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of the day to the Brigadier on the MFR, its role with the UN Mission and what impact the soldiers had made during their time in Cyprus.
After a brief spot of lunch in the camp’s International Cafeteria, Brigadier Wheeler was escorted on a guided tour of the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA) by Lt Lloyd Watts and 2Lt Mark Jones. The UNPA is located within the Buffer Zone which divides northern and southern Cyprus from one another and it houses the now disused Nicosia International Airport. This was the scene of some of the most intense fighting seen during the 1974 “Turkish Intervention” in Cyprus. Brigadier Wheeler also got to see the old RAF Control Tower that was used right up to the Airport opening in 1968. After a brief visit to the now famous Cyprus Aeroplane that failed to make it out of the airport during the Intervention, he was taken down to Wayne’s Keep, a cemetery located inside the Buffer Zone, the final resting place of many British soldiers killed in various campaigns throughout the last 100 years.
The visit continued as he was driven down the patrol track linking UNPA with Ledra Palace Hotel, which was at the time of the “Turkish Intervention” the only 5-star hotel in Nicosia. Now it is the operating
base of the British lead Sector 2 element of UNFICYP, currently being filled by 17 Port & Maritime Group. The Buffer Zone gave the unique insight into a moment of history that is forever frozen in time, with disused, crumbling buildings
part of the demonstration the MFR looked to test its ability to work closely alongside other UN organisations such as UN Flight (which is the Argentinian lead helicopter asset assigned to UNPA) and practise our
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that are slowly yielding to the ravages of time consuming them. Cars parked in the very same spot for nearly 40 years, untouched and preserved under years of dirt and dust. The following day
The training serial went well and saw A Troop work hard to implement the drills they had been taught...
procedures for extracting a casualty should one happen in either the crowd or in part of the soldier’s baseline.
The training serial went well and saw A Troop work hard to implement the drills they had been taught to push the rioting B Troop protestors out of
saw Brigadier Wheeler
heading up to the International Airport to view a demonstration of the MFR’s Public Order capability. The scenario was based around a real life situation which occurred many years ago at the Dhernea Crossing point, where historically Turkish civilians have tried to cross the Buffer Zone into the Greek controlled south. As this is something the MFR might be called upon to deal with the scenario was designed to replicate this. Soldiers from A Troop donned full Public Order riot gear in sweltering temperatures and worked to control the rioting civilian crowd played by B Troops soldiers. As
the mock Buffer Zone. A simulated casualty was then created in the crowd and Team Medics worked quickly to treat and extract the casualty from the danger area, while the troops looked to cordon and control the area.
With the excitement of the morning over, Brigadier Wheeler was finally able to draw breath and take stock of what he had seen, before getting ready to start his long journey back home to the UK. The MFR thoroughly enjoyed the Brigadier’s visit and we hope that he enjoyed his time with us just as much.