Cyprus-Forum.com

[Paphitis]

GR wrote: "I now ask you British ex-servicemen of Cyprus, what business did you and your comrades have in Cyprus so many hundreds of miles away from home, if not to impose your will on others?"

If you asked the average ex-squaddie that question you may not get much of an answer. About 80% of them were teenagers drafted into the army straight from school or civilian life. They weren't paid to think and most probably couldn't have placed Cyprus on the map or name her capital. Most Brits (and almost all Americans) probably still can't. All they knew was they were being sent by the Queen to face up to Johnny Foreigner in some hot and dusty place, be it Indonesia, Malaya, Aden, Kenya - or Cyprus. Wherever in the world you end up you just stick by your mates, keep your head down and get on with the job, as anyone who ever wore uniform will know.

Very good ballad, BTW. Emotional stuff. Gregory should rightly be held up as an exemplary hero and brave fighter by Cypriot and Brit alike.

Good point Eric ... but if they were so "ignorant" of the duties they performed ... why honour them in Cyprus, which to them was just another "foreign" country?

Surely they would serve a better reminder back in the UK ... about how wrong is forcing innocents, to kill.

Soldiers are not politicians Oracle.

They only serve their country and that is the ultimate service and sacrifice.

According to British Military Traditions and also Australian etc etc it is important to honor their dead in the place they are buried and from where they never returned.

This is why there are many Aussie and British memorials throughout Europe and Turkey.

[Paphitis]

“Come out, come out, young Gregory, there’s guns all round your cave.
The sun’s rising over the mountains and you've only one life to save.

Your price is paid, young Gregory, while you sleep deep underground
For the man that brings the soldiers shall have five thousand pound.

Can't you hear their officer calling? He speaks your language plain,
So lift your hands and meet him and you'll see the sun again

Five men lay down together five men last night were brave,
But four went to daylight and one stayed in the cave

You're alone, young Gregory, your friends have gone from you,
They chose a life in prison and you may choose it too.

Come in, come in, he shouted, for I am but one man,
One man and his gun are waiting, come fetch me if you can.

They are sixty in the daylight and one in the dark within
But the one will not surrender and the sixty daren't go in.

So the guns begin to crackle and fast the bullets fly
And the sun young Gregory cannot see is noon-high in the sky

You bleed, you bleed, young Gregory now come out without shame,
A wounded man may save his life and there'll be none to blame.

But still young Gregory's shooting and the soldiers have no rest
And the hours pass ill darkness and the sun goes to the west.

Machine-guns go to fetch him, grenades are next to try,
Tear-gas is sent to blind him, the man who will not die.
Then the petrol barrels lumber out of the soldiers’ sight,
And the bullets set them burning and the cave is blazing bright,

But still the gun is speaking and the sixty hear the one
And the light is grey with evening and the battle is not done.

Now the engineers are busy, they lay their charge and train,
And the sixty men stand silent who need not shoot again,

And dynamite and petrol are piled among the rocks,
For when the hounds are wearied all's fair to kill a fox.

And the village on the hilltop is shaken with the din,
And when the cave is silent the sixty men go in.

Then the Governor came to tell them how bravely they had done,
for the regiment gained new honor when sixty men killed one.

But when brother speaks to brother and father to his son,
In the memory of his people young Gregory Lives on.”

Thank you very much GR!

That IS your best post ever!

[Oracle]

PS: Gregoris Afxentiou, the 29 year-old second-in-command of the EOKA movement, became a legendary figure to both his people and even some British! The ballad below was written by an anonymous English poet and appeared in the London "Tribune", on March 8th, 1957:

“Come out, come out, young Gregory, there’s guns all round your cave.
The sun’s rising over the mountains and you've only one life to save.

Your price is paid, young Gregory, while you sleep deep underground
For the man that brings the soldiers shall have five thousand pound.

Can't you hear their officer calling? He speaks your language plain,
So lift your hands and meet him and you'll see the sun again

Five men lay down together five men last night were brave,
But four went to daylight and one stayed in the cave

You're alone, young Gregory, your friends have gone from you,
They chose a life in prison and you may choose it too.

Come in, come in, he shouted, for I am but one man,
One man and his gun are waiting, come fetch me if you can.

They are sixty in the daylight and one in the dark within
But the one will not surrender and the sixty daren't go in.

So the guns begin to crackle and fast the bullets fly
And the sun young Gregory cannot see is noon-high in the sky

You bleed, you bleed, young Gregory now come out without shame,
A wounded man may save his life and there'll be none to blame.

But still young Gregory's shooting and the soldiers have no rest
And the hours pass ill darkness and the sun goes to the west.

Machine-guns go to fetch him, grenades are next to try,
Tear-gas is sent to blind him, the man who will not die.
Then the petrol barrels lumber out of the soldiers’ sight,
And the bullets set them burning and the cave is blazing bright,

But still the gun is speaking and the sixty hear the one
And the light is grey with evening and the battle is not done.

Now the engineers are busy, they lay their charge and train,
And the sixty men stand silent who need not shoot again,

And dynamite and petrol are piled among the rocks,
For when the hounds are wearied all's fair to kill a fox.

And the village on the hilltop is shaken with the din,
And when the cave is silent the sixty men go in.

Then the Governor came to tell them how bravely they had done,
for the regiment gained new honor when sixty men killed one.

But when brother speaks to brother and father to his son,
In the memory of his people young Gregory Lives on.”

I wonder why he chose to remain anonymous?

Maybe he was one of the 60 and this was a way of exorcising what must be the most sickening of memories.

Perhaps afraid of being silenced ....

[Paphitis]

PS: Gregoris Afxentiou, the 29 year-old second-in-command of the EOKA movement, became a legendary figure to both his people and even some British! The ballad below was written by an anonymous English poet and appeared in the London "Tribune", on March 8th, 1957:

“Come out, come out, young Gregory, there’s guns all round your cave.
The sun’s rising over the mountains and you've only one life to save.

Your price is paid, young Gregory, while you sleep deep underground
For the man that brings the soldiers shall have five thousand pound.

Can't you hear their officer calling? He speaks your language plain,
So lift your hands and meet him and you'll see the sun again

Five men lay down together five men last night were brave,
But four went to daylight and one stayed in the cave

You're alone, young Gregory, your friends have gone from you,
They chose a life in prison and you may choose it too.

Come in, come in, he shouted, for I am but one man,
One man and his gun are waiting, come fetch me if you can.

They are sixty in the daylight and one in the dark within
But the one will not surrender and the sixty daren't go in.

So the guns begin to crackle and fast the bullets fly
And the sun young Gregory cannot see is noon-high in the sky

You bleed, you bleed, young Gregory now come out without shame,
A wounded man may save his life and there'll be none to blame.

But still young Gregory's shooting and the soldiers have no rest
And the hours pass ill darkness and the sun goes to the west.

Machine-guns go to fetch him, grenades are next to try,
Tear-gas is sent to blind him, the man who will not die.
Then the petrol barrels lumber out of the soldiers’ sight,
And the bullets set them burning and the cave is blazing bright,

But still the gun is speaking and the sixty hear the one
And the light is grey with evening and the battle is not done.

Now the engineers are busy, they lay their charge and train,
And the sixty men stand silent who need not shoot again,

And dynamite and petrol are piled among the rocks,
For when the hounds are wearied all's fair to kill a fox.

And the village on the hilltop is shaken with the din,
And when the cave is silent the sixty men go in.

Then the Governor came to tell them how bravely they had done,
for the regiment gained new honor when sixty men killed one.

But when brother speaks to brother and father to his son,
In the memory of his people young Gregory Lives on.”

I wonder why he chose to remain anonymous?

Maybe he was one of the 60 and this was a way of exorcising what must be the most sickening of memories.

Perhaps afraid of being silenced ....

Just about all the 60 had written or expressed some form of admiration to Afxentiou and they were not afraid of anything. But they still burnt him.

[rotate]

PS: Gregoris Afxentiou, the 29 year-old second-in-command of the EOKA movement, became a legendary figure to both his people and even some British! The ballad below was written by an anonymous English poet and appeared in the London "Tribune", on March 8th, 1957:

“Come out, come out, young Gregory, there’s guns all round your cave.
The sun’s rising over the mountains and you've only one life to save.

Your price is paid, young Gregory, while you sleep deep underground
For the man that brings the soldiers shall have five thousand pound.

Can't you hear their officer calling? He speaks your language plain,
So lift your hands and meet him and you'll see the sun again

Five men lay down together five men last night were brave,
But four went to daylight and one stayed in the cave

You're alone, young Gregory, your friends have gone from you,
They chose a life in prison and you may choose it too.

Come in, come in, he shouted, for I am but one man,
One man and his gun are waiting, come fetch me if you can.

They are sixty in the daylight and one in the dark within
But the one will not surrender and the sixty daren't go in.

So the guns begin to crackle and fast the bullets fly
And the sun young Gregory cannot see is noon-high in the sky

You bleed, you bleed, young Gregory now come out without shame,
A wounded man may save his life and there'll be none to blame.

But still young Gregory's shooting and the soldiers have no rest
And the hours pass ill darkness and the sun goes to the west.

Machine-guns go to fetch him, grenades are next to try,
Tear-gas is sent to blind him, the man who will not die.
Then the petrol barrels lumber out of the soldiers’ sight,
And the bullets set them burning and the cave is blazing bright,

But still the gun is speaking and the sixty hear the one
And the light is grey with evening and the battle is not done.

Now the engineers are busy, they lay their charge and train,
And the sixty men stand silent who need not shoot again,

And dynamite and petrol are piled among the rocks,
For when the hounds are wearied all's fair to kill a fox.

And the village on the hilltop is shaken with the din,
And when the cave is silent the sixty men go in.

Then the Governor came to tell them how bravely they had done,
for the regiment gained new honor when sixty men killed one.

But when brother speaks to brother and father to his son,
In the memory of his people young Gregory Lives on.”

I wonder why he chose to remain anonymous?

Maybe he was one of the 60 and this was a way of exorcising what must be the most sickening of memories.

Perhaps afraid of being silenced ....

The message is profound the writer articulate leaving neither friend or foe unmoved. The use of US version English spelling for the word 'honor' is however puzzling if it was written by a English/British poet.

When next anyone visits Macheras study the statue erected in honour of a very brave man carefully, there is an irony or perhaps for those looking for a conspiracy an enigma contained therein.

[Oracle]

PS: Gregoris Afxentiou, the 29 year-old second-in-command of the EOKA movement, became a legendary figure to both his people and even some British! The ballad below was written by an anonymous English poet and appeared in the London "Tribune", on March 8th, 1957:

“Come out, come out, young Gregory, there’s guns all round your cave.
The sun’s rising over the mountains and you've only one life to save.

Your price is paid, young Gregory, while you sleep deep underground
For the man that brings the soldiers shall have five thousand pound.

Can't you hear their officer calling? He speaks your language plain,
So lift your hands and meet him and you'll see the sun again

Five men lay down together five men last night were brave,
But four went to daylight and one stayed in the cave

You're alone, young Gregory, your friends have gone from you,
They chose a life in prison and you may choose it too.

Come in, come in, he shouted, for I am but one man,
One man and his gun are waiting, come fetch me if you can.

They are sixty in the daylight and one in the dark within
But the one will not surrender and the sixty daren't go in.

So the guns begin to crackle and fast the bullets fly
And the sun young Gregory cannot see is noon-high in the sky

You bleed, you bleed, young Gregory now come out without shame,
A wounded man may save his life and there'll be none to blame.

But still young Gregory's shooting and the soldiers have no rest
And the hours pass ill darkness and the sun goes to the west.

Machine-guns go to fetch him, grenades are next to try,
Tear-gas is sent to blind him, the man who will not die.
Then the petrol barrels lumber out of the soldiers’ sight,
And the bullets set them burning and the cave is blazing bright,

But still the gun is speaking and the sixty hear the one
And the light is grey with evening and the battle is not done.

Now the engineers are busy, they lay their charge and train,
And the sixty men stand silent who need not shoot again,

And dynamite and petrol are piled among the rocks,
For when the hounds are wearied all's fair to kill a fox.

And the village on the hilltop is shaken with the din,
And when the cave is silent the sixty men go in.

Then the Governor came to tell them how bravely they had done,
for the regiment gained new honor when sixty men killed one.

But when brother speaks to brother and father to his son,
In the memory of his people young Gregory Lives on.”

I wonder why he chose to remain anonymous?

Maybe he was one of the 60 and this was a way of exorcising what must be the most sickening of memories.

Perhaps afraid of being silenced ....

The message is profound the writer articulate leaving neither friend or foe unmoved. The use of US version English spelling for the word 'honor' is however puzzling if it was written by a English/British poet.

When next anyone visits Macheras study the statue erected in honour of a very brave man carefully, there is an irony or perhaps for those looking for a conspiracy an enigma contained therein.

Hello rotate

Well noticed re. "honor" but it may just be down to more recent word processor spellcheckers.

But, I'd be interested to hear your view on the statue. Is it the inscription on the plaque?

[Get Real!]

The message is profound the writer articulate leaving neither friend or foe unmoved. The use of US version English spelling for the word 'honor' is however puzzling if it was written by a English/British poet.

It could be the result of character recognition software used to convert the scanned image to text.