Iacovos (Jack) Charalambous | Oral History Archive | HHFGCA

Iacovos (Jack) Charalambous

Interviewer(s):

Theo Xenophontos

Project:

Greek Canadian Stories

INTERVIEW LOCATION:

Newmarket, ON

LANGUAGE:

English

DATE:

November 30, 2025

Interview Summary:

Iacovos Charalambous was born in Agios Dometios, Cyprus in 1944. In 1964, he was conscripted into the army due to the intercommunal violence that was taking place between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. During this time, he took part in the Battle of Tillyria. In 1974, he voluntarily re-enlisted due to the Turkish invasion. As his family was fleeing Mia Milia, their image was captured by Doros Partasides and has since become a symbol of the human toll of the invasion. In this interview, Iacovos discussed that iconic photograph and his personal relationship with Doros Partasides. Iacovos and his family then arrived in Canada on November 17, 1974, the same day as the Greek parliamentary election which took place during the Metapolitefsi that followed the junta’s fall as a result of their disastrous coup in Cyprus.

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Date and Location

November 30, 2025

Newmarket, ON

Interviewee(s)

Iacovos (Jack) Charalambous

Interviewer(s)

Theo Xenophontos

Languages

English

Reference ID

GICREF134

Project

Greek Canadian Stories

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Categories

Associational Life

Canadian Society

Culture and Tradition

Education

Historical Events

Migration

Working Life

Tags

Cypriot Canadian Identity

Cypriot Intercommunal Violence

Cyprus 1974

Cyprus Coup

Dance

English Learning

EOKA

EOKA-B

Greek School

Junta

Language

Military Service

Multicultural Work Environment

Post-1974 Migration

Religion

The Cypriot Brotherhood

UK

USA

Decades Referenced

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

2020s

Locations Referenced

Cyprus; Agios Dometios (Nicosia District); Evrychou (Nicosia District); German Embassy (Nicosia); Kykkos Monastery; Kyperounda (Limassol District); Lefkara (Larnaca District); Lakatamia (Nicosia District); Larnaca; Mia Milia (Nicosia District); Nicosia; Tillyria; Canada; Newmarket; Oshawa; Scarborough; Toronto; Germany; Greece; Israel; Turkey; the United Kingdom; the United States of America

Occupation(s)

He served in the Cypriot military and worked as a cabinet maker

Parents Occupation(s)

Father: cab driver and chauffeur

Names Referenced

Bambos Charalambous (son); Bülent Ecevit; Doros Partasides; Elias Gatos; Georgios Grivas; Georgios Karousos (Greek officer); Kostas Charalambous (son); Makarios III; Maria Charalambous (daughter); Michalis Christou (Greek school teacher); Miltiadis Laskaris (Greek officer); Tassos Papadopoulos; Theodoros Xenophontos; Virginia Charalambous (daughter)

[00:00:25] His father’s work with the German Embassy

[00:03:48] His siblings and their migration patterns

[00:07:17] Memories of his father during the EOKA period

[00:08:22] His military service during the 1960s

[00:21:23] Political reasons for the troubles in the 1960s

[00:24:38] Interactions with Turkish Cypriots

[00:25:58] Interactions with Turkish people in Canada

[00:29:32] The politics of the junta-engineered coup

[00:33:48] Army photographs, certificate, and paraphernalia

[00:45:28] Book about the Battle of Tillyria

[00:52:07] Going through more army photographs

[00:54:16] Re-enlisting due to the Turkish invasion

[00:57:39] His children & ex-wife in a famous 1974 photograph

[01:03:35] Migrating to Canada with his family

[01:06:28] His working life in Canada and Cyprus

[01:13:31] His children’s involvement in Greek school

[01:16:44] Avoiding Cypriot groups in Canada due to politics

[01:19:28] Enosis and communists expelled from the commandos

[01:23:23] Lacking hope in a resolution to the Cyprus issue

[01:28:46] His friendship with Doros Partasides

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