The battle at the Barn at Liopetri

ELIAS PAPAKYRIAKOU B orn in the village of Lythrangomi, Fama- gusta District, on 25 January 1938. After gradu- ating from the village pri- mary school he attended Famagusta Gymnasium. While still a fifth form schoolboy he joined EOKA and acted as a member of the strike forces, participating in bombing attacks. He was on the wanted list before leaving high school. In March 1957 he took charge of the sub-sector of Assia and the surrounding villages where he was extremely active. One of his actions was to seize French automat- ic guns from men of the French detachment that had intervened at Suez. When in the summer of 1958 the Turks organised systematic attacks on Greek property, he set up civil militia groups among the Greek-Cypriots in the local villages and put an end to the raids. On 13 July 1958 on his personal instructions, the fight- ers of Assia blew up the water pump, the buildings and water reservoirs, which were used to provide water to the British troops billeted at Vatyli police station. On 31 July 1958 he was intercepted by a British patrol and was wounded in the leg. Despite his injuries he managed to escape. His action continued until 2 September 1958, when he died in a heroic attempt to exit from the Barn at Liopetri. The body of Elias Papakyriakou riddled with holes from bullets and bayonets