SPYRIDON C. THEODOROPOULOS
(1891-1983)

Son of Constantine Theodoropoulos and Photini Michalizzi, Spiridon was born in Coron (Peloponnese).  He volunteered for the Hellenic Army (1910), where he initially served as a non-commissioned officer and from 1916 as a career officer.  He participated in the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) as a Corporal of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the IV Division (later XIV Division) of Army Corps B', promoted on the battlefield to Sergeant and Sergeant-Major and after the war to Chief Warrant Officer.  As a Lieutenant of the 12th Infantry Regiment of the III Division of Army Corps B' he fought gallantly at the operations of the Macedonian Front during World War I (1918) and was promoted for bravery to Captain.  He also took part at the Asia Minor Campaign (1919-1922).  Just before World War II he was recalled into service (1936) and with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel he was appointed Director of the country's Civil Air Defence and promoted to Colonel.  As a result of his work is the respective legislation as well as the construction of shelters and fortifications (including those on Lykabettus Hill in Athens), for which he was personally commended by Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas.

In the framework of the great Inter-Allied advance and pursuit of the Bulgarian forces northwards (which finally compelled them to surrender) he reached the city of Skopje and beyond until the town of Pristina, while on return he stoped at Sofia.  He fought gallantly during the crossing of the Cerna or Crna (Mavropotamos or Erigon) river and the subsequent assault and capture of the enemy position at the gorge of the same name (September 1918).  Likewise, during the Greek advance for the capture of Dorileon (Dorylaeum or Eski Sehir) and Akroinos (Aqrun or Afion Karahisar), then occupied by the revolutionary forces of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, he distinguished himself and was seriously wounded at the most murderous Battle of Avgin (better known as the Second Battle of Inönü).  Facing fierce resistance he captured the enemy trench, forced them to retreat and repulsed their twenty two successive counter-attacks (March 1921).

Photo (1922) of Spiridon C. Theodoropoulos (1891-1983)
and his wife Anne D. Ioannopoulou (1900-1985)
[Photini Theodoropoulou Collection]

For his military career he was decorated with the Silver Cross of the Royal Order of the Redeemer and the Gold Cross of the Royal Order of George I.  For his war action he was decorated with the gallantry awards of the Gold Cross of Valour, the War Cross 2rd Class (twice) and the Medal of Military Value 4th and 3rd Class, as well as with the commemorative campaign Medals for the Balkan Wars 1912-1913 (that of the Greco-Turkish War with the Elasson, Sarantaporo, Gianitsa, Ostrovo, Aetorrachi and Ioannina battle clasps and that of the Greco-Bulgarian War with the Kilkis-Lachana, Beles and Kresna-Djumaja battle clasps),  the 1918 Inter-Allied Victory and the 1940-1941 War.  He was also Mentioned in Dispatches seven times: 1913 (twice), 1918, 1919 (twice) and 1921 (twice).  To his honour, the Class 2023 of the Students of the Non-Commissioned Officers Army Academy (SMY) was given his name as its Hero.

In 1923 he married Anne D. Ioannopoulou (1900-1985), who worked enthusiastically in charitable activities and gave birth to Photini (1925-2018), mother of Diana Macris-Cangelaris (1959), and Dimitri (Mimis) Theodoropoulos (1928).  Following the Asia Minor Disaster (1922) he taught as a Professor at the Military School of Logistics and Management. As war invalid he was put to honorary retirement and combat availability, while following his recall into service he taught as a Professor at the Hellenic Military Academy as well.  Ατ the Interwar period he designed and privately constructed a number of houses and buildings at the Kolonaki, Plaka and Herakleion quarters of Athens.  During the foreign occupation (1941-1944) and until 1965 he undertook the management of the farm and winery "Tour la Reine Estate" as well as of the property department of the John Serpieri enterprises.  After the end of the Greek Civil War, he founded the "Peter's" Soap and Cosmetics Manufactory (1950) that operated for about twenty years.  Both he and his wife passed away in Athens.

Photo (1940) of Spiridon C. Theodoropoulos (1891-1983)
In the Hellenic Army uniform of a Colonel
[Photini Theodoropoulou Collection]

Ελληνικά

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