Asgata was present in all national struggles. The fighting spirit and patriotism of the inhabitants of Asgata are part of Cypriot and Greek history.

Macedonian Fight
Asgata took part in the Macedonian Fight. According to Antonis Kavazis, two inhabitants of Asgata participated, Vassilis and Antonis Constantinides.

Antonis Constantinides
Fought in the Macedonian Struggle in the groups of Pavlos Melas

Vassilis Constantinides, “more known as Vassilaras” according to Antonis Kavazis, was a great lad and a great fighter. He fought in Macedonia along with “other fine lads from every corner of Greece”. Vassilaras left for Egypt when he was a young boy. He joined the rebel groups as soon as the struggle in Macedonia began. When everything was over, Vassilaras remained in
Thessaloniki until he died.

Antonis Constantinides and Chieftain Simanikas from Naousa
at the mountains of Macedonia

His nephew Antonis showed the same fighting spirit, who also left Asgata for Egypt. He went there for a better job. According to Kavazis, “he was found fighting for Macedonia in the groups of Pavlos Melas. Chieftain of his group was a man named Simanikas from Naoussa”. 

Kavazis adds that Antonis “was a great fighting spirit that verified the inextricable bonds of our nation, from Cyprus to Macedonia”.

War of 1897

The people pf Asgata fought for the nation in 1897 as well. Kavazis mentions that “two young men” voluntarily joined the war, Christoforos HadjipapaNicola and Constantinos Pachtas. These two young fighters “fought in Domokos and Velestinon”.

Balkan Wars

The people of Asgata fought near Greeks during Balkan Wars. In 1912, three men from Asgata, Loucas Kyriacou, Christos Mouzouris and Cleopas Stylianou “voluntarily joined the Greek army”. According to Kavazis, they participated in “all the battles of Lachanas, Kilkis, Doyrani and they entered Thessaloniki as winners”. 

World War I

Many people from Asgata participated in I World War. Amongst them, a member of “Constantinides family, Charalambos”. To be clearer, Charalambos voluntarily joined the Greek army in 1915. He fought as a gunner during I World War. According to Kavazis, he later took part in the expeditionary body in Smyrna and fought during the Destruction of Asia Minor. Charalambos was awarded with a “bravery medal and a war cross C’ class” for his fighting spirit while fighting in Kiouprou Chisar.
According to Kavazis, many people of Asgata “joined the English army and fought in Greece” during I World War. The following chart is the catalogue of the participators.

* The grave of Cleopas Michael is located near Lake Doyrani.

 World War II

According to Kavazis, many people of Asgata joined the English army in 1940, hoping that “the British would keep their promise for liberation and unification with Greece”.

A list of the names of the people that took part in II World War follows.

*killed during war

EOKA Liberation Struggle

The contribution of the people of Asgata during EOKA liberation struggle against English domination was of great importance. Kavazis stresses their contribution by noting that “the fighters from Asgata were the unsung heroes of the struggle, because the group from Asgata managed to supply other groups with explosives, with dynamite taken from the E.M.E. dynamite store-rooms without the English realizing it”. These heroes were:

The members initiated later and were responsible for the “collection of information and flyer distribution” were also very important. They were:

Members of the Political Committee of the Cypriot Struggle (‘PEKA’) from Asgata were:

In their attempt to stop Cypriot revolution, the English arrested many people. Georgios Kavazis, Stavros Stavrinides and Michael Savvas were arrested in 1957. These three young fighters were tortured in Omorfita detention rooms.

Georgios Kavazis was arrested for a second time in 1958, when Takis Stavrinides, Spyros Christou, Philis Kallis and Yiagkos Themistocleous. The above-mentioned “were incarcerated as political hostages at the detention rooms of Polemi and Mammari”. Georgios Kavazis and Spyros Christou remained hostages until the end of the struggle.

Intercommunal riots

Georgios Kavazis was the leader for the organization of a squad for the intercommunal riots of 1963.

The squad took over the “safety and help for the village”. During the training of the squad “on weapons and hand grenades” an accident occurred. Makis Christou, Aristides Constantinides and Panayiots Elia were seriously injured.

According to Kavazis, “Georgios Chr. Katsaris heroically died” during the battles of Tilliria. He was killed “in Pachyammos on the 8th of August 1964 and was buried in the mountains of Tilliria”. The village, wishing to honor the hero, built an honorary monument in his name and placed a copper statue of the hero in the churchyard. Some years later, in 1988, the family of the hero “transferred his remains from Tilliria and placed them in where the statue is”. It must be noted that in the memory of the hero, “his name was given to the artillery camp near our village”.

Turkish Invasion
When the Turkish invaded our island, in the tragic summer of 1974, the people of Asgata fought for their country. Unfortunately, half of our island is still under Turkish occupation. Asgata hopes to see Cyprus free and waits for missing Costakis Agathocleous.

Source:
Antonis Kavazis, “Asgata”. Ed. Asgata Expatriates’ Association, Limassol 1992