Weekly Update No3...Slightly Late.....Again!

This narrative, submitted by Lt Col(Retd)Chris Manning-Press. Although a potted history of 'U' Light Battery RHA, includes an account of the time spent by the Battery in Cyprus over a ten month period that spanned late 1951 to the Autumn of 1952.

Col Chris was called up as a National Serviceman at the end of July 1949. Having failed his School Certificate in Maths he was destined for the Infantry and “The Buffs”. However a sharp eyed Gunner in the form of John Andrews spotted Chris’s talent for hockey, and he was “pressed” into the Royal Regiment. He joined ‘U’ Battery at Trieste as a Young 2nd Lieutenant in April 1950, and left the Battery in April 1953 at Colchester. He spent his career in the Gunners, retiring at the end of June 1983.

'U' Battery had been formed as a Horse Artillery Battery in the 1890s, and served in South Africa during the Boer War. The Battery had left South Africa in late 1900, and had no sooner arrived back in the UK, before they were chosen to carry Queen Victoria's Coffin from the station at Windsor to the Castle, in January 1901. Legend has it that the Queen's Coffin started to slip on the Gun Carriage, the horses of the team pulling the Carriage started to slip on the icy slope, and the Royal Navy marching column took up some ropes and hauled the carriage to the top of the hill. This is why, so the story goes, the Navy, to this day, have the honour of pulling the Sovereign's train, ( Other sources state that the horses of the Gun Carriage 'Bolted'. But however you skin it, the Royal Navy came to the rescue of the hapless Gunners!).  

Queen Victoria’s Cortege at Windsor Castle

As soldiers have learned to their cost, such events always attract unwelcome attention, and the Battery's “punishment” was to be banished by King Edward VII, to foreign parts, (India and Burma), for fifty years. There is something reassuringly British picturing a King pronouncing on the fate of an individual Battery, banishing them to a corner of the British Empire, forbidden to return for 50 years. Pity the hapless Battery Commander, who must surely have languished in the Tower for a spell.  The Battery served with distinction in the Middle-East, including Persia as part of 12th Anti-Tank Regiment RA. This Regiment suffered a tragic loss in Palestine, being one of the last units to leave at the cessation of the Mandate, when Jewish Terrorists broke into the camp in broad daylight, killing the Commanding Officer, RSM and assembled Quarter Guard

On departing Palestine, 12th Regiment joined 1st Inf Div, one of two Divisions permanently garrisoning the Suez Canal. Three Battery's were based at Sabratha in Tripolitania, and 'U' Battery was attached to 41st Field Regiment RA at El Ballah in the Canal Zone.

However trouble was brewing in the Balkans, caused by the rumblings of Marshall Tito, the Yugoslav Dictator. In 1950, 12th Regiment was redeployed to Trieste. Once there, they were restructured into a composite Regiment consisting of two Field Battery's, 'S' and 'U', whilst 'R' Battery remained an Anti-Tank Battery equipped with one Troop of towed 17 Pdrs, and two Troops of SP 17 Pdrs (on a Sherman Chassis). A further Battery, 'T' Battery had 3 Troops of towed 40mm LAA Guns.

The Regiment were in Trieste for a year, spending most of the time on foot patrol along the Venezia Guilia/Yugoslav Border. The two Field Battery's did conduct a live-firing Camp at Schmeltz, South of Wörthesee in Austria.

In January 1951, 12th Anti-Tank Regiment RA was broken-up, with 'R', 'S' and 'T Battery's moved to Celle, BAOR, to convert to the LAA role, a move which upset those dyed in the wool Field Gunners, for whom, Air Defence is a rude word. 'U' Battery was now destined for Connaught Barracks, Woolwich, returning to the UK almost 50 years to the day that they had been banished. Coincidence – perhaps, certainly the Battery Commander had asked the King's permission to return and it had been granted.

On arrival at Woolwich, 'U' Battery was re-equipped with the 4.2 inch Mortar, (3 Troops of 4 Mortars each). Each Troop had an FOO, GPO and Troop Leader, a TSM, SSgt,(Sigs), Sgt, (Q), a TQMS and four Gun No1s, together with approximately forty other ranks, including drivers, motorcyclists, VMs and 'Tiffies'.

Conversion to the new weapon system was complete by the end of July 1951, quickly followed by Brigade and Divisional exercises, including some of the largest exercises seen since the war under both 3rd Inf Div and 6th Armd Div.

The 4.2 inch Mortar, which enjoyed a short-lived life with the Gunners

Exercise names were prophetic – the Battery went 'HAMMER and TONGS' at a 'MERRY WIDOW', and ended with a 'SURPRISE PACKAGE'. At the end of the exercise, the Div Net announced, “ENDEX – Return to barracks, be prepared to embark in three weeks time”!
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The Battery was headed for Cyprus, in order to support the regime of King Farouk of Egypt. Deployment would be by both sea and air. 3 Ton, 15 hundred-weight and most of the quarter-ton vehicles would move by commercial shipping from Newport Docks, with a small driver's detachment in support under the TQMS. The Guns were to be shipped in HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, with a small gun party, with a TSM and 2Lt Chris. The rest of the Battery were to fly from Blackbush Airport near Aldershot.

In a forlorn attempt at preventing larceny, known to be rife on the dockside, the 3 Tonners had to place all their stores in steel boxes that had been welded to the vehicle, as were the wheels. When the vehicles arrived in Cyprus, all the wheels had been stolen, all the tool boxes had been broken open and all the tools stolen. Several of the vehicles had also been relieved of their canvas tilts. Newport Constabulary were singularly ineffective in finding the culprits, but it meant in effect that the Battery was stationary, unable to deploy anywhere until fresh stores could be brought in from Egypt.

2Lt Chris’s small party embarked in ILLUSTRIOUS at Portsmouth on a very wet day towards the end of October 1951. Guns were lashed onto the flight deck, but later taken below. As they had come aboard, the “Midshipman of the Day”, tasked with taking their names, remarked that “we might have a rough ride”.

HMS ILLUSTRIOUS

ILLUSTRIOUS sailed at around 1800hrs, slowly navigating her way around the Isle-of-Wight and into the Channel. Once into open water, speed gradually increased and at a briefing held shortly before dinner for all Officers in Charge of Parties, everyone was informed that the intention was to make Famagusta in less than 6 days. This would mean steaming at 30 or 32 knots. Everyone was warned, don't fall over the sides, your chances of being found would be slim, it would take 5 miles to slow down enough to execute a turn.

Chris’s small detachment had been billeted as far for'ard as it was possible to go; in the Bow and four flats down. Luckily this was only their sleeping space – no place to relax in the Bay of Biscay in a Storm Force 10 that greeted them the following day after setting sail. The Bow certainly rose and fell, some said, “more than twenty feet, Sir”.

For the first few days, most people succumbed to sea-sickness, and the chance to exercise for an allotted period on the flight deck was relished. The wardroom was also noticeably barren for the first few days making it easy to relax at breakfast. However, once people found their sea legs things were much more crowded.

Officers on the quarter deck waiting for the next call of the sea!

Of course they weren't the only unit on board. Two Battalions of Foot Guards and elements of 39th Guards Brigade Headquarters, together with 20 Field Regiment RA, acting as the Brigade Support Regiment. Their CO was the Senior Officer on board, so was given the Captain's cabin at the aft of the ship. This cabin however, was immediately above the propeller shaft which had been bent in an air-raid during the war, and later “straightened” in the States. At normal revolutions the cabin was fine, but at the revolutions required to maintain 30+ knots it was almost impossible to lie in the bunk. The CO, Lt Col Brennan, had a chat with ILLUSTRIOUS's Captain, Captain Dickens RN, who of course was in his sea cabin, well away from the vibrations, and he agreed to slow down a couple of knots at night, which made all the difference.

The Senior Service kept to their word, and exactly six days later ILLUSTRIOUS arrived off Famagusta, having stopped at Gibraltar to put off a very sick Sailor, and then flashing past Malta and the Libyan Coast.

Disembarkation was unnerving. Troops were required to climb down ladders onto flat bottomed “Lighters”, a hundred and fifty men at a time. There was no room to sit, so everyone was required to stand for the 20 minute choppy crossing to the jetty. Behind the jetty were a number of signs with names of camps on them, however when they had left Woolwich, nobody had any idea as to where in Cyprus they were going, but had been told that a new Battery Officer, Captain White would meet them. There was a sign marked “WHITE's CAMP”, so it seemed reasonable to form up the assembled Troops complete with Guns behind this sign. Time passed and nothing much happened, and by now all the other units had left when out of the gloom came a rather flustered officer who introduced himself as Captain Peter White. They had the furthest distance to travel, being based at Aghirda, a very small hamlet of about 70 people, on the Southern side of the escarpment dominated by the Castle of St Hilarion. It was a camp that had been built for the Guards Parachute Company about three years before.

Agirda, courtesy of Google Earth, lying just to the west of the main Kyrenia to Nicosia Road

The entrance and guard room, Aghirda Camp November 1951

The camp consisted of concrete tent bases, and one or two corrugated iron huts, for the cookhouse and stores. Officers were housed in square tents called EPIPs, (European Privates Indian Pattern, grouped together with a mess and ante-room tent. The Sergeants' Mess had a similar arrangement on the opposite side of the square. The “Square”, an area of hard packed earth had a distinct slope on it, which was to have disastrous consequences later on. Troops were housed in similar tents, eight beds to a tent.

The Battery Captain, (BK in Gunner parlance), was flying back to the UK on the second Sunday in December 1951, and had been tasked with taking the Christmas Mail with him to post in Woolwich, so the Saturday was spent writing letters, Christmas Cards and packing small presents. Just after lunch it started to rain, the wind got up and by 3pm the Battery was in the middle of a small hurricane. Tents were being blown down, and anything not anchored was being blown away, including the precious mail. Because the camp had been empty for some time, all the drainage ditches were silted up and as a consequence the rain had nowhere to go except follow the slope on the square and into the Officer's lines. The storm abated by about 6pm, and although the overall damage could not be assessed, in the morning it was not as bad as first feared. The tents although down, were not badly damaged and were soon re-erected. Some Public Works employees were hijacked to nail panels of corrugated sheeting back onto the Cookhouse, and a party was set to work digging and clearing the drainage ditches.

The Battery “Square” and the slope.

The harbour town of Kyrenia, was the main place of interest, with its attractive old harbour and medieval backdrop. There were a few bars and shops around the waterfront, and during the day the locals from the hinterland set up stalls on the quayside selling vegetables, bread, meat and on Fridays, fish. Kyrenia was famous for the 'Dome Hotel', one of the great hotels of Empire with a reputation that rivalled 'Raffles', 'The Crescent', 'Shephard's' and 'The Phoenicia. A number of expats, resident in 'The Dome', had been there since the Second World War, having moved from Cairo, and a number were arriving from Egypt due to the rising tension – a backdrop to the current deployment overseas. Early in their stay, the Officers' found, “The Harbour Club” in Kyrenia. It was in the process of opening. The Battery's Officers were invited to the opening night by the District Commissioner for Kyrenia. The club was owned by Roy, a former Para, who'd jumped into Arnhem, and his wife Judy Shirley. Judy was a cabaret singer and before the war had sung the opening number on the radio on Monday nights “Its Monday night at seven o’clock, and can’t you hear the chimes”. It so happened that the BK had been the pianist in Ambrose’s Band before the war so knew Judy. He was invited to play the piano in “The Harbour Club” and in “Jack’s Bar”, another popular watering hole.

While the Officers found plenty to do, with sailing, tennis and squash at the Kyrenia club, and bars where one could meet members of the local expat community, there was little for the soldiers to do. The Battery was 75% National Servicemen who were not paid very much, although they were entitled to local overseas allowance. Most of them spent little and saved a lot.
Early in 1952, it was realised that the mortars of 'U' battery were not going to be needed in Egypt. It was alleged that somebody had been studying a Geneva Convention which forbade the use of mortars in situations which needed “Military Aid to the Civil Power”. HQ 3 Div’s attitude was “We’ve got them in Cyprus, let’s make use of them”.

Roles were changed and ‘U’ Battery and Aghirda Camp, became a Rest & Recuperation Station for divisional officers, some of whom brought their wives out to Kyrenia for a little sun! Other Ranks went to the Regiment in Famagusta. This meant that they suddenly received a couple of sailing dingies, some small tents, climbing equipment, and tennis and squash rackets. Obviously there were periods when they were short of, what they called, “clients”. At those times they were able to get soldiers into boats, learning to climb or to play tennis/squash. It was amazing what talent was to be found amongst the Officers. Sailing, tennis and squash were well covered, but two of the Officers were very experienced climbers. Gunnery skills were still maintained and once, the Battery had two days live firing at the Western end of the Island without causing major disturbance among the goatherds!

Field firing with a new arrival of national servicemen.Note the civil telephone pole (right), the local police were warned every time we wanted to fire!

Clearly this sybaritic life could not go on. Deployments were made to Tel-el-Kebir for two weeks on a regular basis to boost the guard strength at the base ordnance depot, and the Battery provided Government House Guard twice for a month each time. This latter task classed as “public duties”. In the middle of July 1952, the Battery  were informed it was time to go home.

Dockers at Famagusta loading a 4.2 ins Mortar on to a lighter

The journey home was less exciting than the outward one. The Battery embarked in the “Empire Trooper” on its run from the Far East. These Troopers, part of the British India Steam Navigation Company ran to a set routine and one could almost say, set menus, but they were comfortable. There were few troops on board, mainly unaccompanied families leaving Hong Kong because of the Korean War. It was a leisurely ten days’ cruise away from the heat of a Cyprus summer. The Battery returned to Woolwich during the terrible smog of the winter of 1952.

'U' Light Battery moved to Colchester just before the Coronation in 1953. It was involved in the East Coast Floods, preventing the Dartford Power Station being flooded in February 1953. It ceased to exist in 1954, when the Royal Regiment gave up playing with 4.2 ins Mortars.

Weekly Update No 2

Progress this week could be summed up as, "slow and steady". I have managed to steer away from EOKA and concentrated a little more on the Second World War.

I came across a very interesting forum, the link to it is here:

http://www.ww2talk.com/

And from there I have managed to make contact with individuals or their families who Spent time on Cyprus during the War.

Material from that line of research will be slower maturing, but I will place something on here in good time.

The promised material from Owen Roberts arrived, and I enjoyed looking through it. Owen joined 105 Battery, part of 31 Fd Regt RA in Cyprus in November 1942. The Regiment had been badly beaten up at the Battle of Alem Hamza. The Regiment had acquitted themselves well, but had been overrun by Axis Forces and suffered heavy losses. Many of the soldiers from the Regiment had been taken POW and you can read a very brief account of the adventures of one of them, Sir William Bulmer, who'd been a Troop Commander with 31 Fd Regt RA, in his obituary here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9803712/Sir-William-Bulmer.html

In any case, Owen joined the Regiment as they were licking their wounds and his materials contain two items, extracts from a book that he wrote called "31st Field Regiment RA, A Record", still available on Amazon at £14.55. Followed by extracts from "On Two Fronts", by Antoinette Moat, again, still available on Amazon at £7.52. This is an account of her Father's career, Major Arthur Galetti RA, who arrived in Cyprus in the spring of 1942 and assumed Command of 105 Battery. Major Galetti would be killed in action the following year, winning a posthumous MC.

I cannot place extracts from Antoinette Moat's book on here, as I need to contact her first for permission, but Owen is happy for me to freely use extracts from his publication. I pulled two short items from the material he sent me. The first paragraph is a brief description of the Island as he remembers it, and another brief paragraph that shows the effect the island had on war weary soldiers.

Then a British Colony, Cyprus is some 120 miles long and 50 miles across at its widest point; it lies about 60 miles South of Turkish Asia Minor and 100 miles West of Syria. At the time its population was predominantly of Greek origin, with a minority coming from Turkey. It is a mountainous island - the Troodos Mountains dominate the western half and there is an extensive highland backbone along the North Coastline - with fertile plains; it has a pleasant climate, winters have warm days and cold nights and the summers are very hot. It has exotic colouring and everywhere there are groves of orange, lemon and olive trees, intermingled with grape vines. The uplands are well wooded and it has the spicy fragrance (text indecipherable) of so many of the Mediterranean Countries.

To the Regiment, following its near destruction at Alem Hamza and the subsequent remarkable escape of its remnants from Benghazi, Cyprus was indeed heaven. Instead of the previous plan, which had scattered the defenders in small groups covering the ports and beaches, General Tuker concentrated his forces in a central position to provision and ammunition the colony, to withstand seige and to use the Troodos mountain block as a defence ‘keep’. A diverging system of roads linked the central plain with all likely invasion beaches, so allowing reserves to be moved quickly against any invader.

“Owen Roberts, 31 Field Regiment RA, A Record”

Any soldier who has spent time in night ambushes, whether for real or on exercise will recall the smells of Cyprus on a warm summer night. I'm no spice expert, but the smell of sage or thyme can take me back in an instance.

So a picture of Cyprus during the Second World War is starting to emerge, as a place that was used to allow troops to requip, train and regain their strength, before moving into more intense theatres in North Africa. Apart from a short period after the fall of Crete where the threat of invasion became almost a reality.

I also trawled the Imperial War Museum archive and found some interesting photographs,the link is here:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Cyprus&submit=&items_per_page=10

My daughter is at University in London, and she has agreed to be my research assistant, paid of course, (there is nothing so mercenary as a starving student). Her first task will be to trawl through specific Regimental War Diaries, housed at the National Archive at Kew, I'm not sure if she knows what she is letting herself in for.

Weekly Update Number 1 - Slightly Late!

My intention was to submit an update Blog every week, to inform everyone as to the progress being made, (or not), and highlight any stumbling blocks, however fate intervened last week, in the shape of a new job, preventing me from putting finger to keyboard - apologies.

Firstly I received 4 or 5 responses to the small advertisement I had placed in Gunner Magazine from individuals who had served in Cyprus and were willing to share their experiences with me. Emails moved back and forth and I then received a submission from "Tam", a former 26 Regt RA Sgt who had been on the way to Aquaba as part of the "Firefighting" Brigade, where, having staged to equip and train in Cyprus, were then diverted to help with the EOKA campaign. I will publish excerpts from his very interesting story here eventually, but like all things I need to do some cross-referencing to make sure our facts are correct before doing so.

I had also received an email from a former 31 Fd Regt Soldier, (Owen), who served during the Second World War from 1942 - 1945. Owen joined his Regiment in Cyprus where they had been withdrawn after receiving a severe mauling by the Afrika Corps at the battle of Alem Hamza. Since his email we have spoken on the phone and he has placed in the post several photographs and an account of his experiences which I not only look forward to reading, but sharing with everyone else. I would love to get to meet him and may attempt to do so later in the year.

My research efforts in the last two weeks seem to have become EOKA focussed - that is where the wealth of material exists on the internet, and very interesting, (and in some cases incredibly sad), it is too. I am conscious however that I am not writing a story about the Gunners versus General Grivas, but something with a wider context.

However! Firstly there is a very interesting and informative site on the internet, who's editor has put together pages that gather history and anecdotes from former servicemen who have served all over the world since WWII, and well worth a browse for any of you, who like me, have been involved in conflicts from Northern Ireland to Bosnia, to Afghanistan. The link to the Cyprus page is here:

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/cyprus/index.html

I spent some time combing this site, and having been given permission by James the editor, I have manipulated their databases, extracting the information relevant to the Gunner story.

The first database covers those Gunners who died during the EOKA conflict. The conflict is said to have commenced on the 1st of April 1955 and finished on the 1st of December 1959 when a ceasefire was agreed.

This database can be found by following this link

Roll of Honour

And my thanks go to to David Carter who complied the original list.

This list does have holes in it and if you can help with filling them in please do not hesitate to get in touch. I'm also grateful to another website lastrp.com and David Hamilton the author. David has very kindly allowed me to use material from his website in my research, and again his very informative website is well worth a visit.

I have been attempting to compile a list of British Army units stationed in Cyprus, and will publish a list when I have more meat on the bones - to date it is full of holes and I would be loathe to put it out for public inspection - I do feel a trip to the Royal Artillery Museum coming on though.

Britain's Small Wars website did allow me to compile a complete list of those Gunner units who have served under the UNFICYP umbrella, and my compiled list can be found here:

UNFICYP, RA Units

The final little gem I came across was a website dedicated to those Gunners who served in 188 Radar and Searchlight Battery RA. The compiler, David Nicholas has, again, very kindly allowed me to use material from his site in my research.

188 Radar and Searchlight Battery RA

This site allowed me to make contact with several former members who served in Cyprus, and again, I look forward to reading their story.

So, two weeks worth of research, but I have lots of ground still to cover, I'll report back, God willing, next week. I leave you with the image below which shows the main gate of "Ubique" Camp, 188 Battery Headquarters Cyprus, (Thanks to David Nicholas and John Wood).

Introduction - (Draft for comment)

So why would a Gunner be interested in Cyprus? Well, I think it is fair to say that my association with the Island has lasted for all of my Army Career. In my time I've swam in it's blue waters, hiked across it's demanding and extensive mountain range. Performed badly on ski's at its highest point, met some wonderful people either side of its divided border and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of soldiering in this sunshine paradise.

My fascination, however, did not start from my first arrival at RAF Akrotiri. It began much earlier than that, at the age of 13 when I was allowed, finally, to join the Hinckley Squadron of the Air Cadets. Spaced evenly down the Nissan Hut walls were several RAF recruiting posters, and I would often find myself standing in front of one particular image. The scene is an aircraft "pan", bathed in hot sunshine. In the background are the blue waters of the Mediterranean  which serve to frame that venerable warrior of the Cold-War, the "English Electric Lightening". In the immediate foreground is an image of an Airman sporting desert boots, khaki socks pulled to the knee and those off grey shorts so beloved of the RAF. He is shirtless with a great sun-tan, and screwdriver in hand is engrossed in doing something technical to the inner workings of another Lightening.

It wasn't the task in hand that fascinated, it was more to do with the "Sunshine" nature of the posting, next to that impossibly blue water - now that's living.

Once I joined the Army and The Royal Regiment, my first overseas trip was to Cyprus. I stepped down from a C130 Hercules at RAF Akrotiri into an early Autumn sunset, where the temperature was still a balmy 70 degrees fahrenheit. RAF personnel stood about dressed in those self same desert boots, knee high socks, and lightweight shorts and shirts, a mode of dress I never actually managed to rise too. This was Exercise "MOONBASE", later to become "LION-SUN", (more on this later), and designed to last for about 4 - 6 weeks, making the most of the training opportunities that the Island has to offer.

I have since calculated that I have spent almost two and a half years in Cyprus, made up of "LION-SUN", two tours with the UN and an attachment to Headquarters British Forces Cyprus, (HQBFC), in order to deliver training to staff there.

But let me take you back to  my original question above. Unlike other locations that I have served; Gibraltar, Hong-Kong etc. The Gunner presence is indistinct and hard to find. In Gibraltar, Guns and Gunners are, quite literally, "Ubique", (everywhere for those of you who escaped latin at school), and the same could be said for Hong-Kong at one time, (perhaps not now). Yet how can this be of Cyprus, which occupies a key strategic location in the Mediterranean and for this reason would have to be heavily defended - and such defence will always include Guns, Artillery is the King of the Battlefield after all. Additionally, there is no doubt that Gunners have bled and died on that island, as witnessed by the gravestones at Wayne's Keep Military Cemetery. And yet the presence is muted, if apparent at all, and it is this story I wish to uncover.

So join me - comment, collaborate, submit, criticise as you will - all are welcome, but I promise no accolades at the end - an acknowledgement at best, but another chapter of Gunner History is recorded before it is too late.

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog! The Blog is aimed at those individuals young or old, military or ex-military and even the odd civilian, who wishes to contribute to my writing project aimed at recording the History of The Royal Regiment of Artillery in Cyprus, from around 1916 to the present date.

On these pages I intend to publish interesting anecdotes as they arrive, photographs and links to those pages deemed relevant. It will also serve to update contributors, of which I hope their may be one or two, as to the progress of the finished article/pamphlet/book/tome, depending on quantity and quality.

Positive comments and criticism will always be welcome.

"Ubique"