A CHANCE remark at the coffee shop in Kalavassos village near Larnaca has lead to a medal presentation in the BFC Episkopi Officers’ Mess.
It began when 85-year-old Evelthon Georgiou told one of the many British expats living in the village that he used to serve in the British Army. Wallace Naiken, who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) for over 30 years, was intrigued and fascinated by the veteran’s story.
Tales were exchanged over many cups of Cypriot coffee and the odd beer or two but what got Wallace’s undivided attention was the fact that Georgiou used to live in a small village near Famagusta and had to leave his village during the invasion of 1974, leaving all of his possessions behind and taking with him only the clothes he wore that day. Of all of his many valuable possessions lost during this time were his medals that he was so proud to be awarded during the World War II.
Georgiou served in the Field Mule Pack Transport Company Cyprus Regiment RASC from 1941 until 1945 and saw service in Lebanon, Egypt and Italy. The medals that were lost in 1974 consisted of the 1939-45 Star, the Africa Star, the Italy Star, the Defence Medal and the 1939-45 Medal.
Determined that he should try and help, Wallace enlisted the help of Ernie Scott, who is an active member of the Royal British Legion in Limassol. Ernie spent a good deal of time gathering information about Georgiou’s time serving in The Cyprus Regiment before passing those details to Lt Col Andrew Noyes RM (Rtd) who is President of the Royal British Legion in Limassol. Wearing his ‘other hat’, Andrew, who is also Assistant Secretary of SSAFA-Forces Help Cyprus Branch, got to work and through various channels of support that is open to SSAFA on the island managed to obtain duplicate medals.
That chance remark culminated in the Defence Attaché at the British High Commission in Nicosia, Col John Lemon, presenting those long lost medals to a very grateful Evelthon Georgiou. Many family members were able to be at the presentation, which SSAFA Cyprus Branch were delighted in being able to help.
Also at the ceremony was Theodoros Philipou, who is 82 and served with Georgiou in The Cyprus Regiment during the war in the same locations. Philipou was awarded the same decorations as his comrade, but what is perhaps quite remarkable is the fact that Philipou was also awarded the Military Medal while fighting the war in Italy.
The Cyprus Regiment was created by the British government during the World War II and made part of the British Army structure. It was comprised mostly of volunteers from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of Cyprus but also included other Commonwealth nationalities.
The Cyprus Regiment was founded on April 12, 1940 and disbanded on March 31, 1950. It included Infantry, Mechanical, Transport and Pack Transport Companies. Cypriot mule drivers were the first colonial troops sent to the western front. They served in many areas including France, Ethiopia and Italy carrying equipment to areas inaccessible to vehicles.
About 30,000 Cypriots served in the Cyprus Regiment. The regiment was involved in action from the very start and served at Dunkirk, Greece (about 600 soldiers were captured in Kalamata in 1941), North Africa (Operation Compass), France, the Middle East and Italy. Many soldiers were taken prisoner especially at the beginning of the war and were interned in various POW camps including Lamsdorf (Stalag 344), Stalag IVC at Wistritz bei Teplitz and Stalag 4b.
In the post war years and prior to its disbandment, the regiment served in Cyprus and the Middle East including Palestine during the 1945-1948 period.
n SSAFA – Forces Help, Cyprus Branch has an office located within BFC Episkopi and is manned by volunteers each morning between 9am and 12 noon. There is an answer phone for use during times when there is nobody in the office. The phone number is 25-963647 and the fax number is 25-963335. If you know of an ex-forces member that you may think would benefit from SSAFA’s help then do not hesitate to call.
