Sir Ronald Storrs

Today, I would like to share the Governor’s personal account of the riot and subsequent burning of Government House in Nicosia that took place on the 18th of October, 1931.

According to Governor Storrs, the disturbances were largely instigated by the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church and the union movement. ‘The leaders had hoped that these demonstrations would advance their cause for ‘enosis’ or union with Greece,’ he writes. ‘But the demonstrations soon deteriorated into orgies of criminal violence on the part of mobs and criminals over which the leaders had no control. The destructive crowds were largely composed of hooligans and students. The majority of respectable citizens either kept out of the way or, in order to avoid the stigma of disloyalty, cheered for union. It is indeed in this stigma of disloyalty that the strength of the union movement chiefly resides. Until the shadow of union is finally removed from the political horizon, the leading inhabitants are not likely to come forward in large numbers to support the Government and cooperate openly in the progress of their country under British rule.’

The Bishop of Kitium, writes Storrs, was a particular vocal and aggressive instigator. On the 18th October he apparently gave a passionate speech in Larnaca to a large crowd in which he said. ‘For the benefit of this country do not obey the English laws and do not be afraid because have a fleet. We must all fight for union with Greece and if necessary, let our blood flow.’

At 5:30pm on that same day various key Orthodox members from the legislative council in Nicosia decided to resign. Soon after members of the new National Union gathered at the Commercial Club and sent emissaries to ring the church bells to summon the people. Other members rushed around the town advising the shopkeepers to shut their doors and to assemble at the club.

Speeches began and the crowd soon swelled from 300 to about 3000 persons swarming in and around the club’s extensive premises. Soon, the crowd began to chant. ‘To Government House, to Government House.’ Dionysios Kykkotis, the Chief Priest of the most important church in Nicosia then step forward and declared, ‘revolution.’ A Greek flag was handed to him and he swore the people to defend it. One more speech was made, the speaker kissed the flag and the cry, ‘to Government House,’ was renewed with frenzy. The leaders seize the flag, and about 6:45pm began to lead the crowd in procession through the town.

It is about a mile and a half from the Club to Government House. A straggling advanced guard, which greatly increased en route impeded the main body. The main procession moved in dense formation and very slowly. There was not much noise apart from the occasional outbursts of cheering, mostly from spectators. Passing the Government timber-yard, at about one-third of the distance to Government House, the crowd helped themselves to sticks of various sizes and tore up the wooden tree-guards along the roadside. At this point, some of the crowd, (or stragglers) diverted from the main road and moved in parallel procession of almost equal density through the suburban village of Ayios Omoloyiades.

A spectator from a house on the main road recalls that there passed for 10 minutes a broken stream of men and students and for ten further minutes, a thickly massed column. Ten minutes later the final stragglers were clear. Sticks, bicycles, lanterns, electric torches, and huge banners are remembered amongst the stragglers as well as priests holding up their skirts as they hurried forward. The advanced portions of the crowd began to reach the first gate of Government House at about 7:45pm and the main body after 8pm.

Police headquarters had learnt immediately and we kept continuously informed by telephone of these occurrences. Eight mounted police and a baton party of 12 foot police had been dispatched before 7pm, with instructions to prevent the crowd from entering Government House grounds.

A patrol of five foot police was sent to watch and report by telephone the movements and actions of the crowd on its way to Government House. Five mounted police were in line across the first gate at Government House drive, and eight foot police with batons in the road in front of them. Here the advance parties of the crowd stopped and thickened gradually from the rear. The police who tried to push the crowd back were assailed with sticks and stones and eventually the horses stampeded and the crowd poured into the drive. For 20 minutes the crowd waited at the main gate for the main procession to gather there. The commissioner spoke to some of them. They were mostly students with a few irresponsible spectators. The police reformed and kept the people from pressing forward into the large circular terrace in front of the house.

The crowd thickened and suddenly it was pressed from behind. It surged forward right across the terrace up to the front door of the house. The commissioner, Acting Colonial Secretary and Inspector and police that have not been dispersed in the crowd took up their position at the porch facing the people. Theodotou, Hajipavlou, Pheidias Kyriakides of Limassol, the priest Kykkotis and a few others who appeared to have been leading the main procession struggled through the mass, which now enveloped the whole terrace and surrounding garden to the porch.

With them was a man carry a trumpet and a large Greek standard. A noisy demonstration ensued with cheering and clapping and continuous shouts of ‘enosis, enosis’ referring to union with Greece. In the uproar, Theodotou was heard to shout, “the Governor refuses to see us.” A few stones were thrown in some windows broken and a Greek flag was hoisted on the roof of the house. It became increasingly clear that words will not move the crowd to go and that its enthusiasm and determination would not easily be exhausted. About an hour after their arrival, i.e. about 9:30pm, the leaders realising that they had no control of the angry mob and fearing the consequences, set messages of apology to the Governor and left the scene quickly.

Along the road between Government House and the town people came and went. Large groups of people stood about jeering and threw stones at any police that passed.

About 9pm. police headquarters had learnt by telephone that stone throwing was going on and that windows have been broken and the local Commandant dispatched the armed party of forty men that have been held in reserve at the barracks. The inspector by devious route avoided the crowd and brought his men into Government House from the rear without opposition. He reported to the Commissioner at the porch. Not long afterwards violent stone throwing began and the Commissioner and police were driven from the porch into the house. Further police reinforcements and a copy of the Riot Act was sent for.

The bombardment of stones increased and soon all the windows on the front of the house had been smashed. A number of police were injured. Many of the electric lights were broken and the telephone room near the porch had been wrecked and rendered untenable.

The police reinforcements of an Inspector and twenty-two men arrived in four cars in front of the house. They were heavily stoned and entered the house as best they caught through the broken windows at about 10:15pm. Before this, the Commissioner has ordered the police to make a baton charge. Only the small original police party of 12 had batons and there was a long delay in collecting them.

Many of the stones and rocks thrown that night were larger than coconuts, and some, propelled with slings, arrived with sufficient forced to shatter the masonry of the porch and to break in the front door. The door was propped up with heavy furniture but was again smashed in by timber used as a battering ram. The senior police inspector had asked permission to fire, but the Commissioner refused because the crowd appeared to him to be composed largely of young students and because he considered that further effort should be made to disperse the rioters with unarmed police.

By now the crowd had greatly diminished in size but there were still groups of youth in and around the terrace and many have withdrawn into the shadow of the trees facing the house where they continued to throw rocks and stones with increasing volume and accuracy.

Soon after the arrival of the 22 police reinforcements the acting Colonial Secretary’s car just in front of the porch was seen to be on fire. It had been wrecked and overturned earlier in the evening. A little later the crowd set fire to three of the four police cars in front of the house. The crowd then threw burning sticks and blazing material through the windows of the house. Where possible police were posted undercover along the front of the house inside windows, but the torrent of stones and havoc wrought, made it difficult to maintain an effective guard.

With Government House now on fire, the Commissioner read the Riot Act the sense of which was also shouted in Greek by a policeman. The bugle sounded and further warning was shouted. About 100 of the crowd were visible and these at first withdrew but came back quickly shouting insults at the police. The bugle sound again and the order to fire was given. The party composed of 12 men were told to fire one round per man and to aim at the legs of the crowd. The volley was fired followed by a few scattered shots. The crowd dispersed and was pursued by the police who were ordered to clear the grounds by charging. Two wounded rioters were left on the ground, seven in all were wounded of whom one died later.

Almost simultaneously the flames from the curtains at the west corner of the frontage of the house spread to the roof and took hold of the whole building which five minutes later was completely burnt out. It was just after 11pm when the police reported that the grounds were clear. Medical assistance was sent for the wounded and with a guard of two policemen the Governor left in a motorcar for Secretary’s Lodge with the acting Colonial Secretary. They passed small groups of spectators along the roadside. In the town, demonstrations continued until 1am.

On arrival at Secretary’s Lodge, the Governor sent immediately for the troops from Troodos and decided that further military reinforcements would be required. The permanent garrison consisted of three officers and 123 men. The siege of government house showed the Governor that Britain could not be expected to cope with serious disorder on the island. In Nicosia, it seemed the mob had taken charge. If similar situations were to arise in the other towns and spread to villages, or if there was to be any concerted outbreak, then widespread anarchy was likely to follow. Fearing the worst, the Governor sent a telegram to the General Officer commanding British troops in Egypt asking for additional troops to be sent by air to Cyprus as soon as possible. He also sent a telegram to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean fleet for an aircraft carrier or cruiser.

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On the 21st October, Governor Storrs declared martial law in Cyprus. The following day, large printed notices were sent to all district headquarters warning the public to remain within doors from sunset to sunrise and prohibiting the gathering of more than five persons. The carrying of firearms was also prohibited. These warning notices were posted in all the main towns and villages all over Cyprus including Nicosia. The Governor also issued a rigid censorship of all newspapers and postal material. Any Cypriot arrested for violent disobedience could face up to fifteen years imprisonment.

During the final week of October 1931, disturbances were reported all over the island. The fiercest riots were in the principal towns. British troops tried their best to disperse the mobs amidst a hail of stones and other missiles.

Various ringleaders were later arrested and deported to Gibraltar including the Bishop of Kitium Nicodemos Mylonas, the Bishop of Kyrenia, Makarios Myriantheus (Makarios II) and the Chief Priest of Nicosia, Dionyssios Kykkotes.

More than 2,000 persons were convicted for specific offences connected with the disturbances and received various sentences.

The rebellion was finally suppressed by British forces on the 27th October, 1931.