives between the villages of Tala, Chloraka, Theletra and Mesogi. He hosted and hid rebels in his father’s house, feeding them in their hideouts from 1956 until the day he fell. In his father’s orchard at the location of Api, he maintained a special shelter for Christos Kkelis.
The two fought together in multiple operations. They took part in the ambush against senior officer Macmillan at Kissonerga, one in 1956 and three in 1957. They also participated in the bombing of the Estate. Their partnership embodied the spirit of resistance that drove the EOKA campaign.
The Betrayal
March 7th, 1957, began as any other day in the hideout. British soldiers, acting on information from paid traitors, set a trap for the two fighters. The traitors tricked fellow competitors of Kkelis and Stylianou, presenting themselves as rebels who had escaped from the battle of Machairas. Suspicious of treachery, the two fighters went to meet them armed, in the orchard of Stylianos between Tala and Kissonerga.
The Final Battle
The encounter exploded into a long-hour battle. Kkelis and Stylianou fought against the traitors, who had positioned themselves well in an empty concrete tank. They managed to wound one of their attackers. Then British soldiers, who had been hiding in the surrounding locust trees according to eyewitnesses, intervened. They surrounded the two fighters in a brick house and blew them up.
When the English soldiers called on them to surrender, Miltiades gave the answer that would echo through Cypriot history. He replied with the ancient Spartan phrase “Molon Lave” – “come and take us”. This defiance, rooted in the Hellenic heritage both men cherished, sealed their fate. They chose death over submission, fighting to the last.
The Aftermath
The sacrifice of Christos Kkelis and Miltiades Stylianou did not end with their deaths. Miltiades’ brother Panagiotis immediately took over supplying the rebel group in their area. He continued until his arrest the following year. On the same day, British forces arrested his father Stylianos, subjecting him to such abuse that he never worked on his estates again.
The villagers, honouring the hero’s sacrifice and the family’s contribution to the liberation struggle, collectively undertook the cultivation of their estates. This community response demonstrated how deeply the loss affected the local people.
A Modest Monument
Today, a modest monument stands in the “APIS” region near the administrative limits of Tala and Kissonerga. It marks the spot where Christos Kkelis and Miltiades Stylianou heroically died in combat for Cyprus’s freedom. The monument ensures that future generations will remember the two young men who gave everything for their homeland. It stands as a testament not just to their sacrifice, but to the thousands of Cypriots who fought, suffered, and died in the struggle against colonial rule.
Remembering the Forgotten
Christos Kkelis was 23 years old when he fell. Miltiades Stylianou was just 19. They had their whole lives before them. Yet they chose to risk everything for the cause of freedom. Their names may not appear in every history book, but in the villages of Tala and Kissonerga, the local people remember. The monument, the stories passed down through families, and the collective memory of the community keep their sacrifice alive.
The two heroes now rest in the pantheon of Cyprus’s freedom fighters. Their last stand on that March day in 1957 embodies the spirit of the EOKA struggle – young people taking up arms against an empire, refusing to bow, and paying the ultimate price for their convictions. Christos Kkelis and Miltiades Stylianou, the forgotten heroes of Tala and Kissonerga, deserve their place in Cyprus’s national memory.
