Cyprus-Forum.com

[YFred]

Ok, as it's a "peaceful thread". On the matter of CY volunteers fighting for European Freedoms ....

A late grandfather and late great uncle together with several others from the old village were amongst the 20,000 cys that volunteered to join the CY Regiment of the GB army.

They spent some time in Egypt, presumably attached to the GB 8th Army, serving in transport. Along with thousands of other CYs they were ordered to Greece in 1940 (?), spent days in ships in or off-shore from Pireaus, sometimes spending the days in the hills and the nights back on ship.

Inevitably, they were taken prisoner and spent the next three to four years in the pow camps in Germany.

I see from the link above that it is confirmed they many tissys also volunteered. In WW1 tissys composed 11% of the volunteers and I see from the memorial to those who gave their lives, a number of tissy names are amongst the fallen from WW2.

Perhaps a few moments to honour those of both comms who served and gave their lives for all our Freedoms.

My father has several medals through serving in the British Army in WWII. He has The Africa Star (Egypt), amongst others, and he too spent over a year as a POW ... but in Italy ... where he managed to escape and made his way to Greece where my grandmother used to hide escapees .... everyone tried to do their bit!

War is a terrible thing ...

Yes, war is beyond anyone's imagination who hasn't seen it first hand I often think.

Nice story about our O's late grandfather, someone who served with distinction.

We still have our late grandfather's little service book from the time. No honours in it, just a ref to an Africa campaign medal although I don't think he ever got the real medal.

Your family fought for the British hey, you traitorous offspring. You are the new Yenicheri.

[kentish]

The Common Labour Struggles of Greek and Turkish Cypriots
(Events Through History)

By Pantelis Varnava

A fantastic site! How did we miss this?


http://www.peace-cyprus.org/Memories/Labor/

I had a look at it some time ago with reference to the Limni mine and did not think it was so fantastic.

Without spending time going over it again in detail; I think it was because I got the impression too much emphasis was placed on the input by TCs without making reference to the fact that GCs were, on the whole, away, otherwise engaged fighting for freedom for Britain and against the Nazis ... whilst the TCs, relatively unburdened, were left in Cyprus making hay whilst the sun shone ...

[Oracle]

Ok, as it's a "peaceful thread". On the matter of CY volunteers fighting for European Freedoms ....

A late grandfather and late great uncle together with several others from the old village were amongst the 20,000 cys that volunteered to join the CY Regiment of the GB army.

They spent some time in Egypt, presumably attached to the GB 8th Army, serving in transport. Along with thousands of other CYs they were ordered to Greece in 1940 (?), spent days in ships in or off-shore from Pireaus, sometimes spending the days in the hills and the nights back on ship.

Inevitably, they were taken prisoner and spent the next three to four years in the pow camps in Germany.

I see from the link above that it is confirmed they many tissys also volunteered. In WW1 tissys composed 11% of the volunteers and I see from the memorial to those who gave their lives, a number of tissy names are amongst the fallen from WW2.

Perhaps a few moments to honour those of both comms who served and gave their lives for all our Freedoms.

My father has several medals through serving in the British Army in WWII. He has The Africa Star (Egypt), amongst others, and he too spent over a year as a POW ... but in Italy ... where he managed to escape and made his way to Greece where my grandmother used to hide escapees .... everyone tried to do their bit!

War is a terrible thing ...

Yes, war is beyond anyone's imagination who hasn't seen it first hand I often think.

Nice story about our O's late grandfather, someone who served with distinction.

We still have our late grandfather's little service book from the time. No honours in it, just a ref to an Africa campaign medal although I don't think he ever got the real medal.

Nice stories Bill and O

Did all Cypriots who enlisted serve in the same theartre of war?

I ask this becuase my wife's father also served in Italy as did one of her uncles ( a big chap named Melis who used to have a coffee shop on the hill from Troodos main square up to the RAF camp) who was also taken prisoner

Also my father served with the 8th Army in Italy and North Africa (Grenadier Guards)

Quite a coincidence for a relatively small forum

I must research this area more

It wasn't my grandfather ... it was my father! He told me stories of when he was in Egypt (brought back giant watermelon seeds), then skiing through the Alps (necessity) and eating snakes in Italy (from hunger), becoming fluent in Italian by befriending the guards ... and then his escape to Greece and how he met my mum who was active in the war too (has a medal also) who hid him in her mum's cellar until they could band again!

I'm sure they all knew each other and they must have some interesting memoirs ...

[bill cobbett]

Ok, as it's a "peaceful thread". On the matter of CY volunteers fighting for European Freedoms ....

A late grandfather and late great uncle together with several others from the old village were amongst the 20,000 cys that volunteered to join the CY Regiment of the GB army.

They spent some time in Egypt, presumably attached to the GB 8th Army, serving in transport. Along with thousands of other CYs they were ordered to Greece in 1940 (?), spent days in ships in or off-shore from Pireaus, sometimes spending the days in the hills and the nights back on ship.

Inevitably, they were taken prisoner and spent the next three to four years in the pow camps in Germany.

I see from the link above that it is confirmed they many tissys also volunteered. In WW1 tissys composed 11% of the volunteers and I see from the memorial to those who gave their lives, a number of tissy names are amongst the fallen from WW2.

Perhaps a few moments to honour those of both comms who served and gave their lives for all our Freedoms.

My father has several medals through serving in the British Army in WWII. He has The Africa Star (Egypt), amongst others, and he too spent over a year as a POW ... but in Italy ... where he managed to escape and made his way to Greece where my grandmother used to hide escapees .... everyone tried to do their bit!

War is a terrible thing ...

Yes, war is beyond anyone's imagination who hasn't seen it first hand I often think.

Nice story about our O's late grandfather, someone who served with distinction.

We still have our late grandfather's little service book from the time. No honours in it, just a ref to an Africa campaign medal although I don't think he ever got the real medal.

Nice stories Bill and O

Did all Cypriots who enlisted serve in the same theartre of war?

I ask this becuase my wife's father also served in Italy as did one of her uncles ( a big chap named Melis who used to have a coffee shop on the hill from Troodos main square up to the RAF camp) who was also taken prisoner

Also my father served with the 8th Army in Italy and North Africa (Grenadier Guards)

Quite a coincidence for a relatively small forum

I must research this area more

It wasn't my grandfather ... it was my father! He told me stories of when he was in Egypt (brought back giant watermelon seeds), then skiing through the Alps (necessity) and eating snakes in Italy (from hunger), becoming fluent in Italian by befriending the guards ... and then his escape to Greece and how he met my mum who was active in the war too (has a medal also) who hid him in her mum's cellar until they could band again!

I'm sure they all knew each other and they must have some interesting memoirs ...

Apologies our O, I need reading glasses.

Reading a few sites this pm I see CYs served all over. Some as muleteers at Dunkirk and at Casino!

This "muleteers" service keeps coming up in both Wars.

[bill cobbett]

There is a small museum about the CY Reg somewhere in Nic.

I'll try and find it.

[RichardB]

Yes I'd heard about the Cyprus mules being pressed into service apparenly they were far better 'workhorses' than the donkeys which the British and allied forces were using at the time

Didnt know about the Dunkirk connection though, these 'lads' must have enlisted right at the outbreak of hostilities.

Cassino was in italy so that doesnt surprise me

I thin there were also 'reasons' why the Cypriots enlisted but thats not for this thread

[Oracle]

So back to what I was trying to puzzle out at the start of the thread ...

If some 7 - 10,000 GCs volunteered ... that was a huge gap in the workforce to be lost for some years.

Presumably, most were enticed further to join (a foreign army ... British) because of the promise of Enosis with Greece.

If some 700 to 1,000 TCs also joined ... they must have been pretty keen on Enosis too.

At what point did these TCs join?

Was it near the end of the war?

Turkey did not join in the war until the very last minute, so that they can ensure UN membership (crafty).

So, were the TCs given the go-ahead to join at this point? Or did they join earlier to help Enosis?

(I realise I am out of my depth with war stuff ... but there are a few things which do not tie up for me ... but, I shall clumsily work my way through them.)

[Viewpoint]

While the brutal Ottoman rule had ended just a couple of decades earlier, the Greek Cypriots did not seek any revenge against the TCs, but on the contrary they cooperated more and more with them (although the British did not exactly encourage this).

The hostilities between the two communities restarted only when the TCs started to cooperate again with the foreign Imperialists (UK/Turkey) in order to regain Ottoman style privileges for themselves on the expense of all other Cypriots.

The historical facts show that the Cypriot people are forgiving people and do not seek revenge for things that happened in the past, but are also people who appreciate democracy and human rights and are always willing to fight against those who are trying to deprive them from these rights.

Was that the same democracy and human rights you dished out during 1963 and 1974?

[Viewpoint]

Oracle, there is never any justification for the killing of innocents;NEVER. For once in your life and on this forum, show compassion for ALL the innocents. OMG, I am getting a headache.

Condemn the B----y murderers of this little child.

In regards to Oracle, to this day we are yet to see any sign of compassion against any TC, even a 16 day old baby. She is blinded by her hate and fascist views to an extent beyond repair. Out of everyone on this forum I'd have to say that O's logic scares the crap out of me.

Tend to agree with you here - we are dealing with a mindset that is so so dangerous.

At last someone can see the dangers Oracle and Piratis are 2 perfect examples of the mindset you will be exposed to in a united Cyprus. They will cause your death and have no problems putting the blame on anyone but themselves....we TCs have to be so careful GCs are dangerous and will also place us and our future in danger at every opportunity.

[DT.]

Oracle, there is never any justification for the killing of innocents;NEVER. For once in your life and on this forum, show compassion for ALL the innocents. OMG, I am getting a headache.

Condemn the B----y murderers of this little child.

In regards to Oracle, to this day we are yet to see any sign of compassion against any TC, even a 16 day old baby. She is blinded by her hate and fascist views to an extent beyond repair. Out of everyone on this forum I'd have to say that O's logic scares the crap out of me.

Tend to agree with you here - we are dealing with a mindset that is so so dangerous.

At last someone can see the dangers Oracle and Piratis are 2 perfect examples of the mindset you will be exposed to in a united Cyprus. They will cause your death and have no problems putting the blame on anyone but themselves....we TCs have to be so careful GCs are dangerous and will also place us and our future in danger at every opportunity.

Saddle? Donkey? Race horse?