Patsalides Andreas was born in the village of Kannavia of the Nicosia District on August 14^th 1930. He was killed on June 20^th 1958 in the village of Kourdali after a bomb explosion. Wife: Irene Patsalidou. Children: Maria and Andreas. Parents: Alexandros Patsalides and Maria Alexandrou. Brothers: Charalampos, Lambros and Stella.  

Andreas Patsalides graduated from the primary school of Kannavia and first started working in Amiantos, where he was one of the founding members of the local New Union, whereas later on he went to work at the Platania Forest Station. 

He was one of the first EOKA fighters and he took part in a mission called “Towards Victory”, which took place on November 23, 1955. Also participating in the mission was the team of hero Christos Tsiartas, and together they ambushed the British somewhere along the road leading from Kakopetria to Spilia. He also cooperated with the local members of EOKA and with the guerilla teams of his area. He took part, along with hero Costas Anaxagora and other fellow fighters, in the removal of radios from the Forest Station of Platania and in the attack against this station. 

Along with his wife they would hide weapons and ammunition in their house, while they would also provide shelter to guerillas. His house was used as a distribution centre for ammunition, which he would distribute to the Sectors of Pitsilia, Troodos and Marathasa. For the safety of the guerillas who were hiding in his house, he tried to dig a hideout under the house, but he did not succeed as the ground was very hard. The guerilla team that had found shelter in his house on June 20^th had been instructed to find a way to build the hideout, as well as to blow up a bridge using landmines.    

While they were preparing for their mission and trying to learn how to use it, the mine exploded in their hands inside Patsalide’s house and killed them all, ruining the house at the same time. Miraculously, his wife Irene, who was four months pregnant at the time and their daughter Maria, who was only 16 months old, survived the explosion.

“I was holding the baby in my arms waiting for the debris to stop falling so that I could get out” says Irene. “The first to arrive, even before the British soldiers, was my brother Kyriakos. Next came the sergeant of Amiantos, Demos Voscarides, who was my husband’s associate and managed to get all the ammunition and weaponry out of the house with the help of my sister Marikou, so at least we didn’t lose the weaponry”, Irene continues.