Gökçen Efe
Gökçen Efe (1891 – 16 November 1919)[1] was a Turkish folk hero, who showed bravery during the Turkish War of Independence.
Life
He was born in [[Ödemiş], İzmir Province. His real name was Hüseyin, but he used the name Gökçen Efe after choosing to live an efe life as an aide to the well-known Çakırcalı Mehmet Efe (1872–1911), who was his relative. After Greek army began invading Turkish territory on 15 May 1919, he began to fight against the regular Greek troops as a guerrilla fighter under the general principles of Turkish National Movement (Turkish: Kuvai Milliye). During the summer of 1919, he fought successfully against the Greek troops usually with hit-and-run tactics. In November, he tried to confront a Greek advance in the village Fata near Ödemiş. But, at the end of a three-day fighting, he died of a bullet wound on 16 November 1919.[2]
Legacy
In 1957, Turkish government renamed the town of Fata, after merging with another settlement, to Gökçen in his honor.[3]
References
- ^ "Gökçen Efe (1891 - 1919)" (in Turkish)
- ^ Who is who (in Turkish)
- ^ "Municipality of Gökçen {{in lang|tr}}". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-27.