Description

The Battle of Liopetri Barn took place on 1st-2nd September 1958 as part of the Cyprus Revolution against British Empire. The name of the four heroes were: Fotis Pittas, Andreas Karios, Elias Papakyriakou and Christos Samaras, who were from Liopetri. The Cypriot heroes were fighting for the freedom of Cyprus and the unification with Greece. When they were asked to surrender the four fighters used the historic phrase of King Leonidas in Thermopyles "molon lave" which means "I will not surrender". British army forces attacked the EOKA team hideout barn and succeeded in killing them over a five hours' battle.

The four freedom fighters opened fire on elements of the 1st Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles. The British then sealed off the village, imposed a curfew and begin looking for the men. They were located in a barn and a battle ensued in which all of the four EOKA gunmen were killed.

Cpl Shaughnessey was awarded a Military Medal for his actions. The barn at Liopetri is now a Greek Cypriot national monument, the Achyronas Barn Museum, and includes a bronze statue of the four EOKA heroes who died.

The battle resulted in Colonel Georgios Grivas calling an end to a truce that had been in effect since August.