EOKA was organized in the 1950s to fight for country's independence from Britain and unification between Greece and Cyprus. The campaign of the EOKA formally ended on March 31, 1959. CYPRUS COVER (P1211B) 1955 KGVI 4 1/2PI AEROGRAM TO DENMARK UNUSUAL VIOLET CANC. Under the Julian calendar, this day is March 19, 1955 – a Friday. "The EOKA struggle during the Governorship of Armitage (1 April - 3 October 1955)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1_April_attacks_(Cyprus)&oldid=1011339295, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Destruction of British facilities across the country. The most glorious battle for EOKA was the Battle of Spilia, fought on 12 December 1955 when 12 Greeks took on 700 British soldiers in the Troodos mountains and won. $45.00. This holiday is always celebrated on April 1st. The first hero of EOKA ! The attacks were accompanied by a revolutionary proclamation signed by "The leader, Digenes". Instead Georgios Grivas, leader of the EOKA guerrilla organisation, divided fighters in two as the British came up the mountain in two units. This book provides a reconstruction of a major British decolonization. Cyprus Independence Day is celebrated on October 1st. 1955 British Cyprus 3 Mils Coin! On April 1, Cyprus commemorates the start of the insurgence against the British in 1955. The British Army attempted to encircle the headquarters of EOKA, but it did not work out that way. Also known as 'EOKA Day', this holiday commemorates the start of the insurgence against the British in 1955. CYPRUS 1955 QUEEN ELIZABETH SET COMPLETE TO £1 S.G. 173-187 LIGHT HINGED. The armed struggle started on the night of March 29 – April 1955. Following the Russo-Turkish war (1877 - 1878), Cyprus was leased to the British Empire and was formally annexed by Britain at the end of the First World War. or Best Offer. A total of 18 bomb attacks occurred in various locations across the island. EOKA launched its campaign on 1 April 1955 with a series of bombing attacks against government offices in the island's capital Nicosia. $4.00 shipping. Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on 1 April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving enosis (union of Cyprus … Following the Russo-Turkish war (1877 – 1878), Cyprus was leased to the British Empire and was formally annexed by Britain at the end of the First World War. struggle” on 1 April 1955 with a series of bomb attacks. Watch. It commemorates the establishment of EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organization. or Best Offer. 1955: 640,000 coins of 2,500,000 were melted by Royal Mint in 1967 100 Mils of 1957 was the last of 98 different coins issued by the British for Cyprus during the 82 years (1878 - 1960) of their rule over the Island. On April 1, Cyprus commemorates the start of the insurgence against the British in 1955. Modesto Panteli". The most important commemorations for Greek Cypriots are the start of the anticolonial struggle (1 April 1955), the independence of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 (1 October), and the two days of mourning for the events of July 1974: the Greek attempted coup of 15 July 1974, and the subsequent Turkish military offensive on 20 July 1974, known among Greek Cypriots as the "Anniversaries of the Treacherous … ; 7th » Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health. It was Friday, under the sign of Aries (see zodiac on April 1, 1955).The US president was Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican), the UK Prime Minister was Sir Winston Churchill (Conservative), Pope Pius XII was leading the Catholic Church. in Larnaca, the central police station, the district administration, the court building, the police superintendent's home, Commissioner Muftizade's home; in Famagusta district, the depot of the army camp near the Famagusta-Larnaca road, the fuel tank of the Dhekelia garrison power station. Died of his wounds: Age: 19: Born: 29 April 1937: Buried or Commemorated: Buried in Wayne's Keep Military Cemetery, Nicosia. 27th February » Soviet Union regional elections, 1955. Despite the fact that the Cypriots were against war and violence, the strong and persistent attitude of the British provoked them from resorting to an armed struggle however limited only to guerrilla warfare and to defensive opposition. With a small group of between 250 and 300 guerrilleros, EOKA’s leader Grivas had no intention to tackle the British head-on, but relied on sabotage and small-scale killings, combined with propaganda and strengthened by the passive resistance of the Greek Cypriot population. ... Archbishop Makarios is the first president of an independent Cyprus and Dr Fazil Kucuk, the Turkish Cypriot leader, is vice-president. Greek Cypriot National Day Date in the current year: April 1, 2021 Greek Cypriot National Day is annually observed by the Cypriots on April 1. 1st » The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of obtaining the desired unification ("enosis") with Greece. Cyprus continued the fight for almost four years hoping that the British would grant their petition. Email: cyprusveterans@gmail.com Website: https://www.cyprusveterans1955-1959.co.uk/. The 1st of April 1955 and the liberation Struggle of EOKA. This attack was accompanied by the distribution of leaflets across Cyprus. Several EOKA officers were arrested in connection to the attacks and sentenced to long prison terms. On the night of 31 March–1 April 1955, simultaneous attacks were launched across the island after midnight at various British or British-linked facilities, including: During this attack, Modestos Panteli of the EOKA died from electric shock trying to cut a cable, the first casualty of the Emergency. … Grivas decided to keep his involvement secret at the moment and used the name of a Byzantine general who had defended Cypru… To reunite 1955 to 1959 Cyprus Veterans of all Regiments and Services. On 1 April 1955, EOKA opened an armed campaign against British rule in a well-coordinated series of attacks on police, military, and other government installations in Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca, and Limassol. (The latter attack was led by, This page was last edited on 10 March 2021, at 10:36. Most notable incidents were those of Nicosia by the group of Markos Drakosas well as the demolition of the Cyprus Broadcasting Station's transmitter. History of Greek Cypriot National Day. The 1st of April 1955 and the liberation Struggle of EOKA. B UNC! Ever since 1960, the first day of October marks the anniversary of the islands freedom from the British colonists after the four-year EOKA struggle in 1955-1959. On August 16, 1960, a cease fire was declared by EOKA because of the Zurich agreement. [2] Multiple British locations were attacked after midnight by EOKA members. William Maving Gardner (25 May 1914 in Newcastle – 28 December 2000) was an English coin designer, engraver, calligrapher and writer who worked regularly for the Royal Mint over a 30-year period. April 1, 1955 is the 91 st day of the year 1955 in the Gregorian calendar. The 1 April Attacks were a series of attacks across Cyprus in 1955 by the EOKA which led to the start of the Cyprus Emergency. Leaflets, signed 'The Leader Dighenis', after a legendary Byzantine warrior, proclaimed that with God's help and the support of all the forces of hellenism the struggle to throw off the British yoke had begun. Eventually the British reached the summit in heavy fog and thought they surrounded the EOKA fighters and begun shooting and calling airstrikes at each other for over 8 hours. 1 April 1955 - Cypriots revolt against British imperialism and fight for union with Greece By 1960, there were over 100 franchises. Cyprus … [3], "The First casualty of the war! Following the Russo-Turkish war (1877 – 1878), Cyprus was leased to the British Empire and was formally annexed by Britain at the end of the First World War. On 1 April 1955, the Greek Cypriot terrorist organization, EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters) was founded with the aim of advancing enosis through armed struggle and annexing Cyprus to Greece. Charting the ‘inner history’ of a violent colonial Emergency, it provides a case-study of the dilemmas posed by the challenge of terrorism overseas after 1945. (1955). The 1st of April and the liberation struggle of EOKA. The organization purpose was to fight and gain Cyprus independence from the British and unite Cyprus with Greece (Enosis). Historical Events for April, 1955. 1955 Armed military action taken against bureaucratic strike in Amsterdam; 1955 EOKA-bomb attacks against British government buildings in Cyprus; 1955 WTVT TV channel 13 in Tampa-St Petersburg, FL (CBS) 1st broadcast; 1956 10th Tony Awards: Diary of Anne Frank & Damn Yankees win KM-33! Ray Kroc sold the first franchise to himself under the “McDonald’s System, Inc.” This first store, opened in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955, was meant to be a model for how all McDonald’s franchises would appear and operate, and Kroc hoped it would help attract franchisees. 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