Re(5): Cyprus | Boards2Go

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Re(5): Cyprus
IP: 86.170.40.50
Posted on September 29, 2022 at 09:09:33 by Peter Swensson

Thanks for your messages folks.I�ve been trawling through the Gallipoli Gazettes from 1957 and 1958 and have cut and pasted a number of paragraphs which I hope will bring back some memories.

At 0015 hours on February 1st proved to be the first step in the Battalion's move to Cyprus, when the main body in two special trains arrived at 08.30 hrs at Southampton after an all-night cross-country journey from York. Having had a very early breakfast on the train, we were all embarked on H.T. Asturias by 1100 hrs. There was a very high wind blowing that day and there was some doubt as to whether the ship would be able to sail, but she eventually put to sea at 1730 hrs when we left England.
Everyone�s morale was boosted by the yeoman efforts of the Regimental Band who had come down from Bury by coach to play us off. The sound of the band caused as few lumps in our throats even amongst our more hardened globe-trotters.

H.T.Asturias was a good ship as troopers go (some say they don't go far enough), although the ability to roll was not her most endearing characteristic.

Disembarkation took place into lighters on 10th February at Limassol, and on landing on the jetty we were met by Major Lash and other members of the Battalion advance party who had flown on ahead. They looked brown and fit and met us with the news that our camp was not complete due to civil labour strikes. They told us that it was likely to take a further three weeks of uninterrupted labour to complete the main tasks. The move from Limassol to Polemi was carried out in local buses at breakneck speed round corners that had to be seen to be believed. All ranks were armed and briefed against possible ambush on the journey, and everyone was itching to get to grips with the terrorists; however, all went well, and the journey was completed without a round being fired. The Battalion arrived at Polemi to find the camp an absolute quagmire with thick yellow mud everywhere and with frequent torrential rain which lasted on and off for the next three months. The advance party had done yeoman work and everyone had a pitched tent, a bed and bedding.

We were fortunate in May to be able to take over part of a 21 Medium Regiment camp on the coast at Coral Bay with sufficient accommodation for about 150 officers and men. Rifle companies, together with platoons from H.Q. Companies, have been marching down to this camp for a ten-day interval and then marching back again. As its name implied, the camp is pitched on a bay overlooking the sea. and the standard of swimming and "Snorkelling" of all ranks has improved by leaps and bounds as a result of this camp.

On the 25th August A Company and HQ moved to take over a camp at Limni.

The Battalion should have moved to Nicosia in November 1957 when our families should have joined us. However, this move was cancelled, and we now hope to move to Famagusta in March 1958 which is a families station. The married members of the Battalion still regard this with a degree of suspicion until they actually see their families disembarking in Cyprus.

Our move to Nicosia was arranged for January 1958. The advance party of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders arrived on 4th January and the hand over was one of the smoothest the Battalion had experienced despite the fact the camp was inches in mud most of the time. Our own advance party left for Nicosia on 25th January and the main body moved up to Kermia camp during a three day move from 29th January to 1st February. The take over from the Gloucester Regiment was considerable impeded as they were forced to deploy to Nicosia in order to keep the peace on the day they should have moved. All their weapons had to be removed from the screwed down arms chests in case of need and large quantities of internal security stores had to be reissued.

As our main body arrived at Kermia camp the Gloucester Regiments baggage convoy of 35 lorries was moving out.
Order was soon restored, and all ranks worked really hard trying to make the camp home from home. Our greatest blessing is tarmac roads after a year of mud and improvisation and they really appreciated it. Peter Swensson

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