MEMORIAL


THE UNTOLD STORY OF BRITISH HEROES IN CYPRUS


On British soil in Kyrenia lies a cemetery that quietly honours police officers who served, and fell, during the Cyprus Emergency. As the 70th anniversary approaches this November, Pavel Barter, journalist, and Julian Mawdesley, retired police officer (West Mercia, NCS & SOCA), revisit the stories of bravery, sacrifice and forgotten service


OLD BRITISH CEMETERY KYRENIA On a small piece of British owned land in Kyrenia, Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, lies the Old British cemetery which was created in 1878 to lay to rest some of the early British forces who died on active service on the Island. The cemetery has a magnificent memorial with the names of military personnel who died during the Cyprus emergency of 1955 to 1959. In 2014 a memorial with the names of 67 British,


26 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2025


Turkish and Greek police officers who died during this period of history was included on the site. The memorial was paid for by the then Police Roll of Honour trust and was unveiled in November 2014 which was attended by a number of dignitaries and serving UK Police officers including Sir Hugh Orde OBE QPM. The United Kingdom Police Unit


to Cyprus (UKPU) has been largely forgotten by history. Yet this volunteer force deployed to the island to support


the Cyprus Colonial Police and British military personnel during the Cyprus Emergency (otherwise known as the Greek Cypriot War of Independence) of 1955 to 1959, played a crucial and unique role in the history of British policing. Not a lot has been written about the British police officers who lost their lives, but their names are memorialised in this Old British Cemetery in Kyrenia. At a service each year arranged by the Royal British Legion, Kyrenia branch,


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