A Young Family Man Chooses the Struggle

Andreas Panagides from Palaometocho sacrifice stands as one of the most shocking, proud, and deeply moving stories of the entire Struggle. At the age of 22 a family man and father of three minor children—Aristeidis, Despo, and Avgi was working in the kitchens of the British army at Nicosia airport. Soon he would write his name in golden letters in the pantheon of the Immortals.

The Oath That Changed Everything

Together with his brotherly friend and later fellow companion on the gallows, Michalis Koutsotas, he insisted so strongly on joining EOKA that they finally convinced their village priest, Papalevteris, to swear them in.

The Sacred Insult and the Revenge

Immediately after the hanging of Karaolis and Dimitriou, a British soldier searched Andreas’s bag at the airport. Inside, he found a Greek flag. With incredible audacity, the soldier ordered Panayides to wipe his shoes with the sacred symbol. The insult proved unbearable. Andreas lunged at him and struck him fiercely.

He returned home and asked his wife, Giannoula, to bring him the revolvers he had given her to hide. The very next day, Andreas Panagides, together with Michalis Koutsotas and one more fighter, entered the office of British Squadron Leader Patrick John Hale inside the airport. They executed him. The authorities arrested them immediately and sentenced them to death.

A Father’s Pride Shakes the Prisons

“What an honour for this brave lad!” the father shouted with thunderous voice. The prisons trembled from the songs of the condemned men.

The Song of the Gallows

At dawn on September 21, 1956, Andreas Panagides walked to the gallows at Nicosia Central Prisons, together with Michalis Koutsotas and Stelios Mavrommatis. The way they faced death passed into history. The condemned men and the remaining prisoners sang patriotic songs that shook the prison walls. His family bid him farewell with their hands raised high in a distant handshake. His father shouted proudly: “What an honour for this brave lad!”

A Legacy Beyond Wealth

Minutes before the noose tightened around his neck, Andreas managed to write a letter to his three children. He left them no riches. Instead, he bequeathed them the most precious gift: “an honoured name.”

Andreas Panagides. Immortal!