Cyprus – Finding Friends
By Margaret Sheard
I have written in the past about the reminiscences of a British ex-serviceman who spent most of his National Service in Cyprus. Many friends were made and still keep in contact but there are those who have lost touch and would like to renew contact even though a great number of years later.
The story I wrote in April 2013 about Derek Chilvers has had a huge number of reads and this generated a more recent story about Fingers the Goat, a baby goat found on Five Finger Mountain in Cyprus which became the Company’s mascot. The links to both these articles are shown below.
This article, however, is about Finding Friends and we have received a request via Derek Chilvers from one of the lads,
Chris Veness, who Derek has kept in touch with over the years. Chris would like to try and locate “Russie”, whose surname he cannot remember but he has given the following information in the hope that someone, or even Russie himself, will be able to help.
Russie was Lt Orr’s batman in C Company and his tent was the last one in the line set back near the camp Shop. He lived in Ipswich and must have come in around October 1957 at Gibraltar Barracks, Bury St Edmonds. He was working in the stores in Bury and was giving out all our stuff when I first met him in December 1957.
Chris formed a rock band in Cyprus and is trying to contact Russie who is shown in the photograph, he is the guitarist in the centre of the picture. N.S 6 UK Bar, Nicosia, Cyprus 1958.
Does anyone recognise Russie or indeed any of the other band members. If so please make contact with Chris on his email address rock.shed@virgin.net I am sure he will be delighted to hear from you.
I am also including a more recent photograph taken at the 2011 Minden Day in Bury which shows Chris in the centre.
Links to previous articles
British Army Memories in Cyprus 1958/59 click here
Fingers the Goat click here
Message from David Littlemore to cyprusscene.com which we are sharing below.
I read with interest your article on the Suffolk Regiment. and was pleased that some veterans of the Cyprus EmergencNational Memorial Arboretumy are keeping contact with each other. I attended the unveiling of the Memorial at Kyrenia in 2009 and visit it regularly as I have a holiday home in the TRNC.
I visited the National Memorial Arboretum in the UK and was told that they do not have a dedicated memorial to the 371 servicemen who lost their lives in the Cyprus Emergency. I am delighted to tell you that I am now organising the erection of one and hope to have it in place within the next 12 months.
Should anyone be interested then do please contact me on email; david.littlemore1@btinternet.com.”
hi dave, I have read your latest info on the memorial (22/4/2016) I will be attending the ceremony with my army mate and our wives (all being well !!!!!),so if possible could you reserve 4 seats, my wife is slightly disabled so a seat would be appreciated..From what i can gather thier are 8 going up from Cardiff but i don’t know if that means 8 men only or 16 with wives ????. I have been back 3 times to the North Cyprus and will be going again the end of october(All being well). I served my n/s in The Welch Reg based in Xeros and Dhavlos and then Benghazi.Hope you receive this E-mail as i’m not the fastest shot in the west !!!!!
kind regards
brian
oop’s sorry
Thank you for your comment which has been sent on to David Littlemore. Wish we could be there for the unveiling which we are sure will be a very emotional occasion.