Evangelos Fotiadis

 Evangelos Fotiadis (1892 - September 8, 1967)

Born in Herakleia in Paphlagonia, Asia Minor, he was a resistance fighter and Captain, during the period of the Greek Genocide (1914-1923) & Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922).

After refusing to enlist in the Turkish Army, he escaped and fled to the mountains, where he would eventually form a force made up of about 500 Greeks.

Evangelos Fotiadis fought ruthlessly and heroically against the Turkish soldiers, chetes, irregulars and bandits. Meanwhile, the Turks continued to go from village to village, all over Asia Minor and Anatolia. Raising them to the ground, orchestrating forced expulsions as well as killing, raping and kidnapping indiscriminately.

Fotiadis protected as many Greeks as he could. He led thousands in a convoy over the course of a week. During the journey, Fotiadis and his men were confronted by Turkish forces on horseback, who wrongly believed that Fotiadis’ group were unarmed, paying for this mistake quite severely.

Eventually, the group reached the town of Nikomideia, where with help from units of the Greek army, assisted the Greek refugees and ensured them safe passage to Greece.

It is estimated that Evangelos Fotiadis contribution during the period, was the rescuing of over 10,000 Greeks from certain death. He dies in Nea Nikomideia, Veria, Macedonia in 1967.

Hellenic Patriotism