In our village, several brass made busts have been sculptured in honour of the police officers Giannakis Aeroporos and Vanios Spanias who were lost in action. Giannakis Aeroporos was killed in Omorphita in 1963 and Vanios Spanias in Gerolakkos in 1974.

Giannakis Aeroporos was born in 1941 in the occupied Lapithos. He got married to the daughter of Kyriacos Papare, Lella Aeroporou, who came from the village of Phasoula. Together they had two children, Antrie and Giannos. Giannakis showed courage, boldness and militancy ever since he was a child. More specifically, he actively participated in the liberating fight of 1955-1959 against the British colonisers. In December 1963, he took part in the counter measures against the Turkish mutiny. He was heroically killed in Omorphita while defending his country.    

“Their sacrifice left a sacred heritage to the Cypriot police force. They honoured their uniform and badge as well as the double mission of the Police Force, which is obligated by law not only to fight crime but also to defend Freedom and the country, wherever and whenever duty calls. We remember them, we get strength but we also draw courage from them. Their sacrifice shows the way which inspires us and fills us with hope and faith”. The aforementioned are only a few words taken from the memorial speech of the Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr. Ioannis Georgiou in order to praise the bravery and courage of these two heroic figures.      

Every year, the Association of Expatriates and Friends of Phasoula performs national memorial services to honour the heroes, which, as the Chief Superintendent characteristically mentioned during his memorial speech, “do not just consist a conventional reminder and reference to the facts but also a grate debt towards those who fought and sacrificed their lives for a free country, those who protected Thermopiles”.     

 Source:

Annual magazine of the Association of Expatriates and Friends of Phasoula, “Phasoula”, vol.16, August 2007