An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 32 | 18 Inf Gp armour patrol in Larnaca District 1970. Pic courtesy Sgt Gus Hayles (Retd). Armour Patrol, 12 Inf Gp. Pic courtesy SQMS Walter Tobin (Retd). and a simultaneous amphibious assault on the coast, near Kyrenia. A ceasefire came into effect on 16th August after the Turks had gained control of 36% of the island. This conflict marked a turning point for Cyprus as it resulted in the deaths of thousands, the displacement of about 200,000 and the de facto partitioning of the island. UNFICYP changed from being deployed throughout the island to manning the 180km buffer zone (the Green Line) that marks the ceasefire-lines. Over the following years UNFICYP was re- duced as battalions withdrew – the Finns (1977), the Swedes (1988), and the Danes (1992). After the Canadians left in 1993, the Security Council decided that UNFICYP should be restructured with three infantry units of approximately 350 personnel each. This was the estimated mini- mum number required to maintain effective control of the buffer zone. Today UNFICYP has 857 military personnel drawn from 13 countries. The police compo- nent has 65 personnel (including 12 members of An Gárda Síochana). It is the third longest running UN mission, after UNTSO (1948) and UNMOGIP (1949), and in marking its upcoming 50th anniversary year UN Sec Gen Ban Ki-moon expressed his gratitude to the 32 countries that have contributed troops or police to the mission and paid tribute to the 184 peacekeepers that lost their lives on the mission. Defence Forces Participation 1964 - 2005 Dáil Éireann formally approved the despatch of a contingent for service with UNFICYP on 7th April 1964. The first Irish unit, 40 Inf Bn, deployed to Cyprus with a strength of 606 personnel commanded by Lt Col Pearse Barry. They arrived at Nicosia airport between 19th and 21st April and were based in Famagusta. The experiences and lessons learned during service with UNOGIL, UNTSO and ONUC meant that the unit was well armed, equipped and supported by state-of-the-art armoured fighting vehicles. The UN then requested an additional unit as the British contingent was to be reduced from its initial strength of 2,719 to approximately 1,000. Between 21st July and 5th August, 3 Inf Gp, commanded by Lt Col Thomas McDonald, joined the force, deploying to Larnaca district. This brought Irish strength up to 1,032, including staff at Force HQ. Ireland's contribution was remarkable as 2 Inf Gp, with 337 personnel, was still serving in the Congo when UNFICYP started and the overall strength of the DF in 1964 was only 8,322. The first re-deployment of Irish personnel was in December 1964, when 41 Inf Bn and the Swedish battalion swapped loca- tion, with 41 Inf Bn moving to Morphou District with Bn HQ and HQ Coy located at Skouriotissa, and companies located at Kato Pyrgos, Lefka and Limnitis. At the same time, 3 Inf Gp moved to Paphos District with its HQ at Ktima and a company at Polis.

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