Cyprus-Forum.com

[Oracle]

Amongst the British Army's many "rights" whilst occupying Cyprus in the late 50's, were house-to-house searches. From this I learnt that the English constituents were thieving, hungry, dirty semi-literates (village consensus) whilst the Scottish recruits were polite, and left things pretty much as they found them.

Recently I learnt that the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers also served in Cyprus.

What role did they play?

How much of the British Army's dirty work did these "Mercenaries" carry out for them?

(Surely by the same logic we should be allowed Mercenaries to help square up to the invaders...)

[murf62]

You do spout some crap, it never fails to amaze me.

[Oracle]

You do spout some crap, it never fails to amaze me.

Don't worry! ... there's plenty more where that came from!



Eventually it will sink in that the British Army (English recruits) were not the ambassadors for Great Britain that the UK would like us to believe

But simply a bunch of uneducated thugs that had to be kept off the streets of England!

[JimB]

Things obviously getting a bit quiet for O - time to bait the Brits!

I could answer by saying something along the lines of 'I'm only sorry the Turks didn't finish the job properly' but that would just be insulting, derogatory and pathetic wouldn't it?

[denizaksulu]

The English army as we called them in the 50's must have been very badly paid. My grand mother recounted an incident, perhaps it was more than once, after I discovered some old coins. It was in Anglissidhes and I was helping my grand mother with cleaning the house. We were moving a large metal framed double bed when a caster wheel came off and out poured hundreds of coins. Among them were old silver shillings and the wavy edged piastres of all denominations.

To me it was a treasure, but to my grandmother it brought back bitter memories of 'looting' or as the British authorities would call it 'searching. for illegal weapons. She would narrate that when they ran a Kafenion they had a few pin-ball machines. The soldiers would bust them open and take all the money it contained. I remember seeing the broken game machines in a corner in our store room. So they had to hide their money, so it did not fall into the hands of the soldiers. The money I had discovered was no longer in circulation. My dear old gradmother had forgotten about the secret hoard. I remember playing 'Andres' with them.

Does anyone remember 'andres'? It was like noughts and crosses on a grid.


I suppose the whole village would try and hide anything of value, which never amounted to much. She would curse them, but not with a foul mouth. Iwonder if they ever found any 'illegal weapons'?

[Oracle]

Things obviously getting a bit quiet for O - time to bait the Brits!

I could answer by saying something along the lines of 'I'm only sorry the Turks didn't finish the job properly' but that would just be insulting, derogatory and pathetic wouldn't it?

No smoke without fire!

Obviously that was the intention, so you do not insult me by reminding me how you unleashed the Turks upon us (as well as the Ghurkas).

The insult is in suggesting you had some higher reason for Colonial oppression.

So anyone know why and how the Gurkhas were deployed against us?

[denizaksulu]

Things obviously getting a bit quiet for O - time to bait the Brits!

I could answer by saying something along the lines of 'I'm only sorry the Turks didn't finish the job properly' but that would just be insulting, derogatory and pathetic wouldn't it?

No smoke without fire!

Obviously that was the intention, so you do not insult me by reminding me how you unleashed the Turks upon us (as well as the Ghurkas).

The insult is in suggesting you had some higher reason for Colonial oppression.

So anyone know why and how the Gurkhas were deployed against us?

When were the Gurkhas used in Cyprus pre-1960? All the 'English 'soldiers looked well, just 'English'.ie with pink skins.

[Oracle]

When were the Gurkhas used in Cyprus pre-1960? All the 'English 'soldiers looked well, just 'English'.ie with pink skins.

I had never considered them much before (clapped proudly for them once, at an Edinburgh Military Tattoo), but a while back the Gurkhas were all over the news demanding residency in the UK (obviously lost their marbles ) and there was some citation about their efforts in Cyprus against EOKA / generally in the 50s.

[denizaksulu]

Possible of course. I never saw any, but that doesnt mean they werent there. I remember the Black Watch and the Armoured units based in Kophinou. Opposite the house we lived in for a short period. We would nick their wings mirrors off their Bedford trucks. Nearly got caught once.

[Get Real!]

Things obviously getting a bit quiet for O - time to bait the Brits!

I could answer by saying something along the lines of 'I'm only sorry the Turks didn't finish the job properly' but that would just be insulting, derogatory and pathetic wouldn't it?

Not only that, but you could also end up with a few dozen new members of the scary kind...