Cyprus Regiment

[Sid Guttridge]

JHi Rigger,

Many thanks. Keep drip feeding us anything new as it comes up.

A number of my mother's family were in the Royal Malta Artillery, which was also part of the British Army, and they ended up on occupation duties in Germany after WWII, though possibly on attachment to other units.

Sid.

[Rigger]

This is the camp of a Cyprus Regiment unit in Ismaelia, Egypt sometime between 1940 and 1942. (hope the link works)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16671990/camp.jpg

Three Greek Cypriot officers, most probably of the Cyprus Regiment in Port Said.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/166 ... ficers.jpg

A Greek Cypriot officer (centre) of the Hellenic army during the Italian invasion 1940.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67842759@N ... /lightbox/

[Rigger]

A private of the Cyprus Regiment.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/166 ... oldier.jpg

[Rigger]

These are volunteers of the Cyprus Regiment in 1943. They are all (or most of them) members of the Communist party who joined in great numbers the regiment after an appeal by the party's leadership to join massively. In fact most members of the central committee of the party joined the regiment. The troops are marching in my hometown Limassol, in fact in front of my house, after they completed their training in a training camp in the outskirts of the town. The communist mayor of the town is standing in front of the British officers. These troops were sent to Italy.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/166 ... nteers.jpg

[Rigger]

Indian troops and local children in Cyprus 1941. The Transport companies of Cyprus Regiment had developed a closed relationship with Indian troops and especially with the 4th Indian Infantry Division. These troops must belong to the Indian 7th Infantry Brigade of the Indian 4th Infantry Division that arrived in Cyprus in April 1941.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _E6547.jpg

[Andy H]

I have found this video. These are Cypriot muleteers in 1940. Although the title reads "Troops in Cyprus" this is certainly not in Cyprus. Judging from the fact that a) they are unarmed and by b) the RASC shoulder plates, they are most probably in France. These two companies were the first colonial troops to be sent to France prior to the formation of the Cyprus Regiment. They were unarmed at this stage. Cypriot personnel were evacuated from Dunkirk, British personnel (Officers and senior NCO's) were armed and formed ad-hoc units. The Cypriot muleteers were finally armed once in Britain were they took part in the defense of the British isles against the expected invasion before they moved to the Middle East and then to Eritrea were they played a vital part in the battle of Keren. Later, they would distinguish themselves at the final battle of Monte Casino where they supported the Polish troops dumping supplies directly to the front line.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/troop ... ery/Cyprus

PS In this case support or colonlal troops were not left behind

Hi

Just a snippet I found in CAB66/4/42 dated Jan 9th 1940 regarding the Cypriot mule drivers:-
600 mules from India in charge of 150 Indian drivers arrived in Marseilles on Jan 6th. The Cypriot drivers destined to take charge of these mules are due to arrive in Marseilles on Jan 8th-when the Indian drivers will return to India. This completes the concentration of animal transport for the BEF.

Regards

Andy H

[tangoniner]

Hi, I'm new to the forum & am trying to obtain precise info on which units my father served with during WWII so I am asking if anyone knows of any lists of British NCOs serving with Greek & Cypriot pioneers or labour units. He was 6913730 Reginald Richard Prickett, The Rifle Brigade & I have precised this from his service records & some bio notes he wrote: From Nov 39 to Aug 40 he was posted to Cyprus as a Cpl Instructor with the newly formed Cyprus Pioneer Regiment and thence, as a Sgt, to a pioneer company transferring to Egypt. There are notes on the back of photographs that show him in Polemidia Camp in Cyprus in Aug 40. Polemidia Camp is located near Limassol , was the main training camp for the Cy Pnr Regt, and has a British military cemetery nearby which contains graves going back to the 1880s.
He was promoted to SSgt and commanded a half-company of Cypriot pioneers from Aug 40 to Mar 41 in Egypt and the desert, employed on defence and airfield construction in support of RE and RAF elements and also in stores, rations and ammunition handling in support of RASC and RAOC units. He claimed to have become proficient during this time in the Greek-Cypriot language to the point where he did not require an interpreter.
From Mar to Apr 41 he served in Greece doing the same work as in the Libyan desert where his unit was attached to an Australian Field Hospital and an NZ engr coy. His unit was evacuated to Crete in Apr 41 [606th Palestine Pioneer Company (3/439) 1004th, 1005th, 1007th & 1008th Cypriot Pioneer Companies (11/688) in the Suda Bay Sector are some units I have noted as being there.] and again was employed in L of C work until they were evacuated again. He was wounded in the foot by shrapnel from the bomb of a Stuka dive bomber on 27 May 41 and evacuated to Egypt 'with the last ship' as he claimed. He was in hospital in Egypt for two weeks and was then posted to the main assembly depot at Quassasin as CQMS to a newly formed Greek infantry coy.
In Aug 41 he was reposted again to Cyprus (as a Sgt) to the pioneer and civil labour HQ. He was later detached to local PCLU units in Limmassol, Larnaca, Famagusta and Paphos. His duties included recruiting civil labour, site supervision and timekeeping.
From Jun to Jul 43 he was posted to Beirut in Lebanon to PCLU HQ where he was responsible for gross-checking all timesheets from local PCLUs in French.

[Andy H]

Hi

Maybe worth dropping these an email

I think Norman Brown still runs it, has a mine of info.

THE ROYAL PIONEER CORPS ASSOCIATION
c/o 23 Pioneer Rgt Royal Logistic Corps
St David’s Barracks Graven Hill
Bicester
Oxfdshire
OX26 6HF

telephone
01869 360694

Pioneer Corps Unit histories from World War I, World War II and upto 1984 are available on written request. If anyone is doing research on the service of their relatives in the Labour Corps Lieutenant Colonel John Starling may also be able to help you, provided you have a service number and a company number. We offer this research service to family, relatives and fellow historians so please NO MILITARY COLLECTORS.

Lieutenant Colonel John Starling
Royal Pioneer Corps Association
c/o 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
St David’s Barracks
Graven Hill
Bicester
Oxfordshire
OX26 6HF

email: [email protected]

Regards

Andy H

[tangoniner]

Hi Andy,
Thank you for your prompt reply - I will give it a go

[Rigger]

Hi tangoniner, here is a clip of Cypriot recruits at from Polemidia camp sometime during WW2. I believe it is from the period between 1940 - 1942

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSi7td0IEYw