Michail Sionidis (1870 – 1935)

Michail Sionidis (1870 – 1935)

From the Greek village of Girtsista, north of Gevgeli, he was a Macedonian Fighter and Chieftain that fought during the Macedonian Struggle, the Balkan Wars and WW1.

Sionidis was fighting the Bulgarian komitatzides years before the actual start of the Macedonian Struggle in 1904. As early as 1901, he was leading and organizing resistance, particularly throughout his home village of Girtsista as well as in Gevgeli and Doirani.

In 1904 the Bulgarian komitatzides invaded Sionidis’ home village and massacred several of the Greek inhabitants there including family members. This caused Sionidis to launch a revenge mission against a nearby komitatzi village.

In 1906, he was arrested by the Turks, only being released in 1908 when hostilities had ended.

At the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in 1912, he once again took up arms, taking part in one of the bloodiest battles in modern Greek history, the Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas in 1913.

Following the Balkan Wars and the liberation of Macedonia, his home village fell outside the new borders and it was given to the Serbs, meaning Sionidis and any remaining family he had, had to move to the village of Evzonoi.

Sionidis was also an active fighter during WW1.

Following WW1 and now as President of the Evzonoi community, he actively worked to retrieve the remains of 9 Evzonoi villagers, who the Bulgarians had killed during the Balkan Wars 6 years earlier, finding their remains and burying them with full military honours.