Efremidu Gjora (Todorova)

She was born in 1915 in the village Matnica, Ser region to a poor village family. She lost her father at a very young age. She grew up with one sister and two brothers in extreme poverty.

In 1943 she became a member of CPG and organised the youth of the village Shugovo (Platanaki) into the EPON ranks. Fulfilling the task given her by the party she went over the border between Greece and Bulgaria (which was newly established at that time) to organise the youth in her own village of Matnica which at that time was under Bulgarian occupation. Her bravery and thirst for freedom made her increasing fearless.

She was arrested by the Bulgarian fascist forces and taken to the command centre at the Poroj train station. Even though they tortured her, they did not manage to extract even a word from her. After five intensive days of torture they freed her and sent her back to her village where, to the end, she worked against the occupier. She did not reduce her activity in the new environment that arose after the Varkiza agreement.

In 1946 she was arrested by the Greek monarcho-fascists for the reason that her husband was alleged to be a partisan. She was held for a month in the police cells where she withstood all the torture. They tried to frighten her by saying they would shoot her two children if she did not tell where her husband was hiding. They beat her head in the village square with a club. She fell into unconsciousness and the other women picked her up. She had just barely managed to heal a month later. Her life was made impossible and she was forced to emigrate to Bulkes.

In 1947 as the armed struggle was gaining momentum, she went back to Greece to join DAG.

In 1949 she fell, a heroine shot by a fascist bullet on the Gramos mountain. Her husband fell in the same battle, comrades in life and in battle, leaving two young orphans.

P Todorov

From: For Sacred National Freedom: Portraits Of Fallen Freedom Fighters

© 2009

Return to Index