Andreas Paraskevas Sacrifice his Young Life for Freedom
Andreas Paraskevas story from Koma tou Yialou in Karpasia captures how the EOKA Struggle touched the souls of children, turning gymnasium students into mature men on the front lines. A boy of just fifteen and a half, full of spontaneity and unmatched bravery, he never let arrest, imprisonment, or death stand as obstacles to his duty for freedom.
A Young Boy’s Unbreakable Oath
Andreas, a fourth-year student at the Gialousa Gymnasium, joined the student wing of EOKA in late 1955. When his father worried about his young age and told him he was too small for such a great and dangerous struggle, Andreas gave him a reply that echoes through eternity: “You’re too late, Father, to tell me that. Your son grew up the moment he took his great oath.”
A Father’s Love Defies Political Divisions
This story also conceals a deep, human drama. Andreas’s father, although belonging to the left-wing faction, stood proudly by his teenage son and secretly helped him in his actions against the colonialists. This patriotic stance provoked the fury of his own party. As the father movingly recalls: “After my son’s death, my leftist friends would not even offer me a coffee. They would leave the cafe when I arrived. But I took great pride that my son gave his life for his homeland.” Despite poverty and many children, the grieving father worked hard to educate them all, so they could stand worthy of their heroic brother’s memory.
“Your son grew up the moment he took his great oath, He said to his Father. My Father and Mother now is Greece!”
The Deadly Ambush from the Rooftops
On Monday, July 2, 1956, around 2:30 in the afternoon, Andreas took a classmate with him to act as a lookout. Together, they set up a daring ambush in the heart of their village, waiting for a British military convoy.
As the vehicles reached the centre of Koma tou Yialou, the 15-year-old student stepped forward and hurled his bomb with force. The explosion shook the area and wounded two British soldiers. A massive manhunt erupted immediately. British soldiers, who had already taken positions and prepared for battle on the rooftops and balconies of surrounding houses, opened fire. Andreas tried to escape on his bicycle, but the British soldiers spotted him from above and shot him fatally.
A Legacy Reborn in a Name
Andreas Paraskevas fell heroically to the ground of Karpasia, just 15 years old. Soon after, his mother gave birth to another boy, whom they named Andreas, keeping the flame of the teenage hero alive—a boy who chose to die as a free Greek rather than live enslaved.
Andreas Paraskevas. Immortal!
